The edge of real winters. Baikal Sightseeing Tour

Breakfast at the hotel.

You will spend the first half of the day in Listvyanka.

An excursion to the Baikal Ecological Museum, where there are many exhibits telling about the inhabitants of Lake Baikal, they can even be seen live in the aquariums located in the museum.

On the way, we will visit the Taltsy Architectural and Ethnographic Museum, where you can not only see wooden architecture and the way of life of the peoples of the Baikal region, but also participate in traditional winter fun: ride skins from a real Russian slide, ride a sleigh or a troika, or walk on stilts.

And after that, return to the city to gain strength before the second part of the trip.

Transfer to Irkutsk (70 km).

Accommodation at the hotel.

Overnight at the hotel.

(incl. meals: breakfast, lunch).

Breakfast at the hotel.

Irkutsk – Arshan shuttle bus (210 km, ~ 5 hours): first along the picturesque Kultuk highway to the village of Kultuk, and then along the road passing through a wide valley between two mountain ranges: Khamar–Daban on the left, Eastern Sayans on the right.

In this unique Tunka valley, you can see young volcanoes and old Buryat yurts, the gray peaks of the Tunka Chars against the piercing blue sky.

After lunch, it is better to take a tour of the village on foot, then you can see the details and minutiae of the local way of life that are not visible from the bus window.

You will walk along the forest road to the datsan, a Buddhist temple, where you will be told about its history, rules of conduct in datsans, and Buddhism in Buryatia.

Then visit the healing mineral springs (take a mug or even a plastic bottle with you), the picturesque mountain river Kyngarga, stroll through the park of the Arshan resort with its natural monuments, pick up a souvenir at an entertaining market, where souvenir stands side by side with sellers of local medicinal herbs for literally all diseases.

Dinner at the hotel.

Overnight at the hotel.

(incl. meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner).

Transfer to the bus station. Boarding a regular bus to Arshan (210 km).

Today we continue to explore the picturesque surroundings and get acquainted with the amazing Tunka Valley.

You will visit the crater of the extinct volcano Talskaya Vershina, see the cones of the Chersky and Kovrizhka volcanoes.

You will hear about the distant past of the Tunka Valley from the time of the Jurassic period, as well as fascinating legends about the ancestor of the Buryat tribes of Bukhara-noyon, the beautiful Kyngyrga.

The Tunka Valley is often called the "Land of healing narzanes" because of the abundance of mineral springs, which in their healing properties are not inferior to the famous waters of the Caucasus and the Carpathians.

The methane baths of the Pearl spring are unique in their chemical composition.

The hospital is located in a picturesque location on the right bank of the Irkut River.

You can swim in the pool with mineral water (for an additional fee), drink healing phyto-tea, and taste Buryat cuisine (for an additional fee).

And later in the evening, before returning to Arshan, we will have an excursion to the maral farm.

Marals are primarily known for their horns, which are used to make various medicines, vitamins, cosmetics, etc. You will be told about the features of harvesting antlers and their benefits for the body.

The deer on the farm are mostly wild, but some individuals have already been tamed, and anyone can pet them and even feed them.

(incl. meals: breakfast, dinner).

I really don't want to return to the usual urban life, hustle and bustle, so the fees are delayed.

But the time is coming, the bus is waiting, it's time to leave.

The road to Irkutsk is filled with memories of the time spent, funny and amusing incidents, interspersed with exclamations of surprise from the views outside the bus window.

To the very suburbs of Irkutsk is the Kultuksky tract with its serpentine mountain road, which inspires admiration and horror at the same time.

(incl. meals: breakfast).

Transfer by regular bus to Irkutsk (210 km, ~ 5 hours).

Today we are going to get acquainted with the traditional religion of the Buryats – shamanism on an excursion and entertainment program in the village. Ust-Ordynsky is the capital of the Ust-Ordynsky Buryat Autonomous Okrug.

Here you will visit the local museum of local lore, which tells about the culture, way of life, traditions and customs of the Western Buryats, as well as meet with a real shaman and be able to participate in the performance of one of the ancient rituals.

And then, after all the rituals, you will be served lunch, namely dishes of Buryat cuisine.

The exchange of impressions from the trip will make the return to Irkutsk quick and unobtrusive.

Acquaintance with the ancient Siberian city of Irkutsk.

Sightseeing tour of the city: a visit to the historical center, the embankment of the Angara river, architectural monuments.

Excursion to the Znamensky Monastery with one of the most beautiful cathedrals in Siberia, famous for its iconostasis and burials on the territory (graves of the Decembrists, Grigory Shelikhov, etc.).

Visit to the central market and souvenir shop.

(incl. meals: breakfast, lunch).

Breakfast at the hotel.

Room release before 12:00.

The end of the program.

(incl. meals: breakfast).