Day 1 Arrival in Irkutsk. The road to Olkhon Island
After arriving in Irkutsk, your Baikal journey will begin. After gathering the group, you will go towards the most popular place on Lake Baikal – Olkhon Island. Olkhon is a truly unforgettable and one of the most famous places on Lake Baikal, which is rightfully called a place of power and especially powerful energy! Olkhon is considered a sacred territory, a concentration of shamanism in Central Asia. It is visited by pilgrims from all over the world. According to legend, Genghis Khan is buried here. The way to Olkhon will run along a comfortable highway surrounded by beautiful picturesque nature. Olkhon is an island, and it is accessed via a ferry crossing. Your way to the ferry crossing will be along the "Martian Road", as our tourists often say about the Tagheran steppes. These are kilometers of open space, in some places picturesquely decorated with rocky remnants, where the road winds like a snake between hills and hills. After crossing to the island, you will find a road to the center of Olkhon – the village of Khuzhir, where you will settle at the recreation center. In the evening, you will have free time, which you can spend exploring the surroundings of the village. Within walking distance is the business card of Lake Baikal, the most popular, recognizable and at the same time energetically strong location – Cape Burkhan, Shamanka rock. We will go for a walk there at sunset – the rays of the setting sun color the waters of Lake Baikal with burning shades. This is an incredibly beautiful and pleasant sight and pastime! This is where your first day on Olkhon comes to an end. You will have a rest before tomorrow's active and full of new impressions day! You will see: Tazheran steppes; ferry crossing; road through the steppes of the south of Olkhon; Cape Burkhan, Shamanka rock;
Included in the price: group transfer; accommodation; lunch on the way to Olkhon
Day 2 Excursion to the north of Olkhon Island to Cape Khoboy
Today you will immerse yourself even more in the atmosphere of Olkhon Island. After breakfast, you will go on an excursion to the picturesque part of the island – to the north, to Cape Khoboy. The cape is located in the very north of the island. Its name is translated from the language of the local population as "fang", and indeed, the rocky steep shores in these places resemble animal fangs. And together with the amazingly blue water surface, they create beautiful bright natural paintings. Being near the edge of the cape, Lake Baikal seems endless, its greatness and spaciousness are felt! You will also visit Cape of Love (or Cape Shunte-Left). Locals say that childless couples used to come to the cape, and after the rituals and prayers, they soon had children. It is believed that the cape has not lost its magical power to this day. The cape is distinguished by the characteristic shapes of the rocks, and the views from there are fascinating! In addition, as part of the tour, you will capture Cape Sagan-Khushun (or "Three Brothers"), a sheer cliff of snow–white marble. A beautiful legend about the three brothers is associated with this cape – they will definitely tell it to you, and being there, listening to the legend, you feel like a participant or at least a witness of the events described. After that, you will go further along the island: there are picturesque steppes around and suddenly an almost eight–meter bronze sculpture in the form of an unusual tree appears in front of your eyes - this is the creation of the famous sculptor Dasha Namdakov "Keeper of Lake Baikal", his gift to Lake Baikal. The sculpture is located at some distance from the roads, on a hill. It looks extremely authentic and majestic! In the middle of the day, you will strengthen your strength by eating a fragrant lunch against the backdrop of beautiful Baikal nature! The tour takes place with stops in the most beautiful places where you can take wonderful photos for memory. Returning to the hotel, you can devote the evening to horseback riding (you must book in advance before leaving for Olkhon), rest. You will see: Cape Sagan-Khushun; Cape of Love; Cape Sagan-Khushun; Cape Khoboy; sculpture by Dasha Namdakov "Keeper of Lake Baikal"
Included in the price: accommodation; breakfast; excursion; picnic lunch; group transfer; permits to visit the national park
Day 3 Farewell to Olkhon. Return to Irkutsk
On this day, our amazing journey through Olkhon is coming to an end. Breakfast awaits you in the morning and you will have the opportunity to take a last walk around Olkhon. In the morning, departure to Irkutsk, from where your adventure to the mountains of the Eastern Sayan will begin tomorrow.
Included in the price: breakfast; group transfer; accommodation
Day 4 The road to the mountains of Eastern Sayan. Sightseeing tour of Arshan, waterfalls, springs.
Today begins an exciting journey to the mountains of Eastern Sayan, to the village of Arshan, located at their foot. In the early morning after breakfast, you will set off from Irkutsk along the scenic road through the village of Kultuk, located on the shore of Lake Baikal. And then you will drive along the Tunka valley, where the mountains of the Eastern Sayan rise on the right hand, and at the foot lies the steppe, where you can often find herds of graceful horses, cozy settlements, villages. The village of Arshan is a village nestled next to the mountains, a place rich in mineral springs. The composition of Arshan mineral water is close to the Caucasian Narzan. Your acquaintance with this place will take place under the guidance of an experienced guide. You will go to the thundering waterfalls, walk along the path along the picturesque gorge, a briskly running mountain river. Visit the local Buddhist temple-monastery of Hoimorsky Datsan "Bodhidharma", located in a truly magical place called "Holy Glade" among century-old cedars with spreading branches, and the peaks of the mountains flaunt against the background. Along the way, you can visit the local market with Siberian goods (herbs, nuts, souvenirs). In the evening, you will have free time to relax before tomorrow's active day. You will find: Tunka Valley; Arshan; waterfalls; mineral springs; datsany; souvenir market
Included in the price: transfer, accommodation, breakfast, excursion, guide, permission to visit the national park.
Day 5 Excursion to Tagarhai and the extinct volcano. Visit to the hot springs and return to Irkutsk.
After breakfast, you will go to Tagarkhai village, located near Arshan. This place attracts visitors with a 2-meter-high Buddha statue (with a pedestal), commissioned in Tibet. The statue was unveiled on June 23, 2022 with the participation of the lamas of the Sangha of Russia, namely Did-Hambo Dymbryl Lamas and lamas of the entire district. The statue itself is called "Lhakan", which means the house of Buddha, Burhanai ger. After Tagarhai, we will go to an amazing place – an extinct volcano, once awe-inspiring and terrifying with its awesome power, but now striking with its picturesqueness and beauty! Here you can see the internal structure of the volcano, as well as observe volcanic bombs and tuff, mostly red in color. The last eruption, according to geological data, was 10,000 years ago. The volcano offers a picturesque view of the extinct volcanoes of the Tali group, and at the foot you can see the broken stones of volcanic tuff. You will be invited to visit the healing hot springs in Arshan. Hot mineral springs have a healing effect and give a pleasant feeling of relaxation and rebooting. In the evening, you will return to Irkutsk.
Included in the price: group transfer (when choosing excursions); breakfast; guide during excursions; climbing/excursions.
Day 6 Excursion to Sandy Bay (by boat).
After breakfast at the hotel, today we will go to a place that has been dubbed the Baikal Riviera - Sandy Bay. The riviera is safely hidden from prying eyes behind the Primorsky Ridge. There are no roads to get here by car, so there are no crowds of tourists here. The bay is traditionally reached by boats on the water. The path itself is a contemplation of the picturesque lake surface of Lake Baikal on one side and majestic hills on the other. Sandy Bay is especially loved by tourists. Here they find the emerald reflection of the water, powdery sandy beaches framed by rocks and, of course, the hallmark of the bay – stilted trees. This is a unique type of pine, the roots of which are exposed above the sand, which looks extremely curious! In addition to the Sandy Bay, you will also explore the neighboring coves: Sinichka, Akademicheskaya and, of course, the very picturesque Babushka Bay. All the bays are very cozy and quite compact, so you can explore all the main interesting locations in one day. In the middle you will have a picnic lunch on the shore of Lake Baikal. Those who wish will be able to swim in Lake Baikal, take beautiful photos, walk along the bays, sunbathe. In the evening you will sail to Listvyanka by boat. Tourists are waiting for: a boat trip along Lake Baikal; stilted trees; Sandy Bay, Babushka Bay; Cape Maly Kolokolny; Cape Bolshoy Kolokolny; Gendarme rock.
Included in the price: accommodation (Listvyanka village); breakfast at the hotel; picnic lunch; guide services; group transfer (boat); excursion; permits to visit the national Park.the park
Day 7 Sightseeing tour to Listvyanka. Return to Irkutsk.
You will go to Lake Baikal to a popular tourist village on the shore – Listvyanka. Listvyanka is the closest place to Irkutsk where you can see the sacred lake. The road to Listvyanka runs along the picturesque Baikal highway, popularly called "Baikal Rublevka" - here is the elite suburban real estate of Irkutsk. The track is comfortable and beautiful: there are trees on the sides, as a rule, there are no traffic jams. The village is located about 70 km from Irkutsk. After about an hour of travel, you will already see Lake Baikal! On the way to Irkutsk, you will stop at the Taltsy Open-air museum. Taltsy is an architectural and ethnographic museum, where examples of wooden architecture of the past centuries are collected. It is located on the picturesque shore of the Angara River surrounded by the Siberian forest, which gives it an authentic look and an authentic historical atmosphere. The guide will conduct an exciting tour, after which you will go further to Irkutsk. On the way you will see the legendary Shaman Stone, with which a beautiful legend is associated; visit the Baikal Museum, which not only conducts expositional and educational activities, but also continues to engage in serious scientific research, and therefore you will not find out such information about Lake Baikal "first-hand" anywhere. This day will end with check-in at the hotel and a free evening, which can be devoted to rest, a walk along the pier, we also recommend looking at the fish market, where you can try interesting golomyanka fish, smoked fish, there is also a large assortment of teas from Baikal herbs, nuts, jam, souvenirs. In the evening, you will return to Irkutsk, where the program of your tour will end. You will see: architectural and ethnographic museum "Taltsy"; limnological Museum of Lake Baikal; Shaman Stone; Listvyanka
Included in the price: accommodation; excursion to Listvyanka and Taltsy; guide; group transfer
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