Siberian voyage. Shushenskoye — Baikal

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Discover the power of the great Yenisei and the greatness of Siberian nature. Take a look into the heart of the Sayan Mountains, where the age-old giant rocks are adjacent to the giants of the industry — the legendary hydroelectric power station and the ancient steamship museum.

Immerse yourself in history: from the atmosphere of a 19th-century Siberian village in Shushenskoye to the mysteries of the Decembrists in Minusinsk. You will follow the footsteps of hunters and hermits in the protected parks "Ergaki" and "Shushensky Bor", where every stone is a legend.

And then you will meet the mystical surface of Lake Baikal. You will drive along the unique Circum-Baikal road, explore caves and waterfalls, and feel the energy of ancient shamanic sites. This is a journey where Siberia reveals itself in all its harsh and mesmerizing beauty.

Location

Russia, Krasnoyarsk

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Weekdays: 8am - 8pm
Weekends: 8am - 7pm (GMT +3)

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Tour highlights

The best places in the region

You will see the Krasnoyarsk Hydroelectric power station, the Tsar-Fish observation deck over the Yenisei and the famous Pillars

A miracle of nature

Take a hike through the magnificent Ergaki Park, see the wonder of nature — the Hanging Stone

Time machine to the Siberian village

You will stay in the New Village ethnographic complex and participate in ancient crafts at the Shushenskoye Museum-Reserve

A walk through the "Stone City"

Wander among the fantastic rock remains resembling castles, towers and frozen giants hidden in the taiga.

Legends of Lake Baikal from a height

You will hear the whispers of an ancient lake from the Chersky observation mountain and explore the mysterious cave-grotto in the Skriper Cliff.

Energy of the Tunka Valley

Breathe in the scent of healing cedars, feel the coolness of the Kyngarga waterfalls and recharge at the Buddhist datsan and mineral springs.

Itinerary

Day 1 - Bus sightseeing tour of Krasnoyarsk. St. Nicholas Steamboat Museum Tour
09:45 Meeting with the guide at the Krasnoyarsk Hotel. Bus sightseeing tour of Krasnoyarsk.
Excursion to the St. Nicholas Steamship Museum, a museum ship permanently moored in the city of Krasnoyarsk.
Lunch. Double accommodation in the Krasnoyarsk Hotel.
Departure to the observation deck over the Yenisei River "Tsar Fish".
Excursion to the village of Ovsyanka with a visit to the house-museum of V. P. Astafiev and the house of grandmother E. P. Potylitsyna.
Excursion to the observation deck of the Krasnoyarsk hydroelectric power station, visit to the embankment of Divnogorsk.
Return to the hotel. Supper.

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Day 2 - Krasnoyarsk Pillars National Park
Breakfast. Room release (luggage storage in the luggage room).
09:00 Excursion to the Krasnoyarsk Pillars National Park (route length: climbing about 350 steps and 3.5 km along the trail).
The natural boundaries of the protected area are the right tributaries of the Yenisei River: in the northeast is the Bazaiha River, in the south and southwest are the Mana and Bolshaya Sluznevka rivers.
From the northeast, the territory borders on the city of Krasnoyarsk. The park was founded in 1925 on the initiative of the residents of the city to preserve the natural complexes around the picturesque syenite remains — "pillars". Currently, its area is 48,066 hectares.
The main attraction of the park are the rocks. The name "Pillars" is common to all rocks, although all rocks and even some stones have their own names.
There is a direct distinction between "Pillars" — rocks open to tourists, and "Wild Pillars" — rocks located deep in the park, access to which is limited.
Return to the Krasnoyarsk Hotel.
Lunch. Free time.
Transfer to the railway station.
Boarding a train in a compartment car.
Departure to Minusinsk at 18:40.
Dinner (lunch box).

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Day 3 - Shushenskoye
Early arrival in Minusinsk at 06:50, one of the oldest cities in Southern Siberia, founded in 1739. It is located in the center of the vast forest-steppe Minusinsk basin, surrounded on all sides by mountains.
Departure to Shushenskoye.
Accommodation (2 or 3 persons) in the Novaya Village hotel complex is an architectural and ethnographic complex of the Shushenskoye Museum-Reserve, which offers a unique opportunity for visitors to find themselves in a Siberian village of the late 19th century with its streets and houses, with its customs and traditions.
Sightseeing tour of the museum.
Guided tour of the Historical and Ethnographic Museum-reserve Shushenskoye. A unique historical, architectural, and ethnographic complex located in the open air on the banks of the Shusha River, near its confluence with the Yenisei. The area of the museum-reserve is about 16 hectares.
The museum represents the historically developed central part of an ancient Siberian village.
The economic activity, way of life, social life, and spiritual culture of Siberian peasants at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries are represented in monuments of rural architecture, in the interiors of peasant houses and public buildings, in rich collections of tools and household peasant art.
The main and scientific-auxiliary fund of the museum includes 106,225 items of storage. It consists of more than 30 different collections: memorabilia, books of the 19th and early 20th centuries, vehicles, furniture, clothing, tableware, samovars, musical instruments, etc.
Lunch.
Visiting exhibitions, demonstration of crafts (weaving), master class. The Shushenskoye Museum-Reserve has been engaged in exhibition work since its inception, most actively since the late 80s of the twentieth century.
Exhibitions from the museum's collections are displayed not only on museum squares, but also exported to nearby territories. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, more than thirty types of crafts and crafts were developed in the Shushenskaya volost of the Minusinsk district.
The exposition of the museum-reserve presents widespread crafts related to the processing of wood, clay, fibrous crops, wool, and others.
One of the main directions in the work of the museum-reserve now is not only the display, but also the revival of ancient crafts.
Supper.

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Day 4 - Shushenskiy Bor National Park
Breakfast.
Excursion to the national park "Shushensky Bor". The National Park is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation. It is a member of the Association of Nature Reserves and National parks of the Altai-Sayan ecoregion.
The park's territory is located at the junction of two natural and climatic zones - forest—steppe and taiga, and includes the unique natural and territorial complexes of the Western Sayan and Minusinsk basins. The total area of the park is 39 180 hectares.
The first national park in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, Shushensky Bor, introduces its visitors to unique natural and historical sites.
These are the extrazonal ribbon forests of the right bank of the Yenisei, an arboretum with typical and introduced plants, alpine meadows and glacial lakes of the Borus range, a museum of forestry history, an untouched taiga, a peasant hut, specially equipped recreation areas and much more.
More than 750 species of plants grow in the park, 11 of them are listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation, there are more than 270 species of birds, 27 of them are listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation, 4 species of amphibians, 5 species of reptiles, 47 species of mammals.
Excursion to the hut where V.I. Lenin rested during the hunt.
Lenin had a special favorite place in the vicinity of Shushenskoye. They are under state protection. During hunting trips, Vladimir Ilyich went to the pine forest, to the Crane and Sand Hills, to Lake Perovo.
Lunch.
Visit to the visit center of the Sayano-Shushensky Nature Reserve. You will see rare wild cats of southern Siberia, which are under state protection, and learn interesting facts and stories about the system of protection and study of snow leopards living in the territory of the Sayan Mountains.
Return to the village.
Free time.
Supper.

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Day 5 - Ergaki Nature Park
Breakfast.
Room release.
Departure to Ermakovskoye village.
Departure to the Ergaki Nature Park.
The unique, unusual and so different – sometimes attractive and homely, sometimes cold and harsh, but always charming beauty of the natural landscapes of the park, their aura has long been a byword.
It is this beauty and this aura that attracts countless fans, if not even pilgrims, to them.
Arrival at the Visitor center of the nature park.
An excursion along the ecological trail of the Siberian hunter (2.2 km long in one direction), leading to a special world, according to the laws of which people lived and still live, whose main trade is hunting fur–bearing animals.
You will get acquainted with the life and traditions of hunters of the early 20th century, fishing techniques, ancient samolovs, and enjoy the picturesque landscapes.
After the tour, departure to the campsite.
2- or 3-bed accommodation at the campsite.
Lunch.
A walk through the park.
Rest.
Supper.

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Day 6 - Hanging Stone Tour
Breakfast.
Departure to the Ergaki Nature Park.
A simple walking tour to the Hanging Stone rock (the route length is about 12 km). The route, which is quite long in time and distance, will not tire you at all, because you simply will not have time to think about fatigue.
The changing landscapes, the grandeur of the surrounding nature, the splendor of the subalpine meadows, now glowing with orange torches, now overflowing with blue catchments, will not even leave a reason for fatigue.
In one radial hike you will visit the most popular tourist sites: lakes "Raduzhnoye" and "Karovoe", the rock "Hanging Stone" (6-9 hours).
Lunch is a lunch box.
Return to the campsite.
Supper.

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Day 7 - Stone City
Breakfast.
Transfer to Kamenny Gorod (1 km), located on the Kulumys Ridge in the Ergaki Nature Park.
The outlines of the rocks resemble fortress walls and castles, human silhouettes and various animals. A real fascinating stone world hidden in the heart of the taiga.
The length of the trail is 4 km, and the stay in the "Stone City" is 4 hours.
Lunch in the lunch boxes.
Dinner at the campsite.
Day 8 - Excursion to the observation deck of the Sayano-Shushenskaya HPP. Visit to the Church of St. Evdokia of Moscow and the Ivan Yarygin Museum
Breakfast.
Room release.
Transfer to Shushenskoye village.
Accommodation in the architectural and ethnographic complex "New Village".
Lunch.
Excursion to the observation deck of the Sayano-Shushenskaya HPP with a visit to the museum. Ivan Yarygin and the temple (83 km, 2 hours on the way).
The Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric power station named after P. S. Neporozhny is the largest power plant in Russia by installed capacity, the 9th among the operating hydroelectric power plants in the world.
Located in the village of Cheryomushki (near the city of Sayanogorsk) in the Republic of Khakassia, it is the most powerful hydroelectric power station in Russia and one of the most powerful in the world. The height of the hydroelectric power station is more than 200 meters, and the length along the upper edge is about one kilometer!
The arch-gravity dam is able to hold the pressure of more than 30 cubic kilometers of water!
Transfer to D. Grey.
Visit to the Church of St. Evdokia of Moscow and the Ivan Yarygin Museum. Ivan Yarygin is a legend of Russian sports.
He won Olympic gold twice, won the World and European Championships, and set an eternal record by defeating absolutely all his rivals at three of the most prestigious competitions.
Return to the "New Village".
Supper.
Day 9 - Minusinsk
Breakfast.
Room release.
Transfer to Minusinsk.
Excursion to the Minusinsk regional Museum of Local Lore named after N. M. Martyanov. The Minusinsk Museum named after N. M. Martyanov is the oldest museum in Siberia. It was founded in June 1877 by Nikolai Mikhailovich Martyanov (1844-1904), a pharmacist and a botanical scientist.
This is the first museum in Siberia and the Far East to have a Program and Charter. The museum's specialists will conduct a sightseeing tour about the history of the development of the population of the south of the Krasnoyarsk Territory from ancient times to the present day, about the flora and fauna of this territory.
Excursion to the Museum of the Decembrists, theatrical performance. This is the first and only museum of the Decembrists in the entire Krasnoyarsk Territory, located in a historic building built more than 200 years ago. 11 Decembrists were exiled in the Minusinsk district.
Lunch at a cafe.
Sightseeing tour of the city. Minusinsk is an ancient Siberian merchant town located in the center of the vast steppe Minusinsk basin on the right bank of the river. The Yenisei River.
Transfer to the railway station.
Boarding a train in a compartment car.
19:40 Departure to Krasnoyarsk.
Dinner (lunch box).
Day 10 - Irkutsk Sightseeing Tour
Arrival at the railway station at 06:50.
Transfer to the Krasnoyarsk Hotel.
Breakfast is a buffet.
Transfer to Yemelyanovo airport.
Departure to Irkutsk (1.5 hours on the way).
Meeting, transfer to the restaurant.
Lunch.
Sightseeing tour of the city. Irkutsk is a unique, ancient city, an ancient crossroads of trade routes, the capital of Eastern Siberia. It was founded in 1661, received city status in 1686, and became the center of Irkutsk province in 1764.
Irkutsk today is a major administrative, industrial, commercial, cultural and scientific center of Eastern Siberia. The population is more than 600 thousand people. Irkutsk is one of the five most visited cities in Russia.
The main attraction is Lake Baikal– the pearl of Siberia.
Transfer to the hotel, 2-bed accommodation.
Supper.
Day 11 - the village of Bolshye Koty. Hike to the Skriper Cliff
Breakfast at the hotel.
Transfer to the marina.
Departure by high-speed boat to the village. Big Cats.
Arrival in the village. Big Cats.
It is a small village located on the western shore of Lake Baikal, 16 km northeast of Listvyanka.
There are two versions of the origin of the village's name. The first one comes from the word "cats": That was the name of a trap for fish that entered the river to spawn. The second one comes from the word "cats" — wooden shoes for convicts who stayed here during gold mining in the 19th century.
In Bolshoy Koty there is a real taiga, rich in mushrooms, berries and medicinal herbs, rare species of wild flowers: peonies, orchids, etc. 2-bed accommodation at the campsite.
Lunch.
A simple hike along the Great Baikal Trail to the rocky cliff of Skriper (the length of the route is 8 km). Skriper is a picturesque rocky cliff on the western coast of Lake Baikal. It is a geomorphological natural monument of the Irkutsk region.
The cliff is composed of Jurassic conglomerates and has picturesque weathering patterns.
Almost on the sheer part of the cliff, the entrance to the cave is visible, in which traces of a Neolithic human encampment were found. We will climb to the top, which offers a picturesque view of the surroundings, and admire the panorama of Lake Baikal.
Return to the campsite.
Supper.
Relaxing on the lake.
Day 12 - Hiking up the mountain "Comb". Excursion to the Museum of Baikal Studies. Evening flight by water transport to the village. Listvyanka
Breakfast at the campsite.
Hiking up the mountain "Comb" (the length of the route is 3 km). This is an observation deck over Lake Baikal, offering panoramic views of the village of Bolshye Koty and Lake Baikal.
Return to the campsite.
Lunch.
Relaxing on the lake.
Excursion to the Museum of Baikal Studies, one of the oldest museums in Russia, founded by Professor M. M. Kozhov. The museum has more than 400 different exhibits and a rich collection of insects. The museum is located near the shore, 100 meters from the pier.
Evening flight by water transport to the village. Listvyanka. Listvyanka is the oldest village on Lake Baikal and a port on the only river flowing out of Lake Baikal – the Angara. The date of occurrence of Listvyanka is not exactly known. It is believed that the settlement arose spontaneously in 1701-1725.
The first inhabitants were free settlers, free Cossacks, and fugitive exiles. Listvyanka is one of the points of attraction for tourists, the village is called the gateway to Lake Baikal.
Arrival in Listvyanka.
Hotel accommodation in 2-bed rooms.
Supper.
Day 13 - The Taltsy Museum of Wooden Architecture. Excursion to the Baikal Museum. Chersky Mountain Observation Deck
Breakfast at the hotel.
Excursion to the Taltsy Museum of Wooden Architecture. The Taltsy Architectural and Ethnographic Museum is a unique collection of historical, architectural and ethnographic monuments of the 17th and 20th centuries. It is located on the right bank of the Angara River.
The open-air museum complex attracts visitors with the opportunity to directly experience the material and spiritual culture of the peoples of the Baikal region.
Return to Listvyanka.
Excursion to the Baikal Museum. There is only one lake museum in Russia, the Baikal Museum. The exhibition features stuffed fish, as well as exhibits of representatives of the animal world, including those living on the bottom of Lake Baikal, preserved by fixing liquid.
A mock-up of the lair of a seal and a white seal. You will have the opportunity to examine in detail such Baikal inhabitants as: pike, perch, bream, roach, burbot, catfish, mirror carp, crucian carp, Baikal omul, white and black grayling, Baikal sturgeon, bullfishes and crustaceans.
Lunch.
A chairlift ride to the observation deck on Chersky Mountain. The Chersky Stone is a mountain peak near the village of Listvyanka.
Its height is not too high – 728.4 m. The unique location and the view from above add mystery and mystery to this observation deck.
From the top point there is a stunning view of Lake Baikal, the source of the Angara, the Shaman stone, the Khamar-Daban ridge. It is named after Jan Dominik Czerski, a Polish patriot who was exiled to Siberia and became a famous explorer of Lake Baikal.
Return to the hotel.
Supper.
Day 14 - Tour of the Circum-Baikal railway. Arrival at the railway station in Slyudyanka. Transfer to Arshan village
Breakfast at the hotel.
Transfer to the marina.
Departure by ferry to Port Baikal.
Boarding the train.
Tour of the Circum-Baikal railway.
Lunch on the train.
Arrival at the railway station in Slyudyanka. The city is located on the western shore of Lake Baikal, 110 kilometers from Irkutsk and is considered one of the southernmost settlements of the region.
In 1899, the railway settlement of Slyudyanka was founded on the site of the winter quarters, which received the status of a workers' settlement in 1928. The name Slyudyanka is of Russian origin.
It is based on the appellative "mica", the name of a mineral that has been mined for 350 years in the vicinity of the settlement. Slyudyanka did not change its name, being a prison, a winter quarters, a village and a city.
Transfer to Arshan village. Arshan is located 120 km from Slyudyanka. The village appeared at the beginning of the 20th century and developed thanks to the sources found at that time. In 1930, it turned into a resort of national importance.
Arshan means "healing water" in the Buryat language.
2-bed hotel accommodation.
Supper.
Day 15 - Arshan village walking tour. Hike to the waterfall of the river Kyngarga. Tunka Valley car tour. The Nile Deserts. Visiting the datsan
Breakfast at the hotel.
Arshan village walking tour.
Hike to the waterfall of the river Kyngarga (ascent along a well–maintained trail - 2 km). The canyon of the Kyngarga River (kyngarga means "drum" in Buryat) makes a lot of noise. It is located in the Tunka valley, in the vicinity of the resort village of Arshan.
It originates on the southern slope of the Tunka Chars at an altitude of about 2000 m. It flows in a southerly direction, breaks through a steep slope, forming a canyon and 12 waterfalls. Arshan mineral springs are located at the outlet of the river into the Tunka Valley.
Lunch.
Tunka Valley car tour. Tunka Valley is located in the south-west of the Republic of Buryatia, located 40 km west of the southern tip of Lake Baikal. It stretches from west to east for 190 km and is bounded by the Tunka Chars range from the north and the Khamar Daban mountain system from the south.
The Nile Desert is located in the southwestern part of the republic in the Tunka district. More precisely, there is a desert in the village of Nilovka of the same name on the lively mountain river Ihe-Uhgun.
The word desert means a small settlement of monks. The Irkutsk Archbishop Nil Nerchinsky once visited the mineral spring discovered here. He wanted to make a place here where Orthodox ministers could take baths.
The name Nile Desert came from his last name.
Visit to the datsan.
Return to the hotel in Arshan.
Supper.

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Day 16 - Completion of the tour. Departure
Breakfast.
Room release.
Departure by regular bus to Irkutsk (length – about 200 km, 4 hours).

Difficulty

Involves moderate physical activity

Accommodation

Hotel

9 nights
Camp Site

4 nights
Train

2 nights

Comfort

Basic+
Midscale

The tour includes accommodation in 2-bed hotels, 2 nights on the train.

The cost of the tour for 1 person is 240,300 rubles.

Surcharge for single occupancy: Ergaki (3 nights) — 6600 rubles, Shushenskoye (3 nights) — 8250 rubles, Krasnoyarsk (1 night) — 1800 rubles, Irkutsk (1 night) — 2400 rubles, Bolshye Koty (1 night) — 2500 rubles, Listvyanka (2 nights) — 3800 rubles, Arshan (2 nights) — 3400 rub.

Krasnoyarsk is a hotel located in the central part of the city. Guests can use the sauna, library, billiard room, luggage storage, laundry and other services.

The guests are provided with rooms of various price categories. Each of them is decorated in an individual style and bright colors.

Excellent and hearty breakfasts are served here in the morning. You can have dinner or lunch at the restaurant, which serves a variety of a la carte dishes.

A conference room can be rented for important meetings and events.

The nearest airport is 27.7 km away, and the train station is 2.5 km away.

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Tour conditions

Group

From 6 to 16 tourists

Minimum age

7 years old

Duration

16 days 15 nights

Group meets at

Russia, Krasnoyarsk

Included in price

transfers according to the program;
meals included in the program: breakfasts, lunches and dinners;
2-bed accommodation in hotels according to the program;
the excursion program;
museum entrance tickets;
railway tickets (compartment) Krasnoyarsk — Minusinsk — Krasnoyarsk;
flight Krasnoyarsk – Irkutsk;
group leader support
Arshan — Irkutsk regular bus ticket (tourists pay for their luggage on their own).

Paid extra

air and railway tickets to Krasnoyarsk and back from Irkutsk;
insurance.

It's important to know

Air and railway tickets are not included in the price of the tour. You can purchase them yourself or contact us for help.

Reviews Leave a review

Z
Zhanna

about provider

20 Aug, 2025

It was an impressive trip with a very diverse route. The food was plentiful, maybe even a bit too much. For such a long journey, there wasn’t as much walking as I would have liked.

Big Country Travel

Hello Zhanna, Thank you for your feedback! We’re glad to hear that you enjoyed the trip overall. We’d be delighted to welcome you on one of our other tours around Russia!