Tourists reviews of vacations on Lake Baikal

Good afternoon! I’d like to express my sincere gratitude for this amazing Lake Baikal tour! The organization, accommodation, program, and food were all top-notch. Our guide, Alexandr, was a true professional. He made the whole experience incredibly engaging 🧳 it was one of the most exciting trips I’ve ever had in my life!!! ❤️

The tour was organized at the highest level. Special thanks to our guide, Leonid. We had an international group, and he made sure to give attention to everyone. The ice on Lake Baikal is truly stunning, you could admire its beauty forever.

The Baikal Crossing tour was love at first sight! We were incredibly lucky with the weather: a true Siberian frost of -30 °C outside, yet bright sunshine overhead. The feeling was absolutely indescribable! A huge thank you to our guide, Pyotr. He is a true professional who not only knows the region inside and out, but genuinely loves it and that passion is contagious. The organization was excellent, with every detail carefully thought through. We stayed in a beautiful hotel in Maximikha: cozy, modern, and designed with guests’ comfort in mind. The food was also fantastic - delicious and very filling! Special thanks to our group as well - we had an amazing team, and the whole trip was full of fun, warmth, and great emotions. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone who wants to experience the real Lake Baikal!

I went on a winter tour to Lake Baikal from February 28 to March 4, 2026, which I booked through “Big Country.” I absolutely loved the trip! 🥰 Everything was incredibly well organized, the schedule was clear, the program was thoughtfully planned, and there was a great balance between activities and free time. Even though we never felt rushed, we still managed to see a huge number of amazing locations. What made the experience even more special was that our group often had these places entirely to ourselves, without crowds of tourists, so we could truly enjoy the beauty of Lake Baikal. The food was also fantastic :D We had three meals a day, always plentiful and surprisingly varied. The menu constantly changed and included salads, hot soups, freshly cooked meals over the fire, omul fish, lard with black bread, pickles, compote, tea, homemade tinctures, and desserts. Everything was delicious!!! The drivers were amazing as well and kept surprising us throughout the trip. At many stops they prepared snacks and warm alcoholic tinctures to help us stay warm in the freezing temperatures - it was around -33C outside. Special thanks to the drivers of the UAZ vans, true professionals. They spotted cracks in the ice well in advance, drove very carefully, and in difficult areas even asked tourists to get out beforehand to ensure everyone’s safety. I highly recommend this tour to everyone!

I really enjoyed the trip. The ice on Lake Baikal is truly unique, and the scenery is absolutely breathtaking. Of course, the cold is very real too, that’s something you definitely have to be prepared for...

Everything went wonderfully! We got to see everything we had hoped to see, and three days turned out to be just the right amount of time. We were also very lucky to have Oksana as our guide. She took great care of everyone in the group and made sure everything went smoothly. She shared a wealth of interesting information and fascinating stories throughout the trip. The group itself was fantastic as well. We quickly bonded and made new friends from different regions, which made the experience even more enjoyable.

Hello. I really enjoyed the trip. Everything was well organized and went smoothly from start to finish. Everyone in the group had a great time and came away delighted with the experience.

There were four of us: two adults and two teenagers, aged 16 and 18. We all absolutely loved it. It was our first time in Siberia, and we completely fell in love with it. We’ll definitely be back!

The wonderful tour “The Charm of Olkhon” was truly unforgettable. It's hard to capture the full range of impressions in words. Everyone who joined left with an incredible burst of emotions. Despite meeting for the first time in Irkutsk, the group quickly became like one big team. Thank you so much!

The tour was excellently organized by the host. Anna, our guide, was fantastic. The food was delicious. The nature was breathtaking. It was an amazing vacation. Thank you so much!

The tour was incredibly interesting and full of experiences. We visited all the key locations on Olkhon, with plenty of time at each stop to take photos and explore. Our guide, Ekaterina, is clearly passionate about her work and approaches it with great professionalism. She shared a wealth of information, explained local traditions, and answered all our questions. A special thanks to Dmitry, the driver of the GAZ Sobol bus, for his excellent attitude and outstanding professionalism.

A very interesting tour that left a lot of positive impressions. The cultural charm of Buryatia, the warm waters of Lake Baikal, and the delicious local cuisine were truly delightful.

Good afternoon! 🌞 Thank you so much for organizing the tour and assisting me with purchasing tickets 🎫. Overall, the tour was fantastic—despite the rainy weather. In Arshan, the rain actually added a pleasant atmosphere. I came away with so many positive impressions. I enjoyed everything—well, except for the weather :D but, of course, that’s beyond your control! 😊

There were so many impressions, but one thing became clear — three days just isn’t enough! A big thank you to our guide Ilya for making our leisure time so engaging, and to our driver Dmitry on Olkhon for his unforgettable stories about the area and the island’s history through the eyes of the locals. It was fantastic!

The most comprehensive winter Baikal tour I found online, from Buryatia to Irkutsk, covering both the eastern and western shores, as well as Olkhon. I’d definitely recommend adding an extra day or two on Olkhon to fully enjoy the experience.

Hello! My mom and I were on the tour from March 9 to 13, and overall we really enjoyed everything. We visited the Taltsy Museum, where the guide gave a wonderful and engaging introduction to the area and the history of local life. We even got to swing on a traditional wooden swing, just like in childhood. At the husky park, we petted the dogs and had a very emotional dog sled ride. The staff there spoke so warmly and sincerely about caring for the dogs. We saw the incredibly beautiful ice formations and caves, admired methane bubbles, went ice skating, and took lots of photos. We also rode on a Khivus hovercraft and watched a stunning sunset right on Lake Baikal. We even tasted the lake water. The tour was very interesting and full of unforgettable experiences. In the first few days, Baikal was sunny and relatively warm, while at Cape Khoboy it was windy and freezing, we truly experienced the full power of the lake. We also enjoyed incredibly delicious fish soup and freshly prepared fish surrounded by breathtaking nature. Overall, the program was excellent and very well organized. Many thanks to the driver-chefs, Pyotr and Yuri, for the safe journeys and great food. I’d also like to thank all the drivers along the route for their professionalism and safe driving. I’d especially like to mention our guide, Savely, a very friendly and easygoing young man. He struck a great balance during the tour, sharing interesting information while also giving us plenty of time to enjoy the scenery and take photos. He even helped take photos of everyone and checked in daily to make sure we were all happy. He also adjusted the schedule based on the weather so that we were as comfortable as possible. Savely did his best to accommodate everyone’s wishes, for example, he made sure we had time to visit a souvenir shop. He coordinated all the stops with the drivers so we could fully enjoy the views. I highly recommend visiting Lake Baikal with Savely as your guide! Wishing you continued success and prosperity!

I’d like to express my sincere gratitude for this Lake Baikal tour. I really enjoyed everything. We were especially lucky with the weather. All five days were sunny. Thank you very much.

I’d like to express my sincere gratitude for organizing the "Listvyanka, Arshan, Olkhon" tour! I truly enjoyed everything - from the program and the guides to the overall organization. I booked the tour through Big Country. I’d especially like to thank the manager, Yulia, who was incredibly patient and attentive to our changing plans and requests. She offered several tour options and answered all our questions in detail. The local team handled everything flawlessly: small groups, well-organized transfers, and excellent timing. A special highlight was the trip to Olkhon, which involved three different modes of transport - all perfectly coordinated. We never had to wait, the drivers stayed in touch, and everything ran smoothly, while still giving us enough time at each stop without feeling rushed. Many thanks as well to Elvira, who was always available and quickly arranged a private transfer on the first day when our flight was delayed by 5 hours. That really helped us avoid any stress about missing the start of the tour. The program was well balanced, we were specifically looking for more than just ice, and this tour delivered: Baikal, Buryatia, museums - it was a lot to fit into three days. + we also added a city tour of Irkutsk on an extra day, which was definitely worth it. The Baikal Forest Hotel was excellent, and having a shopping center nearby was a nice bonus. Special thanks to all the guides. Kristina has a great sense of humor, which made her already engaging stories even more enjoyable. We were especially touched when she brought us lunch that we had missed - after a flight without breakfast, it meant a lot. Tatiana is an outstanding organizer - we managed to do even more than planned, and the hot air balloons were the perfect highlight. Everything was timed perfectly; even the fish was pre-ordered so we could quickly pick it up along the way without losing time. It may seem like a small detail, but it makes a big difference. Natalia was wonderful - her genuine love for her homeland really came through in everything she shared. She was very attentive and always happy to show and tell us more than what was planned, just by request. That kind of passion is truly inspiring. Lyudmila is a fantastic storyteller who clearly loves her city. In just 3 hours, we saw so many places and learned a lot of fascinating and unexpected facts about each one. Overall, it was a fantastic trip with nothing but positive emotions. This was my second time at Lake Baikal, and I wanted to bring my mom along this time, she was absolutely thrilled. I enjoyed it just as much (most of the places were new to me), and I’m really glad I made time for this trip despite a busy work schedule. Thanks again to everyone involved!

The experience of walking on the ice of a giant frozen lake is truly unlike anything else. Over the course of the week, we saw an incredible variety of ice formations— massive ice splashes on the cliffs, hummocks, and ice in all kinds of colors and shapes. This is the perfect tour for discovering winter Lake Baikal 👍👍👍. A special thank you goes to our guide, Ilya, who is not only highly professional and responsible, but also a genuinely kind and caring person who truly looks after the well-being and spirits of the group. 👍 I would also like to mention the "Naratei" tourist base where we stayed. Of course, not everything was perfect, especially the condition of pretty much all the door handles in the rooms 😄 but the rooms were clean and cozy, and the dining hall served excellent food 🤗. Many thanks as well to the providers for the stylish badges and the warm buffs/scarves, which were absolutely essential in such strong winds.

Everything was great, especially our guide Pyotr.