(private) Active tour of Lake Baikal

(private) Active tour of Lake Baikal

❖ When you first see Baikal captures the spirit from its size and energy with which it generously shares with each person. We have developed the perfect formula for travel on Lake Baikal for every traveler without special training.

...

❖ A RICH EXPERIENCE EXPECT YOU:
• acquaintance with the freshwater seal;
• trips on high-speed boats in remote locations from the mass trails;
• overnight in the camping between the Siberian forest and the waters of Lake Baikal;
• as well as tracking so that nothing distracts you from the fabulous views of a mighty lake;
• ethnic entertainment will be organized for you;
• and the culmination of the tour will be an adventure rafting on the Khara-Murin River.

...

❖ NOTES: May - September. The optimal booking time is 3-4 months before the start of the tour. In summer, a lot of tourists come to Baikal, so it’s better to take care of the rest in advance. In this case, you will get the best hotels, the best guides, the best programs.

...

❖ COMFORT: ★★★☆☆

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Irkutsk & City Tour

Stop At: International Airport Irkutsk, Ulitsa Shiryamova, 13, Irkutsk, Irkutskaya oblast', Russia, 664009
❖ In the morning at the airport, you will be met by a personal guide. Then, on a comfortable minibus, you will drive to Irkutsk. If there will be free time before settling in the hotel, then we will spend it for a pleasant breakfast in one of the colourful cafes.
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Kupechesky Dvor, Ulitsa Sedova, 10, Irkutsk, Irkutskaya oblast', Russia, 664022
❖ After you check into the hotel you will have some free time to relax after a long flight.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Krestovozdvizhenskaya Tserkov', Ulitsa Sedova, 1, Irkutsk, Irkutskaya oblast', Russia, 664003
❖ Today you will have a sightseeing tour in one of the seven cities of Russia, which has the status of a city with a unique historical and cultural heritage. Irkutsk is an ancient Siberian city, the oldest buildings of which date back to the 18th century. and built in a unique style – the Siberian baroque. The city has preserved the city’s stone buildings and wooden lace houses. Initially, the city of Irkutsk was built in the 17th century as a winter park for important colonization and trade and trade routes connecting the European part of Russia with China, Mongolia and the Russian Far East.

...

NOTES: You stroll through the historic centre of the city while walking you will have time to rest on the late lunch.
Duration: 3 hours

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: ★ Double accommodation in a hotel in the centre of Irkutsk (Hotel Kupechesky Dvor 3*)

Day 2: Irkutsk → Buryat Ethnic Center → Olkhon Island, 300 Km

Stop At: Tazheranskaya steppe, Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, 666135
❖ Today you will see Lake Baikal and Olkhon Island for the first time!

In a few hours, we will be on Baikal – there is not much that can be compared with this exciting feeling of anticipation of meeting with something truly great! On the way, we are waiting for several stops in sacred places where we will honour local spirits, feel the deep spirituality and the strongest energy of the Baikal land. Lunch for us will be organized in ethnic style among the Tazheran steppes, where you will first get acquainted with Lake Baikal. Having inhaled its air and felt a gust of wind, you will understand that you fell in love with this place. Here we will have our first meeting with the indigenous inhabitants of these places – the Buryats. They will introduce us to their culture, prepare for us a delicious traditional dish of lamb – a buncher, as well as teach to dance the cheerful dance of Yohor. After a hearty dinner, we’ll relax a bit.
Duration: 4 hours

Stop At: Ol'khon, Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, 666135
❖ Shore transfer, ferry crossing to the Olkhon Island, and here we are in the hotel. Free time for rest. After a delicious homemade dinner, we will go to the legendary Shamanka Rock, which is a visiting card of Lake Baikal, as well as a ritual place where sacrifices were made in ancient times by shamans. After that, we will go to the Sarai beach, where you will meet your first sunset on Lake Baikal.
Duration: 4 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast: breakfast at hotel
• Lunch: lunch in ethnic style
• Dinner: home dinner
Accommodation included: ★ Double accommodation at the hotel on the island of Olkhon, the village Khuzhir (tourist complex “Saraysky”)

Day 3: Olkhon Island → Rookery Of The Baikal Seal → Center Of Shamanism

Stop At: Mys Khoboy, Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, 666137
❖ Good morning Baikal! In the morning we will go to the most northern tip of the island. The road will pass both through the forest, and through sandy beaches and dunes, where you can walk and see the pink sand. We will visit the most beautiful observation points and if nature is supportive, we will be able to see the rookery of the Baikal seal (the only freshwater seal in the world) and watch the animals in their natural habitat.
---

❖ Upon arrival to the northern tip of the island – Cape Khoboy, you will be provided with a picnic at the stake, a hot smoked omul with potatoes and Siberian cold snacks.
Duration: 4 hours

Stop At: Shaman Rock - ˆamanská skála, Unnamed Road, Khuzhir, Irkutskaya oblast', Russia, 666137
❖ In the evening a small walk to the centre of shamanism awaits us, where we will be told about the peculiarities of shamanism, we learn what distinguishes the black shaman from the white, why this ancient tradition originated, and also about the role it plays in modern society.
Duration: 2 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast: breakfast at hotel
• Lunch: picnic on fire
• Dinner: home dinner
Accommodation included: ★ Double accommodation at the hotel on the island of Olkhon, the village Khuzhir (tourist complex “Saraysky”)

Day 4: Olkhon Island → Boat Ride → Sukhaya Bay (Camp)

Stop At: Lake Baikal, E Russia
❖ In the morning, after a hearty breakfast, we go to the pier. From the dock, we sit down the high-speed ship and go to meet the boundless blue spaces. During the water crossing, we will pass along the numerous islands of the Maloye More Strait (in English literally the Small Sea), admire the precipitous shores of Lake Baikal and closer to dinner we will arrive at the site of the first parking, where we will have lunch and a camp.
---

❖ Today we are not going anywhere, but this is no reason to relax! It’s time to plunge into the taiga life: together with the guide, we will leave the trail in search of firewood, fragrant herbs and berries. Upon returning to the camp, we will learn how to build a fire and brew real taiga tea.
---

❖ At night, you can admire the crystal clear starry sky. Just imagine this atmosphere: a unique Baikal sky, strewn with stars, a breeze, and waves splashing about the rocks…
Duration: 10 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast: breakfast at hotel
• Lunch: lunchbox
• Dinner: picnic on fire
Accommodation included: ★ Night in a comfortable camping on the shore of the Sukhaya bay

Day 5: Sukhaya Bay → Trekking → Peschanaya Bay (Camp), 15 km

Stop At: Бухта Песчаная, Ulitsa Baykal'skiye Dyuny Turbaza, Irkutskaya oblast', Russia, 664515
❖ A beautiful morning in the fresh air – hot tea, golden pink sunrise and around the boundless blue smoothness of Lake Baikal.
---

❖ Today our walking route will begin along the shore of Lake Baikal but do not worry, because we will go light, and things will go to the catamaran accompanying the group. Such an active rest is a pleasure; you can completely abandon your thoughts and enjoy nature. Our path will pass along the edge of the watery surface, then along the glades overgrown with dog rose, then along a forest path along a rocky cliff. Now begins a real break from civilization: for many tens of kilometres around us, there will be no one. Only we and the wild beauty of Lake Baikal.
---

❖ In the evening we arrive at the second parking lot, in one of the most beautiful places of Baikal – Peschanaya Bay, which is famous for its snow-white beaches, azure water and stilted trees. This is a beautiful place, here you truly understand how wonderful and unique everything that is created by nature. We are waiting for a bonfire, a delicious dinner and a hot Russian sauna. From a hotly heated bath, we will dip directly into the invigorating water of Baikal. There is nothing better than relaxing after an active day.
Duration: 10 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast: picnic on fire
• Lunch: lunchbox
• Dinner: picnic on fire
Accommodation included: ★ Night in a comfortable camping on the shore of the Peschanaya bay

Day 6: Peschanaya Bay → Boat Ride → Listvyanka Village

Stop At: Listvyanka, Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, 664520
❖ The morning will be free; you can sunbathe, take a walk along the picturesque bays and swim. At 12:00 boarding to the ship and transfer to the village Listvyanka, where you stay at the hotel. After settling in the hotel you will have free time.
---

❖ In the evening you will visit a real Russian sauna (banya) on the territory of the hotel, stylized as an old frigate from the time of Peter the Great (the first emperor of Russia). Two spacious lounges, a shower room, a massage table, a steam room, the opportunity to plunge into the Baikal.
---

★ The banya is at the very edge of the water. The restroom on the second floor gives the impression of a full presence on a real frigate, which ploughs the waters of Lake Baikal.
Duration: 10 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast: picnic on fire
• Lunch: lunchbox
Accommodation included: ★ Double accommodation at the hotel Listvyanka (hotel “Anastasia” 4*)

Day 7: Tour Of The Circum-Baikal Railway By Speedboat & Baikal Reserve → Baikalsk Village

Stop At: Baikal Museum, Akademicheskaya Ulitsa, 1А, Listvyanka, Irkutskaya oblast', Russia, 664520
❖ In the morning we will visit the museum of Lake Baikal, where we will get acquainted with many inhabitants of the lake, swimming not only in huge aquariums but also in a drop of Baikal water and discernable only under a microscope.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Circum-Baikal Railway Steel, Kultuk Russia
❖ After an interesting and informative excursion, we are waiting for the landing on a speedboat, on which we will pass along the Circum-Baikal railway. On the way, we are waiting for a number of stops to inspect the tunnels and walks by rail. This is a really interesting building, it invested incredibly much effort, thousands of people worked on the construction of this road. Trying to go through a dark tunnel, cut down in a solid rock more than a century ago – an incredible experience for the traveller.
---

❖ During the study of the railway, we are waiting for a delicious lunch in a cosy cafe in a fairy tale in a forest on the shore of Lake Baikal.
Duration: 4 hours

Stop At: Baykal'skiy Gosudarstvennyy Prirodnyy Biosfernyy Zapovednik, Красногвардейская, 34, Tankhoy, Buryatiya Republits, Russia, 671220
❖ In the afternoon we arrive in the village of Tankhoi, here is the central estate of the Baikal Reserve – an excellent place that has preserved the virginity of nature. Then you will be transferred to Baikalsk village, accommodation at the hotel, in the evening free time.
Duration: 2 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast: breakfast at hotel
• Lunch: in a cafe on the shore of Lake Baikal
Accommodation included: ★ Double accommodation at the hotel in the village Baikalsk (Hotel Grand Baikal 3*)

Day 8: Baikalsk Village → Rafting → Irkutsk, 160 Km

Stop At: Langutayskiy Porog, Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, 665932
❖ Early breakfast. Transfer to the river Hara-Murin. Our goal is the Langutai threshold, which is 30 minutes’ walk from the road.
---

❖ On the site of the start, you will already be waiting for a small camp and a hot lunch. After lunch, briefing and departure for the rafting. Crossing to the left bank of the river, because it is there that in front of you, in its entire glory, is the threshold of the Langutai (4th category of complexity). Multiple passages of the threshold for different options. How to pass – you choose yourself. Under the left bank, in the central gate and the most extreme passage – on the right.
---

❖ After everyone takes part in the rafting, you will have lunch on the river bank, rest.
Duration: 8 hours

Stop At: Kupechesky Dvor, Ulitsa Sedova, 10, Irkutsk, Irkutskaya oblast', Russia, 664022
❖ In the evening – descent to the road, boarding a bus and moving to Irkutsk. Check in the hotel and free time.
---

★ OPTIONAL: In the evening, we offer to visit the restaurant “Rassolnik”, completing the tour with friends, sharing bright memories [not include].
Duration: 4 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast: breakfast at hotel
• Lunch: picnic on fire
Accommodation included: ★ Double accommodation in a hotel in the centre of Irkutsk (Hotel Kupechesky Dvor 3*)

Day 9: Departure From Irkutsk

Stop At: International Airport Irkutsk, Ulitsa Shiryamova, 13, Irkutsk, Irkutskaya oblast', Russia, 664009
❖ Breakfast in the hotel. Check-out from the hotel until 12:00.
---

❖ Free time. You can leave things at the reception and stroll around the city.
---

❖ Transfer to the airport for check-in. Departure.
---

See you soon in the heart of Siberia!
Duration: 3 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast: breakfast at hotel
No accommodation included on this day.