The Golden Ring of Baikal

The most intense tour! Here, as in a precious necklace, the bright gems of Baikal are hidden: the shamanic magic of Olkhon; the protected fairy tale of the Ushkany Islands and the Chivyrkui Bay; the secrets of the ancient “Bargujin Tokuma”, the land of ancestors, the Barguzin valley.

The ancient Russian city of Irkutsk and the center of Buddhism in Russia is the capital of Buryatia, Ulan-Ude. We invite you to a fascinating journey where every day will open the whole world!

Travel programme:

1 Day.

Meeting of the group in Irkutsk at the airport at 8:00; at the railway station at 9:00 (local time, ahead of Moscow by 5 hours). Auto-pedestrian sightseeing tour of the city.

Ancient Russian churches and a Polish church, wooden houses that have grown into the ground through the windows, and stone houses of the richest Siberian merchants – here lives the history of Siberia, the history of the Russian state. Today Irkutsk is 360 years old!

Hotel accommodation.

Car tour to the pos. Listvyanka, located on the shore of Baikal, 70 km from Irkutsk.

On the way excursion to the architectural and ethnographic museum "Taltsy". "Taltsy" is a unique open-air museum, a collection of monuments of history, architecture and ethnography of the XVII-XIX centuries: "corners" of Russian and Buryat villages, Evenki camp.

Arrival in Listvyanka. Visit to the Baikal Museum (SO RAS). This is the only museum in the world, whose expositions introduce the history of the study of the lake, its animal and plant world. Since 2004, the museum has a “live exposition”: in the aquariums of the museum you can see some representatives of the Baikal fauna: omul, whitefish, sturgeon and, of course, seal. Virtual immersion to the bottom of Baikal.

Free time to walk along the embankment of the village, visit the observation deck, purchase souvenirs. Return to Irkutsk, to the hotel.

2 Day.

Early departure for a tour of the Circum-Baikal Railway. On the excursion train you will pass along the section of the old Circum-Baikal road, in 1905, the "golden buckle" connecting the Trans-Siberian Railway - the "steel belt" of Russia. Of great interest to tourists are tunnels, powerful retaining walls, viaducts made of hewn stone, wooden buildings in the style of "modern" of the early twentieth century. The road and the territory adjacent to it include not only numerous monuments of engineering and technical art and architecture, but also various natural monuments - geology, mineralogy, zoology, biology. (The price includes transportation in a class 1 car, seats on the mountain side. Those wishing to book 1st place from the Baikal side can pay 1,300 rubles per person, 2nd place from the window - 900 rubles per person. Payable at will in advance when booking a tour!

Arrival in Irkutsk approximately at 21:00. Back to the hotel.

3 Day.

Transfer to the island of Olkhon, to the village of Khuzhir (270 km). Travel by ferry through the Strait of Olkhon Gate. Olkhon, the geographical and sacred center of Baikal, is distinguished not only by its delightful landscapes, but also by many holy “shaman” places.

Recreational accommodation

Day 4.

All-day trip to Cape Hoboi (the northern tip of the island).

The spectacular column-shaped rock that gave the name to the cape has its own legend. The cape is located near the widest place of Baikal (79.5 km). It is here that you will have the opportunity to assess the size of the lake, which the locals usually call the sea. Along the way you will see all the variety of landscapes and natural monuments of the island: the picturesque steppes of northern Olkhon, the rock “Three Brothers”, the stilt trees of the Peschanoe tract.

At the stop you will be waiting for lunch cooked at the stake.

5 Day.

Holiday on the island. Olkhon concentrated on its territory all the variety of natural landscapes of the Baikal coasts. For wildlife lovers and photographers, this is a real reserve of surprisingly diverse landscapes and majestic landscapes. Visit the famous 3-kilometer beach of Sarai Bay with snow-white sand: unusual nature and pure water of Baikal.

This is a wonderful time to feel alone with Great Baikal. Olkhon is an excellent place for recreation and meditation, and at the recreation center you will be offered water, horse and car excursions (optional, for an additional fee): to the Buryat village (from 600 rubles / person), to the southern part of Olkhon Island, to Lake Yalga, to the Tashkinaya Pad, to the salt lake Shara-Nura (from 800 rubles / person); excursions by boat on the lake to the islands of the Small Sea, Ogoi Island (~650-1450 rubles / person); rental of a catamaran, boat, kaydarka or from 1 ruble).

6 Day.

Early in the morning we go to the pier. Khuzhir, from where we go on a boat trip to Baikal. Passing through the Small Sea, we see all the rocks and cliffs of Olkhon already from the water; skirting Cape Khoboi, we approach the protected place - the Ushkany Islands - the main refuge of the famous Baikal seal - the seal. For those who want to land on the islands. (Entrance to the reserve to observe the seal for an additional fee - 2500 rubles, paid if desired in advance, when booking a tour!)

We circle the Holy Nose peninsula and, further, along the reserved Chivyrkui Bay, we pass to the shore This isolated corner of Baikal with picturesque shores, warm and clean Baikal water, a kind of coziness and “isolation” from the world disposes travelers to rest. We will stop in one of the bays of the bay to enjoy the beauty of nature and swim - after all, Chivyrkui Bay is considered the warmest on Baikal!

Going by boat to bed. Monakhovo and further, road crossing to Barguzin Bay, in the village of Maximikha (or Ust-Barguzin). Hotel accommodation.

7 Day.

A car tour of the Barguzin valley. Barguzin Valley – “Bargujin Tokum”, a particularly revered land, the birthplace of Genghis Khan’s mother.

A very rich excursion includes acquaintance with the natural, historical monuments of the valley, the cultural traditions of its inhabitants. Let’s start with a tour of the ancient village of Barguzin, which leads the story with the Barguzin prison, founded in 1648 by the Cossack ataman Ivan Galkin.

Further along the route, one of the main Buddhist shrines is Mount Barkhan-Uula. It is believed that a person who climbs this mountain establishes a connection with the mysterious power of this place and becomes one with God. Visit the place of worship of the Goddess Yanjima, whose face appeared on a large stone at the foot of the mountain a few years ago.

In the Buryat yurt you will get acquainted with traditions and national games, lunch is the national cuisine.

At the end of this day we will visit the valley of the river Alla - a place that many consider the most beautiful in Buryatia, and the indigenous inhabitants of this land - Evenki still pass from mouth to mouth ancient legends about these places.

8 Day.

Rest on the Barguzin Bay. Barguzinsky, the largest bay of Baikal, is famous for long sandy beaches surrounded by pine forest. In summer, in the presence of warm and quiet weather, the water in the Barguzin Bay warms up to 20-22o. C.

This is the final day on Lake Baikal, a day to enjoy the peace, peace and majesty of the Sacred Sea. May this peace, warmth and peace remain in your soul for a long time!

Also on this day you can continue to open Buryatia. You will be offered an additional tour of the Barguzin valley: Suvinskaya Saxony. Picturesque rock-remainers resembling the towers of the castle are called the pearl of the Barguzin valley. You will drive through the valley another way, making stops in sacred places and natural monuments, which are so rich in the valley. You will see the main shrine, the patron saint of the Barguzin valley and the place where, according to the legend of the Evenks, the spirit of the legendary Baikal wind lives - Barguzin.

Lunch in Suvo village is a delicious village food made from local environmentally friendly products.

Attention! The decision to visit an additional excursion must be made no later than the 6th day of your trip. The tour will take place when recruiting a group of 6 people. The cost of the excursion with lunch (3500 rubles) is paid on the spot.

9 Day.

Transfer to the capital of Buryatia, Ulan-Ude (300 km).

Excursion to Ivolginsky datsan. At the foot of the Hamar-Daban ridge, on the steppe expanses, in a quiet tract, is the spiritual capital of the Buddhist traditional Sangha of Russia - Ivolginsky datsan. In sunny weather, gilded temples shine brightly, meeting pilgrims and guests from afar. It seems that fleeting time has stopped here, and the air is filled with a tart and spicy aroma of flowering herbs.

Ivolginsky datsan is a large monastery complex, the interiors of its temples are decorated with authentic works of art. Here is the residence of Pandito Hambo Lama, the head of Buddhists of Russia; Buddhist University, where the Huvaraks are trained, the house of lamas. Datsan is under state protection as a monument of cult architecture.

Hotel accommodation.

Sightseeing walking tour around the city center with a tour of the main attractions: the famous monument to V. I. Lenin ("Lenin's head"), the opera house and the pedestrian zone of the street. Lenin, Odigitrievsky Cathedral.

You will see and feel the oriental beauty and special spirit of this capital.

10 Day.

End of tour. Departure from the hotel before 10:00. Going home

You can stay one more day in Ulan-Ude for some interesting excursions near the city. (If desired, for an additional fee of 15,000 rubles / person (included: excursion and transport services, hotel accommodation and 2 meals a day). Supplement for single accommodation 600 rubles. You need to book in advance!!

10 Day. Excursion to the Ethnographic Museum of the Peoples of Transbaikalia, undoubtedly one of the best open-air museums in Russia.

The museum is located on an area of 23 hectares in the forest zone of Ulan-Ude. You will visit complexes of residential and outbuildings: Evenki, Buryat, Russian, family (Old Believers), city, Cossack Moving to the post. Tarbagatai (70 km from Ulan-Ude).

Excursion "Visiting the Family". Semeysky (Old Believers) - a very bright and ancient branch of the Russian people - a particle of pre-Petrine Moscow Rus, were relocated to Siberia in the second half of the XVII century. To this day, the descendants of immigrants in Buryatia have preserved a unique Russian folk life, UNESCO proclaimed the original spiritual culture of the family Tarbagatai region of the Republic of Buryatia as a masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of mankind.

You will get acquainted with the museum of the life of the Old Believers and a visit to the ancient Orthodox church, a meeting at the farmstead of the Old Believers, acquaintance with rituals, customs and unique multi-voiced singing. Dinner is old Russian cuisine. On the way stop at the Mount Sleeping Lion or Omulovaya, a sacred place for Buddhists and shamanists, the mountain offers excellent views of the Selenga River Delta.

Return and night at a hotel in Ulan-Ude.

Day 11.

End of tour. Departure from the hotel before 10:00. Go home.

• Tour and transport services under the tour program (including entrance tickets to museums)
• 2-, 3-bed accommodation in hotels and recreation centers with room amenities
• 2 meals a day (breakfast and dinner) from dinner on the first day to breakfast on the day of departure
• three times a day on the 2nd, 4th, 6th, 7th days
• recreational fees.