Baikal tales

Day 1

Arrival in Irkutsk. Group gathering:
at 8:00-8:30 at the airport at the entrance to the city guide with a sign "Baikal tales" and "Baikal legends";
from 9:00-9:30 at the railway station at the entrance to the city guide with a sign "Baikal tales" and "Baikal legends".
Breakfast.
Sightseeing tour of the city, a visit to the historic 130th quarter. Lunch. Transfer and accommodation in the hotel (room facilities). After excursions in your free time, you can visit the favorite place for evening walks of Irkutsk residents and guests of the city - the embankment of the Angara River.
Meals: breakfast, lunch.
Guide: Yes.

Cities: Irkutsk

Attractions: Spasskaya Church, Znamensky Monastery, monument to Alexander III, 130 quarter

 

Day 2

After breakfast and gatherings we will go to Baikal in Pos. Listvyanka, which is located at the source of the only Angara river flowing from the lake. On the way, visit the Museum of wooden architecture "Taltsy", where collected more than 30 samples of Siberian architecture, including the Buryat yurt and Evenki plague. Then stop at the Shaman Stone. A tour of Listvyanka, a visit to the souvenir market, a fish market, where you can buy souvenirs for memory and taste Baikal fish of various preparations (omul, whitefish, harius). Lunch is a picnic. After lunch we will visit the Baikal Museum.
Accommodation in the hotel Listvyanka (comfort in the room). Free time.
You can independently climb to the observation deck on the Chersky stone, which offers a beautiful view of Baikal and the source of the Angara.
Meals: breakfast, picnic lunch
Guide: Yes.

Cities: Irkutsk, Listvyanka

Attractions: Architectural and ethnographic museum "Taltsy", Shaman-stone, Baikal Museum

 

Day 3.

After breakfast, we will go by ferry through the Bay of Leaf and the source of the Angara to the port of Baikal. Excursion on KBZD (Circum-Baikal Railway).
The railway track along the shore of Baikal was built on September 30, 1904, and on October 15, 1905, permanent traffic was opened. In terms of the number of works of various kinds, the Circum-Baikal Railway surpassed all the railway tracks built in the world and is rightfully considered one of the most beautiful railways in the world.
Tunneling was carried out mainly manually using explosives. The daily speed of penetration was 40-50 cm. 84 km from the station. Kultuk to st. Baikal built 424 engineering structures, including 39 tunnels with a total length of 8994 m. In rock-prone areas built 14 km retaining walls, 47 stone and 3 iron galleries.
In terms of volume, complexity and cost of work, this site was unmatched among the railways of Russia. Before the revolution, it was called the “Golden Buckle of the Steel Belt of Russia”, a buckle – because it connected the Trans-Siberian Railway torn by Baikal, and a gold one – because it surpassed all roads existing in Russia in terms of the cost of works.
During the trip, we will make several stops in the most picturesque places of the Circum-Baikal Railway, which is a monument of architecture and engineering art of the early 20th century. On the way we will have a small picnic during one of the stops.
Arriving in Slyudyanka, we will reach the mineral museum, where more than 10,000 exhibits from around the world are collected. Of these, only Slyudyansk minerals are about 250 varieties. Tour. Dinner.
Departure to the Tunkin valley in the village of Arshan, located in the Republic of Buryatia at the foothills of the Eastern Sayans.
“Arshan”, translated from Buryat, means “healing source”. Here, next to the healing, mineral springs, is the famous sanatorium "Arshan".
In Arshan, accommodation on a tourist base / private estate (convenience on the territory), for an additional fee, accommodation with amenities in the room is possible.
Note: we recommend taking care of lunch the day before, or order a lunch box, because there is no cafe on the Circum-Baikal Railway!
Note: The tour takes place by train (excursion train) or by boat.
Meals: breakfast, dinner.
Guide: CBJD.
Guide: Yes.

Cities: Listvyanka, Slyudyanka, Arshan

Attractions: Circum-Baikal Railway (KBZhD), Mineral Museum "Gems of Baikal", East Sayan Ridge

 

4th day

4th, 5th days: accommodation in Arshan, rest.
Walking tour to the waterfalls on the Kyngarga River. The length of the river, whose name is translated from the language of local residents as "drum" is 27 km. In general, there are about 12 small waterfalls on the river, all of them are located above the first one and you can approach them along an 11-kilometer path along Kyngargi.
The first and most visited of the waterfalls is located at a distance of 1.5 kilometers from the resort "Arshan". To this waterfall leads an equipped trail along the left bank of the river. Above the path there is a river gorge, squeezed by stone walls and "decorated" by intricate rock formations. The bottom of the gorge is covered with marble of a yellow-pink hue, polished to smoothness with water – this section of the channel is called: “Marble bottom”. If you walk another kilometer, you will see a full-water seven-meter waterfall. Above it, a bridge is thrown over the gorge, through which you can get to the right bank of the river.
Those who wish can swim in the cold and refreshing waters of the mountain river Kyngarga.
Also on these days you can visit additional excursions (payment on the spot):
Pedestrians: Arshan Peak (9 hours), Love Peak (10 hours), Crystal Lake (12 hours)
Automobile: Extinct volcanoes - Tali peak, Chersky, Kovrizhka (3 hours), Solar Observatory (2 hours), Nilov Desert (5 hours), White Irkut (6 hours).
Meals: on their own (at their own expense).
Guide: during a walking tour - a local guide, in his spare time - no.

Cities: Arshan

Attractions: Eastern Sayan Ridge

Waterfalls on the Kyngarga River

 

5th day

Free day: accommodation in Arshan, rest, excursions for an additional fee.
Meals: on their own.

Cities: Arshan

Attractions: Eastern Sayan Ridge

 

Day 6

Free time.
Head to Irkutsk. Our return journey passes through the picturesque Kultuk road, which offers a fascinating panoramic view of the southern part of Baikal.
Arrival in Irkutsk, accommodation in a hotel (room facilities).
Meals: on their own (at their own expense).
Guide: Yes.

Cities: Arshan, Pearl, Irkutsk

 

Day 7.

After breakfast we will go to the small sea.
Attention! Transportation - route minibuses. Transfer from the hotel in Irkutsk to the place of departure of shuttle buses, which transfer Irkutsk – Small Sea, 250 km to the ferry or Mukhorsky Bay, where you pick up the bus and take to the base.
The Small Sea is one of the most famous and unique corners of Baikal. Warm bays and coves, ancient rocks and sandy beaches, as well as the unique vegetation of the Tazheran steppes create an atmosphere of detachment from civilization and leave indelible impressions for a lifetime.
Upon arrival, accommodation at the recreation center (convenience on the territory). For an additional fee, accommodation in a room with amenities is possible.
Rest, free time.
In the evening after dinner you will be offered a walking tour along the coast of the Small Sea.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner.
Guide: tour guide at the Small Sea.

Cities: Irkutsk, Olkhonsky district

Attractions: Small Sea

 

8th day

Breakfast. Full-day car excursion to Olkhon Island.
Having resorted to poetic images, we can say that Baikal is the blue heart of Siberia, and Olkhon is the heart of Baikal. The island is the geographical, historical and sacred center of the lake - the center of ancient legends and historical legends. Located in the central part of Baikal, near the greatest depth mark (1637 m), at an equal distance from the northern and southern extremities of the lake, Olkhon concentrated on its territory all the diversity of natural landscapes of the Baikal shores. Even in its shape, it resembles the outlines of Baikal.
In myths and legends, the Buryat Olkhon is called the dwelling place of the formidable spirits of Lake Baikal. At the end of the twentieth century, the shamans of the Republic of Buryatia recognized Olkhon Island as “the main sanctuary, the cult center of common Mongolian and Central Asian significance, personifying the sacred ancestral home of the Buryats.”
Our way we start from the camp, move to the ferry on Olkhon Island.
Strait Olkhon Gate: Strait separating Olkhon Island from the mainland, length - about 8 km, width - about 1 km.
As we move towards the center of the island, we will see:
Zagli Bay (Tashkai Bay). The sunniest place in the Irkutsk region. The number of sunny days is 3 times higher than in Irkutsk, and is 2200 hours per year (on the Riga coast – 1830 hours per year). Precipitation falls the same amount as in the dry steppes of Kazakhstan.
Cape Mare's head. The shape of the cape resembles the head of a horse drinking water from Baikal. There is a legend about the soldiers of Genghis Khan, who allegedly stopped at this cape and left behind a huge vat.
Cape Horgoy. Here is the highest point on the Hadai Mountain. It offers a wonderful panorama of the southern part of the island, and on the pass - about in honor of the hedgehog - the spirit of the pass. You have to stop there and throw a coin.
Finally, we have a wonderful view of the “business card of Baikal”, one of the nine shrines of Asia – Cape Burkhan or Shamanka Rock. Shamanka was the most revered holy place on Lake Baikal, where sacrifices and vows were made since the appearance of the first shamans. The cave of the cape was considered the residence of the aegin - the owner of the island. In the rock nearest to the shore, shamanic rites took place in the through cave, and later after the lamaization of the Buryats, it contained the altar of the Buddha.
North of Cape Burkhan is the magnificent sandy beach of Sarai Bay, which stretches for 3 km between Cape Burkhan and Pos. Harans. Sand ramparts hide cozy glades in the depths of the shore, surrounded by pine forest.
Then we move to the north of the island to Cape Hoboy. On our way, the Peschanoe tract (miniature of the famous Peschanaya Bay). Constant winds blowing from the sea carry sand from the shore and form sand deposits, which are called “moving sands”. On the edge of the forest you can find stilt trees, rising above the sand 30-40 cm at their roots. Their height is much smaller than that of the famous stilt trees in the Bay of Peschanoy.
Sagan-Hushun - "white cape" - extremely picturesque rocky promontory length of about 1 km. The rocks of Sagan-Khushun are included in the list of natural monuments of Baikal. This place stands out among the monotonous coast with spectacular pyramidal rocks, known among the local population as the “Three Brothers”, the legend of which you will learn during the tour.
And here before us is the main purpose of our trip - Cape Khoboy. Hoboi is a sacred place, a place of power and powerful energy, the northernmost cape on the island of Olkhon. In its appearance, it resembles a sharp fang (just “fang” and is translated “oboe” from Buryat). Cape Khoboy is located near the widest place of Baikal (79.5 km), and only in good weather from it you can see the opposite shore, the mountainous contour of the St. Nos peninsula. On the cape there is a platform where all-Olkhon shaman tailagans are performed.
After lunch (picnic), we go back.
Moving to the campground. End of the tour.
Meals: breakfast, lunch (picnic during the tour), dinner.
Guide: Yes.

Cities: Olkhon district

Attractions: Olkhon Island, Cape Mare's Head, Cape Khorgoy, Cape Burkhan, Cape Khoboi

 

9th day

Free time.
On free days for an extra. Additional excursions and tours on ATVs are possible (see the list of excursions below).
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner.

Cities: Olkhon district

Attractions: Small Sea

 

10th day

Free time.
On free days for an extra. Additional excursions and tours on quad bikes are possible.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner.

Cities: Olkhon district

Attractions: Small Sea

 

11th day

Breakfast. Room release by 12:00.
From 13.00 to 14.00 a minibus / bus will come for you (Warning: time can be changed, the exact time of departure must be specified in the evening of the 10th day at the administrator of the recreation center).
Departure on minibuses or buses to Irkutsk.
Arrival in Irkutsk (approximate time of arrival in Irkutsk 19.00-20.30, place of the end of the tour: bus station / sports palace Labor / central market - depending on the route of the minibus).
Additionally, it is possible to book a meeting in Irkutsk and transfer to the railway station / airport (1000 rubles / car).
Attention! It is highly recommended to take tickets for the return trip home after 22.00, as there may be a delay.
Meals: Breakfast.

Cities: Irkutsk