Heart of Baikal

Day 1

Arrival in Irkutsk, meeting at 08.00-08.30 at the airport or at 09.00-09.30 at the railway station, a guide with a sign "Heart of Baikal". Meeting at the airport at the entrance to the city, inside the airport building at 08.00.
Meeting at the railway station on the stairs at the entrance to the city, inside the station building at 09.00. If tourists arrive at the railway station, please indicate this in advance when booking.
Breakfast. Sightseeing tour of the city of Irkutsk.
Then transfer to Baikal to Listvyanka.
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.
Stop at the Shaman Stone.
Visit to the Baikal Museum. Better than here, you will not learn about the underwater world of Baikal anywhere. You will see with your own eyes omul, harius, sigi, Baikal sturgeons and, of course, seal.
Then a tour of Listvyanka with a visit to the fish market.
Return to Irkutsk, transfer to the hotel, accommodation.
Guide: Yes.

Meals: Breakfast.

Cities: Irkutsk, Listvyanka

Attractions: Spasskaya Church, Znamensky Monastery, monument to Alexander III, Architectural and Ethnographic Museum "Taltsy", Baikal Museum

Ponds: Lake Baikal

 

Day 2

Breakfast. Departure by shuttle bus to Lake Baikal, Olkhon Island (travel time is 6-7 hours).
Attention: Transportation – minibuses. Transfer from the hotel to the place of departure of shuttle buses, then transfer Irkutsk – Small Sea, 250 km – transfer by ferry to the island – transfer to the village of Khuzhir, 35 km.
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.
During the trip, the landscape outside the window will change from urban to endless steppes, green taiga and finally, the rocky shores of Lake Baikal. At lunch (independently in a cafe during a stop) you can first appreciate the dishes of local cuisine (poses, buffalo).
Accommodation on a tourist base / in a private estate, free time, dinner.
After rest, a walking tour to Cape Burhan.
Burkhan is an extraordinary rock, which since ancient times is sacredly revered by the indigenous population of the island. Currently, it is considered a state natural and historical monument, and in ancient times, cult sacrifices were made here to the owner of the island, who according to legends lived in the cape cave. The history of Burhan attracted the attention of not only domestic but also foreign archaeologists. In the 70s of the last century, a joint Soviet-American expedition worked here, one of the results of which was the hypothesis about the Asian origin of the indigenous population of North America. Many archaeological finds and discoveries have also been made in this area.
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.
Guide: No.

Meals: Breakfast, dinner.

Cities: Irkutsk, Khuzhir

Attractions: Olkhon Island, Cape Burkhan

Ponds: Lake Baikal

 

Day 3.

Breakfast
All-day excursion to Cape Hoboi.
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 as “oboe” into 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 way, we will see the Sandy Tract - (miniature of the famous Sandy Bay). Constant winds blowing from the sea carry sand from the shore and form sand deposits, which are called “moving sands”. At the edge of the forest, you can find stilt trees that rise 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.
After a walk from the parking lot to Cape Hoboy, we will have a picnic.
And then we will visit another, no less beautiful place – Cape Shunte. Shunte translated from the Buryat language is nothing but larch. The cape is named after a tree not by chance, a dense coniferous forest grows on its banks. Shunte-Levy is located in the northeastern part of the island of Olkhon and is famous for its bright colors: marble veins and bald spots of red lichen. Excellent views of Lake Baikal come off the observation deck of the cape - a high red rock. Locals believe that Shunte-Left helps couples solve the problem of infertility. In ancient times, if the spouses could not give birth to a child for a long time, they put a yurt on the cape, after that the problems usually disappeared. Now there is no such tradition, but for couples who want children, it is considered a good sign to climb one of the rocks (if you want a boy – on the left side of the rock, a girl – on the right).
Now on your way back! Moving to the campground. End of the tour.
Guide: Yes (driver guide).

Meals: Breakfast, lunch (picnic during the tour), dinner.

Cities: Olkhon district, Khuzhir

Attractions: Olkhon Island, Cape Khoboy

Ponds: Lake Baikal

 

4th day

Breakfast, holiday in Olkhon.
You can walk along the Sarai beach, sunbathe and swim in Baikal (the water is quite cool).
Additional excursions are possible for an additional fee.
We recommend that you pay attention to the following excursions:
Water excursion to the island of Ogoi (duration of about 3 hours, estimated cost of 1800 rubles per person)
The Buddhist Stupa, erected on the island of Ogoi in the summer of 2005, is officially referred to as the Stupa of Enlightenment, the Conquest of Demons, containing a statue of the Female Form, the mother of all Buddhas. In other words, this stupa refers to a type of stupa in which various Buddhist relics are nested. The island of Ogoi, stretching a narrow wriggling strip of land from south to north for 6 km, from the air strongly resembles the dancing goddess Dikanja with outstretched arms, directed to the north. The stupa, built at the highest point of the island (512 m), at an altitude of 60 meters above the level of Lake Baikal, was located just in the heart of the island. Volunteers from different places took part in the construction of the stupa: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Minsk, Yekaterinburg, Irkutsk, New York, London, Lisbon. Everything necessary for construction was transferred on boats and then manually lifted to the top, and the heaviest loads - by helicopter. The stupa project was designed by an Irkutsk architect. The construction was led by a lama from Bhutan.
Sarmin Gorge (duration: 8 hours, estimated cost of 3800 rubles per person with lunch)
Sarmin Gorge is one of the legendary places of Baikal. The Sarma is the largest of the rivers (42 km long) flowing into the Small Sea. The river originates from the northern slopes of the Three-headed char. For millions of years, the ice stream of the Sarma River washed in the Primorsky Range powerful gorge "Sarminskoe", on both sides of which rise two rocks, creating an unusual, somewhat sinister pattern of the Sarmin Gate.
Here, rolling over the Primorsky Range from the vast Prilensk elevation, the arctic air rushes into the valley narrowing to the mouth, which at the exit to the basin of Baikal forms a kind of natural wind tunnel. Thus is born the most powerful wind of Sham.
The approach to the Sarmin Gorge in ancient times was separated from the rest of the shore of Lake Baikal by a wall of stones. Shamans of the ancient tribes inhabiting Baikal separated the sacred territory of the mouth of Sarma from outside visitors.
The excursion to the Sarmin Gorge begins along the picturesque road along the Mukhor Bay, the warmest and shallowest section of the Strait of the Small Sea. Behind the Huzhir-Nugai Bay begins a vast delta of the Sarma River, with several low sand islets, nesting places for birds. Further journey takes place on the road in the valley of the river, which in 1643 passed Cossack Pentecostal Kurbat Ivanov.
The sight of tourists opens a vast space, with chaotically scattered huge boulders against the background of emerald grass, as if the spirits of the mountains were playing pins. The whole road is a change of amazingly picturesque landscapes: it is a blooming mountain valley, and a dense forest thicket, and a trail leading along a cliff over the river and, of course, a mountain river with its changes and rapids.

Meals: Breakfast, dinner.

Cities: Hujir

Attractions: Olkhon Island

Ponds: Lake Baikal

 

5th day

Breakfast. Free day.
For an additional fee, you can order additional excursions.
Guide: No (when ordering excursions – local guide).

Meals: Breakfast, dinner.

Cities: Hujir

Attractions: Olkhon Island

Ponds: Lake Baikal

 

Day 6

Breakfast. Departure to Irkutsk (route minibuses, approximate departure time from Olkhon 11.00-14.00, information on a specific exit will be reported the day before).
Approximate time of arrival in Irkutsk 18.00-20.00.
Hotel accommodation.
Guide: No.

Meals: Meals: Breakfast.

Cities: Irkutsk

Ponds: Lake Baikal

 

Day 7.

Breakfast at the hotel. End of the program (calculation hour at the hotel 12.00).
You can order a transfer hotel - airport or railway station, cost 1000 rubles / car.
Guide: No.

Meals: Breakfast.

Cities: Irkutsk