Listvyanka - Olkhon Island 6 days
Listvyanka - Olkhon Island
5 days / 4 nights
DAY 1. IRKUTSK - LISTVYANKA
Arrival to Irkutsk from Moscow. Meeting at the airport, time for breakfast in café (order and payment on the spot)
City tour of Irkutsk for 3 h
We visit historical center of the city, place of foundation of the first fortress of Irkutsk, Eternal flame memorial, Lower embankment of Angara river, Church of our Savior (outside), Holy Sign Monastery (inside), main streets of Irkutsk, Drama theatre (outside), Upper embankment of Angara, monument of Russian emperor Alexander III, 130th quarter with cafés, restaurants, souvenir shops, museums. Visit of Decembrists museum
Time for lunch (order and payment at spot)
Transfer to Listvyanka (1-1.5 hours). Stop at the observation deck opposite the Shaman-Stone, which rises alone in the middle of the source of the Angara River.
Accommodation at hotel of Listvyanka.
DAY 2. LISTVYANKA
Today we will go to the Baikal Museum, where we will learn a lot of new and interesting things about Baikal: about its origin, unique features, flora and fauna, the history of research and the secrets of its depths. There are also aquariums with its inhabitants. After the tour, we will climb to the observation platform Chersky Stone. The ascent and descent is carried out on a chair lift.
The Chersky Stone is one of the mystical places in Listvyanka. In shamanism, such places that stand out from the general landscape are considered to be a zone connecting different worlds. Therefore, thousands of tourists visit the summit every year. Someone comes to recharge with local energy and follow the rites of shamanism, and someone comes to enjoy the amazing views from the cliff. Being on a rock, it is impossible not to pay attention to the colorful ribbons tied next to the stone. They hang on the serge pole installed here - a symbol of the fact that the place is eaten by its owner, the spirit that protects the peak. Next to the pillar it is supposed to “burkhanit”, that is, to make a sacrifice. Buryats bring food and drinks here, while tourists, most often, limit themselves to coins.
Time for lunch at the restaurant of Listvyanka (order and payment at spot)
Today we will also visit the open-air museum of architectural and wooden architecture "Taltsy" (opening hours of the museum from 10:00 to 18:00). The museum is located in a picturesque place on the right bank of the Angara River, 47 km from Irkutsk, it is a unique repository of historical and cultural monuments of the peoples of the Baikal region - Russians, Buryats, Evenks, in total, there are 13 architectural complexes with 36 wooden buildings on the territory of the museum (excursion in museum 1, 5 hours).
Transfer to the hotel, accommodation. Rest.
DAY 3. LISTVYANKA – PESCHANAYA (SANDY) BAY - OLKHON
After breakfast at the hotel, transfer to the port of Listvyanka. Boarding a Yamaha speedboat, transfer to Peschanaya Bay - the warmest place on Lake Baikal, famous for its stilted trees (about 2.5 hours on the way).
Peschanaya Bay is considered a natural monument of Lake Baikal, located 80 km from the village of Listvyanka. Peschanaya Bay is a rather famous place on Baikal, it is remarkable for its stilted trees, the number of sunny days and the beauty of landscapes. Water washes away, and the wind blows sand from under the trees, so their roots are located on the surface, and not in the ground. The number of sunny days in Peschanaya Bay can be compared with the number of sunny days on the Black Sea. The bay is surrounded by pyramidal rocks: the Small Bell Tower, which is 60 meters high and the Big Bell Tower, 80 meters high. The clean sandy beach of the bay is semi-oval, its length is 750 meters, its width is 15 - 20 meters.
Small trekking to the picturesque Babushka Bay. Duration approx 2 hours. A very varied tour. Includes inspection of Peschanaya Bay, Babushka, Bolshaya Belfry rock. Going down to Babushka Bay, pay attention to Cape Ded. From this angle, it immediately becomes clear where the name of the cape came from. From the Peschanaya Bay to the Babushka Bay you will be led by a trail laid through wild rosemary thickets and passing by huge anthills. Lunch at the Baikal Dunes camp site.
Further transfer to Olkhon (approx. 3.5 hours by speedboat).
On the way, it is possible to stop at the white marble rock of Saagan-Zaba (in the absence of a wave) and view rock paintings (petroglyphs) of the 3rd-5th centuries AD.
Passage of the Small Olkhon Gates - a narrow strait between Olkhon Island and the mainland. Also, if there is time and favorable weather, we will stop at the island of Zamogoy, where we have a chance to see the seal (not guaranteed) and disembark on the island of Ogoy to view the Buddhist stupa of enlightenment. Arrival in Khuzhir, transfer to the hotel.
DAY 4. OLKHON ISLAND: CAPE KHOBOI
After breakfast walk to Shamanka rock. The Shaman Rock is a kind of visiting card of Lake Baikal, photographs with images of the rock are in all guidebooks and books about Baikal. This is one of the nine Shrines of Asia, since ancient times the rock has been considered a sacred place, about which many legends have been composed. There is a through cave in the rock. Women are not allowed to enter this cave. The Shamanka rock was the main place of pilgrimage for the believers of the Buryats of the entire Baikal region; sacrifices were made to the spirits here.
Then we are going for the most popular and exciting tour on Olkhon Island - an excursion to the famous Cape Khoboy (the northernmost part of the island). The duration of the excursion day is 7-8 hours. Baikal is often called the blue heart of Siberia, and Olkhon Island is the heart of Baikal. Olkhon Island is considered the largest of the 26 islands of Lake Baikal. Its length is 72 km, and its width is 15 km, the area of the island is 730 square km. The nature of Olkhon Island is famous for its variety of magnificent landscapes, reflecting the beauty of the island and the lake. Here you can see steppes, deciduous and fir forests, rocks, bays and beaches.
During the tour you will see the picturesque places of the island, the diversity of its natural landscapes, take wonderful pictures and feel the power and energy of Baikal. You will be offered a lunch cooked on a campfire (baikal fish soup cooked on a fire, vegetables, Baikal berries, national drinks).
Cape Khoboy is the northernmost point of Olkhon Island. This is a very picturesque place, attracting most of the tourists coming to the island. On the cape there is a rock in the form of a huge vertical slab, which gave the name to the entire cape. Translated from the Buryat "Khoboy" is translated as a fang. Also, with its outlines, the rock resembles the silhouette of a woman. There is a Buryat legend, according to which this rock is a petrified Buryat woman who, out of envy, asked God for the same palace as her husband. God punished the woman for her envy and turned her into a rock. Here you can see the Ushkany Islands and the Svyatoy Nos peninsula in good weather. Return to the hotel.
DAY 5. OLKHON- IRKUTSK
Breakfast. Transfer from the village Khuzhir to the ferry crossing (approx. 45-50 minutes). Ferry crossing approx. 20 minutes. Transfer to Irkutsk (about 4 hours on the way). On the way, a stop in the Tazheran steppes at a column depicting the totem of one of the Buryat clans - the Eagle.
Visit of Golden Horde ethnic park for lunch and little folklore program.
Buryats are natural dwellers of Siberia. They are descendants of Mongolians. They are shamanists and buddhists. Their main food is meet (mainly horse and mutton), dairy products and wild herbs.
Lunch with posas and other traditional food.
Visit to the local history museum in the village of Ust-Ordynsky to get acquainted with the Buryat culture and lifestyle. Arrival in the evening and accommodation at the hotel.
DAY 6. IRKUTSK
Breakfast. Transfer to the airport of Irkutsk with a stop at the market to buy souvenirs and Baikal gifts.
The price includes:
- accommodation along the route in double rooms with breakfast
06-08.08 Listvyanka, Baikal Hotel, standards overlooking Lake Baikal
08-10.08 Olkhon, Port Olkhon Hotel, standard rooms
10-11.08 Irkutsk, Baikal Forest Hotel, deluxe rooms
- accompanied by an English-speaking guide throughout the program
- transfers by Mercedes Sprinter minibus on the mainland, by Olkhon passenger car 2 UAZ minibuses (4 people)
- water in transport for 5 days, 0.5 liters per person per day
- entrance tickets to the Baikal Museum, the Decembrist Museum, the chairlift, the Museum of Local Lore in Ust-Orda
- rent 2 Yamaha boats for the Listvyanka – Olkhon ferry.
- - lunch at the Baikal Dunes b/o, picnic on Khoboy, lunch at the Golden Horde Ethnopark
- fees in the national park along the entire route