Tour Duration: 5 days
Group Size: 2 - 6 people
Specialty Categories: Sightseeing, Boat Tour, Boat Cruise
Season: July - August
Tour Customizable: Yes
Price Per Person: USD 1,280 - 1,850
Departure dates in 2012: July 11, July 24, August 6, August 19
When visiting Lake Baikal during a short trip many people come to Listvyanka which is the most visited tourist destination at the lake. This place is located in the southern portion of the crescent-shaped lake which is very easy to access as both Trans-Siberian railway and highway lines come close to the lake shoreline. Easy access by ground transportation resulted in a mass tourism of both foreign and local visitors to the south of the lake.
For people who would rather enjoy traveling away from beaten routes middle and northern portions of the lake are highly recommended to visit. Most of these places are next to impossible to reach from the ground, leaving water ways the only means of transportation. At the same time, the lack of regular boat routes and comparatively high cost of private water transport preserved most of the remote destinations in its pristine beauty.
On this tour package we offer you an opportunity to combine it both. You are going to start and end your trip with the individual excursion program to the most important tourist sights of Irkutsk and Listvyanka and join a cruise on board of the scheduled motor vessel cruising from Olkhon Island to Listvyanka along the secluded western coast of the lake.
Tour Itinerary:
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Arrival to Irkutsk. Your guide will meet you at the airport/railway station. Take 3-hour city tour around all of Irkutsk historical sights including Znamenskiy Orthodox Cathedral, old-style wooden houses with distinctive hand-carved trims, the Monument to Russian Emperor Alexander III. City tour is followed by a guided trip to the Decembrist museum in former Prince Volkonsky Mansion. Prince Volkonsky was one of the nobles exiled to Siberia for taking part in December 1825 rebellion against Russian Emperor. Lunch in one of Irkutsk restaurants. Transfer to your hotel. Free time to rest. Includes: (L).
Early breakfast. Car transfer from Irkutsk to Maloye Morye (Small Sea) strait which separates Olkhon Island from the mainland (250 km~156 mi transfer, 3-4 hrs on the way). There is a small ferry pier located at Sakhyurta village across the strait from the southern tip of Olkhon Island. Board the motor vessel “Tatiana” or “Sibiryak”. Accommodation in boat cabins. The cruise will start with a brief introduction to the motorboat and the safety rules. Then, meet the crew and your fellow travelers who have been already on board or just joined our cruise. Lunch on board.
Soon after take off you will pass narrow Olkhon Gate Strait to enter a vast expanse of the main waterbody of Lake Baikal. Today, you will enjoy a whole day water trip along the western coast of the lake southwards from Olkhon Island towards Peschanaya Bay of Lake Baikal. If the weather permits the boat will come close to Tsagan-Zaba Rock (the name is translated from Buryat language as “the White Cliff”). Tsagan-Zaba cliff is famous for the ancient rock engravings so called petroglyphs that date back to the Bronze Age (late 2nd millennium BC). If lucky, you will be able to observe this unique archeological site right from the vessel’s deck.
In the end of the day you arrive to Sennaya bay which is very close to Peschanaya Bay being one of the most popular tourist destinations at Baikal. In the evening you can relax and wash off your tiredness in the most traditional Russian way – by visiting hot Russian banya (not included). Enjoy this Russian attraction, dive right into cool waters of Lake Baikal after heating up in the steam bath. Overnight on board of the ship. Includes: (B), (L), (D).
Breakfast. Free morning for leisure and sunbathing. Take an optional 2-hour walk across the mountain path to the neighboring Peschanaya (Sand) Bay. This is one of the most picturesque spots at the lake. Peschanaya is renowned for being the warmest place at Lake Baikal and the only place at the lake where the average annual temperature throughout the year is above freezing. This secluded area is separated from the mainland by a high mountain range and is accessible only by water or trekking trip. The bay is also famous for its sandy shoreline as well as the number of pine and larch trees “walking on stilts”. The trees growing on the beach rise above the ground with tall naked roots because of the constant winds that blow the sand away from underneath of them.
Return to the motor boat for lunch. Depart for further 8-hour water trip passing Bolshiye Koty settlement and Listvyanka at the source of the Angara river until the boat reaches the Circum-Baikal Railway. Circum-Baikal track is a historical part of the Trans-Siberian railway lying along the northern shore from the Angara river to the very southern extremity of the lake. In the early XX-th century this 84-km-long track was called "The golden buckle on the steel belt of Russia" as it took enormous funding to construct all of 39 tunnels, 47 stone galleries and over 14 km of supporting walls along the steep shore of Baikal. Nowadays, Circum Baikal Railway is commonly known as an open-air museum of civil engineering of the early 20th century.
Overnight on board near a small fishermen village. In the evening, take a walking tour with your guide to see the tunnels and niches cut in steep cliffs or enjoy the scenic beauty of Lake Baikal observing the sunset from the boat deck. Includes: (B), (L), (D).
Breakfast. Return to Listvyanka by boat (~2 hrs). The crew leaves you at the main Listvyanka pier. Meet your Irkutsk guide. Check-in to Listvyanka hotel. Lunch in a local fish restaurant. Then, visit Baikal Museum with the diverse collection of Baikal flora and fauna. You will also see here aquaria with some of Baikal endemic species including Baikal nerpa, the only fresh water seal in the world. Take a chairlift to the top of Chersky peak from where one can enjoy breathtaking views on Lake Baikal, the Angara River and peaks of Khamar-Daban Mountain Range on the lake opposite side. Overnight in Listvyanka. Includes: (B), (L).
Breakfast. Take a walk around the village, see the old St. Nicholas Orthodox Church and then wonder around local fish and souvenir markets. Attend a show of Baikal seals in Listvyanka nerpinarium next to the main pier. Check out of your hotel. Lunch. Depart back to Irkutsk. As we travel to Irkutsk we will stop for a two-hour excursion to Taltsy open-air museum of wooden architecture where one can discover the culture and the lifestyle of native Siberians and Russians who live in this area since XVII-th century. Museum funds include over 40 original log buildings with some authentic traits of Siberian wooden art. The most valuable of them are the "Tower of our Savior" built in 1667 and the Khazanskaya Chapel built in 1669. Transfer to the airport/railway station for departure. Have a good trip back home! Includes: (B), (L).
Prices (per person):
- Superior (4* hotels) accommodation, 2-berth vessel cabin
* 2 pax: $1,850 p/p
* 4 pax: $1,640 p/p
* Single supplement (hotels only): $295
- Standard (3* hotels) accommodation, 2-berth cabin:
* 2 pax: $1,710 p/p
* 4 pax: $1,500 p/p
* Single supplement (hotels only): $145.
- Superior (4* hotels) accommodation, 4-berth vessel cabin
* 4 pax: $1,420 p/p
* Single supplement (hotels only): $295
- Standard (3* hotels) accommodation, 4-berth cabin:
* 4 pax: $1,280 p/p
* Single supplement (hotels only): $145.
N.B.! Cruise add-on found in this tour is a segment of the bigger scheduled joint cruise around Lake Baikal. This joint group cruise is run on two vessels commuting from Listvyanka near Irkutsk to the middle portion of Baikal, then further to the north of Baikal, and after that all the way back to Listvyanka. These boats are for small groups of maximum 10-15 people. There will be 8-12 more people on board besides you who would most likely be Russians. Cruise guides are required to speak English, and they will make all efforts to help overcome the language barrier among the cruise participants, but one should note that the first language of the excursions on board may be still Russian.
Price Includes:
- Accommodation in hotels in Irkutsk (1 night) and Listvyanka (1 night) as stated in the itinerary
- Accommodation in 2-berth (4-berth) cabins on board of the vessel (2 nights)
- Meals as stated in the itinerary
- All individual transfers by car or tourist coach
- English-speaking guide for excursion program (except Days on board of the vessel)
- Entry and admission fees the sites and museums listed
- Russian visa support
Price Excludes:
- Air tickets or train tickets to /from Irkutsk
- Health insurance