Itineraries > Siberia

Baikal Summer Tour

It’s time to see the legendary lake with your own eyes and to listen to the heart of the Siberia beating

days

city

Ferry

boat

Summer

Period

Tour Details

Breathtaking Views,Shamanic Island, and Historic Railway

This tour to lake Baikal includes all the most important and famous objects associated with the lake known all over the world. Tourists will visit the city of Irkutsk, the Taltsy Museum, and the Baikal Museum in Listvyanka. Be sure to take a ride on the Circum-Baikal railway and enjoy the beauty of the landscape and the man-made miracle of engineering at the beginning of the 20th century. And, of course, you can not visit the lake Baikal and miss its spiritual center-Olkhon island.

Types of tourism

Excursion

Ethno

Active

Religious

Eco

wild nature

Excursion

Ethno

Active

Shamanism

Eco

wild nature

Coordinates of this location not found

Your Travel Plan

A colorful ornate orthodox church in baroque style, A bronze monument of a man on a granite base in front of the church

A grey and white wooden house built in the style of classical noble mansions decorated with a bay-window

A top of a colorful orthodox church in baroque style, numerous domes of a white and red church

A bronze monument of a standing man on a massive granite base

1^st day of the itinerary

The First Look at the City and Decembrist Museum

Welcome to Irkutsk – the heart of the eastern Siberia!

After the flight, your excursion program will start with the city-tour by bus and visit to Decembrists museum. The chronicle of the museum dates back to December 29, 1970, although the collection of the museum started to form back in 1925.

After lunch, we will proceed for the hotel for check-in & accommodation.

In the evening you will have free time to have a rest and get ready for the second day of our program. Dinner is foreseen at the hotel.

A railway track along the lake among rocks, railway tunnel

A Russian train on the railway track along the lake and pine forests

Photo by Anastasia Simbukhova

A railway track along the lake, old wooden house near the railway

A Russian train moving on the railway track along the lake and beautiful landscape.

Photo by Anastasia Simbukhova

2^nd day of the itinerary

Circum BaikalRailway

This day will be full of emotions! In the early morning, we will take the train and start our journey on the famous Circum Baikal railway. It is 89 km long and goes from Slyudyanka-2 to Port Baikal. It has four stations (Kultuk, Maritui, Ulanovo, and Baikal) and one switching track (137 km). There are 38 tunnels (9063m in length); 15 stone galleries (295m of total length) and 3 reinforced concrete galleries with the openings; 248 bridges and viaducts, 268 sustainer walls. These tunnels and stone galleries are unique due to non-typical constructive projects. They have never been altered, thus the original architectural and engineering ideas are preserved.

We will have boxed lunch during the itinerary.

In the evening we will get to Port Baikal and ferry to the hotel of Listvyanka city, where we are going to have dinner and overnight.

A bouquet of sunflowers in a vase on the window of a wooden house

3^rd day of the itinerary

Baikal Museum and St. Nicola's Church in Listvyanka

Today we are going to visit Listvyanka. Listvyanka is considered to be one of the oldest settlements on Lake Baikal. According to one version, people settled here at the beginning of the 18th century. It got its name from the tree-covered Larch cape. In this city, we will visit the Baikal Museum. The Baikal Museum keeps up with the times, each new discovery, don’t forget that the exploration of Baikal does not stop for a day, sets a new theme for the expositions.

After the excursion to the Baikal Museum, we are going to have lunch at a local restaurant.

In the afternoon we will have city-tour with the visiting of St Nikola’s Church, it is one of a few perfectly preserved architectural monuments in Listvyanka. After it, you will have free time for Baikal shore walking and shopping at a souvenir & fish market.

An old wooden house, museum of Russian wooden architecture

Interior of a Russian wooden house, pictures and an icon on a wooden wall, wooden table decorated with a white lace tablecloth

Wooden orthodox churches, wooden village, wooden architecture

Russian traditional food, sandwiches with red caviar, Russian salad, vegetable salad

4^th day of the itinerary

Taltsy Open-Air Museum and Lunch in a Local Family

This day we are going to visit the Taltsy wooden open-air museum. This is a unique collection of monuments of architecture and history of the peoples of Eastern Siberia from the 17th to the 20th century. More than three centuries of Siberian life and history have been pressed in this place.

Nowadays the Taltsy Museum has 40 historical and architectural monuments, 8000 exhibits on an area of 67 hectares. And everything is genuine or repeated from the original.

Today’s lunch we are going to have at a local family. Traditional Russian food, friendly atmosphere – what could be better?

In the evening we will come back to Irkutsk city center and go shopping. Dinner is included at the hotel.

Several sacred piles decorated with colorful ribbons on a shore of a lake

5^th day of the itinerary

The First Steps on Olkhon Island and Shamanka Rock

After breakfast, we will move to Olkhon Island by bus. Olkhon Island is a tourist Mecca of Baikal. Almost every traveler dreams of visiting this shamanic island. If Baikal is the heart of Siberia, then Olkhon is the heart of Baikal. And with such a pilgrimage of tourists, the island remains a real reserve of astonishing landscapes and magnificent nature.

After our lunch on the way, we will get to Olkhon Island and visit Burchan cape ( Shamanka Rock).

In the evening we are going on an excursion by boat to feed seagulls.

This night we are going to stay at a hotel on Olkhon Island with a brilliant Baikal view.

A beautiful landscape, green hills and a lake

6^th day of the itinerary

The North Partof the Island and Lunch on the Bank of the Lake

If you are an adventure seeker, you find this day astonishing. We will start our UAZ- tour by UAZ jeeps with the visiting of the north of Olkhon Island. We are going to see the Lion and the Crocodile islands,
Cape Khoboy, Peschanka bay, a site called rock Three Brothers, Cape Khoboy and Love mountain. All these magic places were created by nature. They will really amaze you!

We will have a lunch picnic with fish soup during our excursion.

In the evening we will get back to the hotel on Olkhon Island, where we are going to have dinner and overnight.

Photo by Anastasia Simbukhova

Dancers wearing bright traditional costumes, folk show

7^th day of the itinerary

Ust-Orda Villageand Dinner with Traditional Folk Show

Get ready for a long way back to Irkutsk by UAZ and after by a comfortable bus. On the way back we will visit Ust-Orda village, where the local museum is located. You will never forget the Shaman Ceremony there!

In the afternoon we will come back to the city center of Irkutsk-you can go shopping or have a rest.

Your last evening of our journey will be unforgettable-you will have Gala dinner with Russian traditional folklore performance! Don’t forget to prepare your best outfit.

This night we are going to stay at Irkutsk hotel.

Departure

Last Minute Sightseeing and Shopping

Now you can explore the city by yourself and do some last-minute shopping. Then you will be transferred to the airport. Now it’s time to say goodbye to Russia. Hope to see you again!