Irkutsk and Listwianka trip, 3 days/2 nights

All year round, if you come during the winter you may check our special winter activities around the Baikal lake.

Itinerary

Day 1

Sightseeing tour by car of Listvyanka village till 5 pm, visit the Lake Baikal Museum. Morning arrival in Irkutsk and transfer to homestay/Baikal Chalet (Breeze Htl) in Listvyanka village, on the shores of Lake Baikal. A chance to settle in and relax before embarking on our tour around Listvyanka village, a traditional Siberian village and a visit to the Limnological Museum (Museum of Lake Baikla) to learn about the unique history, flora and fauna of the deepest freshwater lake in the world.

Day 2
Mid-day transfer to Irkutsk and a visit to the Museum of Wooden Architecture, an open air museum relating village life in 16th – 19th century Russia. Check into Hotel “Victoria”/Homestay 1 Nt b/b before embarking on our City Tour by car which will highlight the city’s major attractions and includes a visit to the Regional Museum. After the tour, free time to shop or wonder around this beautiful city.

Day 3
Breakfast. Free time. Transfer to airport/ station. Departure from Irkutsk.

Bolshie Koti trip, 4 days/3 nights

From mid May till early September, or if you come during winter it is possible to walk on the frozen ice, see our winter packages.

Itinerary

Day 1
Morning arrival in Irkutsk, transfer to hotel Irkutsk. In the afternoon guided city tour by foot, shopping.
Day 2
Morning Transfer by boat (hydrofoil) on the Lake Baikal to Bolshie Koty, a fisherman’s village beautifully located at the Baikal shore. Accommodation in the guest house and meeting with the Prof. Maximov, director of the institute of limnology at Lake Baikal, full board. Guided excursion at Lake Baikal, visit of the ancient gold mines.
Day 3
Full-day excursion, walking in the mountains (6 hours), Russian Bania and swimming in Lake Baikal.
Day 4
Free day. Afternoon transfer to Irkutsk. Departure.

Hiking on Baikal lake shore from Listvyanka to Bolshie Koti 4 Days/3 Nights

Distance to hike from Listvyanka to Bolshie Koty is about 20 km.
From June 1st till September 20. Public hydrofoil operates daily (Day 4) from June 25 till August 26. From 1 client up to groups variable in size. All Ages must be able to hike 20 km.
Note: It is possible to rent a private boat to cover the most difficult part of the trail (about USD 120).

Description

Both villages, Listvyanka and Bolshie Koty are located at the shore of Lake Baikal, 20 km from each other. Nevertheless they differ a lot: Listvyanka is one of the mostly visited places on the lake with cafes, hotels, tourist attractions; Bolshie Koty – crime free, with health microclimate, it is ideal against stress, for getting in shape and rest from the city noise and traffic. This guided soft adventure tour offers a good combination of sightseeing in famous Listvyanka and trekking to a peaceful remote area of Bolshie Koty.

Itinerary

Day 1
Arrival in Irkutsk at about 09:00 am, transfer to Listvyanka. Accommodation in Listyanka, at a hotel/homestay/chalet, 1 Nt.Visit to Museum of Lake Baikal. Foot s/s in Listvyanka. Overnight at a hotel/ homestay in Listvyanka.
Day 2
Trekking from Listvyanka to Bolshie Koty is 20 km. Normally, trek takes about 6-7 hours with a lunch break. Most of the tourist’s luggage is kept in Listvyanka. A tourist needs to carry a rucksack with personal staff required only for this hiking. Overnight in a family in Boshie Koty.
Day 3
Walking in Bolshie Koty. Transfer from B.Koty to Irkutsk by hydrofoil Raketa. Overnight in Irkutsk at Hotel/homestay, 1 Nt, b/b.
Day 4
Breakfast. Transfer to railway station/airport.

Tour tree cultures & religions: Orthodox, Shamanism, Buddism, 5 days/4 nights

All year round. Transfers by private car and train.

Description:

For those who would like to get an overview of the Russian and Buryat cultural and religious traditions and interrelationships, we offer the tour that can become your unforgettable East Siberian experience and can perfectly fit your ethnographic itineraries in Mongolia and China. The tour is mainly focused on the history and the current state of the Russian Orthodox Church, Buryat Buddhism and Shamanism traditions.

The city tour of Irkutsk shows the Church of Our Savior (1706), the Church of the Apparition of Our Lord, the Church of the Exaltation of the Cross and visit the Znamensky Convent founded in 1683 to glorify the Apparition of Our Lady. Its church is of interest to lovers of architecture; in the Convent yard there are the graves of the people whose names are inscribed in the history of Russia lie. At your request, a visit to the Museum of Decembrists can be arranged.

The Wooden Architecture Museum in the open air is located in a picturesque forest on the bank of the Angara river, 47 km from Irkutsk. It represents the settlements of Evenks, Russians, Buryats and gives an overview of the traditional life style in Siberia in the XVII-XIXth centuries.

The small but tourist-wise settlement Listvyanka is located on the shore of Lake Baikal, 70 km from Irkutsk. This old-style Siberian village is famous for its trade history. From the 18th century its ferry took merchants across the lake to Mongolia and China and the Far East. The Museum of Lake Baikal provides information about the origin and wild life of the lake. The St. Nikolay’s Church made of logs in 1846 is located in the forest on the bank of a little brook.

Transfer from Listvyanka to Ust Orda (140 km) by car takes about 2.5 hours. In Ust Orda, the village, where Shamanism is still practice, you will experience the Buryat people traditional hospitality and cuisine, enjoy their dancing and music. You are invited to take part in the original ceremony of “meeting-and-greeting” guests at Buryat dwelling, view the folk arts, make offerings to the local spirits, so you feel like a medieval nomad.

The city of Ulan Ude is the capital of the Republic of Buryatia, which occupies the territory to the east from Lake Baikal. The Ivolginsky Datsan is the Buddhism center of Eastern Siberia and the Far East. Its well preserved temple is among the best historical samples of the Buddhism architecture in Russia.

Itinerary:

Day 1
Arrival in Irkutsk in the morning. Transfer to the hotel Irkutsk. 3-hour city tour by car, including visit the Znamensky Russian Orthodox Church, Historical museum including tickets, visit Central food market etc. Dinner, lunch is not included!
Day 2
Breakfast. Transfer by private car to Listvyanka settlement. On the way to Lake Baikal, guided excursion to the Wooden Architecture Museum. Accommodation in Listvyanka village. (Hotel “Baikal”). Visit to the Museum of Lake Baikal. One hour boat trip in summer (from mid-May till the end of October). Overnight in Listvyanka. Including two tickets in museums. Lunch and dinner not included.
Day 3
Transfer by private car to Ust Orda village center of Buryat district. Visit to the Historical museum, folk dance program, Shaman ceremony and a Buryat cuisine lunch. See the description of this day. Late afternoon departure to Irkutsk. Late afternoon transfer to rail station and departure to Ulan Ude by night train.
Day 4
Early morning arrival in Ulan Ude. Transfer and accommodation at a hotel Geser. Visit to the Ivolginsky Datsan, a Buddhist temple. City tour. Overnight in Ulan Ude.
Day 5
Breakfast. Transfer to the station. Departure.