Skating tour on the ice of Baikal

1 day/ Irkutsk

Arrival to Irkutsk . Transfer to the city center. Accommodation in guest rooms in the city center ( hotel on request). Meeting with a guide for a walk around the city. You will take a sightseeing tour of the city of Irkutsk. The city is truly unique. It contains more than 650 monuments of historical and cultural significance. For more than 350 years of history, many streets of the city have hardly changed their architectural appearance. It is truly called the cultural capital of Eastern Siberia. You will have the opportunity to plunge into the past and see the most significant sights and places that played a role not only in the history of the city, but also in Russia.

During the tour, you will visit the 130th quarter, as well as the Decembrists' Museum and Irkutsk Regional Museum of Local Lore. Dinner at the place of residence.

Day 2/ Cape Krestovsky

Breakfast. Departure in the direction of Lake Baikal ( 200 km of paved road) to the Krestovsky Cape. Lunch at a roadside cafe. Tasting of Buryat cuisine. Transfer to a small farm located 300 meters from the shore of Lake Baikal. On the way, you can walk (the car will take your things to the farm). And then you can take a walk along the shore of Lake Baikal and surrounding hills. Accommodation on the farm in warm rooms. In the evening, banya, dinner and overnight at the farm in rooms for 2 or 4 people.

Day 3 / Olkhon Island. Sagan-Zaba

After breakfast, excursion to the sacred place of shamans-a cliff with ancient rock paintings of Sagan-Zaba Cliff . The rock carvings were engraved in white marble many years ago. The oldest of them date back to the second millennium before Christ. According to historians, these drawings are the richest in diversity on the territory of Russia from the Urals to the Far East.

Next, a crossing on ice on skates through the Olkhonsky Vorota Strait. Arrival in the" capital " of the island, the village Khuzhir. Walk through the village, visit the main attraction of Olkhon-the sacred Burkhan Cape. Accommodation at the tourist center "Nikita's Homestead". Banya in the evening. Dinner.

Day 4/ Olkhon Island, Uzury village

After breakfast, drive to the northern part of the island, to the weather station "Usury". Ice skating near the northernmost Khoboy Bay. Lunch during the walk.

You will have the opportunity to ride on the clean and smooth ice of Lake Baikal, and also see ice caves, grottos,and sokui. On Cape Khoboy there is a rock called "Deva", which means "Fang"in Buryat. The rock stands out very effectively and, indeed, looks like a sharp tooth. From a certain angle, when you stand on the ice, you can see the outline of a girl in profile. In winter, this place is very popular among those who want to take a beautiful selfie.

Ice fishing (for those who wish, as an additional option).

Dinner. Overnight at the station.

Day 5/ Olkhon Island. Izhimey city

Breakfast. Ice skating on the ice to Cape Izhimey. Optional-climbing the mountain. The name of the mountain comes from the Buryat word "izhen" — master, master, lord. The highest point of Olkhon. 10 km south-east of the cape is the deepest place of Lake Baikal — 1637 m.

Lunch, dinner and overnight at the weather station.

Day 6/ Olkhon Island. Khuzhir village

Breakfast. Return on ice skating along the west coast of Olkhon Island to the village of Khuzhir (40 km). Lunch on the way.

Near the village is the sacred Burkhan Cape, which is one of the shrines of shamanism, a place of rites and worship. Here rises a rock with a through cave, where only a shaman has access, ordinary people can not come close to the rock. It is believed that the cave is home to one of the most powerful spirits — Khan Hute-baabai. At the foot of the cliff there is a mysterious rock painting and an inscription in Sanskrit.

Overnight at the campsite "Nikita's Homestead" (hotels or other campsite on request).

Day 7/ Irkutsk

Breakfast. Return to Irkutsk. On the way, cross the ice on skates from the island to the mainland. Lunch at a roadside Buryat cafe. Upon arrival in Irkutsk, accommodation in guest rooms in the city center (hotel on request).

Day 8/ Listvyanka village

Excursion to the village of Listvyanka . On the way, an excursion to the museum of wooden architecture Taltsy Museum. In Listvyanka, visit the Baikal Limnological Museum, get acquainted with the Baikal fish and the famous Baikal seal — the only freshwater seal in the world. Walk through the village, visit the port, fish and souvenir markets, art gallery, wooden St. Nicholas Church. Smoked Baikal omul for lunch. In the afternoon, ice skating on Lake Baikal. Return to the guest rooms of Irkutsk. Dinner.

Day 9/ Departure

Breakfast. Transfer to the train station/airport. Departure from Irkutsk.

Tour price:

The tour price includes:

Transfers by individual car and minibus according to the program.

Meals according to the program (except for what is indicated " independently»)

Accommodation in guest rooms/houses and/or camp sites according to the program.

Accompanied by an experienced guide throughout the entire route.

Entrance tickets to museums according to the program.

Banya according to the program.

Additional charge( optional):

Rental of equipment for winter sports (skates, trekking poles, etc.))

Additional payment for hotel accommodation on the route where possible.

Private transfer along the entire route.

Additional meals not specified in the program.