From Lake Baikal to Ulan-Ude and Vladivostok ( by Trans-Siberian Railway). Winter

Day 1/ Arrival in Irkutsk. Krestovsky Steppe.

Morning arrival in Irkutsk, welcome at the airport by your guide. Departure by public bus or private car for the Krestovsky steppes. Lunch on the road, in a small Buryat cafe. Tasting dishes of local cuisine. Walk in the steppe (and on the ice in winter). Possibility of ascent to the remains of the Kourikanis defense walls. These people gave in under the pressure of the Mongols and left the steppes of Baikal, having gone several thousand kilometers - north of Siberia, towards the Arctic Ocean. This small tribe became the ancestor of the Yakuts, the peoples of northern Siberia and the Eskimos of North America.Dinner and overnight in a very nice farmhouse (rustic, wooden house, room for two or four people), 300 meters from the shore of Lake Baikal. Banya (Russian sauna) in the evening.

Day 2/ Olkhon Island. Khuzhir.

Depending on the physical condition of the members of the group, possibility of visiting the rock carvings of Sagan-Zaba Cliff - sacred place of shamanists and ethnographers. These petroglyphs, which stand on a cliff facing the Lake Baikal, are dated to two thousand years BC - the oldest in Russia, east of the Ural Mountains. After passing through the Tazheran steppe, we will cross the Strait of the Olkhon Gate, which separates the island from the "big land". Arrival in the village of Khuzhir - "the capital" of the island. Walk in the village (charming little wooden houses with carved shutters) with a visit to The Rock of Shaman - one of the nine sacred places of shamanists from all over Asia (plan your donation: piece of cloth or ribbon, small coins, etc.). Homestay accommodation with full board.

Day 3/ Olkhon Island. Uzury.

Excursion by minibus to the northern part of the island. In winter, part of the path passes through ice. But do not be afraid, it is very strong and thick, from 80 to 120 cm. Visit Khoboy Cape, at the northern tip of the island, sacred place protected by the state. Walk along high cliffs overlooking the lake. Magnificent panorama of the widest part of Lake Baikal-almost 80 kilometers. In winter, walk on the ice. Accommodation at the weather station of Uzury. Omul dinner - the fish from the lake. Possibility of banya in the evening.

Day 4/ Olkhon Island. Uzury.

After breakfast, we will make an easy climb of the cliffs near the weather station of Uzury, followed by a walk in the steppe. In summer, depending on the weather, there is the possibility of a small motorboat ride along the cliffs of the northeast coast of the Olkhon Island. In winter, the discovery of picturesque caves with ice stalactites and stalagmites. Dinner and overnight at the weather station of Uzury

Day 5/ Return to Irkutsk.

After breakfast, a minibus will take us to Khuzhir. Along the way, we will have beautiful views of the Maloye More (Small Sea) (strait that separates the island from the West Coast). We leave the island and in six hours drive, with the lunch break, meet up with Irkutsk. Dinner and overnight at the homestay.

Day 6/ Irkutsk.

Visit of the city of Irkutsk. The historic quarters of wooden houses, the Decembrists' Museum, the city center and its markets, the Angara quays. Dinner and transfer to the station for departure to Ulan-Ude by night train.

Day 7/ Ulan-Ude.

Early in the morning, arrival in Ulan-Ude and transfer to the center of the city. After breakfast and a short rest, we will leave the city to spend a very interesting day. At the beginning, we'll visit the Buddhist temple-Datsane Ivolginskiy, which will allow you to get acquainted with the Buddhist culture and religion of eastern Siberia. After a lunch of Buryat cuisine, we will leave for a village of Old Believer Orthodox, where old wooden houses, beautiful traditional costumes and a dinner of Russian cuisine (hearty and delicious) await us. Overnight in Ulan-Ude.

Days 8 to 10/ in the Trans-Siberian.

Transfer to the station and departure by train to Vladivostok. Crossing Siberia on board of the Trans-Siberian Railway. Minute stops in the cities of Ulan-Ude, Chita, Khabarovsk...

Day 11/ Vladivostok.

Morning arrival in Vladivostok, transfer to the hotel, accommodation and a short rest. After breakfast, visit the city: the railway and sea stations, the fortress, the Russian submarine museum, walk along the coast of the Pacific Ocean, funicular, " panoramic view of the Bay" The Golden Horn", on the port and new bridges of Vladivostok.

Day 12/ Vladivostok.

Continuation of the city tour - a car ride on the two new cable-stayed bridges of Vladivostok : The "Golden Bridge" over the "Golden Horn" bay and the "Russian Bridge" - bridge over the Strait the Eastern Bosphorus, the longest and highest bridge in the world, which connects Vladivostok to the Russian island. Visit of the Voroshilov artillery battery. Stroll through the old streets of the center of the city and go to the local market to shop before departure . Possibility to buy salmon and sturgeon eggs, vacuum salmon fillet, Kamchatka crab meat, etc. In the evening, farewell wine at the restaurant with tasting of local seafood.

Day 13/ Departure from Vladivostok.

In the morning-transfer to the airport. Return flights Vladivostok-Moscow/Irkutsk.

DATES: from late May to late December and from early February to early April.

Price per person based on standard double room.

The price includes :

- transfers and transport according to the program (in Irkutsk, Ulan-Ude and Vladivostok);

- accompaniment of a Engish-speaking guide from Irkutsk;

- homestay and hotel accommodation (in Ulan-Ude and Vladivostok);

- full board on Baikal, in Ulan-Ude and on the train;

- train ticket Irkutsk - Ulan-Ude in 2nd class compartment;

- meals on the train;

- visits and excursions to Baikal, Ulan-Ude;

- museum entrances;

- letter of invitation to obtain the visa;

- passport registration.

The price does not include:

- train tickets to Vladivostok,

- supplement for traveling in 1st class compartment on the Trans-Siberian railway,

- supplement for a single room during the tour.

GROUP: from 2 to 8 people.

ACCOMPANIMENT: English speaking guide from Irkutsk

ACCOMMODATION:

- in a 4-seat compartment in the train;

- in a double room at a homestay in the Irkutsk region, in a hotel in Ulan-Ude and Vladivostok;

- in a room for four at the Krestovsky farm.

It should be noted that the sanitary conditions on Krestovski's farm and on Olkhon Island are precarious, basic but clean (chemical toilets, either in a shed outside the main house). The shower takes place in one of the 2 rooms of the Russian sauna: the banya (which is also outside the house).

DIFFICULTY: accessible to anyone in normal physical shape, able to walk without difficulty on slightly uneven terrain.