Winter adventure to the heart of Siberia - Lake Baikal

Arrival in Ulan-Ude. Transfer to the hotel.
Check-in at the hotel “Baikal Plaza” 4*.

Welcome to Ulan-Ude! Ulan-Ude, the capital of Buryatia, is located on a picturesque plateau surrounded by wooded hills.

In 1666, Russian Cossacks took a fancy to this place and built a fortified settlement here. Nowadays, Ulan-Ude is a large regional, cultural and economic center with well-developed infrastructure, very interesting museums and colorful sights, reflecting centuries-old history, traditions and religious preferences of several peoples of Russia living here.

The city center of Ulan-Ude is particularly interesting; it is spread out like an unusual amphitheater on the banks of two rivers – Uda and Selenga. Russian merchant classicism here neighbors with wooden houses richly decorated with carvings. Colorful mosaic panels and stained-glass windows with Buryat national ornaments of the buildings convey the carefully preserved traditions. The unusual buildings of the Buryat Drama Theater and the Opera and Ballet Theater stand out among the cultural attractions. There are world "celebrities" in Ulan-Ude, too – one of the most recognizable monuments of the city in the form of a huge head of Lenin not only became the biggest head of the country leader in the world, but also won several prestigious international awards, including the World Exhibition in Montreal.

The Steppe Nomad ethno-complex is situated in the picturesque setting of the Atsagat Valley at the foot of the sacred Tamkhita Mountain, on top of which the villagers of Atsagat perform a rite of veneration for the local masters. Guests are welcomed with a traditional rite of welcoming "Ugtamja" with Khadak, a symbol of hospitality of the Buryat people and white food, a symbol of prosperity and pure thoughts, a melodious song and welcoming speech. At the ethno-complex you will get acquainted with traditions, culture and way of life of Buryats, will play national games, visit real felt yurts, learn how to cook real juicy "buuz", plunge into countryside life of modern Buryats. Visit the unique "World in Faces" gallery.

Lunch at "Stepnoy Kochevnik" cafe (Buryatian traditional cuisine: bouzy, soup with home-made noodles, Buryat pastry for dessert, tea with milk).

Transfer to the hotel.

Dinner at the hotel.

Today an exciting programme awaits you. You will visit the largest Buddhist complex in Russia and will get acquainted with the culture and life of the Old Believers of Transbaikalie region.

Ivolginsky datsan is the most famous datsan in Buryatia and an important place of pilgrimage for Buddhists not only in Russia, but all over the world. Ivolginsky datsan is the residence of the head of Buddhists of Russia. It is the largest Buddhist monastic complex and the spiritual capital of the Buddhist Traditional Sangha of Russia. The Ivolginsky datsan monastery complex now consists of ten buildings, including temples, a library, and Russia's only Buddhist university, where they study philosophy and traditional Tibetan medicine.

Breakfast at the hotel.
Transfer to the Ivolginsky datsan.
Visit of the Ivolginsky datsan with a tea ceremony and snacks.

You will meet the locals of Tarbagatai, one of the largest Old Believers' settlements in Transbaikalie region. It will be a real journey down the history lane. You will visit the Old Believers' Museum and the Old Orthodox Church, get acquainted with the rites, customs, unique polyphonic singing and the Old Russian cuisine.

You will get acquainted with Old Believers' folklore culture, participate in master class on cooking food in the Russian oven, try spinning, visit the house-estate, the Museum of Old Believers' Culture and Life and the Old Orthodox Church.

Transfer to Ulan-Ude.

Dinner at the hotel.

After lunch, we take the hovercraft down the Barguzin River to an amazing place, the Barguzin Valley.

The Barguzin Valley is located in Buryatia - an incredibly picturesque place. Mountains and forests, rivers and lakes, wild animals and fish, thermal and cold mineral springs, therapeutic mud - that's what people come here for. There are many sacred sites belonging to different tribes. The main attraction of Yarikta village is the face of goddess Yanzhima. The goddess is considered the patroness of arts, sciences, crafts, wisdom and prosperity. However, the main requests of the pilgrims who have been coming here for 13 years are related to children.

Dinner in the Ulyun settlement, Buryat national cuisine.
Transfer to the recreation centre.
Free time (Russian sauna service, snowmobile riding or ice-skating and skiing (extra charge)).

After breakfast, you will take a hovercraft to reach the longest sandy beach of Lake Baikal. Here you can enjoy magnificent views of the winter Barguzin Bay and the snow-capped peaks of the Svyatoy Nos (Holy Nose) Peninsula.

Breakfast at the recreation centre.

In winter, the Chivyrkuisky bay is one of the first to freeze over. It is just in winter that you have a unique opportunity to see the incredibly beautiful icy rocks of Baikal and to breathe in the freshest frosty air. In one of the wind-protected cosy places we'll have a picnic in the best Siberian traditions - with freshly caught omul, lingonberries and hot herbal tea. Right on the shore of the bay there are famous thermal springs in Baikal. Their temperature is about +40°C to +45°C. The water is hydrogen sulphide, has healing properties and is used for diseases of the musculoskeletal system.

Walking tour with the visit to the ice caves.

Visit to the hot springs.
Lunch on the ice in a traditional yurt.
Visit of the observation deck.
Walking tour along a part of the Great Baikal Trail.
Hovercraft transfer to the recreation centre.
Free time (Russian sauna service, snowmobile riding or ice-skating and skiing (extra charge)).
Dinner at the recreation centre.

After breakfast at the hotel we head for the Irkutsk shore of Lake Baikal!

Moving towards the eastern shore, you will stop at a unique point of Lake Baikal - a place that is located above the deepest point of the lake at 1 642 m, which is comparable to the height of the five Eiffel Towers. The water here is so clear that visibility through the ice is 40 meters deep.

During the stop, you will be able to taste the purest water of the lake and take memorable photos.

You will go to the Maloye More (the Small Sea) Strait, which is formed by the mainland and the island of Olkhon. Here you will have a stop at the famous Khoboi Cape.

The Khoboi Cape is located near the widest place of Baikal, here its width is 79,5 km. If the weather is good, you can see the eastern shore from the cape – the mountainous contour of the Svyatoy Nos Peninsula. In Buryat language "Khoboi" means "fang" – cliffs abruptly dropping into the water resemble fangs. The main rock of the cape is called Maiden, as it resembles the outlines of a woman's body. The place is notable for the multi-voiced echo that echoes off the monolithic rock.

You will have a walking tour around the Khoboi Cape with and lunch.

The Maloye More (the Small Sea) Strait is located between the west coast of Lake Baikal and the Olkhon Island. On the west coast of the lake, from the Angara River to the Olkhon Gate Strait stretches the ancient and unique Tazheran steppe. The age of the Tagheran massif is about 400 million years. Tagheran is a hilly picturesque relief, steppe grasslands, an abundance of birds. A special arid microclimate and ancient pre-glacial flora are preserved here.

There is “Bayar” recreation center located in one of the beautiful bays of the Maloye More Strait.

In the evening, you’ll take a hovercraft to the recreation center and enjoy a Siberian dinner at the restaurant.

The whole day will be dedicated to the sights of the Maloye More (the Small Sea). Local nature is no less impressive and fascinating – your photo hunt will be really successful!

There is a small, uninhabited island in Baikal in the Maloye More (the Small Sea) Strait, and it is called Ogoy. The word "Ogoy" comes from the Buryat word, which means "waterless". The length of the island is 2,9 km, and the width is 0,6 km. It is the largest island in the strait between Olkhon Island and the mainland. About a hundred herring gulls nest on the Ogoy Island. There is also an endemic species of vole – the Olkhon vole. The local relict grasses are included in the Red Book. The island has never been inhabited by people, and this has helped preserve unique species of wildlife.

One of the most mysterious and popular places on Lake Baikal is the Cape Burhan (also known as the Shaman Rock).

The name "Burhan" appeared at the end of the 17th century after Tibetan Buddhism came to the Baikal region. The Buryat Buddhists began to call the main deity of Lake Baikal by the word "Burhan". The cape is made of crystalline limestone with veins of quartz, and the adjacent shore is made of granite rock. The rock is covered with bright red lichens. The height of the near shore part of the rock is 30 meters, the height of the far part is 42 meters.

Hovercraft transfer to the recreation centre.

Free time (Russian sauna service or ice-skating (extra charge))Dinner at the recreation centre.

Breakfast at the recreation centre.

Hovercraft transfer to the Peschanaya Bay.

Peschanaya Bay is one of the most picturesque places on Lake Baikal. These places are so-called the "Siberian Riviera". The bay is located on the west coast of the Baikal coast, closer to the south. The nearest settlement around the bay is the village of Bolshoe Goloustnoe. One of the attractions here are the stilted or "walking" trees, which grow in the northern part of the bay. Peschanaya Bay is the only place on the Baikal coast where you can see so big exposed tree roots – huge pines and larches have risen above the ground on their walking roots higher than a human height.

Lunch-picnic .
Hovercraft transfer to the recreation centre .
Free time (Russian sauna service, trecol riding or ice-skating (extra charge)).
Dinner at the recreation centre.

Welcome to Irkutsk! Irkutsk is a beautiful Siberian city, founded in the 17th century on the banks of the Angara River. Thanks to its good location at the crossroads of trade routes that connect Europe and Asia, Irkutsk quickly became the key city in Eastern Siberia. The Great Tea Road, which carried furs to China and tea, silk, and sugar back, used to pass here. When the "gold rush" began in Siberia, Irkutsk bore the title of a gold mining capital - ingots of gold and gold sand flocked here for sale.

Nowadays, you can see the greatness and wealth of that merchant Irkutsk, while walking along the embankments, squares and streets of this city. During your city tour, you will walk along the Lower embankment to the Moscow Gate, walk down the streets of Irkutsk Merchant Suburb.

Breakfast at the recreation centre. Check-out from the recreation centre with luggage.
Bus transfer to Irkutsk.
Check-in at the 5* hotel History.
Lunch.
Irkutsk bus sightseeing tour.

Dinner at the hotel.

Today we will visit the "Taltsy" open-air ethnographic museum. Unique monuments reflecting the history and culture of Russians, Buryats, Evenks and Tofalars living on this land. On the territory of the museum, you can see peasant houses and homesteads of wealthy villagers, a tavern, a parochial school, a parish board, blacksmith and pottery workshops, a cascade of watermills on the bank of a mountain stream and a watchtower, once guarding a medieval fortress. All the buildings have been preserved since the end of the XVIII century.

Breakfast at the hotel.

Bus transfer to the Taltsy museum.

Excursion to the Taltsy museum.
Lunch in a café

Lunch in a café.

Bus transfer to the Baikal Museum (Limnological Museum) in Listvyanka village.

A truly unique exposition is presented at the Baikal Museum. Here you will find aquariums, which are connected to Baikal by a running water system, which allows creating suitable living environment for its inhabitants. You will see sponges, large freshwater shrimps – gammarus, various fish, including omul, thymallus and Baikal sturgeon, but the highlight of this exposition is certainly seals – the only mammal of Baikal, a very cute, playful and curious animal.

Last day in a beautiful Irkutsk. We're not saying farewell, we're saying "See you next time!”.

Breakfast at the hotel. Check-out.

Transfer hotel-airport.