• Manysided tour offering lots of discoveries in little time
• Journey by train along the shoreline of Lake Baikal

This freedom tour is for those who prefer to travel without guidance. It is designed in such a way that you can easily follow your itinerary equipped with our road book. Even if you do not speak our language, you will be able to undertake this journey thanks to our adapted itineraries, maps, useful recommendations and a warm welcome organized at each stage.

The tour is for all those who wish to undertake a trip with moderate physical involvement. There is only optional walking without major difficulties. The maximum duration is 1 to 2 hours, the group may be shared at any time and give up certain activities.

Durant ce voyage vous bénéficierez du confort simple d'un logement chez l'habitant avec toilettes à l'extérieur et possibilité de bania ou logerez sous la tente.

All services provided in this trip, whether transport or excursions, are shared with other people outside your group.

Destinations: Lake Baikal. Visited areas: Irkutsk, Lake Baikal, Circum-Baikal, Listvyanka, Bolshiye Koty

Tour start area: Irkutsk, end area: Irkutsk

Day 1

Boarding train at 8 o'clock. Departure south of the lake. Change of locomotive in Slyudyanka (we will stay in the same car) because the Circum-Baikal train is a diesel-engine train. Excursion, frequent visits to picturesque and culturally significant sites. During every stop you will hear about the place and its history from your guide. Lunch aboard. Arrival to Port Baikal, taking a ferry to cross the mouth of the Angara River towards Listvyanka. Homestay accommodation, dinner.

Day 2

Visit of Listvyanka. Port of the village and typical saleswomen of omul. At wish – tasting of smoked omul (fish indigenous to the lake). Souvenir shopping in the midst of smoking sheds. Boarding boat (hydrofoil), journey to Bolshiye Koty (30 min). Homestay accommodation in the village. Opportunity to visit local museum devoted to Lake Baikal. Dinner. In the evening possibility to enjoy banya (Russian baths). Homestay overnight.

Day 3

Suggestion to go trekking northwards, optional climb to Skriper cape (quite challenging route, but it's worth taking pains!) Wonderful view of the whole west shore of Lake Baikal. Return to the village. Lunch in homestay. Possibility to hike up the highest hill of the village (30 min, easy enough) to enjoy a marvellous panorama of the lake. Return to Irkutsk in the afternoon by hydrofoil. Arrival in Irkutsk by 7.30pm. End of the programme.

BaikalNature ethics charter

Choosing BaikalNature as a travel partner you undertake together with us for travelling in full harmony with nature. As our name implies, BaikalNature is sensitive to the long-term health of the natural environment towards which we feel such affection. It is with great pleasure that we invite travellers to discover the region of Lake Baikal in all its manifestations and in maximum possible comfort. But as the environment is fragile we do it with conscious responsibility. Respecting its landscapes, fauna, flora and the way of life of its people is a priority for us as well as for our travellers.

Together with you we are ready to meet the challenge: all partakers of BaikalNature act as caretakers of the planet’s future. Thus, we eagerly join for initiatives of responsible tourism hoping for the Russian and Mongolian natural heritage protection to become a number one priority for the sake of the brilliant future of these lands.

Single supplement - 2220 RUR

On Wednesday and Saturday tour programme follows the itinerary.

On Tuesday and Friday tour operates in the opposite direction: Irkutsk - Bolshiye Koty - Listvyanka - Circum-Baikal - Irkutsk. Departure from the riverside station from June 25 to August 30 at 9.00am; from May 23 to June 24 and from September 1 to 27 at 12.30pm.

Meals included: lunch and dinner on Day 1, breakfast and dinner on Day 2, breakfast and lunch on Day 3.

To make booking full advanced payment is required.

The cancellation options are:

• up to 21 days before departure - 30% of the tour price,
• 20 to 15 days before departure - 50% of the tour price,
• 14 to 7 days before departure 70% of the tour price,
• less than 7 days before departure - 100% of the tour price.

It is hot in summer at Lake Baikal area. Nevertheless, you should always have something to put on, as weather in Siberia is very changeable.

If you plan your trip in May or September, please feel free to bring your hat, gloves and windbreaker jacket in case of snow or rain.

June is also pretty cool.

July and August are the hottest months, which offer you temperatures of 25 ° - 35 ° at daytime and 15 ° - 18 ° at night. On the shores of Lake Baikal, like in the Alps, you should wear T-shirts and shorts in the sunny afternoons, sweaters and jackets in the cool evenings.

We recommend you to pack all your stuff in two bags: a small backpack and a large travelling bag.

SMALL BACKPACK: will be useful for carrying your personal belongings during the day (camera, film, personal medication, bottled water, etc.) You will also use it as hand luggage during air travel for all your heavy (to lighten the travel bag in the luggage compartment), fragile (camera, etc.) and necessary (toilet bag, etc.) things.

BIG BACKPACK: must contain the rest of your stuff. It will be in the luggage compartment during the flight. You will bring it during some days of the trekking.

2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 dinners.

In the canteen at the inns, fresh local products.

Homestay cuisine based on fresh products.

Some hotels and inns offer laundry services for a variable sum of money. It is sometimes possible to use laundry services at homestay (when there is running water) for a fee.

You need a tourist visa to travel to Russia. It can be issued for a maximum period of 30 days. Your passport has to be valid for at least six months after the expiry date of your visa and to have at least two blank pages.

Documents to provide consular services:

You must first obtain a letter of invitation. BaikalNature offers visa support and has created "BaikalNature letter of invitation" package to that end. If you buy a BaikalNature tour, this package is absolutely free; when you buy any other BaikalNature service, you will have to pay for this package. For more information, please see "Visa Support " and "Russia Invitation Letter."

  Besides, you will need:

• a photocopy of passport pages containing the photo,
• a visa application form (completed on computer or with a black ballpen) available for download on the Russian Embassy website in  "visa information" rubric,
• a color photo for documents, 3.5 x 4.5 cm, to stick on the visa application form,
• a tourist voucher certifying that all travel services were paid in full,
• a detailed program of the trip (only if your stay exceeds 15 days),
• travel insurance, provided by nsurance company, which protects you throughout your trip .

For more information, please see "Do I need a tourist visa to travel to Russia or Mongolia?" of our FAQ.

The Russian currency is ruble. In all cities and many large villages of Russia, you can easily withdraw rubles, using a Visa or MasterCard, from ATMs, located in banks, department stores or hotel lobbies, some of them are open 24 hours a day. If you have euros or dollars with you, exchange offices will allow you to change them easily in the cities, seldom in the countryside. However, it can be difficult to exchange traveler's checks, even in cities.

All persons who compose the BaikalNature travel team (guides, drivers, cooks, etc.) are paid a decent wage for their services and do not expect any tips from you. So you have no obligation to leave anything. If you really want to express your satisfaction by leaving a gratuity, and if it is in foreign currency, be aware that torn or glued coins and banknotes cannot be exchanged. Anyway, thank you for your tips, left at your discretion in envelopes.

No compulsory vaccination.

It is advisable to keep the following vaccines valid:

• diphtheria,
• tetanus,
• Polio.

Tick-borne encephalitis is present in areas of forest, taiga where ticks are the carriers of encephalitis between May and July. As of August, they are no longer carrying the virus. If you do not get vaccinated, you should follow the basic precautions, including:

• protective clothes
• use of repellents
• daily check of the skin.

It is also possible to take out special insurance covering the analysis of the insect and vaccines.

Provide a first aid kit that includes among other items:

• aspirin or paracetamol,
• anti-diarrheal tablets,
• antiseptic,
• adhesive plaster,    
• sterile pads.

If you have individual diseases, make sure you have taken your medications.

No particular physical condition is required.

In addition to your personal insurance, you have an opportunity to purchase local insurance. Please, do not hesitate to ask us about our services.

You can contact BaikalNature by:

• phone: 00 7 3952 97 45 01 or 00 7 3952 20 95 19
• fax: 00 7 3952 206 873.

In addition, you will be sent the telephone number of your correspondent staff who you can reach 7/7.

Professional Guarantees: BaikalNature LLC (ООО "БайкалНейче") United Federal Register of Tour Operators number: MBT 007826 Financial Guarantee: JSC "Insurance Group MSK" (Открытое акционерное общество "Страховая группа МСК") Insurance contract N ОТА/5301/000235 from 01/12/2011. Amount of coverage: 10 000 000 RUB. Legal and actual address: BaikalNature LLC 119А Dekabrskikh Sobytiy Str., office 13
664007 Irkutsk Russia.