• "Off the beaten path" itinerary aimed at discovering inaccessible spots of Lake Baikal
• Alternation of activities - trekking, kayaking, cultural discoveries

Moyenne - 3-5 heures d’activité physique par jour.

During this trip you will alternate nights spent in inn where you can enjoy simple comfort, with more rustic overnights at homestay or even in tents.

This trip equally combines services that are dedicated specially for you with others, shared with other people outside your group such as some transport and excursions.

Destinations: Lake Baikal. Visited areas: Irkutsk, Lake Baikal, Listvyanka, Bolshiye Koty, Kadilny Cape, Bolshoye Goloustnoye, Peschanaya Bay, Maloye More, Olkhon Island

Tour start area: Irkutsk, end area: Irkutsk

Day 1

Arrival in Irkutsk. Pick up at the airport. Transfer to homestay (at extra cost). Installation, time at leisure till midday. After lunch walking city tour: historic centre, old churches, wooden houses, embankment of the Angara River. Dinner and homestay overnight.

Day 2

Morning visit to the Decembrists museum. Drive to the village of Listvyanka Listvanka, the village on the shores of Lake Baikal, 70 km (44 mi) away from Irkutsk. On the way visit to the open-air museum of wooden architecture, discovery of Siberian village of the 18th cen. Arrival in Listvyanka, visit to the Baikal museum to see its fish and freshwater seal aquariums. Inn check-in. After lunch meeting the instructor and learning the basics of kayaking. We will go down the Angara River up to the village of Nicola (2 km/1.2 mi) to get used to this travel mode. Return to Listvyanka by car. Dinner and night in inn.

Day 3

Getting into kayaks, travel in the north direction to Chernaya ("Dark") valley called so because of dense forest around. Accommodation in Diggers homestead lost deep in taiga on the shore of Lake Baikal. Banya in the evening.

Day 4

We continue kayaking along the west shore of Lake Baikal to Kadilny cape. In days gone by they had the minerals processing for soda production here. Night at forestry officers' place. Banya in the evening.

Day 5

We proceed to the village of Bolshoye Goloustnoye. Homestay overnight.

Day 6

Boat embarkation. Journey to Peschanaya bay (Sandy bay), the only place on Lake Baikal where the average annual temperature never drops below 0°. Accommodation in inn. Trekking in the north direction to Babushka bay. You will see famous trees "on stilts" - pines with naked roots because of wind blowing away all the sand from under the roots. Resort overnight.

Day 7

We will take the trouble to climb the highest mount in the bay to contemplate the panorama of the lake. Resort overnight.

Day 8

Morning at leisure for walking around, bathing. After lunch hydrofoil embarkation. In the afternoon arrival on Olkhon. Transfer to Buryat village of Kharantsy. Accommodation in yurt. Banya.

Day 9

Kayak descent. We will keep the west shore of Olkhon aboard, moving to Peschanoye area where under Stalin there was a Gulag. Various landscapes will await us as we voyage: sand dunes, steep rocks, endless steppes, and green taiga. Arrival in Peschanoye, transfer north-west of the island to the weather station of Uzury. Banya.

Day 10

Exploration of the surroundings of the weather station. Drive by 4x4 to the northernmost point of Olkhon, Khoboy cape, sacred site of shamans. Then we will head to the village of Khuzhir, the capital of the island. Homestay overnight. Banya.

Day 11

Return by car to Irkutsk (300 km/186 mi). Possible lunch in a roadside café. Homestay overnight.

Day 12

After breakfast transfer to the airport (at extra cost). Departure.

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.

Breakfast on Day 1; lunch on Day 11, 12; dinner on Day 12 are not included.

In July-August private boat in tour can be replaced with hydrofoil. In this case departures are possible on Monday only, and the price list would be as follows:

106270 RUB / person for the group of 2 participants;
84280 RUB / person for the group of 3-4 participants;
65045 RUB / person for the group of 5-8 participants.

Booking is made by paying a 30% deposit of the total cost.
The balance of 70% is to be paid 21 days before departure.
If late booking (made less than 21 days prior to departure), full payment is required at the time of booking.

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.

This trip is carried out in kayaks type "Taymen" or "Salut" for 2 to 3 people.

11 breakfasts, 10 lunches, 11 dinners.

In the canteen at the inns, fresh local products.

Homestay cuisine based on fresh products.

Cold lunch and hot dinner, cooked on an open fire in the evening.

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.

First-aid kit, satellite phone, walkie-talkie are available at your guide.

A good 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.