info@baikalnature.com

Circum-Baikal Rail Road

Destination: Lake Baikal
Geography of the trip
Easy - nothing more than normal walking while sight-seeing
Moderately Easy - 1-3 hours of physical activity daily
Moderate - 3-5 hours of physical activity daily
Challenging - 5-7 hours of challenging physical activity daily
Extreme - 7+ hours of challenging/extreme physical activity daily
Difficulty
Basic — most of nights in tents or rooms with shared WC, some nights in comfortable rooms.
Standard — most of nights in comfortable rooms, some nights in tents or rooms with shared WC.
Upgraded — all nights in comfortable rooms.
Comfort
Minimum age of the participant of this trip
1 Day
May - August
Highlights
  • Fascinating discovery of genious architectural constructions of the Circum-Baikal Railway
  • Opportunity to enjoy enchanting Baikal sceneries all along the route
  • Discovery of small traditional villages on the shores of Lake Baikal
Tour Overview

We invite you to take this one-day excursion by the Circum-Baikal Railway, unique monument of engineering art of the end of 19th century. Constructed on the south-western shore of the lake between Port Baikal and Kultuk settlement, a 84-km-long railway (52 mi) includes 424 engineering structures including 39 tunnels with a total length of 8994 m (5.6 mi). Tunnels and stone galleries of the Circum-Baikal Railway are unique because they were constructed upon non-typical projects and were not reconstructed later, so they keep the initial idea of architectures and engineers of the early 20th century.

With respect to volume, complexity and cost of works the Circum-Baikal Railway ranked second to none among railways of Russia. Before the Revolution of 1917 it was called "Golden buckle on the steel belt of Russia": buckle because it connected the Trans-Siberian Railway pulled apart by Lake Baikal, and golden because regarding the cost of works it excelled all railways existing in Russia. This name was also given to the Circum-Baikal Railway thanks to its unique, second to none in the whole world look that combines complex architectural constructions with extremely picturesque shore landscape of the lake.

Nice music sounds in train during the journey, friendly and attentive staff is of service to travellers, and guide tells a fascinating story of the Circum-Baikal Railway construction. On the way several stops are provided in the most interesting and beautiful places with leaving the train accompanied by guide.

Tour programme
  • Day 1
    Excursion by the Circum-Baikal Railway
    Irkutsk
  • 07:45
    Departure of the train from Irkutsk-Passazhirsky station
    Arrival to the railway station of Irkutsk. The boarding starts 15 minutes before the train leaves. The number of the railway line is indicated on the display.above the way out to the platform. The train goes without stops to Slyudyanka.
  • 10:00
    Breakfast — Not included
  • 10:20
    Arrival to Sludianka
    The stop lasts 30 minutes and you have possibility to go for a walk. The interesting fact of Sludianka is that it's railway station building is the only one that built of the pink and white marble.
  • 10:30
    Excursion programme
    Here the excursion programme begins — with sightseeing stops and leaving the train accompanied by guide. During the excursion we will visit: the Angasolka village, Polovonnaya station, the unique architectural complex "Italian wall" and the station Ulanovo (Khvoynaya).
  • 13:00
    Lunch — Not included
  • 17:20
    Arrival in Port Baikal
    Visit to the old building of the railway station. Taking a ferry to Lystvianka. Boarding bus and departure to Irkoutsk.
  • 19:00
    Dinner — Not included
  • 20:00
    Arrival to Irkutsk
    End of the programme.
Photo of the day
Route
Irkutsk
Discount system
> 6 months> 8 months> 10 months
Amount of discount (total payment)
5%10%20%
Amount of discount (deposit payment)
05%10%

Discounts are applied to all services indicated on the official website of BaikalNature. Discounts aren't summarized with special offers and are not applied to individual tour programs.

Travel smart with our discount system!
Detailed description
Departures
May, 06 2023
Start
-
May, 06 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
110 $
Basic price per person
May, 07 2023
Start
-
May, 07 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
110 $
Basic price per person
May, 13 2023
Start
-
May, 13 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
110 $
Basic price per person
May, 13 2023
Start
-
May, 13 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
110 $
Basic price per person
May, 14 2023
Start
-
May, 14 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
110 $
Basic price per person
May, 20 2023
Start
-
May, 20 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
110 $
Basic price per person
May, 20 2023
Start
-
May, 20 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
110 $
Basic price per person
May, 21 2023
Start
-
May, 21 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
110 $
Basic price per person
May, 27 2023
Start
-
May, 27 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
110 $
Basic price per person
May, 28 2023
Start
-
May, 28 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
110 $
Basic price per person
June, 03 2023
Start
-
June, 03 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
June, 04 2023
Start
-
June, 04 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
110 $
Basic price per person
June, 04 2023
Start
-
June, 04 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
June, 10 2023
Start
-
June, 10 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
June, 10 2023
Start
-
June, 10 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
June, 11 2023
Start
-
June, 11 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
June, 17 2023
Start
-
June, 17 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
June, 17 2023
Start
-
June, 17 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
June, 18 2023
Start
-
June, 18 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
June, 18 2023
Start
-
June, 18 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
June, 24 2023
Start
-
June, 24 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
June, 25 2023
Start
-
June, 25 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
July, 02 2023
Start
-
July, 02 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
July, 03 2023
Start
-
July, 03 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
July, 06 2023
Start
-
July, 06 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
July, 07 2023
Start
-
July, 07 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
July, 07 2023
Start
-
July, 07 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
July, 09 2023
Start
-
July, 09 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
July, 09 2023
Start
-
July, 09 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
July, 10 2023
Start
-
July, 10 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
July, 13 2023
Start
-
July, 13 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
July, 13 2023
Start
-
July, 13 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
July, 14 2023
Start
-
July, 14 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
July, 14 2023
Start
-
July, 14 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
July, 16 2023
Start
-
July, 16 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
July, 17 2023
Start
-
July, 17 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
July, 17 2023
Start
-
July, 17 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
July, 18 2023
Start
-
July, 18 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
July, 20 2023
Start
-
July, 20 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
July, 21 2023
Start
-
July, 21 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
July, 23 2023
Start
-
July, 23 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
July, 23 2023
Start
-
July, 23 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
July, 24 2023
Start
-
July, 24 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
July, 25 2023
Start
-
July, 25 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
July, 28 2023
Start
-
July, 28 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
July, 30 2023
Start
-
July, 30 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
July, 30 2023
Start
-
July, 30 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
July, 31 2023
Start
-
July, 31 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
August, 01 2023
Start
-
August, 01 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
August, 01 2023
Start
-
August, 01 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
August, 03 2023
Start
-
August, 03 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
August, 04 2023
Start
-
August, 04 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
August, 04 2023
Start
-
August, 04 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
August, 06 2023
Start
-
August, 06 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
August, 07 2023
Start
-
August, 07 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
August, 08 2023
Start
-
August, 08 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
August, 08 2023
Start
-
August, 08 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
August, 10 2023
Start
-
August, 10 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
August, 11 2023
Start
-
August, 11 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
August, 11 2023
Start
-
August, 11 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
August, 13 2023
Start
-
August, 13 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
August, 14 2023
Start
-
August, 14 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
August, 14 2023
Start
-
August, 14 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
August, 15 2023
Start
-
August, 15 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
August, 18 2023
Start
-
August, 18 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
August, 20 2023
Start
-
August, 20 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
August, 21 2023
Start
-
August, 21 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
August, 24 2023
Start
-
August, 24 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
August, 25 2023
Start
-
August, 25 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
August, 27 2023
Start
-
August, 27 2023
End
Available: 4+
Status
119 $
Basic price per person
Price includes
  • Russian-speaking guide services
  • Transport as per itinerary
  • Excursions and visits as per itinerary
Price does not include
  • English-speaking guide
  • Meals
  • Administrative registration
  • Personal expenses and tips
  • Visa fees and travel insurance
For more info, please download the detailed description of the trip.
Note

Some departures are carried out in the opposite direction. From July to September, it is possible to book an excursion on a DIESEL LOCOMOTIVE. Contact us for current dates and prices. IN WINTER SEASON, THE EXCURSION IS MADE BY THE RAIL BUS. You can book a place near the window face Lake Baikal: supplement of 1 400 roubles / per person. In summer it is also possible to order meals.

Reviews
4.75
4.75
Total score
5.00
Work of BaikalNature office before and during travel / customer support
—
Quality of accommodation
5.00
Quality of transport / transfers
4.00
Quality of meals
5.00
Friendliness and professionalism of guides / management
—
Quality and originality of visits / attractions / events
Mariana
From 30 July 2019 to 30 July 2019
Destination: Lake Baikal
Tour: Circum-Baikal Rail Road
Would you like to travel with BaikalNature again? Yes!
This guest did not leave a comment.
4.00
4.00
Total score
4.00
Work of BaikalNature office before and during travel / customer support
—
Quality of accommodation
3.00
Quality of transport / transfers
—
Quality of meals
5.00
Friendliness and professionalism of guides / management
—
Quality and originality of visits / attractions / events
Ofer
From 24 July 2015 to 24 July 2015
Destination: Lake Baikal
Tour: Circum-Baikal Rail Road
Would you like to travel with BaikalNature again? Yes!
Our guide was very knowledgeable and sooke good English. Overall it was a good experience.
4.50
4.50
Total score
5.00
Work of BaikalNature office before and during travel / customer support
—
Quality of accommodation
—
Quality of transport / transfers
—
Quality of meals
—
Friendliness and professionalism of guides / management
4.00
Quality and originality of visits / attractions / events
Diana
From 10 May 2014 to 10 May 2014
Destination: Lake Baikal
Tour: Circum-Baikal Rail Road
Would you like to travel with BaikalNature again? Yes!
We were not greeted nor was any attempt make to interact with us at all.Maybe because we did not hire an interpreter?. We had your excellent road book.
BaikalNature's reply
Dear Diana, In fact, the excursion takes place in the train and nobody is supposed to meet the participants. The actual excursion (with storie
  Read more
3.83
3.83
Total score
4.00
Work of BaikalNature office before and during travel / customer support
4.00
Quality of accommodation
4.00
Quality of transport / transfers
3.00
Quality of meals
3.00
Friendliness and professionalism of guides / management
5.00
Quality and originality of visits / attractions / events
Roy
From 4 January 2014 to 6 January 2014
Destination: Lake Baikal
Tour: Circum-Baikal Rail Road
Would you like to travel with BaikalNature again? Yes!
Hi - while I did not do a full excursion with Baikal Nature, I appreciated the assistance from the company
No reviews anymore or no reviews at all for this tour. Below reviews for destination:
Lake Baikal
4.33
4.33
Total score
5.00
Work of BaikalNature office before and during travel / customer support
4.00
Quality of accommodation
4.00
Quality of transport / transfers
3.00
Quality of meals
5.00
Friendliness and professionalism of guides / management
5.00
Quality and originality of visits / attractions / events
Vanessa
From 21 February 2023 to 25 February 2023
Destination: Lake Baikal
Custom tour: Voyage au lac Baïkal
Would you like to travel with BaikalNature again? Yes!
Un grand merci à Maria qui a su nous sortir de situations parfois vraiment très délicates
How does our reviews system work?

They travelled with BaikalNature and speak about their tour. Discover their testimonies!
Since 2012, we collect reviews from travelers who trusted us. At the end of their stay with us, each participant of our tours receives an e-mail asking to answer a survey in order to evaluate the quality of the given services.

Survey focuses on:

  • BaikalNature office / customer support
  • Quality of accommodation
  • Quality of meals
  • Friendliness and professionalism of guides / management
  • Quality and originality of visits / attractions / events

Rating goes from 1 – very poor to 5 – excellent.
The published rating is the average of the ratings assigned from the traveler to each of those 6 fields.
With due regard for transparency and integrity, we do our best to publish all reviews, good ones as bad ones.

Each review must follow rules below:

  • No aggressive, coarse, violent, obscene, comments
  • No private data (family name, telephone number, address and e-mail address) concerning both you and BaikalNature team, its hotel managers, transport companies, guides and other agents
  • No off-topic. Comments should be directly associated with the given tour and/or our services

Reviews are published as they have been written by their authors.

This webpage is meant to be a space where one’s can share and discuss. Therefore, BaikalNature retains the right to answer travelers' comments.
Data « Overall rating » and « Travel with BaikalNature again? » give the average rating for all received evaluations. They are automatically calculated by our system.

Related tours
Tours to SiberiaAll trips

Excursion to Listvyanka village

1 Day
September - October
Difficulty
Comfort
127 $discoverynature

Trekking from Listvyanka to Bolshiye Koty

2 Days
Difficulty
Comfort
261 $activenature

Classic Baikal

4 Days
July - August
Difficulty
Comfort
836 $discoverynature
United Federal Register of Tour Operators number : PTO 009402 | Registered Trademark Certificate number: 552709
  • +995 598 845 046
    Tbilisi, Georgia
  • +7 3952 26-56-94
    Irkutsk, Russia
  • Send message
  • BaikalNature offices
® + © BaikalNature LLC Incoming Russian tour operator
United Federal Register of Tour Operators number : PTO 009402 | Registered Trademark Certificate number: 552709
Irkutsk office, Russia

Our office in Irkutsk is open Monday through Friday 9 am to 6 pm.

55, Dekabrskikh Sobytiy str., office 405.2 664007 Irkutsk, Russia

Get directions

Tel.: +7 3952 26-56-94

Tbilisi office, Georgia

By appointment only. Let us know in advance.

Police Str, 5-4A 0120 Tbilisi, Georgia

Get directions

Tel.: +995 598 845 046

Sign up for our emails!
Why subscribe? First, our newsletters are captivating! We are one of the few tour operators specializing in Russian and Georgian nature, who invests a lot of resources into photo and video-shooting. That’s why even sitting in the office, you’ll feel like you are making your way among arctic ices, walking along taiga valleys, admiring volcanos or looking in the mirror of crystal Baikal waters. Second, there is lots of useful stuff in our letters. The information about outstanding places, new routes’ descriptions, stories from expeditions and trips. And don’t worry, we write in an easy and entertaining manner. And finally, we’re not pushy. You will get all this beauty not often than once a month or two. So you’re gonna miss us!