Baikal By Kayak

This tour is not available and is archived.

Difficulty

Comfort

Highlights

"Off the beaten path" itinerary aimed at discovering inaccessible spots of Lake Baikal

Alternation of activities - trekking, kayaking, cultural discoveries

Tour Overview

White sand of beaches and crystal clear water of creeks will make you think of Cote d'-Azur, endless steppes - of Mongolia and nothing will remind you that you are in the very heart of Siberia, on Lake Baikal. The lake absorbed all the diversity of various types of landscapes we invite you to discover on this kayaking tour. After a familiarization day on the Angara River, the only outflow of the Baikal, we will leave for a 4-day autonomy of travelling up the lake to Olkhon Island, holy land for shamans. We will follow the west shore of the lake, from cape to cape, from creek to creek, discovering treasures of wild nature of Lake Baikal. One kayaking day will be spent on exploring the shoreline of Olkhon and its unique landscapes. Here is the essence of this fanatstic adventure.

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.

Detailed description

New departures available soon

Price includes

English-speaking guide
Russian-speaking guide services
Russian-spaking guide
Accommodation as per itinerary
Transport a per itinerary
Excursions and visits as per itinerary
Nature reserves and parks entrance permissions
Accident insurance
Letter of invitation

Price does not include

Meals as per itinerary
Visa invitation and registration of passports (for foreign citizens, if necessary)
Personal expenses and tips
Visa fees and travel insurance
Bathing in springs
Airplane/ train tickets

For more info, please download the detailed description of the trip.

Note

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.

United Federal Register of Tour Operators number : PTO 009402 | Registered Trademark Certificate number: 552709

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