Winter tour “The best on Olkhon Island!”

Highlights: An interesting, full of impressions journey to the heart of Lake Baikal – Olkhon Island. Enjoy samples of traditional Buryat folklore and the national Buryat meat dish, buuzy (similar to manti). Ice crossing. Transparent ice of Baikal along the southern part of Olkhon. Here we will see many impressive winter views of the Small Sea and the Primorsky Range.

Program of the day: At the airport or at the railway station, depending on what mode of transport you arrive in the city of Irkutsk, you will definitely be met by representatives of our company. In addition to the general memo sent by us with a set of documents, the meeting guide, the day before arrival, always reports clarifying information by phone you specified when ordering the tour.

Meeting all visitors and boarding the bus of our company is carried out from 08.00 to 11.00 local time. We will be waiting for you inside the airport to the right of the exit with the nameplate “Baikal Tourism”. Our airport is small, there is only one exit. After collecting your luggage (without leaving the airport building), go to the guide to check in. The meeting guide will personally escort you to the car and help you with your luggage.

If you arrive by train, you will first need to get to the airport by taxi, paying for the cheapest taxi fare will cost you a little over a hundred rubles.

Accommodation in our tourist bus. Departure to Olkhon island. 250 km of the way to the Small Sea and further, we are going to the island along a good road.

On the way, we will make a stop at the Golden Horde ethnopark. The ethnopark is located in the village of Ust-Orda, in a picturesque area on the banks of the Kuda River (one of the tributaries of the Angara). We will introduce you to the ethnic culture, the identity of the indigenous population, carefully preserved by the Baikal Buryats for centuries. The indigenous population of the Baikal region – the Buryats have long lived in vast territories on both sides of Lake Baikal. Beautiful, poetic legends tell about the origin of the Buryat ethnic group, which consisted of the tribes of Ekhirits, Bulagats and Khori. Well, scientists studying this complex process testify that modern Buryats are the descendants of various Mongolian-speaking groups, the unification of which began under the conditions of Russian statehood in the late 17th and early 18th centuries.

A unique monument of the ancient spiritual culture of the Buryat people is the heroic epic “Geser”. However, many Central Asian peoples also consider him their own: Tibetans, Mongols, Tuvans, Altaians, Kalmyks, Uighurs. Therefore, “Geser” has long become a symbol of the common cultures of these peoples, a hymn of love for their native land. A short concert performance by the Buryat folk group will introduce you to individual episodes of this national masterpiece. Well, it is impossible to understand and feel the unique ethno-cultural specifics of the Buryat people without its ancient dance-song “ekhor”, which unites all those present in a single round dance. Having learned to dance “ekhor” (its movements are quite simple), you will soon understand the soul of this ancient people.

Here, in Ust-Orda, you will visit a traditional Buryat family, where you can see home improvement (very different from Russian and European), its hostess will show how the national Buryat dish is prepared – buuzy, and the owner will tell about the way of life, family values and customs of the Buryat family.

After a traditional Buryat lunch (a gastronomic set of several national dishes), prepared from organic meat, we continue our way to Olkhon.

The most impressive part of the journey is the ice crossing to Olkhon Island. Driving on the ice of the Small Sea, we will make short stops to take pictures of the unique landscapes of winter Baikal: transparent blue ice, frozen ice rocks in ice splashes sparkling in the sun, fabulously beautiful at this time of the year, panorama of the area similar to a winter fairy tale.

Olkhon Island. The largest of the 26 islands of the sacred sea, Olkhon is separated from its western coast by the Small Sea Strait and belongs to the territory of the Pribaikalsky National Park. It is not for nothing that this island is called the “living heart” of Baikal. Everything here is truly unique: the snow-capped peaks of the Baikal Range, the eternal blue of the sky, bizarre rocks covered with ancient Buryat legends. About 800 square kilometers (Olkhon area) contain all the diversity of Baikal’s natural landscapes: steppes, sand dunes and hills overgrown with relic spruce forests, rocks covered with reddish lichen. Olkhon is the sunniest place in the Baikal region; it is not for nothing that its name is translated from Buryat as “windy, sunny”. Clouds, obeying some laws incomprehensible to man, always bypass Olkhon, so there are more sunny days here than on the Black Sea coast.

The sacred significance of the island is known, which has always been the center of the northern shamanic world. Here, on Olkhon, Mongolian shamans found refuge during their persecution since the time of Genghis Khan. At the end of the 20th century, the Buryats of Olkhon was originally called “a cult center of all-Mongolian and Central Asian significance, personifying the sacred ancestral home of the Buryats.” In addition, Olkhon is the only place on Baikal where people have been living permanently for a long time. In a word, the heart of Baikal – Olkhon, repeating its outlines, is incomprehensible, beautiful and mysterious at all times. Arrival in the village of Khuzhir.

Accommodation in a comfortable (mini) recreation center with shower, hot and cold water and bathrooms in the rooms.

Dinner at the recreation center (hotel).

Основные моменты:

Необыкновенно познавательная экскурсия по льду Малого Моря на хивусе (катер на воздушной подушке), которая откроет вам немало интересных мест южного Ольхона! Наслаждайтесь ледяной симфонией рассвета Ольхонских ворот, фантастическими ледяными пещерами и гротами мыса Кобылья Голова, величественной красотой буддистской ступы на Огое. Катание на коньках и велосипедах по зеркальному льду Малого Моря надолго зарядит вас  энергией и бодростью. Вас так же ждет небольшая пешая экскурсия на мыс Бурхан, восхититесь его величественной красотой и необыкновенными красками закатного неба в этой стороне Байкала. 

Highlights:

An unusually informative excursion on the ice of the Small Sea on a hovercraft (hovercraft), which will reveal to you many interesting places in southern Olkhon! Enjoy the icy dawn symphony of the Olkhon Gates, the fantastic ice caves and grottoes of Cape Kobylya Golova, the majestic beauty of the Buddhist stupa on Ogoy. Skating and cycling on the mirror ice of the Small Sea will charge you with energy and vivacity for a long time. You will also have a short walking tour to Cape Burkhan, admire its majestic beauty and the extraordinary colors of the sunset sky in this side of Lake Baikal.

Program of the day:

After we have packed breakfast with us, it is still dark, we are loaded into a Khivus (hovercraft) and set off to the southern part of the island to the Olkhon Gates strait to meet the dawn. This strait in the distant past was a natural barrier that protected the first inhabitants of the island from enemy raids. Early morning in these places is the bizarre beauty of the rocks against the background of mirror blue ice, a fantastic web of the thinnest ice cracks, as if flooded with the rays of the rising sun. The strait is open to all winds, but we will always have the opportunity to warm ourselves in a warm cabin with hot tea.

On the way to the island of Ogoy, we make a short stop at Cape Kobylya Golova (Khorin Irgi), whose caves and grottoes in winter seem to turn into huge, up to 20 meters high, ice compositions from the fairy tale about the Snow Queen.

The next point of our trip is Ogoy Island, the largest in the Small Sea. It stretches in a narrow winding strip of land from south to north for two kilometers. The contour of Ogoya resembles a dancing dakina (representative of Buddhist mythology) or a genie released from a bottle. It is generally accepted that the symbolism of Ogoy, unlike Olkhon, has a feminine principle, Ogoy is indeed revered as a mother island. No wonder here, on Ogoy, back in 2005, a snow-white Buddhist stupa was installed – a majestic ten-meter structure, symbolizing the connection of mankind with the heavenly worlds. We will go up to the stupa to not only admire the panorama spreading below, but also (optionally) perform the ritual “for good luck” adopted here: leave a coin and walk around this majestic structure seven times.

Ice skating near the island of Ogoy (rental for those who wish, for a fee).

Arrival in Khuzhir.

Continuation of the program:

Biking on the clear ice of the Small Sea to beautiful grottoes near the village of Kharantsy (5 km). The route is suitable for absolutely everyone and with any experience! Bicycles are equipped with studded winter tires, which makes riding on ice safe and comfortable. On this route, you can admire the transparent ice of Lake Baikal, as well as the rarest natural phenomenon – “sokui”, formed during a strong storm by splashing ice on grottoes and rocks. The thickness of such ice can reach several tens of centimeters, the height of the rocks – up to ten meters. Having enjoyed an interesting walk, we return back to the recreation center.

Lunch at the recreation center.

Lunch at the recreation center.

Walking tour to the rock Shamanka. Near Khuzhir there is a unique Shaman Rock (aka Cape Burkhan) – one of the nine most revered holy places in Asia. Spectacular two-peak rock, built of crystalline marble-limestone, is covered with bright red lichens. This wonderful natural object, in the minds of many people, is the main palace of the ezhin, the spirit and ruler of the island of Olkhon. In the rock closest to the shore there is a through cave, especially revered by the local population. The most important shamanic rites have been held here for a long time, which is mentioned in many historical sources. A stone-temple with a formidable spirit-lord of the island reliably protected people from all troubles. As part of the program, a visit to the Oshchepkov art gallery and souvenir shops. Meeting the sunset on the rock Shamanka. Return to the recreation center.

Dinner, free time.

Highlights:

A unique excursion to the natural monuments of Lake Baikal! Appreciate the beauty and power of the rocks of Sagan-Khushun and the petrified rock Maiden of Cape Khoboy, the stunning phenomena of winter Baikal nature – sokui (a type of splash ice, especially spectacular here, in the north of Olkhon) and the fantastic beauty of huge cave stalagmites near the village of Uzura. Traditional Baikal omul fish soup is an excellent traveler’s lunch. Riding husky sled dogs, strong, fluffy and friendly animals!

Program of the day:

After breakfast, we set off to the northernmost point of Olkhon – Cape Khoboy (“fang, molar” – Buryat.). On the UAZ car, we first reach the picturesque Cape Sagan-Khushun, whose three huge columnar rocks are called the Three Brothers by the locals, and from there to Cape Khoboy. The tip of the cape is the rock of the Virgin, so named for its clear resemblance to a female profile and breasts. The place is also noteworthy for the many-voiced echo reflected from the huge monolithic rock. On the way to Khoboy, you will definitely be told an instructive Buryat legend associated with this place. Well, even early morning in these places is the bizarre beauty of the rocks against the background of mirror blue ice, a fantastic web of the thinnest ice cracks, as if flooded with the rays of the rising sun.

Lunch on the route (fish soup from omul) Further (if the ice conditions permit) our route will go along the eastern side of Olkhon to the village of Uzury to unique rocks with multi-meter splash ice floes. It is the only settlement on this end of the island. Translated from Buryat, the word “uzur” means “edge”, “limit”, which is quite consistent with the location of the village. In winter, when Baikal freezes, the powerful wind Barguzin forms a beautiful texture of ice of various shapes around the rocks. Toward evening, we return to the village of Khuzhir.

Continuation of the program:

We offer you a unique entertainment – dog sledding – sledges in the role of a musher. Huskies do an excellent job with fairly heavy loads, love space and fresh winter air. Enjoying communication with them, you will get a lot of joy and positive! The route runs along the ice of Lake Baikal from the village of Khuzhir to the village of Malomorets. Photo session with dogs. Return to the recreation center.

Dinner.

Highlights:

Enjoy the real wonders of the majestic Baikal nature! The icy expanses of the Small Sea and the panorama of the Primorsky Range from the height of Cape Dragon. Ride on the ice of the Nurskoye Lake on “cheesecakes”, feel its perfect smoothness, bright sun and the crystal clear air of Olkhon. Excellent mood and strong Siberian health are guaranteed! Evening tour of the historical center of Irkutsk.
Program of the day:

Early breakfast. Today our journey will take place on the ice of Lake Baikal along the southwestern part of Olkhon. Here we will see many impressive winter views of the Small Sea and the Primorsky Range.

On this day, we will go to one of the most fantastic natural monuments on Lake Baikal – Cape Dragon, to see this majestic rock from a close distance. Here, from the observation platform, you can clearly see the picturesque Primorsky Range, which stretches for several kilometers along the northwestern basin of Baikal.
In the southwest of Olkhon we will see Lake Nurskoye, where frozen methane bubbles form a unique ice pattern in the form of carnations. Located on the southwestern tip of Olkhon Island, the lake is connected by a channel to Zagli Bay. Several archaeological finds were made near the lake, dating back both to ancient times (V-X centuries) and to more modern ones (XVII-XIX centuries) centuries.

The complex consists of numerous ruined stone tent structures. Fascinating rides on cheesecakes on the mirror-smooth ice of Nurskoye Lake.

Photo shoot of bubbles and other unusual carnation-shaped shapes in the ice of Lake Baikal! Transfer to Irkutsk, lunch on the route, check-in at the hotel and dinner at the hotel restaurant. In the evening we suggest you take a short tour of the historical center of Irkutsk.

A two-hour tour of the city of Irkutsk will introduce you to the most interesting, historically established places of the cultural, administrative, commercial, scientific and educational center of Eastern Siberia. We start our sightseeing with the Irkutsk Kremlin – this is the name of the place where the Irkutsk prison was founded, the modern territory of which is adjacent to the central square of the city. The real decoration of the historical center of Irkutsk are the Church of the Savior (beginning of the 18th century), the Cathedral of the Epiphany (the first half of the 18th century) and the majestic Roman Catholic Church (1884) located here. Their architecture perfectly reflects the “unique face” of the history of the city, which breathed into it, according to one of the Irkutsk poets, “the soul of a man.”

Among the numerous monuments of Irkutsk, several compositions stand out, installed in 2011 for the 350th anniversary of the city. This is a majestic monument to the Cossacks – pioneers on the banks of the Angara, the sculpture “Holy Blessed Peter and Fevronia of Murom” and a beautiful cast-iron gazebo “In Memory of the Founders of the City” near the Church of the Savior. On the Angara embankment rises an exact copy of the oldest in Siberia triumphal arch “Moscow Gates”, restored according to old sketches, erected in 1811 on the tenth anniversary of the accession to the royal throne of Alexander the First and dismantled in 1928.

Irkutsk is perhaps the only city in Russia where preserve an amazing variety of monuments to completely opposite historical figures. Among them are beautiful monuments to the founder of the Trans-Siberian Railway Alexander the Third and the leader of the world proletariat V.I. Lenin, the Supreme Ruler of Russia A.V. Kolchak and the wives of the Decembrists. In the center of the city there are monuments to Alexander Vampilov and Leonid Gaidai, whose life is closely connected with Irkutsk, here on pedestals there are a T-34 tank, MiG-29 and Yak-28PP aircraft, which also personify the history of the city. Irkutsk is also decorated with monuments to the first cosmonaut (this city is the birthplace of four Russian cosmonauts), bronze figures of surveyors, an inquisitive tourist, copies of the famous Rodin sculptures and even an Irkutsk scientist cat.

Of great interest to travelers is the unique public space “Irkutskaya Sloboda”, created for the anniversary of the city on the basis of two old Irkutsk streets. Today it is a long line of restored or rebuilt antique houses, which house numerous shops and cafes. The headquarters of the Stars on Baikal festival and the music salon of our outstanding fellow countryman, the world-famous pianist Denis Matsuev, as well as the workshop and sculpture garden of the outstanding sculptor Dashi Namdakov are also located here. Well, this unique space begins with a majestic sculpture of the famous Irkutsk babr with a sable in his teeth, which, like the old days, symbolizes the power, strength and wealth of our region.
The evening can be continued in one of the cozy bars of the historical center (paid separately). Return to hotel.

Dinner.

Transfer to airport and  breakfast.