Planet BAIKAL!

Your journey will be joyful and carefree, because you will go kayaking without any heavy equipment! A very important bonus of this tour is that in the active kayaking part from 4th to 7th day of the tour the group will be accompanied by a catamaran with a motor, which will be loaded with your belongings, equipment and food. Catamaran will ensure the safety of your travel, as well as perform freight functions. Enjoy your vacations on Baikal!

Tour features:

• Olkhon Island excursion;
• Shamanka Rock, the Buryat village;
• A tour "North of Olkhon - Cape Khoboy";
• A kayak trip on Lake Baikal;
• Peschanaya (Sandy) Bay, ascent to the observation point;
• Bol'shoye Goloustnoye, ascent to the observation point.

Dates for groups in 2020:

Tour program "Planet Baikal":

Day 1

Today you will meet with one of the most experienced guides that specializes on Lake Baikal, go on comfortable vehicles to legendary and mestirious Olkhon Island at Lake Baikal! During the trip you will learna lot of new things about life and traditions of Buryats, visit Erd mountain, sacred Buryat places, have lunch at the Yurt - cafe, where you will get acquainted with the Buryat cuisine.

Ferry across the Olkhon Gates Strait. A small trip to the camp site. Accommodation.

A visit to the famous Shamanka rock (Cape Burkhan). You will learn about shamanism on Lake Baikal, make a special ceremony to appease the spirits of the island.

Photos cannot convey the magic of the island, which you can feel only by being here yourself. Shamans all over the world consider this place sacred.

An unforgettable excursion that will take you to the world of local customs and traditions. We will go to the "Buryat village", where you will be welcomed according to all the rules. Locals will tell you about their culture, lifestyle and Buryat legends. They will also invite you to the table, where you will find delicious traditional Buriat dishes.

Meals: lunch, supper.

Accommodation: camp site (Olkhon Island).

Day 2

Excursion "Journey to the edge of the Earth!" (will take all day, lunch included).

Cape Khoboy is the northernmost Cape of Olkhon Island.

When you stand on a rock at the very edge and below there are miles of water, it seems that this is the edge of the Earth, that brave explorers and fearless characters of Russian tales were looking for…

There our path lies. To get to the North of the island, you need to overcome: a steppe landscape with incredible ascents and descents, very similar to a roller coaster, a sandy tract and impassable taiga. During the trip you will be able to see fascinating ice caves and hummocks, admire the “Three Brothers Rock”, whose silhouettes were immortalized in stone by the mighty and fair father. You will also learn a lot about the lake and its fascinating legends and will get acquainted with traditions and customs of the local inhabitants. The impressions from today’s trip will be unforgettable!

Meals: breakfast, lunch, supper.

Accommodation: camp site (Olkhon Island).

Day 3

Travel from Olkhon Island to Buguldeyka (a small Buryat village at the mouth of the Buguldeyka river). The crossing takes about 3-4 hours. Lunch.

Today we will assemble the baidarkas (kayaks) and prepare for the upcoming trip.

Meals: breakfast, lunch, supper.

Accommodation: tent camp.

Day 4

Safety instructions.

Our trip begins!

Learning how to drive a baidarka, work in a team, and not forget to admire the beauty of Baikal. To the right of us we will see Primorsky ridge in all its splendor. It will amaze us with its rocky cliffs, taiga slopes and unforgettable landscapes.

We will make a stop to spend the night in a picturesque place (which depends on the capabilities of the group and weather conditions).

Meals: breakfast, lunch, supper.

Accommodation: tent camp.

Day 5

Continuing our journey. We will see Dyrovaty Cape known for its arch, under which you can sail on baidarkas.

Arrival to an amazing place- Peschanaya (Sandy) Bay! Like two guardian towers, two pyramidal rocks - Big and Small belfries - frame the Bay.

Meals: breakfast, lunch, supper.

Accommodation: tent camp.

Day 6

A hike to the observation point (2-2,5 hours), which offers stunning views of a perfectly semi-oval Bay!

A picturesque sandy beach is completely ours.

In Peschanaya Bay you can still find famous "stilted" trees, but unfortunately not the largest ones.

A walk around the area.

Meals: breakfast, lunch, supper.

Accommodation: tent camp.

Day 7

We continue our trip around Baikal.

Four kilometers away from the Small belfry lies a Baklany Rock, which has a shape of a watchtower. We will pass it on our way.

Today we will arrive in Bolshoye Goloustnoye village.

Accommodation at the tourist camp.

In the evening you can rent Russian banya (sauna)!

Meals: breakfast, lunch, supper.

Accommodation: tourist base (Bolshoye Goloustnoye).

Day 8

Ascent to the observation point. Sightseeing of local attractions.

A visit to the St. Nicholas Church with an amazing history of its rebirth. Particularly fascinating is a dramatic story of a salvation of the Nicholas Mirlikiyski Icon, that was carefully hidden under the arches of the sacred domes.

You will be amazed by the beauty of untouched nature, an extraordinary scenery of the wide valley of the Goloustnaya River, the unforgettable sound of the Siberian forest, the smells of wild taiga…

Also there will be a walk (on foot, upon request of tourists - horseback) along the picturesque forest trail to a lake, hidden in the depths of the taiga forest, which fills with spring water only once in 4 years. The rest of the time the lake remains waterless, and reminds more of a meadow filled with flowers.

Travel from Bolshoye Goloustnoye to Irkutsk.

Meals: breakfast, lunch.

Accommodation: hotel (Irkutsk).

Day 9

Travel to the airport.

Meals: no

Tour price: 47 000 rub/person

The price includes:

• Accommodation: tourist base on Olkhon Island -2 nights (rooms with facilities on the floor);
  camping on the active part of  the tour - 4 nights; hostel in B. Goloustnoye - 1 night; hotel in
  Irkutsk - 1 night;
• Meals – three times a day according to the program;
• All transfers to and from various points on the tour, according to the program;
• Instructor services;
• Payment of entrance fees to visit Pribaikalsky National Park;
• Rental of camping equipment: baidarkas, waterproof bags, lifejackets, 2, 3, 4 person tents, campfire equipment;
• Entrance tickets to museums, excursions mentioned in the program;
• During the active part of the route, tourists cook for themselves! Chef services are available upon request: 3000 rub per day! For groups of 10 people and more chef services are included.

The price does not include:

• Plane/ train tickets;
• Rental of personal equipment: sleeping bag, backpack, pad;
• Vaccination / encephalitis insurance;
• Banya (sauna);
• Additional drinks and meals (outside of what was mentioned in the tour program).