Selena Travel

Lake Baikal & Olkhon Island tour

6days/5nights

Tour grade: Easy

From: US$ 1,290

Style: Traveller

  • Asian Blue pearl – Lake Baikal - UNESCO world heritage site, Taltsy open-air museum. Chersky viewpoint
  • Olkhon Island, Shamanic Rock
  • Irkutsk city sightseeing tour including Decembrist museum
  • Meet people and make friends! You will be part of a group of 4-8 people during the tour as it is a group departure.

Tour Overview

Definitely, the Lake Baikal is a spot of superlatives: it’s the world’s the deepest, the oldest, the clearest lake that contains the largest volume (20% of the total) of the world’s freshwater. Moreover, Baikal is the largest lake in Eurasia, and the deepest lake in the world. That’s why the Lake Baikal is one of the UNESCO’s World Natural Heritages.

Once you travel to Lake Baikal make sure you visit these three most important tourist destinations: Irkutsk, Listvyanka settlement and Olkhon Island. Our fully guided program allows you to see the most interesting sights of Irkutsk during panoramic sightseeing tour around the historical center of the city. Tour includes all major attractions - Znamensky Orthodox Cathedral, old-style wooden houses with distinctive hand-carved trims, the Monument to Russian Pioneers of Siberia topped by a bronze statue of Russian Emperor Alexander III, ice-breaker "Angara" that used to carry Trans Sib passengers across the lake, and many more.


Olkhon Island is the biggest island in Lake Baikal and you can see many of adherents of shamanism believe that it is one of the spiritual island and the highlight of the island is Shamanic Rock. You’ll visit to Listvyanka settlement and do city sightseeing tour in Irkutsk and optional boat trip on the Lake Baikal. 

Tour map

Brief itinerary

  • Day 1: Irkutsk. City tour. Decembrist museum
  • Day 2: Lake Baikal. Taltsy open-air museum. Baikal museum. Chersky viewpoint
  • Day 3: Lake Baikal. Olkhon Island. Local Lore museum. Burkhan cape
  • Day 4: Lake Baikal, Olkhon Island. Tour to Khoboi cape
  • Day 5: Lake Baikal. Irkutsk
  • Day 6: Departure
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Tour images

Full Itinerary

Day 1:

Irkutsk. City tour. Decembrist museum

Arrive Irkutsk. Your guide will meet you at the airport/railway station. Lunch in a café (or late breakfast depending on the time of your arrival). City tour around all of Irkutsk major historical sights. Guided tour to the Decembrist museum in Prince Volkonsky Mansion. Check in to your hotel. Hotel 3* L

Day 2:

Lake Baikal. Taltsy open-air museum. Baikal museum. Chersky viewpoint

Departure to Listvyanka settlement at Lake Baikal waterside. Stop en-route for 2-hour excursion to Taltsy open-air museum of wooden architecture where one can discover the culture and the lifestyle of native Siberians and Russians who lived in this area. Continue to Listvyanka. Check in Listvyanka hotel. Lunch in a local fish restaurant. Visit to Baikal Museum featuring the diverse collection of Baikal flora and fauna. Then take a chairlift to the top of Chersky peak from where one can enjoy breathtaking views on Lake Baikal and Angara River source. Hotel 3* B+L

Day 3:

Lake Baikal. Olkhon Island. Local Lore museum. Burkhan cape

Early breakfast. Transfer to Khuzhir settlement at Olkhon Island (~350 km). Accommodation in a log cabin guesthouse on full board basis. Tour to Local Lore Museum. Walking trip to see the famous Burkhan Cape with Shaman Crag, the sacral place for Shamanist believers. This is one of Baikal’s most famous landmarks that can be found on many postcards. Enjoy sunbathing at the sandy beach of Saraiskiy Bay or even swimming in the lake. Local lodge B+L+D

Day 4:

Lake Baikal, Olkhon Island. Tour to Khoboi cape

Breakfast. Departure by «uazik» (Russian military jeep) for a half day excursion to the cape Khoboi at Olkhon’s very northern tip /shared excursion for groups under 10pax/. En-route visit many picturesque places of Olkhon Island with steep cliffs that plunge down into deep blue Lake Baikal abyss, wide sandy beaches at shallow bays and the endless steppes of the island. Picnic in the open air. Return to your guesthouse for dinner and overnight. Local lodge B+L+D

Day 5:

Lake Baikal. Irkutsk

Breakfast. Free time in the morning for extra activities. Check-out. Lunch. Return transfer to Irkutsk. Check-in at your hotel. Free time to rest or explore Irkutsk city center. Hotel 3* B+L

Day 6:

Departure

Breakfast. Transfer to airport/railway. B

Date & Price

Single Supplement Charge US$275

Included in the price
 
  • Twin/double share accommodation: Irkutsk and Listvyanka hotels, guesthouse at Olkhon Island
  • All meals as stated in the itinerary
  • All private car or minibus transfers
  • English-speaking guide during transfers in Irkutsk and Listvyanka
  • English-speaking guide during all excursions
  • Museum entry fees
  • Russian visa support
 
Not included in the price
 
  • International Airfare/train ticket
  • Travel insurance.
  • Accommodation in Ulaanbaatar
  • Items of a personal nature such as laundry, drinks, camera or video fees at any sites etc.
  • Tips for your guide and driver (discretionary).
  • Optional activities such as camel riding, archery, fishing etc

Tour Background

Once you travel to Lake Baikal make sure you visit these three most important tourist destinations: Irkutsk, Listvyanka settlement and Olkhon Island. Our fully guided program allows you to see the most interesting sights of Irkutsk during panoramic sightseeing tour around the historical center of the city. Tour includes all major attractions - Znamensky Orthodox Cathedral, old-style wooden houses with distinctive hand-carved trims, the Monument to Russian Pioneers of Siberia topped by a bronze statue of Russian Emperor Alexander III, ice-breaker "Angara" that used to carry Trans Sib passengers across the lake, and many more.
 
As we travel further to Lake Baikal we will stop for two-hour tour to Taltsy open-air museum of wooden architecture where one can discover the culture and the lifestyle of native Siberians and Russians lived in this area. When approaching Lake Baikal you will observe the outlet of the Angara River with the famous Shaman rock right in the middle. Learn the ancient legend of old mighty Baikal and his only daughter Angara who ran away to her lover Yenisei. While in Listvyanka enjoy a tour to Baikal Museum where aquaria with Baikal fish and Baikal nerpa, the only fresh water seal in the world, are displayed. Then, go for a short hiking trip or a chairlift ride to the top of Chersky peak from where one can admire breathtaking views of Lake Baikal and peaks of Khamar-Daban Mountain Range on the lake opposite side.
After that, the tour proceeds to Olkhon Island, the sacred center of shamanist believers. It is the only populated island at Lake Baikal. In Khuzhir, the largest settlement on Olkhon, we will visit the museum of Local Lore where some artifacts of Chingis Khan warriors are exhibited. Then we take you for a walk along the shoreline in Khuzhir surroundings to see the famous Burkhan Cape with Shaman Crag considered to be one of the top sources of shamanic energy around the globe. A nice sand beach is found a little further from the cape. Maloye Morye (Small Sea) strait separated by Olkhon Island from the main Baikal water area is renowned for its warm bays and sandy beaches. Few people know that the number of sunny days at Olkhon Island during the year is greater than at Italian sea resorts. This allows enjoying warm sunshine and sunbathing on the shoreline.

Tour Map

Tour Reviews

Mar 19, 2024.  The Gobi & Karakorum Explorer

Aug 10, 2012. Gobi & Karakorum Explorer tour Our recent "The Gobi & Karakorum Explorer" tour with you was excellent, everything exceeded our expectations! It was a super trip in our lives and we loved our Mongolia holiday so much. Our guide Joe was kind, well organised, accurate and informative, polite and caring and always provided us with timely information. And our driver Jack is super, very friendly, professional and always on time. We are wild travelers, having been to many places in the world - but Mongolia is still truly unspoiled and uncontaminated. Selena Travel's services were perfect right from the very first email. We would like to thank Selena Travel, our guide and our driver for having made this Mongolia experience a truly beautiful one with so many wonderful memories.

by Rafaella, Benedetta, Lidia

Aug 08, 2012.  Gobi & Karakorum customized 11 days tour

Sending you some of our nicer pictures. Some are chosen for their beautiful scenery while the rest are just us happily playing and goofing around. There are a couple of shots of us doing some Mongolian wrestling, as suggested by Oyuna since we missed out on the mini-Naadam festival. She said since we missed it, we might as well organise our own festival by playing some Mongolian games. Haha... We had so much fun playing those games!!! :)OK, I hope you like the pictures we send you. Best regards to everyone at Selena Travel and thank you once again for all your assistance.

by Margaret Suganda

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