About the Event
Sailing Expedition on Lake Baikal
We invite you to immerse yourself in a world of untouched nature, wide open water and deep, unshakable peace and quiet. Baikal is not only a pristine, remarkable lake famous all over the world but also a place where anyone can recover their strength and recharge. Harmony with nature is the defining feature of these places. You’ll feel it from your very first minutes on Baikal, the pearl of Russian nature. We’re sure you’ll want to come back again and again. Be warned: in the future you’ll be checking for tickets to Irkutsk many more times!
Program
Setting off from Irkutsk (Solnechny)
We get into the travel mood and set off from an Irkutsk district with the wonderful, welcoming name Solnechny (“Sunny”). It’s a small peninsula built up in the middle of the last century.
In good weather, even this urban district with its apartment blocks and cottages has a calm atmosphere. Here in Siberia, sunlight glinting off the buildings feels somehow special.
Those who wish can visit the museum aboard the Angara, the oldest surviving icebreaker in the world, launched in 1900. It’s a landmark that residents of neighboring cities happily travel to Irkutsk to see.
Getting ready for an unforgettable adventure!
The Small Sea
We’ll reach the Small Sea, one of the most famous places on Baikal. We’ll see with our own eyes a chain of islands: huge rocky boulders rising from the water and reflected on its calm surface. Gulls that have made these uninhabited islands their home fly right past us, creating a special atmosphere during the day. The mountain slopes that give the area its unique character won’t go unnoticed.
When did you last wake up to the sunrise over the water and watch mesmerizing sunsets? Look after your cameras: it would be a shame to miss these precious shots! We’ll be sure to climb Ogoy Island, known for the unique structure that rises on it: the snow-white Buddhist Stupa of Enlightenment, a place of spiritual energy blessed by prayers from Buddhists all over the world.
Ogoy is considered a pure island: no one has ever lived on it, so it is free from the negative energy of past human deeds. The island has remarkable sand: pink with specks of garnet. According to belief, to attain enlightenment and cleanse the soul, you should walk around the Stupa three times. And to bring a cherished wish closer to coming true, we’ll tie a ribbon, following the ancient tradition. Near the stupa we’ll see many strips of cloth tied in place.
Olkhon Island
In the myths and legends of the Buryat people, Olkhon is not just the largest island in the Small Sea but also the home of Baikal’s formidable spirits.
Olkhon is considered the sacred center of the northern shamanic world, and ribbons still flutter in the wind on the trees above the lakeshore: these are obo, places of worship of the spirits. The island’s highest mountain, Izhimei (1,274 m), is an equally sacred place of reverence.
Legend has it that an immortal bear is chained somewhere at its foot. Don’t worry, there are no dangerous animals on the island nowadays. Members of the expedition will surely notice the flora, unlike anything else at Russia’s other latitudes.
Everyone who comes here remarks on the flowers: beautiful, low-growing yellow blossoms that look like gold bars in the light of the area’s gorgeous sunsets.
Chivyrkuy Bay
We cross to the “warm” side of Baikal, in the Republic of Buryatia. Chivyrkuy Bay is formed by the Svyatoy Nos peninsula, the isthmus between the peninsula and the Barguzin Range, and the range itself. The bay’s nature is unique and strikingly different from other parts of Baikal.
Locals say the water here is so clean you can safely drink it and cook with it. It really is perfectly clear; we’ll notice that right away!
Being on Baikal and not swimming? Impossible! Here’s a tip: if you want to have a good time, don’t plunge straight into the waters of “big” Baikal. We’ll stop for a swim in small bays where the water warms up quickly.
The icy depths of Baikal don’t warm up even in 35-degree heat, and unprepared people quickly go numb, so we’ll be careful with swimming. We’ll listen to experienced sailors who have sailed here before and enjoy moments of pure bliss.
And don’t forget to try omul, a delicate fish whose cooking secrets locals pass down from generation to generation!
Zmeinaya Bay (Snake Bay)
Bring your fishing rods, because we’re mooring in the richest fishing bay of all! Here you can catch perch, roach and pike of up to 10 kilograms: real trophy fishing.
The bay got its name from the large number of snakes, but don’t be alarmed, they aren’t venomous.
The bay’s beauty is impressive: small cliffs and a narrow strip of beach. It lies within a nature reserve, and human presence here is minimal. Another feature of the area is its hot springs, with water temperatures of 40–45°C, which help with many ailments, especially joint and musculoskeletal problems, sciatica and osteochondrosis.
Visitors are always drawn to a stream that crosses a quarry, forming a small waterfall. Along the stream’s left bank you can climb to the foot of a jagged rock. From there you get a beautiful view of the mountains with patches of snow and traces of a winding road to the microquartzite mine.
Because the Baikal Range runs so close, this is the most picturesque coastline on all of Baikal. A perfect place for great photos with our beloved crew before heading back!
We return to where our journey began: Irkutsk (Solnechny).
What’s Included
What’s Not Included
