During winter, a spectacular land route, from the shores of Lake Baikal to Ogoy Island, manifests in the ice. Set out across the frozen surface of the great lake in a fleet of sturdy, all-terrain UAZ cars. Hairline cracks and ice formations will lend an other-worldly air to your journey, even before you reach the holy isle.
You will see the dramatic ice-touched jutting cliffs of Ogoy from a distance as the cars approach their destination. Snow sprinkled over the garnet beach and sparse dry grass underlines the stark and mystical beauty of this rocky, uninhabited island. Freestanding trees and mysterious pyramidal rock piles will greet you on the uphill path into the heart of the island. The hollow white Stupa of Enlightenment, which has become the island’s chief attraction since its construction in 2005, blends in beautifully with the winter environment, while still evoking a striking contrast due to its exotic shape and colourful khadag scarves.
Higher up on the island, you will find the old lighthouse and a newer stone observation platform. From here, magnificent vistas of the Baikal winter wonderland will reveal themselves to you, from the mirror-like surface of the lake itself to the majestic snow-covered mountains that surround it.
Come to visit us at the address: Irkutsk, Kievskaya str. 7, office 505A, 5th floor
