No-Filter Baikal Cruise

A personal guide, who will accompany you throughout the entire journey, will pick you up at the airport. A comfortable minivan will take you to Mangutay, a settlement on the southern shore of Lake Baikal. You will cover a 130-kilometre stretch in two hours. Most of the settlement occupies the left bank of the River Bezymyannaya. To the south rise the northern spurs of Hamar-Daban and Mangutay Mountain which is adjacent to the settlement. Mangutay is a Buryat word for silver. After the transfer, you will have some free time to rest and have lunch. You will be accommodated at the rustically charming Lyod Chalet Lux Residence on the shore of Baikal. This family hotel boasts warmhearted service and signature cuisine at its restaurant. It is a perfect place to indulge in the admirable scenery and energy of Lake Baikal. You will contemplate the sunset from the shore, then relax in a banya and stare at the starry sky over Baikal as you luxuriate in a rejuvenating outdoor bath. After that, you will have a chance to choose what to have for dinner as it is not included in the tour price and spend a night at the hotel.

After breakfast at the hotel, you will get aboard a luxury yacht for a 30-minute Baikal cruise to a distinguished architectural monument: the Circum-Baikal Railway. The voyage will take you along the railway in the direction of the Listvyanka settlement. In two hours, you will debark to marvel at the architectural ingenuity of the Circum-Baikal Railway: its stone tunnels, arched bridges, and old breast walls. You will take a journey into the history of the warfare that took place there and hold Civil War rifles and grenades. In one of the tunnels, you will watch a short film about the mysterious disappearance of the gold reserve of the Russian Empire. It was lost during the retreat of the Kolchak army along the Circum-Baikal Railway and never found. After a stroll along the shore, you will partake of traditional Baikal cuisine for lunch on the yacht deck of the yacht. After lunch, you will take a class on disassembly and assembly of antique weapons. You will be taught to identify when and where a rifle was manufactured and how it was used throughout history by looking at the gun proof marks. Afterwards, you will cruise northeast along the western shore of Baikal until, by the evening, you reach Peschanaya Bay. You will have dinner on the yacht and recharge your batteries through the restful sleep in a cosy VIP cabin.

The programme will begin with breakfast on the yacht after which you will disembark at Peschanaya Bay. That day, you will spend about nine hours aboard. Peschanaya Bay is part of the southwest shore of the lake. There, you will enjoy white sand beaches, warm turquoise water, and mountain scenery — a little Siberian paradise, no less! During the tour, you will discover natural landmarks of Peschanaya like stilted trees, rising over the sand on strong naked roots reminiscent of legs, and Capes Malaya Kolokolnya and Bolshaya Kolokolnya. Afterwards, you will have a chance to take a swim and hang out on the sand beach. What could be more special than a beach vacation in the heart of Siberian taiga? After lunch on the yacht, you will cruise to the Buguldeyka settlement. Buguldeyka is renowned for its statuary marble quarry. Used for sculpting, this marble emerged more than two billion years, which makes it older than Baikal. By the evening, you will debark on the shore of Maloe More strait. You will be accommodated at Baikal Prestige Villa. Quietly hidden in the picturesque Mandarkhan Bay, the villa offers a view of Baikal and premium comfort. The wooden house will make you feel cosy and close to nature. There will be no other guests at the villa, but you and your group. Expect an unforgettable SPA program: you will unwind in a warm outdoor pool and banya. The day will culminate with chatting around the campfire. You will have dinner and sleep at the villa, tanking up energy for another day of adventures.

You will begin that day with meditation to the sound of water falling from the height of eight meters enabled by the villa’s own adjustable waterfall. After a lavish breakfast at the swimming pool, you will take a five-hour yacht cruise in Maloe More. Your first destination will be Ogoy Island. In the heart of the island, you will discover the Stupa of Enlightenment, a Buddhist temple built in 2005. Take 108 steps along the path that goes around the Stupa, and you will get a blessing for your good deeds. After that, you will head to Olkhon Island. You will take a robust offroader to explore the island. Expect to enjoy awe-inspiring vistas from the coastal capes, discover island’s landmarks and explore Cape Khoboy, the northernmost tip of Olkhon. Khoboy is the place of power. You will be able to see Baikal with a bird's eye view from the cape. Afterwards, you will visit the Buryat Village ethnic park. Hospitable ethnic Buryats will introduce you to their ways of living and show you around their manor house that preserves the flavour of authentically Buryat prosperity. You will have lunch in the park, indulging in Buryat specialties made exclusively for you. After that, you will head to the yacht to have dinner and spend the night aboard.

After breakfast on the yacht, you will take a nine-hour cruise to Cape Zavorotny. Be prepared to spend about nine hours aboard that day. In route, you will visit the Ushkan Islands. In this protected wildlife area where, cute little Baikal seals called nerpas, love to take a rest just a few meters from a viewing platform. Accompanied by a research worker of Baikal National Park, you will take a stroll to the seal-watching spot. Only through a private tour like that can you see nerpas so close. After lunch on the yacht, you will head to the western shore and take a stopover for a night at Cape Zavorotny. That is where your discovery of northern Baikal will begin. But before that, you will have a chance to enjoy a banya on the shore. Dinner and a night on the yacht will restore your strength for further adventures.

After breakfast on the yacht, you will take a cruise from Cape Zavorotny to the thermal resort at Cape Kotelnikovsky. You will be cruising for about nine hours that day. You will cruise along wild taiga shores of northern Baikal. Seals, brown bears and other wild animals are rife in that area. After lunch on the yacht, you will have a rest at the outdoor thermal pools and enjoy a banya. You will have dinner on the yacht and sleep aboard afterwards.

The seventh day will begin with breakfast on the yacht. You will spend the day resting at the thermal resort of Cape Kotelnikovsky. You will pamper yourself through bathing in thermal pools with no limits, steaming in a banya and refreshing yourself in a swimming pool, SPA treatment and massage. After lunch on the yacht, you will take a stroll through the rocky gorge of Kurkula, a mountain river with small waterfalls. The thrilling views of the landscape will fill you with serenity and joy. Finally, you will have dinner and sleep on the yacht.

You will take a cruise from Cape Kotelnikovsky to Ayaya Bay where you will disembark. That day, you will spend about three hours aboard. The path in Ayaya Bay will take you through the woods. You will walk around eight kilometers until you reach the glacial lake called Frolikha. Expect to soak in unparalleled views during the guided paddleboat excursion of the lake and a waterfall on the furthermost side of the island. After that, you will return to the yacht and have lunch, followed by a cruise to Severobaykalsk. You will have dinner and spend the night aboard.

After breakfast on the yacht, you will take a two-hour charter from Nizhneangarsk airport to Irkutsk. During the flight, you will have a chance to have lunch for an extra fee. By arriving in Irkutsk, you will check into the Amurskiy hotel and enjoy the comfort of a luxury room. The hotel is located 700 meters from the historic area of the 130th quarter. You will spend that day discovering Irkutsk. You will have a chance to have lunch in the evening for an extra fee. You will spend the last night of the tour at the hotel.

You will have breakfast at the hotel and finally, followed by the transfer to Irkutsk airport. You will have spent ten unforgettable days in the colorful wilderness of Lake Baikal, enjoying the fresh air and the natural gifts of Siberia. Keep these warm memories in your heart and come back in winter. Lake Baikal will always have something to amaze you with.