BLUE ICE

8 Days / 7 Nights
December – March

Day 1

  • Evening – arrival in Irkutsk, meeting with guide in arrival zone of Irkutsk Airport
  • Transfer to once of hotels’ in Irkutsk and check-in
  • Rest in the hotel upon arrival and Night in Irkutsk

Day 2

  • Breakfast in hotel’s restaurant
  • 10:00 a.m. Meeting with local guide at the reception of the hotel and beginning of the city tour round Irkutsk

Irkutsk is a very cozy city with one-of-a-kind history and architecture; it’s very charming in its provinciality and never fails to charm its visitors! The city looks especially beautiful and “homey” in winter when everything is covered with the white shed of snow.

During our today’s city tour we will visit historical center of Irkutsk with gorgeous Orthodox Churches of the 17th and 18th centuries and wooden houses covered with intricate patterns of wooden lace

  • Visit to Museum of Decembrists – noble rebels, who were exiled to Siberia in the 19th century and influenced a lot on the cultural development of Irkutsk and of Siberia on the whole.
  • 13:00 – 14:00 p.m. Lunch in one of local restaurants of Irkutsk (traditional Siberian cuisine)
  • Continue city tour: visit to the Central market in Irkutsk, Drama Theater, stop at the main Orthodox Convents of Siberia – Sign of the Cross Convent and Kazan Church of Virgin Mary , walk along snowy embankment of the Angara River and stop at the Monument to the most popular and most beloved Russian Tsar Alexander III
  • Free time at the central Square of Irkutsk with the main Christmas Tree and Ice-sculptures
  • 18:00 – 19:00 p.m. Dinner in one of local restaurants in Irkutsk
  • Round 19:00 p.m. Return to hotel in Irkutsk and Night in Irkutsk

Day 3

  • Breakfast in hotel’s restaurant
  • 09:30 a.m. Check-out and meeting with the guide at the reception
  • Departure to Olkhon island

Olkhon Island is often called “Place of Power” by locals and considered to be one of the Main Sacred Places for Buddhists and Shamanists in Asian part of the World.

Distance from Irkutsk to Olkhon Island is about 350 km and usually it takes about 5 hours (direct transfer) to get to Olkhon from Irkutsk. 

  • 10:30 – 12:00 p.m. En route to Olkhon Island we will stop in Buryat Village of Ust Orda, where the guide will tell you about local Siberian population – Buryats, who lived at Baikal long before Russians came here; you will learn a lot of interesting facts about Buryat Culture, traditions and especially about their religion – Shamanism
  • Visit to Museum of Regional history in Ust Orda
  • Meeting with Buryat Shaman, who will tell us about the essence of Shamanism and who will pray to local Gods for us to have a good and safe journey
  • 12:30 – 13:30 p.m. Lunch in one of local cafes en route to Olkhon Island.

You will try traditional dishes of Buryat people, which are extremely tasty and differ a lot from traditional Russian and European cuisine

Optionally: Folklore concert of Buryat people

  • Continue transfer to Olkhon Island
  • Round 17:00 p.m. Arrival to one of hotels on Olkhon Island, check-in and rest after long road
  • Evening walking tour to the Famous Shaman Rock Burkhan, where the main God of Baikal lives. Burkhan Cape is tremendously beautiful when the sky is aglow with the setting sun.. 
  • Dinner in hotel’s restaurant
  • Night on Olkhon island

Day 4

  • Breakfast in hotel’s restaurant
  • 10:00 – 16:00 p.m. Day-tour to the Northern Part of Olkhon island – Cape Khoboi

Today’s tour is a real experience! We are going to drive northwards by off-road Russian jeeps, called UAZ.  The road is bumpy, the scenery is majestic! Wild Olkhon beauty is enchanting! 

There will be several stops en route so that guests can walk around, take nice photos and enjoy the views.

The point of today’s destination is the very northern part of Olkhon Island, called Cape Khoboi. Upon arrival to Khoboi the guide will tell you one of numerous legends about this place

  • Lunch-picnic

That’s a real must-have on Olkhon Island. The best fish-soup (Ukha) cooked on open-fire with fresh Baikal Omul-fish, vegetable salad and Siberian tea with fragrant Baikal herbs – will make our excursion even more exotic!

  • Round 16:00 p.m. Return to hotel on Olkhon Island and free time
  • Dinner in hotel’s restaurant
  • Night on Olkhon island

Day 5

  • Breakfast in hotel’s restaurant
  • 10:00 a.m. Check-out and meeting with the guide at the reception of the hotel
  • Departure back to Irkutsk 
  • Lunch in one of local cafes en route to Irkutsk
  • Round 18:00 p.m. Arrival in Irkutsk and check-in in one of local hotels
  • Dinner in hotel’s restaurant
  • Night and rest in Irkutsk

Day 6

  • Breakfast in hotel’s restaurant
  • 09:00 a.m. Check-out and meeting with the guide at the reception
  • Departure to Listvyanka Village – small Russian village conveniently located at the very shore of Lake Baikal. Distance from Irkutsk to Listvyanka is 67 km and it will take us about 1 hour to get to Listvyanka from Irkutsk.
  • Round 10:15 a.m. Arrival in Listvyanka and Photo-stop at the Marvelous Shaman Stone, which is located at the very boarder between the Angara River and Lake Baikal. This place is unique and worth visiting as the mouth of the Angara River is considered to be the widest in the world!
  •   10:30 – 12:00 p.m. Trip with hovercraft (airbag) boats over the frozen Lake.

On smooth sections of the ice this boat can reach the speed of about100 km per hour! Hovercrafts move both along the ice and on water, therefore during the tour we will be able to show you the most distant and most beautiful areas with absolutely untouched nature and transparent ice!

We’ve prepared a small and nice surprise for our guests during this tour!  Somewhere in the most picturesque place where the view is nice and the ice is transparent, we will make a halt and arrange a small picnic right on the ice! Degustation of local caviar and smoked fish with Baikal Vodka will definitely raise the spirits and  make our excursion even better!

  • 12:30 – 13:30 p.m. Lunch in one of local restaurants in Listvyanka (traditional Baikal cuisine)
  • Arrival to the dog-farm in Listvyanka Village, from where our tour with dog-sledges is going to start

Just imagine yourself traveling through age-old forests, across frozen Baikal, and over snow-covered trails behind a team of dogs running fast and far. Only the whisper of wind in the pines and the rhythmic patter of paws packing snow break the silence in the winter woods - quite a contrast from the normal hustle of everyday life!

You'll definitely have a great journey in the picturesque and mysterious Siberia when the sled is pulled by a team of hearty Husky sled dogs who are having as much fun as you are! They love people, and they love to run and pull.

After dog-sledding there will be free time at the dog-farm and guests will be able to make a lot of cute photos with charming Baikal huskies!

  • Evening – arrival to one of hotels in Listvyanka and check-in
  • Dinner in hotel’s restaurant and Night in Listvyanka

Day 7

  • Breakfast in hotel’s restaurant
  • Check-out and meeting with the guide at the reception
  • 09:30 a.m. Sightseeing tour round Listvyanka Village: at first, we will walk around Listvyanka Village and visit St. Nikola’s Church, who is known to be the Protector of Children and Travelers. Though the church itself is pretty small and simple (compared to churches of Irkutsk), it has its own secret charm and atmosphere. 
  • Afterwards, the guide will bring you to local fish & souvenirs market in Listvyanka, where one can get traditional Baikal souvenirs made  of birch-bark and local stone and certainly, try Baikal caviar and Famous hot smoked Omul-fish, which locals smoke right on spot!
  • Visit to Museum of Baikal Flora and Fauna, where you will learn a lot of interesting facts about formation of lake Baikal, its Flora and Fauna. Baikal is mysterious in many aspects and it’s still keeping many secrets unsolved… During your visit to Museum, you will have a chance to get acquainted with this marvelous living mystery  
  • Lunch in one of local restaurants (traditional Baikal cuisine)
  • Trip by a cable cart to Observation Platform Chersky Cliff , where from the height of about  700m you can enjoy a breath-taking view onto Lake Baikal and the surroundings
  • Departure back to Irkutsk

En route – stop and excursion in the open-air museum of wooden architecture “Taltsy”. There are only 3 museums of this type in Russia: 2 of them are situated in the European part of the country and show life of Russians only, while “Taltsy” Museum is unique and one-of-its-kind!

Here guests can learn a lot about life not only of Russians, but also of numerous local nationalities, such as Buryats, Tofolars and Evenks. Spectacular views and fresh Baikal air will only add more charm to your trip and will raise your spirits!

  • Round 18:30 p.m. Arrival to picnic area “Siberian Zaimka”, built in hunters’ style and located in snowy Taiga forest on the bay of the frozen Angara River
  • Meeting with “Bread & Salt & Vodka” in accordance with Russian Tradition
  • Farewell Dinner  at “Siberian Zaimka” restaurant & Folklore Concert
  • Time for traditional Russian leisure activities, which will make your stay in Siberian really special! Troika Ride in a sledge through the silent and snowy Taiga forest and sliding from the ice-mountain
  • Round 21:00 p.m.  Return to Irkutsk and check-in in one of hotel’s in Irkutsk  
  • Night in Irkutsk

Day 8

  • Breakfast in hotel’s restaurant or breakfast boxes
  • Meeting with the guide at the reception of the hotel and check-out
  • Transfer to the airport / train station in Irkutsk and Departure

 

Contact as

Please, note that we can modify and adjust any program in accordance with your request. For more information about the itinerary and the rates, please, feel free to contact us at any time: sputnik_irkutsk@mail.ru