By choosing to travel independently as a savage, you can have time to see most of the sights in Buryatia and the Irkutsk region. But even when traveling on your own or with children, you need to plan your vacation time in relation to the location of attractions on the map, which will save time on traveling around Lake Baikal.
Reviews about wild holidays on Lake Baikal are mostly positive. Let's take a closer look at the features and attractions of Lake Baikal below.
Step-by-step instructions on how to get to Baikal in 2022 and save on transport
There are myths that a trip to Lake Baikal is extremely expensive. Here is an advertisement for 2 tours of Lake Baikal. The price of a trip to Lake Baikal is 89,000 rubles. for the most expensive and 75,000 rub. cheaper. Vouchers are offered for 8 days. Apparently in the summer (although this is not known). This, comrades, is more expensive than going to Turkey.
Let's try to calculate the price of an independent holiday on Lake Baikal. We will include in our trip the points indicated in these tours around Lake Baikal. First we will visit Ulan-Ude and the Ivolginsky datsan, then we will go to Baikal. We will fly from Moscow. The route is not optimal, but let's repeat after the organizers.
The same trip to Baikal on your own will cost 34,500 rubles (without meals). Below is a detailed price calculation.
It’s cheaper and faster to fly to Ulan-Ude by plane for 6,900 rubles (including commission). In the reserved seat of the train, you will spend 1000 rubles less, but you will lose 4 days on the way. In Ulan-Ude, for 100 rubles you can get to the Ivolginsky datsan by public transport. Other attractions in the city are also worth visiting. Transport around Ulan-Ude (10 trips maximum) will cost 250 rubles. The plane arrives early in the morning. There is a whole day ahead to explore the city.
Lifehack!
Please note that ticket prices are higher during the season. Buy cheap if you've already planned your trip.
We buy a ticket in advance for the train starting late in the evening from Ulan-Ude to Irkutsk. Buy tickets in advance. A coupe costs from 2500 rubles and from 1300 rubles in winter and spring. in the fall. The price of trains on the same route differs by a couple of thousand rubles. Trains Irkutsk-Naushki, Irkutsk-Ulan-Ude are cheaper. Sleep on the train at night and save time and money on a hotel. The train takes 7.5-8 hours, during which time you can sleep well. Early the next morning we arrive in Irkutsk. I suggest taking a day of rest in Irkutsk and a hotel within 3000 rubles per day. Walk around Irkutsk. Get to know the sights.
The next day we will visit the village of Listvyanka. A bus from the bus station costs 700-800 rubles one way, plus a fare of 20 rubles. In Listvyanka we will exceed the plan and take a ferry to the port of Baikal (150 rubles round trip). On the way back we will take an excursion to the Tayltsy Museum. Another 200 rubles.
Our journey has already lasted 3 days.
Now the task is to get to the Small Sea (SMS), Olkhon Island and Ogoy Island. Don't worry, it's close by local standards. It is cheaper to get there by regular bus (minibus). The price is around 800 rubles. There is an option to sail from the Irkutsk river station through the Angara and Baikal for 4,000 rubles on the Barguzin ship. I find it tiring to swim so far. If you decide to get to Ogoy Island, it’s easier to rent a seat on a boat in the village of Khuzhir for about 1,000 rubles. On Olkhon, I advise you to stay in one of the local hotels (for 2000-3000 rubles). If you are traveling as a savage, pitch a tent (for free), but not on the main beach of Khuzhir. I also advise you to go to the north of the island (Cape Khoboy). Buying a seat in a car on Khoboy will cost 500-1000 rubles. The local minibus is a passenger UAZ. We spent 2 days on the trip to Olkhon.
But you can only get to Peschanaya Bay by water for 3,200 rubles. I advise you to visit this place if the camp site is open to the public. This will take 1 day. It's better to plan 2 days.
In addition to the amount spent, we will add another 2,000 rubles for transport, tickets to museums, nerpinariums and cultural institutions. We fly by plane from Irkutsk for 6,000 rubles. Until the morning you will have to rent a hotel or hostel for a maximum of 3,000 rubles.
So, in 8 days we visited the places that were promised in the advertisement of the tours. It is better to buy hotels, plane tickets, trains and water transport in advance. We spent 6900+100+250+2500+3000+1600+150+200+1600+1000+3000+3200+2000+3000+6000=34500 rubles. This is with maximum expenses. We save 5,000 rubles on hotels and travel. Thus, a vacation without food (but you won’t be fed on tours either) costs up to 30,000 rubles. Plan on food for 5,000 rubles (this is what a family of 4 people in Siberia spends on food per week, if you take a full set of products). Don't forget that in some hotels breakfast is included in your stay. Wellness centers provide full meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner). You can't go abroad so cheaply. If you are traveling to Baikal as a wild person, subtract the cost of hotels from these amounts.
It is more pleasant to plan a trip for 2 weeks. You should choose hotels on Lake Baikal that include meals (most often it’s breakfast).
What other advantages are there in an independent holiday on Lake Baikal besides being cheap?
I’ll give you a few reasons that the travel agency won’t tell you about. Honestly and without embellishment.
- You can stay in the places you like (and don’t like) as much as you want or have planned.
- Your holiday will be individual. You won't go with a crowd of 30 people. You won't have to run faster to get to the tourist bus. You choose when to have a snack, where to go. Completely free to choose. Depend only on your own wishes.
- You can choose your own hotel or guest house. Really good, not the one the travel agency would book. You can relax inexpensively in a hotel with a balcony overlooking the glorious Sea. Or rent a private house with a kitchen and amenities. Below is a photo of the guest house where he lived. It’s very nice, there is a kitchen (which is convenient when traveling with children), and the area around is well-equipped. It would be hard to call this place a hostel. Living costs for the whole family range from 1,500 to 2,000 rubles per day. In an expensive hotel you will have to pay 15,000 - 20,000 rubles. But you are free to choose for yourself.
- If you come by car with tents in the summer, then you don’t need a hotel. Instead of air conditioning there will be Baikal itself. Take as many things as you want. Go wherever you want.
- If you don’t like walking under the scorching sun somewhere on the Small Sea, it’s easy to change your location. Independent recreation is, first of all, active recreation. You are in no way tied to your place of residence or to other people. With an organized vacation, you will rest only where the travel company accommodates you.
- It will be more convenient to relax on Lake Baikal with children on your own. Agree, it’s difficult to constantly hurry up children when tourist transport is waiting.
- The price of a holiday on Lake Baikal in winter is cheaper due to lower transport prices. But you will have to live in hotels, so there is nothing to do as a savage on Lake Baikal in winter. Prices for hotels near Lake Baikal are lower in the spring, before the May holidays.
Olkhon Island
Olkhon Island is a favorite place for Russian and foreign tourists on Lake Baikal, where you can stay with a tent. The capital of Olkhon is Khuzhir. In Khuzhir there is an equipped campsite with a shared kitchen, toilets and other amenities. Private parking is available on site. If you plan to travel wild, consider camping near Khuzhir.
The famous Saraisky beach, which is a magnet for tourists, is part of the Pribaikalsky National Park. Entrance to the territory is paid. There is a separate fee for setting up a tent - 100 rubles per day. Keep in mind that cutting down trees on the island is strictly prohibited, so make sure you have gas burners.
Olkhon is notable for its small area and beautiful views; the entire island is a UNESCO natural heritage site. So, while relaxing as savages, you can visit all the interesting places, making treks to the most significant attractions. Be sure to visit Cape Burkhan, the famous Shamanka rock and the westernmost point of Olkhon - Cape Khorin-Irgi, which means mare's head. Cape Khorgoy with the remains of the Kurykan Wall also deserves attention.
The best time to go to Olkhon is from mid-June to the end of September. You can get to the island from Irkutsk by car, subsequently taking a ferry in the village of Sakhyurta.
Choice of transport. How to go to Baikal: by car or by train/plane?
If you arrived by plane or train and are not so mobile. Holidays with family are cheaper by car. Single holidays are cheaper by train or plane (mainly due to the price of petrol).
Traveling by plane or train has an undeniable advantage: you don’t get tired of the road.
Driving by car will take about a day for 1000-1200 kilometers. On the other hand, you can look at cities and attractions along the way. For example, the Krasnoyarsk pillars in the west or the datsan of Rinpoche Bagsha in Ulan-Ude in the east of Lake Baikal.
Train or plane tickets must be purchased in advance or wait for special offers. With a car you can go on a trip whenever you want. You can save money on accommodation in the summer - a tent on the shore of Lake Baikal costs nothing.
Independent holiday by car. Holidays for “savages” on Lake Baikal.
The logistics hub (or center) on Lake Baikal is Irkutsk. This city has the largest selection of transport and opportunities for independent travel. In addition, Irkutsk is located only 70 kilometers from Lake Baikal.
If you decide to go by car, plan a route to your vacation spot. Yandex or Google maps are good navigators. It is optimal to use the 2GIS program (double-gis). The program works on phones, tablets, laptops, and takes up little space. We download maps of Irkutsk, Irkutsk region, Ulan-Ude, Buryatia and North Baikal in advance. The program plots a route to the desired point when there is no Internet.
There is also such a program as SASPlanet for detailed navigation in places where there are no roads or communications.
Where to go by car, how to choose a parking place? I will talk about this in separate articles for each of the tourist places.
Holidays by car will bring more impressions than by train or plane.
If you are relaxing as “savages” on Lake Baikal, I will tell you how to stay in this or that tourist place. It is important not to forget that “man is the king of beasts, only the beasts do not know about it.” Avoid remote places far from housing. A tent will not protect you from either a bear or elk.
There are not many beaches on Baikal. The lake is of tectonic origin. After the construction of the Irkutsk hydroelectric power station, the water rose several meters and flooded many beaches. For example, in Listvyanka. Often the shores are sheer cliffs several hundred meters high. Take a boat and swim to the beach isolated by rocks. In this case, beware of rockfalls.
Always keep an ax or hacksaws handy. This will help both in setting up the camp and in defense. If you meet an animal, do not run away under any circumstances. Don't attack. Try to raise your arms and show that you are bigger and taller. Knock loudly with metal things, this will scare away the animals. A regular rocket launcher works well. Together with the charges, it weighs 150 grams, but it will scare off the beast 100%. In a hopeless situation, you should shoot a rocket launcher at the beast itself, and it will run away.
Don't forget about almost invisible enemies - ticks and snakes.
It is better to place tents near trees and tie them down. It is better to place it behind a car or a hill to protect it from wind and sun. It is quite difficult to predict where the wind will blow on Lake Baikal.
Take tiles and dry rations with you. Making fires on Lake Baikal is strictly prohibited. If you get caught, you'll pay a fine.
Komsomolsk-on-Amur
Three hours later we passed the Khalgaso station and reached Komsomolsk-on-Amur.
The city is small and not at all well maintained
An airplane was flying in the sky
And threw himself at us like paratroopers
In the city center we found the Student cafeteria, where we dropped in with hungry eyes. I must say that we did not find a single review about this place on the Internet, which outraged us. Despite the modest decoration in the style of the 80s, the dishes were served truly royal. Various side dishes, meat casseroles, a huge selection of salads and soups. We did not have a single complaint about the taste and quality of the dishes.
After having a hearty snack and stopping at a gas station, after which we didn’t feel like praying to all Gods, we headed towards the exit. Ahead of us was Khabarovsk, where a two-day stop was planned.
We're leaving the city
How to choose a hotel on Lake Baikal on your own without a travel agency in 2022
As a local resident, I often travel to and from Lake Baikal to various points on the map of Russia. Therefore, I can offer you proven methods that I constantly use myself. I often heard reviews from tourists about how they got to Baikal on their own.
First, select the points of departure and arrival.
If you are a foreigner from Europe or America or a resident of the central part of Russia, it is wiser to start your journey from Moscow. This way you can save a lot on tickets. You must take a plane ticket to Irkutsk or Ulan-Ude. If you travel by train, you can get all the way to Lake Baikal. Don't forget that a train trip is 3.5 days, and a plane flight is 5-6 hours to Irkutsk. To Ulan-Ude it is four days or 7 hours of flight.
Depending on the purpose of your trip, you should choose a hotel. If you are planning an active holiday, it is cheaper to book hotels in your holiday destination.
There is a good selection of hotels and hostels in Irkutsk or Ulan-Ude. If you are planning to go to Listvyanka for a day and walk around Irkutsk, then it is better to take a hotel in Irkutsk. Prices start from 500 rubles and above depending on the tourist season.
We decided to relax in Listvyanka itself - rent housing right there, and not in Irkutsk. The price of housing can start from 500-800 rubles per day. In Listvyanka, in addition to numerous hotels, hostels, rooms, there are also houses on the shore. Nowadays it is called a common fashionable phrase “guest house”. Such housing is located at the source of the Angara River from Lake Baikal. A good cheaper housing option would be to rent a house or room in the village of Nikola near Listvyanka. The traffic in Listvyanka is quite busy. If you like silence, rent housing on the streets in the depths of the village. At least 100 meters from the shore. I suggest looking for housing options on Yandex and Google maps, in 2GIS. And of course, favorite services like Booking, TripAdvisor and others. House owners often publish advertisements for renting houses on the social networks VKontakte or Odnoklassniki, Avito and Yula services. Google it.
On the Small Sea (MRS) and Olkhon Island, in addition to tourist centers, they rent housing from local residents. Just like in Listvyanka, residents are building additional guest houses on their site. Until recently, in the village of Khuzhir (Olkhon Island), living in a private house was the only option for renting housing. The price of such housing starts from 800 rubles per day per family.
In the cities of Severobaikalsk, Baikalsk, Slyudyanka, it is possible to rent a city apartment or room to live near Lake Baikal. There are hotels and guest houses.
On the Barguzin Peninsula (Chivyrkuisky Bay), and in other places of “wild recreation” there are options to rent a house for living. At recreation centers you can rent a place for a car, tent and fire for money.
In summer, there is a free option to “put up a tent” everywhere. In nature reserves and nature reserves, you will have to pay from 200 to 1000 rubles for a place to pitch a tent. Often, for this fee, they will provide firewood and an equipped camp site (bench, table, fire pit with barbecue).
In winter, you can only put up a tent with the proper level of preparation. Snow, wind and frost are a serious test.
For active recreation on Lake Baikal, tourists hire minibuses or jeeps to deliver things to Lake Baikal. In this case, you can live comfortably as “savages”. Rent equipment and inventory from the owners of such counters for the delivery of tourists. The price of such transportation starts from 1000 rubles, depending on the distance of the route. You will have to pay a deposit to rent equipment.
Sometimes you can rent a winter hut on the shores of Lake Baikal and feel like a real hermit far from civilization. They will deliver to the winter quarters by water in the summer and by car over the ice in the winter. To deliver tourists and their equipment to any point of Lake Baikal, you can hire khivus trucks in the village of Listvyanka. In winter this is the only safe form of transport.
The situation is similar in Ulan-Ude on the eastern half of Lake Baikal. Optimal for price and quality (if you don’t save on every penny) choose the Buryatia hotel. But you can only rent a hotel in Ulan-Ude if you are traveling around the city or its environs. In Enkhaluk, Goryachinsk, Gremyachinsk it is better to take places in local holiday homes or guest houses.
Life hack: you can use the option to reimburse you 50% of the cost of your child’s holiday in a children’s camp in the Baikal region, and you can travel around Baikal yourself. Valid from May 2022.
How to choose tickets.
The author uses the Yandex-schedule service. The service is simple, easily accessible and offers a variety of transport routes. Flights from Moscow to Irkutsk by plane, depending on the time of day and airline, cost the same as reserved seat seats on a train.
Slyudyanka
A city located on the western part of the lake. There is little comfortable housing here, so camping is the most suitable choice. The Yurta tent camp is an opportunity not only to set up a tent, but also to live in creative housing. Buryat yurts are a clever tourist trick, costing from 1,300 rubles per day. Parking spaces are free. Wild recreation is possible on the shore, there are free places for tents. As tourists say, it is better to stay thirty kilometers from the city, in Utulik. The village is surrounded by beautiful mountains. You can also admire the lake while walking on a catamaran.
Where to go? Tourist places on Lake Baikal.
From Irkutsk it is more convenient to travel to the North of Baikal, to the Southern and Western coasts of the Great Lake. By plane, train or shuttle bus you can get to other large cities: Ulan-Ude in the east, Severobaikalsk in the north, Slyudyanka, Baikalsk, Kultuk in the south. The tourist areas on Lake Baikal closest to Irkutsk are:
- Listvyanka village;
- Bolshoye Goloustnoye village;
- Maloe More and Olkhon Island.
- The southern tip of Lake Baikal (the village of Kultuk, the cities of Slyudyanka and Baikalsk, the village of Vydrino).
Tourist areas closest to Ulan-Ude:
- The Selenga Delta at its confluence with Baikal and Proval Bay.
- Enkhaluk village, Posolsky Sor (Kultushnaya).
- To the north from Ulan-Ude there is a road to Goryachinsk, Gremyachinsk and the Barguzin Peninsula.
According to the author’s personal experience, the best tourist infrastructure is in the village of Listvyanka. In this locality there is an option to relax with great comfort. There is a Limnological Museum, a Nerpinarium, and the possibility of traveling around the lake itself (on ships, boats and even hovercraft).
If you want to swim (not in the icy water of open Baikal), sunbathe. If the safety of a vacation with children is important, then you won’t find anything better than Proval Bay and Posolsky Sor. There is warm water (in summer) and a safe depth of hundreds of meters all around (1-1.5 meters). It is impossible to drown.
Peschanaya Bay
It is located north of the village of Bolshiye Koty. The bay is often called the Baikal Riviera. Golden sand and turquoise water transport us to the serene southern islands, and only the dense taiga of the Primorsky Range, advancing on all this splendor, returns us to Baikal. Therefore, it is better to place a tent in the coastal zone. True, this cannot be done in Peschanaya Bay itself due to environmental considerations, but in neighboring Babushka and Sukhaya you can stay. Another option is to come to an agreement with the tourist centers “Peschanaya Bay” and Baikal Dunes,” they will most likely allow (not for free, of course) to erect a camp house on their territory.
The places are beautiful, but wild. The nearest village is Bolshoye Goloustnoye, 30 kilometers away. There are several ways to get to the picturesque bay:
- on the hovercraft "Barguzin" from the port of Irkutsk or Listvyanka. From Irkutsk the journey will take 4 hours, from Listvyanka – 2.40. Transport does not run every day, so check the schedule;
- There are regular buses to the village of Bolshoye Goloustnoye, from there a hiking trail leads to the bay, you can also get from Bolshoye Goloustnoye by rented boat or on the same “Barguzin”, motor ships make a stop here;
- In winter, some people drive here on frozen ice using GPS coordinates.
- In the summer, you can walk to the bay from Listvyanka or from the village of Bolshiye Koty along the same great Baikal trail, the distance is 80 and 60 kilometers, respectively. The journey with stops and rests will definitely take several days.
Stilted trees are a strange attraction of these places. The sandy soil is washed away by wind and water, exposing the roots of trees to the height of human height. Sometimes it seems that the forest is about to move, creaking with its fancy snag-legs. The trees look like futuristic wooden spiders from some science fiction film or the insidious accomplices of Baba Yaga from a fairy tale, this will suit anyone’s fantasy.
There are other wonders in the bay, not Leshy and Rusalka, of course, but still. Directly above the Sandy Bay tourist center rises the Observation Rock, where at an altitude of 260 meters, at the very top, there is an ideal observation deck; a wide, well-trodden path leads to it. 150 meters from the coast, a small rock sticks out of the water - this is the Cormorant Stone, black cormorants once lived on it, now seagulls nest.
Holidays on Lake Baikal in summer or winter?
You can relax on Lake Baikal all year round. In winter, spring, summer and autumn. Depending on why you are going to the lake. Museums, places of recreation, hotels (except summer ones) are open all year round. Until mid-July (and sometimes until August), the water in Baikal is 1 - 2 C° and only “walruses” will be able to swim. At the end of July - beginning of August, the water temperature is optimal. In the fall and until mid-February, until the ice on Baikal became icy, the temperature near the lake was comfortable. Sometimes the snow melts. Beyond the nearest hills the temperature is already -30, and on Lake Baikal – 10. Since February, the temperature has been optimal for traveling on the ice of Lake Baikal. In spring to mid-summer near Lake Baikal it is noticeably cooler due to ice and cold water.
I really love active holidays on Lake Baikal in December. Few people, quite warm, fresh wind and sun. Go skiing. What else is needed for happiness?
If you are vacationing with children, it is preferable to do it in the summer. Summer holidays with children on Lake Baikal include: swimming, boating, catamarans or ships, beach holidays. If the children are older, it is worth traveling in winter. Walking on the purest Baikal ice, what could be more exciting?
Holy Nose Peninsula
Picturesque sandy beaches, not crowded with tourists. The cost of a place in a tent camp is five hundred rubles per day (summer season). Good places for a wild holiday are Myagkaya Karga beach, Okunevaya Bay and Kresty Bay. To get to the bays, you will have to walk, since there is no access for a car. If you go to Baikal as savages, this place will become one of the best.
What to take with you to Baikal.
I will devote a separate article to training. I will mention the main thing.
- Be sure to take warm clothes with you. The ice on Lake Baikal melts in May, sometimes in June. The June sun will be mercilessly baking with a temperature of +35 °C. You can stand near Lake Baikal for a couple of minutes. After which you will become numb. Until the end of June, I advise you to take a warm down jacket or winter jacket to the shore. Fishing on Lake Baikal is prohibited. Nobody bothers you to do this on rivers and lakes on the way to the Lake outside the reserves.
- When traveling, you should take mosquito repellent and, especially, spider repellent with you.
- Bring sunscreen and burn remedies. An umbrella and a wide-brimmed hat will not be superfluous; you will quickly burn in the sun. The water reflects light, so you will burn even faster when swimming.
- Pack a first aid kit according to the recommendations of the Ministry of Health. A bear in the taiga will not cure.
- Take a medical insurance card with you; medical assistance may be needed suddenly.
- If you are traveling by car, it is better to take a portable toilet with you. Many places along the coast are steppe; you can be seen from several kilometers away.
The only thing you don't need to take with you is water. On Lake Baikal, crystal clear water is drunk directly from the lake (outside populated areas). This is also due to the fact that the number of ships on Lake Baikal is small, and some of the tourist centers are closed.
Medical insurance.
Baikal is a harsh place. Lots of rocks, cold water, taiga. Life and health insurance will not be superfluous. I suggest spending a couple of hundred rubles. Insurance is needed.
So-called “tick insurance” is required. If you are bitten by a tick, you can get tested and receive treatment and medicine for free. Insurance costs 200-300 rubles, and treatment costs several tens of thousands of rubles. Insurance should include medical facilities closest to the vacation spot. Check it.
Mobile connection. Is it worth taking walkie-talkies to Lake Baikal?
All settlements along Lake Baikal have mobile communications and mobile Internet. Check the availability of Wi-Fi at the hotels where you will be staying. A smart decision would be to take SIM cards from several telecom operators. One of the SIM cards will work. On the part of the route where there are no settlements, there will be no communication.
For communication on the water and in the forest, it is worth taking a walkie-talkie with you. Option: Baofeng walkie-talkies - they are inexpensive. Or make a SI-B antenna and a walkie-talkie on your car. Then you can listen to interesting events on the road and the obscene language of truck drivers. The communication range on water is several kilometers.
What should you do first if you live in tents on the shore of Lake Baikal as savages?
It's worth strengthening the tents well. There are 4 main strong winds on Baikal: Sarma (from the west), Kultuk (from the south), Barguzin (from the east), Verkhovik (from the north). Strong winds blow from the ridges in the north, south and east of Lake Baikal. You will search for several kilometers for poorly fortified tents and other things. Or they will be carried away to Baikal. Don't forget to tie your boats down, even if you take them ashore.
Precautionary measures.
- Check yourself every 4 hours . There are a lot of ticks on Lake Baikal, some of them can infect you with encephalitis or borrelosis. It is advisable to get vaccinated before traveling. If you pull out a tick, do not throw it away or burn it. Place it in a glass jar and immediately go to Irkutsk or Ulan-Ude (whichever is closer). Submit the tick for analysis.
- Don't swim too far in cold water . It can cause muscle cramps and even cardiac arrest.
- Baikal is a wild nature area. You can easily meet bears, wolves or lynx . Try not to walk alone in the taiga. Animals usually don’t attack, but it’s better not to tempt fate.
- Never climb rocks without preparation.
- Do not walk through the taiga or forest at night . This is a very traumatic activity. Damage can occur from falling on rocks or tree branches.
- If you need medical help, try to get it in large populated areas x . If time permits. As a rule, in small villages there are no normal conditions for treatment. The best medical institutions near Lake Baikal are located in the city of Irkutsk. It’s already worse in Ulan-Ude.
What you can't do on Lake Baikal.
- Until September 1, it is strictly forbidden to light fires or barbecue. Alternatively, you can use a portable stove or make a burner in a tent. In specially equipped places, after paying, you can light fires. They will even give you firewood.
- fish and appear with fishing gear closer than 500 meters from Lake Baikal.
- put up tents where it is prohibited.
- litter.
- cut and saw trees and bushes.
Where to buy excursions around Lake Baikal if you travel on your own?
You can buy excursions around Lake Baikal on the Russian Railways website (this is the Circum-Baikal Railway) (expensive). You can travel along the same route by regular transport, by jeep or by water.
You can buy excursions along the water surface of the Lake on the website of the East Siberian Shipping Company. This is more reliable than that of private owners at the pier.
In Listvyanka, buy a place on boats or ships. You can buy tours directly at the pier.
As I already said, you can buy (or negotiate) jeep tours through the taiga to the shores of Lake Baikal.
It would be wise to buy a tour to the Barguzin Peninsula and Ushkany Islands. It is difficult to get there without a car or ship.
Places worth visiting besides Baikal.
In addition to Baikal, the cities of Irkutsk and Ulan-Ude, I advise you to visit the Tunka Valley. In the valley you can relax either in the village of Arshan or in the Nile Desert. If you have time, be sure to visit Mongolia.
You can relax on Lake Baikal inexpensively if you organize your vacation yourself. A big plus is that we speak our native language. You can easily find out where and how to get there and ask for help.
If you want to ask in more detail about routes, places, write in the comments, I will try to answer.
I’ll tell you more about holidays on Lake Baikal in tourist places in the following articles.
Photo gallery of Baikal Island
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Useful tips.
Baikal is a majestic lake with amazing natural landscapes. It is worth visiting these parts at least once in your life. The best way to get acquainted with the local nature is to stop on the shore of a lake with a tent. Although basic amenities may not be available, the lack of comfort will be compensated by a pleasant pastime. Some places have free parking for cars and tents. Sometimes, on the territory of free tent camps you can find benches, tables, bathrooms, and equipped places for fires. This is a very pleasant feature of a savage holiday on Lake Baikal.
National Park.
Still, you have to pay for some amenities. Visiting national parks and reserves also costs a lot of money. However, it is still worth looking at the natural beauty. If you want to visit the Transbaikal National Park, you need to send an application in advance not by email. There is a fee to visit the protected area. There is a checkpoint at the entrance, so you won’t be able to drive through as a “hare”. You must have an identification document with you. In the absence of a special permit, you will have to pay a fine of three thousand rubles.
Precautionary measures when visiting Lake Baikal by savages.
There is plenty of clean drinking water in the vicinity of Lake Baikal. For cooking, as well as for hygienic purposes, you can take water from the lake. It is suitable for these purposes. It is unsafe to be on the coast due to the tides. Caution must be exercised.
Caution is also required when visiting the sandy beach of Vydrino. There is no place for tourists here, as the locals do not like strangers.
Robberies and robberies occur in these places. Residents of the region can rest peacefully, but visitors from afar are not recommended to stay overnight.
Savages are prohibited from staying on the territory of Buryatia.
Other parts of the coast are full of untouched areas suitable for camping. If it is not possible to bring camping supplies with you, you can rent them in the regional center. Before you build a route, you need to make sure that the places there are safe. Beautiful nature can be deceiving.
Local residents may be wary of independent tourists and even show aggression. Robberies and robberies are also possible in some settlements.
Therefore, it is better to select places for camping with a tent with caution. The weather can be changeable. It is dangerous to stand close to the water during high tides. Precautionary measures will not hurt when swimming, since Baikal is not only the most beautiful, but also the deepest lake on the planet.
What else to do?
Baikal is not only a unique natural reservoir and pristine nature, but also an opportunity to get positive emotions and a dose of adrenaline. Many interesting activities are organized here for tourists, and each vacationer can choose entertainment to suit their taste.
What to do and how to have fun during the cold season:
- Ride the dogs. This kind of entertainment is practiced in Listvyanka and in the village of Utulik. You can ride hourly or as part of a tour.
- Ride a snowmobile. They rent equipment in Listvyanka, Baikalsk and on Olkhon Island.
- Take part in a jeep tour. In 99% of cases, vacationers occupy the passenger seat. Perhaps you can repeat the route yourself if you arrive in your jeep.
- Rent a go-kart and buggy. This equipment can be picked up at the Small Sea - at the Hadarta camp site.
- Watch the seals. In April, khivus rides are organized. Armed with cameras, tourists move along the floating ice floes, looking for seals. They lie on ice floes to bask in the sun's rays.
- Skis and skates. You can not only go skiing, but also go on a tour. There is, for example, a route from the Pereezd station.
- Swim in the lane. This is a pleasure for healthy and brave people. Myna is an ice bath carved into the ice. Its depth is 0.5-0.6 m. Nearby there is a bathhouse and a bar with mulled wine.
- Go skiing. On Baikal there are both civilized descents (with ski lifts and catering points) and more atmospheric ones (for example, from Mount Mamai).
A selection of the best places in Olkhon
The most beautiful places of Baikal
What to do in the warm season:
- Ride ATVs. These cars can be rented in Listvyanka and other major resorts of Lake Baikal.
- Get to know the local cuisine. Having a car, you can go sightseeing and go on a gastronomic tour along the way. Baikal serves Siberian, Baikal and Buryat cuisine.
- Sunbathe on the beaches. The best beach is Saraisky. It is located near the village of Khuzhir. The sandy beach reaches a width of 1 km.
- Go fishing. Boat trips to fishing spots are organized on Lake Baikal.
Universal activities for any time of year:
- Photo and video tours. Here, excursion bureaus specially organize trips for tourists who want to capture the beauty of Lake Baikal. If you have a car, you can independently arrange filming for yourself wherever your car passes.
- Go on an excursion. Having a car, you can get to any attraction on your own. Where the tour group goes, you will go too.
- Fly in a helicopter. This is a very expensive entertainment. A group of people is selected for him who are able to pay half a million rubles for the flight. Usually 2 to 4 people fly. Helicopter excursions last at least 3 days, so they are chosen by those who have both time and money.
Service stations and gas stations
Traveling around Siberia and the Lake Baikal region, you can be convinced of the comfort of automobile tourism. In every locality there is a service station where your car’s oil will be changed, breakdowns will be repaired, etc.
If you drive along the highway, you will not have problems with fuel - there are gas stations literally at every step. But as soon as you drive away from the highway, the frequency of gas stations decreases critically - calculate the amount of fuel in advance so as not to stop due to an empty gas tank.
Khabarovsk
We arrived within the city limits at night, and therefore all we wanted was to take a shower and go to bed. We headed to the Khabarovsk hotel complex, which was recommended by friends. We were met by a very friendly woman who showed us to the free rooms. The day turned out to be long and tiring, so within an hour everyone was fast asleep.
I was awakened by a call from friends who called to come down for breakfast, which was served in the same complex for a fee. The choice of dishes was large, the owners offered various types of cuisines. However, we were more surprised by the price tag than by the quality and taste of the food.
After washing and changing clothes, we went for a walk around the city. The first thing we did was stop at the local car wash. Dusty and dirty cars after the road clearly needed this. The guys at the car wash were very friendly and efficient - they promptly brought the equipment into proper shape. After that, our company headed to the city center. It was swelteringly hot outside.
Lenin Square
"Platinum Arena" - celebrities often perform here
Ponds
At this place we decided to sit and eat ice cream. It looks like an interesting idea for a cafe over the water, but there is no air conditioning inside - it was unbearably hot. The gatherings had to be cancelled.
Mini waterfall on ponds
Walking around the city and cooling off with ice cream and kvass, we decided to go to the embankment.
Monument on Glory Square
There were many tents on the shore, sellers offering various drinks and kebabs. Unobtrusive music played, creating the feeling of a festive day. We settled down under the canopy of one of the tents and, while having a cheerful conversation, did not notice the approaching clouds.
A coast guard ship patrolled the waters of the Amur
Knowing that tomorrow morning there would be a long journey, our friendly company went to the hotel. The clouds never brought a torrent of refreshing rain down on the city, but it was nice that the room had air conditioning. At 08:00 we left our refuge rested and full of strength for new discoveries.
With our tanks full and provisions replenished, we hit the road to the music of the local road radio.
In the city center we saw this interesting old house
