Detours worth taking out into the Siberian countryside

Detours worth taking out into the
Siberian countryside

This is not a typical travel guide, where you can find information about how much rain to expect in July or August. It really doesn't make much sense for us to bombard you with the kind of facts that you can easily find in an almanac, or on wikipedia. Instead we want to share stories and impressions of the kind of outlying destinations that should either meet or exceed your expectations as a visitor. For example:

Side Trip #1
The village of Listvyanka

It's just a hop, skip, and a jump from the Irkutsk airport down to the shores of Lake Baikal. Every 30-40 minutes there is a scheduled shuttle bus that can take you 65km from downtown Irkutsk to the port town of Listvyanka. And it only costs 150 rubles one-way. You can't get much more convenient than that.

The village itself stretches some 4km along the shores of the lake, with local streets radiating out into the surrounding valley—each with its own hotels, guest houses, restaurants, cafes, and other tourist stops. Year round you'll find a local open-air market where they sell both fresh and dried fish, along with pine nuts and local berries. Or you can enjoy a full pilaf rice meal—a simple and tasty dish that has reached Baikal's shores from nearby Uzbekistan. There are other street vendors selling souvenirs as well (some locally made, others imported from abroad).

On weekends Listvyanka will often be crowded with folks coming down from Irkutsk. In summer they drive out to escape the summer heat in the city. And in winter they come to enjoy the endless ice and winter landscapes of Baikal. Near the central pier you can rent a boat or take a ride on the local hovercraft; or in the colder months you can simply take off onto the lake on x-country skis, snow-shoes, or even a bike. At any time of year you can just relax and sit on the rocky shore, and gaze across the lake at the snow-capped Khamar-Daban Mountains to the south. And whether you come down to this village for a couple hours—or if you want to take a longer stop on the lake while touring Russia on the Trans-Siberian train—there is plenty to see here in Listvyanka.

Side Trip #1
The village of Listvyanka

It's just a hop, skip, and a jump from the Irkutsk airport down to the shores of Lake Baikal. Every 30-40 minutes there is a scheduled shuttle bus that can take you 65km from downtown Irkutsk to the port town of Listvyanka. And it only costs 150 rubles one-way. You can't get much more convenient than that.

The village itself stretches some 4km along the shores of the lake, with local streets radiating out into the surrounding valley—each with its own hotels, guest houses, restaurants, cafes, and other tourist stops. Year round you'll find a local open-air market where they sell both fresh and dried fish, along with pine nuts and local berries. Or you can enjoy a full pilaf rice meal—a simple and tasty dish that has reached Baikal's shores from nearby Uzbekistan. There are other street vendors selling souvenirs as well (some locally made, others imported from abroad).

On weekends Listvyanka will often be crowded with folks coming down from Irkutsk. In summer they drive out to escape the summer heat in the city. And in winter they come to enjoy the endless ice and winter landscapes of Baikal. Near the central pier you can rent a boat or take a ride on the local hovercraft; or in the colder months you can simply take off onto the lake on x-country skis, snow-shoes, or even a bike. At any time of year you can just relax and sit on the rocky shore, and gaze across the lake at the snow-capped Khamar-Daban Mountains to the south. And whether you come down to this village for a couple hours—or if you want to take a longer stop on the lake while touring Russia on the Trans-Siberian train—there is plenty to see here in Listvyanka.

Stops along the way that we recommend:

Listvyanka serves as a trail-head for the Great Baikal Trail, and entry into Pribaikalski National Park. You'll find the start of the trail on Gudina Street. From there you can take a long day trip up to Bolshiye Koty and back; or you can camp out along the way and go all the way to the village of Bolshoye Goloustnoye (where you can catch a bus back to Irkutsk). At the beginning of the trail in Listvyanka you will come across several signs and displays with information about the trail. Be sure to stay on the trail, and don't wander off onto one of the "goat" paths that dangerously skirt the lakeside cliffs to the north.
You might also want to visit the Baikal Museum, and as an added bonus you can take a lift up to the special observation deck facing Chersky Rock Peak, and then return to town downhill by foot. The broad headwaters of the Angara River (where it flows out of Baikal) offer sweeping views of the lake and the mountain peaks on the opposite shore.
There's also a ferry boat that runs each morning across the mouth of the Angara to another small village called Port Baikal. Here you can walk along the mostly abandoned Baikal Shoreline Railway (which was once part of the Trans-Siberian until a dam along the Angara lifted the level of the lake and buried several portions of this railway under water!). The path along the railroad will take you to a series of tunnels and man-made gables, from where you can descend down to a pebble beach for a refreshing swim in the lake. There's another observation deck along the way, and a restored wooden church that you can visit. After a brisk morning walk you can head north to Port Baikal again, and take the ferry boat back across the river.
Finally, you can take the hydrofoil or rent a speedboat to zip across the lake to the town of Tankhoi, which is around 40km away. In Tankhoi you should definitely visit the Baikal Wilderness Museum, and take a hike along the local stretch of the Great Baikal Trail, up into the forested foothills of the Khamar Daban Mountains.

Listvyanka serves as a trail-head for the Great Baikal Trail, and entry into Pribaikalski National Park. You'll find the start of the trail on Gudina Street. From there you can take a long day trip up to Bolshiye Koty and back; or you can camp out along the way and go all the way to the village of Bolshoye Goloustnoye (where you can catch a bus back to Irkutsk). At the beginning of the trail in Listvyanka you will come across several signs and displays with information about the trail. Be sure to stay on the trail, and don't wander off onto one of the "goat" paths that dangerously skirt the lakeside cliffs to the north.
You might also want to visit the Baikal Museum, and as an added bonus you can take a lift up to the special observation deck facing Chersky Rock Peak, and then return to town downhill by foot. The broad headwaters of the Angara River (where it flows out of Baikal) offer sweeping views of the lake and the mountain peaks on the opposite shore.
There's also a ferry boat that runs each morning across the mouth of the Angara to another small village called Port Baikal. Here you can walk along the mostly abandoned Baikal Shoreline Railway (which was once part of the Trans-Siberian until a dam along the Angara lifted the level of the lake and buried several portions of this railway under water!). The path along the railroad will take you to a series of tunnels and man-made gables, from where you can descend down to a pebble beach for a refreshing swim in the lake. There's another observation deck along the way, and a restored wooden church that you can visit. After a brisk morning walk you can head north to Port Baikal again, and take the ferry boat back across the river.
Finally, you can take the hydrofoil or rent a speedboat to zip across the lake to the town of Tankhoi, which is around 40km away. In Tankhoi you should definitely visit the Baikal Wilderness Museum, and take a hike along the local stretch of the Great Baikal Trail, up into the forested foothills of the Khamar Daban Mountains.

Note:

On a more negative note, there are a few things about Listvyanka that sometimes annoy visiting tourists. The village has been built up recently in a willy-nilly fashion, where the architectural style (or lack thereof) has little to recommend it. Also local Russians tend to park their cars anywhere and everywhere; and car traffic on weekends here can be rather chaotic. Then there's the ubiquitous smell of smoked fish for sale, an odor that some people enjoy, and others…….not so much.

Side Trip #2
Olkhon Island

If you've seen a photo of Shaman Rock bathed in the final rays of sunset, then you know how beautiful Olkhon can be. A panoramic island with rolling open spaces and stunning contrasts in colour and texture; those rare sandy beaches for sun-lovers in summer; and the crystalline clear ice lying atop the deep recesses of the Small Sea later in February or March, splashing frozen up against the shores. This island in the middle of Baikal is rightfully famous for both its landscapes and icescapes. And it easily deserves a visit of several days to take it all in.

Side Trip #2
Olkhon Island

If you've seen a photo of Shaman Rock bathed in the final rays of sunset, then you know how beautiful Olkhon can be. A panoramic island with rolling open spaces and stunning contrasts in colour and texture; those rare sandy beaches for sun-lovers in summer; and the crystalline clear ice lying atop the deep recesses of the Small Sea later in February or March, splashing frozen up against the shores. This island in the middle of Baikal is rightfully famous for both its landscapes and icescapes. And it easily deserves a visit of several days to take it all in.

Sites to see on Olkhon:

When you visit this massive island you might want to take the time to head north to the very tip at Cape Khoboy. The rock formations here are all shadowed in some local myth or story: there's the maiden turned to stone, the three brothers, the back of an elephant, and the facial profile of an Indian. Local folks make all sorts of wishes at these rocks, and share long-lived legends about love, envy, and deceit.
If you want to try something unusual you can take a hovercraft over the ice out onto the Small Sea to the west of the island. Here you can marvel at the magic ice kingdom, with ice caves and grottoes near to shore, and large shards of ice jutting out into the freezing air. Look down into the lake through the ice and you will see something like a borealis of shades and shimmering colours. If you want to get out onto the ice, be sure to bring good, non-slippery shoes, or snow-shoes. We don't want you to slide into any cracks or any ice formations here. And please leave all the icicles in place for the next visitors to enjoy after you!
You can also go out by boat to Ogoi Island and walk up to the Buddhist stupa (or monument) of enlightenment, and learn more about the history of Buddhism at Baikal.
Beyond Olkhon: If you cross Baikal to the opposite side of the lake you'll reach the village of Ust-Barguzin. This is the gateway town to the magnificent Barguzin Valley, as well as to Zabaikalski National Park. Within the park you can climb up the slopes of Holy Nose Peninsula (and find out why it is called a Holy Nose!)
Back-country cycling: if you love biking adventures, you can easily rent a bicycle locally during the summer, and launch out into the countryside along one of our many steppe-land roads. Even more popular is to take your bike out onto the ice during winter (you can rent bikes with special studded tires). Whatever your favourite season to go out on a bike, please be sure to be attentive at all times, and ride carefully through our rugged terrain!

When you visit this massive island you might want to take the time to head north to the very tip at Cape Khoboy. The rock formations here are all shadowed in some local myth or story: there's the maiden turned to stone, the three brothers, the back of an elephant, and the facial profile of an Indian. Local folks make all sorts of wishes at these rocks, and share long-lived legends about love, envy, and deceit.
If you want to try something unusual you can take a hovercraft over the ice out onto the Small Sea to the west of the island. Here you can marvel at the magic ice kingdom, with ice caves and grottoes near to shore, and large shards of ice jutting out into the freezing air. Look down into the lake through the ice and you will see something like a borealis of shades and shimmering colours. If you want to get out onto the ice, be sure to bring good, non-slippery shoes, or snow-shoes. We don't want you to slide into any cracks or any ice formations here. And please leave all the icicles in place for the next visitors to enjoy after you!
You can also go out by boat to Ogoi Island and walk up to the Buddhist stupa (or monument) of enlightenment, and learn more about the history of Buddhism at Baikal.
Beyond Olkhon: If you cross Baikal to the opposite side of the lake you'll reach the village of Ust-Barguzin. This is the gateway town to the magnificent Barguzin Valley, as well as to Zabaikalski National Park. Within the park you can climb up the slopes of Holy Nose Peninsula (and find out why it is called a Holy Nose!)
Back-country cycling: if you love biking adventures, you can easily rent a bicycle locally during the summer, and launch out into the countryside along one of our many steppe-land roads. Even more popular is to take your bike out onto the ice during winter (you can rent bikes with special studded tires). Whatever your favourite season to go out on a bike, please be sure to be attentive at all times, and ride carefully through our rugged terrain!

Note:

Please remember that travel distances in Siberia can be quite substantial. To drive out to Olkhon from Irkutsk will take a minimum of 5-6 hours along back roads. During popular getaway weekends it will take even longer to drive through traffic. If you choose to take the car-ferry to the island from Irkutsk you sometimes will need to wait in line for many hours (sometimes days!) to load your car onboard for the trip up the lake. Also please be aware that there are no paved roads on Olkhon either. Once you get out to the island, you might find yourself surrounded by other tourists, especially in the high season months of July and August, and (surprisingly) in February and March, too!

Other out-of-the-way destinations around the lake

If you're not a big fan of sharing space with a lot of other tourists—or you just want to get off the beaten path—we highly recommend that you bring a tent and camping equipment, and enjoy the wide-open spaces of the Tazheran steppe region. If you hire an experienced driver or a local guide, it will greatly enhance the chances of a successful wilderness experience here on the road to Olkhon Island. But be sure to get a camping permit from the national park office in Irkutsk first.

If your vacation allows you to spend a little more time on the lake, you might want to escape the crowds in the southern end of Baikal and head north. The region around the very top of the lake is renowned for its stunning beauty, and the incredibly warm hospitality of the local towns-people!

Or you can head east of Baikal to Alkhanaiski National Park. This park was created not so long ago, to help protect some of the most sacred mountains and other natural sites for the local Buddhist culture here in Russia. And because it is a rather new park, not too many people have discovered it yet. So you would be guaranteed a lot more privacy that you would find on Olkhon Island, and find many opportunities to take in the serene beauty of eastern Siberia.

Other out-of-the-way destinations around the lake

If you're not a big fan of sharing space with a lot of other tourists—or you just want to get off the beaten path—we highly recommend that you bring a tent and camping equipment, and enjoy the wide-open spaces of the Tazheran steppe region. If you hire an experienced driver or a local guide, it will greatly enhance the chances of a successful wilderness experience here on the road to Olkhon Island. But be sure to get a camping permit from the national park office in Irkutsk first.

If your vacation allows you to spend a little more time on the lake, you might want to escape the crowds in the southern end of Baikal and head north. The region around the very top of the lake is renowned for its stunning beauty, and the incredibly warm hospitality of the local towns-people!

Or you can head east of Baikal to Alkhanaiski National Park. This park was created not so long ago, to help protect some of the most sacred mountains and other natural sites for the local Buddhist culture here in Russia. And because it is a rather new park, not too many people have discovered it yet. So you would be guaranteed a lot more privacy that you would find on Olkhon Island, and find many opportunities to take in the serene beauty of eastern Siberia.