Baikal 15 days
€2360.00
price per person
This journey takes you to large, wide valleys near Lake Baikal. You will experience a wide variety of landscapes, hot springs and, last but not least, Lake Baikal up close. There is a lot to learn about the different cultures and ways of life of the people who live here, about nature, the animal world and, above all, the plant world.
We propose you a well-planned trip, the highlights of which are driver and guide Lukas Achermann and his self-converted truck-based off-road motorhome
Individual itineraries are of course also possible. Contact me if you are planning a custom tripwant.
Included in the price:
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Airport transfer by taxi in Irkutsk or Ulan-Ude
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German and Russian speaking tour guide/driver
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9 or 16 nights in comfortable double beds in the truck and 4 nights in the "Auberge theatrale" in Irkutsk in 2- or 4-bed rooms with single beds
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Overnight stays in hotels/guesthouses/B & B with breakfast if specified in the travel description
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Full board in the truck (breakfast, lunch and dinner from the on-board kitchen with the help of fellow passengers)
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fuel costs
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Museum admissions, as far as mentioned in the itinerary (excluding Irkutsk)
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Ferry costs if applicable
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Banja (Russian sauna), as far as mentioned in the travel description
Not included in the price:
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Flight bookings and costs
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Visa organization and fees
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Optional excursions and entrance fees
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Entrance to museums in Irkutsk and where not mentioned in the itinerary
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Alcoholic drinks
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Any restaurant visits, unless otherwise mentioned in the travel description
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tips
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snacks
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Travel and Accident Insurance
travel program
1 day
I will be happy to meet you in front of your hotel, at the train station or at the airport on the morning of our first day in Irkutsk. We will first go to the market to stock up on the essentials for the next few days. Before noon we set off comfortably, crossing the outskirts of Irkutsk and arriving on the Moscow-Vladivostok highway.
Well, we're not going that far. The journey takes about two hours and leads across the varied Olcha plateau before we finally reach Lake Baikal after a long descent.
In the village of Kultuk we stand directly at the lake and you can recover from the exertion of the journey in a deck chair. Or maybe a refreshing swim in Lake Baikal?
You spend the night in a motorhome for the first time.
2 day
We leave the lake and drive to the scenic nature reserve of the Tunka Valley. On the way we visit the sculpture park of the artist Andrei V. Mikhailov near Bystraja, until we reach the resort town of Arshan at the foot of the Khamar-Daban Mountains, also called "Davos of Siberia". However, it is much more modest than Davos. Arshan is a pretty little village with a large spa park and various buildings for spa treatments.
We will spend the night at a good inn, the mobile home is in the enclosure. You now have the opportunity to take a leisurely stroll in the spa park to the mineral springs and marvel at the unusual range of herbal and other teas at the market stalls.
3rd day
If you fancy a sunrise hike, we need to go to bed early the night before. The strenuous and extremely steep ascent to Pik Ljubvi takes about 3.5 hours. In order to get to the summit in time, we should start walking at two in the morning.
After returning, no matter whether it is a night or day hike, we can relax again in the inn. A visit to the banya (Russian sauna) works wonders after such a tour!
Alternatively, there is the option of a comfortable hike of around 1.5 hours to the well-known waterfall, followed by another hike on hardly used paths to the cold mineral spring Old Arshan hidden deep in the taiga. This hike takes about three hours round trip and is mostly straight ahead.
4th day
Today's drive takes about an hour and takes us to the Zhemchug health resort. We stand on the large “camping site” on the banks of the Irkut River, which gave the city of Irkutsk its name.
There is a hot spring in Zhemchug that was accidentally discovered during drilling work about 40 or 50 years ago. Today, 55°C hot mineral water bubbles into a basin. In the meantime, a spa complex has emerged around it with massage options, drinking cures, spa treatments, inns, restaurants, market stalls, etc. But even after many years, everything still seems a bit provisional. Nevertheless, bathing is very beneficial and extremely pleasant.
5th day
Today we have a longer route ahead of us, we want to get to Posol'sk, on the eastern shore of Lake Baikal. Approximately five hours of pure driving time can be expected. On the way we visit the interactive Baikal Museum in Tankhoy. An extremely worthwhile destination, the museum offers an excellent overview of the essence and nature of Lake Baikal in Russian and English.
We will stand in the shadow of the Posolskoe Monastery right on Baikal and cook over an open fire if possible. The shore in this area is very inviting for long walks on the beach in seclusion. Another night at Baikal awaits you.
6th day
Today we spend at Lake Baikal. The village of Posol'skoe with its typical colored Siberian houses and the mighty orthodox monastery is worth a closer look. Or you can take a long walk on the beach, go bathing or swimming. Whatever the case, let your soul dangle!
7th day
Today we will drive a good distance again, the actual driving time is four to five hours. We take a ferry across the Selenga River. Our stage destination is near the regionally known tourist town of Turka.
We are mostly on very well-developed roads. For the night we stand on the Baikal beach. Since this is a well-known and easily accessible seaside resort, we will not be completely alone on the beach. The local tourists are friendly and reserved contemporaries.
8th day
Today we will be on the road again for several hours until we finally arrive in Barguzin, the administrative center of the valley of the same name. This town offers one or the other trouvaille, such as old merchant houses, a Jewish cemetery, a spacious main square, etc. After visiting Barguzin, which takes about one to two hours, we continue to the Buddhist monastery Yanshima. It impresses with its location in front of the mighty mountains and with a forest path that leads us to a sacred stone. The Yanshima Monastery was only built in recent years and is therefore a newer facility.
To spend the night, we stand slightly above the valley at a shamanistic cult site with a breathtaking view.
9th day
Continue to Arshan Alla hot spring. The journey takes about three hours. The small and little-known health resort is extremely picturesque on a rocky plateau.
10th day
In Alla, the environment invites you to linger. We'll stay here all day. You have the opportunity to walk to the nearby waterfall, a small hike of about two hours there and back. The pretty path leads through an enchanted forest for a long time, then up through a Steinmannli garden to the waterfall. And don't forget to bathe in the hot spring. Be it in the morning after getting up, just like that in the afternoon or at night before going to bed.
11th day
Today's destination is the Alginskoe mineral water lake near the village of Suvo. On the way to Lake Alginskoe we pay a visit to the "Taurus Stone". This is the protector of the valley and an important sanctuary of the Buryats living there. After that we reach the village of Suvo. The surroundings of the village impress with the spectacular rock formations, which were created by natural erosion. Like the remains of mighty castles and huge watchtowers from a bygone era, the sometimes bizarrely shaped rocks rise many meters out of the ground.
We will spend the night directly at Lake Alginskoe. Its mud is said to have a healing effect on the skin and joints. Near the lake there are ancient rock carvings from the time of the Huns or even older. However, the paintings are already badly weathered.
Tourists are rarely found in this area.
12th day
Now it's time to say goodbye to the beautiful Barguzin Valley. We drive about three hours until we reach the village of Maksimikha, where we spend the night directly on Lake Baikal on a wide sandy beach.
13th day
Today we are on the road for about four hours with the motorhome until we reach the gates of Ulan-Ude. If you wish, you can visit the ethnographic open-air museum there. We travel a little further, passing through the city of Ulan-Ude and settling for the night in the hills of the South Buryatia steppe with stunning views near Ivolginsk. It is said to be a place steeped in history, because even Genghis Khan claims to have stayed here.
Alternatively, there is the opportunity to spend the evening in a traditional, over 100-year-old Siberian house with shish kebab, banya (Russian sauna), singing and dancing performances.
Whatever you choose, unfortunately it will be the last night in the motorhome.
14th day
The largest and most important Buddhist center in Russia is located in Ivolginsk. From nine o'clock in the morning you can attend the Buddhist ceremonies. The facility has grown tremendously in recent years. Not least because it houses a special kind of mystery. The corpse of Lama Etigelow, who died in 1917, whose body shows no signs of decomposition. The lama seems to have reached a kind of absolute meditation. See also Geo 360° > //www.geo.de/GEO/geo-tv/das- mysterium-der-siberischen-mummy-2663.html or Wikipedia > https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daschi-Dorscho_Itigelow. You will have a guided tour of the monastery complex and you can ask the Lama Dashi-Dorsho-Etigelow for health and welfare.
After visiting the monastery, we drive comfortably in the direction of Ulan-Ude and on the way visit another viewpoint worth seeing over the Selenga River.
In the afternoon we reach the hotel in Ulan-Ude. The rest of the day is at your leisure. If you wish, I can offer you a guided tour of the city that lasts about one and a half hours.
In the evening we go out to eat together and can review the trip one more time.
15th day
Unfortunately, your return flight is already waiting. If you wish, I can take you to the airport and help you check in.