ADVENTURE / BAIKAL Winter Baikal

Meeting at the airport, luggage assistance, breakfast. Transfer by coach to Listvyanka located in the mouth of Angara-river, 70 km away from Irkutsk. On the way – stop in Taltsy for a guided tour of the Taltsy Open-Air Museum of Wooden Architecture, stop at the source of the Angara river, the only river flowing out of Baikal

Check in at the hotel “Flagman”, lunch in the hotel restaurant. Time at leisure, dinner and overnight in the hotel

Breakfast. Visit to Baikal Ecology Museum which has a large display of unique exhibits of the lake’s flora and fauna, see an interesting video about Lake Baikal and also visit the Baikal fresh water seal aquarium. Lunch of Siberian cuisine at a waterfront restaurant “Proshliy Vek”.

Safety and snowmobile driving instructions. Half-day snowmobiling trip to Chernaya Pad’, through the taiga-woods backcountry of Pribaikalsky National Park with stops en route to enjoy the views (two persons on a snowmobile, total distance 36 km). Tea at the cafeteria of the retreat lodge, Return to Listvyanka

Time at leisure. Dinner, overnight at the hotel

Breakfast, transfer to Siberian Zaimka complex. Traditional Russian Winter fun with Troika ride on horse sleighs (with three horses put in a harness) and Russian winter slides. Tea with pan-cakes the way Russian people in Siberia usually do in the village pub of the Zaimka. Return back to the hotel to get prepared for Siberian Banya (steam bath), Siberian banya - steam house (2 hours). Dinner in the hotel restaurant, overnight

Early breakfast, check out. Depart from Listvyanka by Air Cushioned Amphibious Vehicle (ACV) along the western part of Baikal Lake to the settlement of Utulik, with a few stops. 180 km transfer from Utulik along the Tunka valley to the settlement Arshan (“springs” in Buryat), popular Russian & Buryat spa resort located on the Kyngara river, at the foot of Tunkinskie bare rocks. Check in at the hotel “King’s house”, lunch

Visit to a small Buddhist datsan in Arshan, walk to the springs. The mineral waters of the resort are rich in carbonates with a lot of gases, are of various temperatures and are prescribed for a wide range of ailments. Dinner of traditional Buryat dishes in the hotel restaurant

Early breakfast, check out from the hotel for departure to Irkutsk. En route stop to visit the hot thermal springs of Zhemchug (Pearls, 45 km from Arshan), Hongar Ola. Here you can take a horse ride (optional, not included). Lunch at one of the roadside cafeteria, transfer to the local railway station and departure to Moscow by train at 16.20