What to see at Baikal? List of 7 interesting and beautiful must-see places.
Baikal has long been firmly included in the list of the best vacation spots in Russia. Its surroundings are replete with unique natural attractions: rocks, caves, bays, islands, bays and waterfalls. Here you can see seals in their natural habitat, drink from a healing spring and visit ancient sacred places. Below are, in our opinion, the most interesting, beautiful and affordable places on Lake Baikal.
Listvyanka
For the majority of tourists who come to Lake Baikal, Listvyanka becomes a starting point for travel. It is easy to get from Irkutsk by bus or fixed-route taxis from the bus station. The infrastructure is well developed here, you can come at any time of the year.
At the entrance to Listvyanka, at the source of the Angara River, one can see a lonely loach peeping out of the water - Shaman-stone. According to legend, an angry father Baikal threw him after his daughter who had escaped to the Yenisei. The Buryats believed in the power of the stone, the person accused of a crime was brought here and left alone with the spirits for the night. Some did not stand the test, went crazy or disappeared, but if a person survived, he was released in peace. In summer, the stone is clearly visible from the shore.
The world's only Baikal Museum with an arboretum is located in Listvyanka. Here you can see specimens of the lake fauna: omul, whitefish, sturgeon, seal. On the second floor of the museum there is an office where you can examine the smallest organisms under a microscope. There is an opportunity to see the seal rookeries on the Ushkany Islands using webcams, an interactive dive to the bottom of the lake is organized. The museum is open daily from 9 am to 7 pm, a ticket costs 250 rubles, with a dive - 300 rubles.
You can watch an adorable seal show at the Listvyanskiy nerpa. Shows run every hour from 11 am to 6 pm on weekdays (except Monday), every 45 minutes on weekends. Entrance - 300 rubles. (adult ticket) and 250 rubles. (for children).
On the way to the village, you can stop by the open-air museum "Taltsy". The best examples of architecture and household items reflecting the culture and customs of the Buryats, Evenks, Russians and Tofs, starting from the 17th century, are presented here. The museum is open from 9 am to 6 pm daily, the ticket costs 150 rubles.
Find out how much it costs to go to Baikal.
Tazheran caves
To the south of Olkhon and the Maloye More, there are rocks cut by caves, called Tazheransk. They can rightfully be ranked among the most interesting and beautiful places of Lake Baikal. The largest of them is the Dream Cave, its size allows you to walk in full growth. The most beautiful hall is the Throne Hall, inside which there is a dais that really resembles a throne. Baidinsky cold caves are notable for their archaeological finds. The sites of ancient people, fragments of pottery, arrowheads and other items were discovered here. Ancient cave paintings can be seen near the Aya cave.
The caves are located between the ferry crossing to Olkhon and the village of Elantsy. You can get there by car on the road from Sakhyurta.
Mount Yord
On the banks of the Anga River in the Tazheran steppes, a 42-meter mound rises - an interesting landmark of Lake Baikal. You can get to it by car if you turn around the village of Elantsy. The outlines of the mound have a surprisingly regular geometric shape, although no traces of human activity have been found in the creation of the mound.
At one time, 1-2 times a year, the Yordyn games were held here, which consisted of a circular dance around the mound. Only shamans climbed to the top. The ceremony was attended by at least seven hundred people, just such a number is necessary to completely close the circle. If fewer people gathered, then the games were considered invalid, and the whole year was considered unsuccessful. Not so long ago, the games were resumed, they are held every four years.
Olkhon Island
Olkhon is the most famous island on Lake Baikal and one of the most interesting places on the lake. According to legend, the great Genghis Khan rests on Olkhon. You can get from Irkutsk to the village of Khuzhir by bus, boat or by road through the ferry in the village of Sakhyurta. Most of the tourists here are in the summer and in January-March. From December to January, the ferry service stops, only boats run or air service works. In winter, the island is easily accessible over ice. Find out how to have a great winter rest on Lake Baikal.
The main business card of the island is the Shamanka rock and 13 pillars around it. These objects are located near the village of Khuzhir on Cape Burkhan. In ancient times, the rock was considered a habitat for spirits, children and women were not even allowed to come close to it. There is a cave in the rock, in which, according to the beliefs of the Buryats, the owner of Lake Baikal lived. Until now, the rock remains the main place of pilgrimage for all shamans who perform their rituals here.
From the village of Khuzhir by car or bicycle you can reach Cape Khoboy - about 30 km of total off-road to the north of the island. Here you can capture the best panoramic views of the lake, and if you're lucky, watch the Baikal seals. In winter, you can see the natural grottoes in the rocks, which are at the water level and reach tens of meters in length.
In the east of Olkhon, on Cape Izhimey, there is the highest point of the island - Mount Zhima (1276 m). According to legend, spirits and gods lived here, helping lost travelers. As such, there is no path for climbing the mountain, so the process can take a whole day.
On the way to the Tashkinei valley there is a healing lake Shara-Nur, or Yellow Lake. The water in it is really cloudy due to the high content of hydrogen sulfide and can heal joint diseases. The locals believed that a giant snake lived here, and never bathed in its waters.
Find out where to relax on Baikal with tents.
Related articles:
- How to get to Baikal (We are figuring out the best way to get to Irkutsk: take a train or fly by plane. We also tell you about ways to get from Irkutsk to the lake itself.)
- A trip to Lake Baikal by car (How to get there from Moscow, Yekaterinburg and other cities. Tips and warnings.)
Ogoy Island
Ogoy Island is located in the Small Sea, a few kilometers from Olkhon. They usually get there by boat from the village of Khuzhir or Sakhyurty. The place is notable for the fact that in 2005 a Buddhist Stupa of Enlightenment was erected here. Weapons and vessels with jewels were hidden inside the 8-meter concrete structure; the relics of Buddhist saints, ancient books and mantras that were brought from Nepal are also kept there. To be spiritually cleansed, you need to walk around the structure barefoot eight times along a specially laid out path.
Sagan-Zaba cliff
Another beautiful and interesting place of Lake Baikal is the Sagan-Zaba cliff. A cliff of crystalline limestone is located a few kilometers from Cape Krestovsky. It is more convenient to get to the place by water, by land you can drive up by car, but then you have to walk. The white-pink cliff against the backdrop of the Black Forest looks especially beautiful in summer at sunrise.
This natural monument is widely known for the so-called petroglyphs - rock paintings of ancient people. The oldest image, scientists have 4 thousand years. Not far from the cliff in the Zun-Sagan-Zaba bay, archaeological finds from the Neolithic era were discovered. According to legend, in one of the caves, shamans performed their rituals and sacrifices.
Circum-Baikal Railway
The Circum-Baikal Railway (Circum-Baikal Railway) is a section of the Trans-Siberian Railway, built by the decree of Emperor Alexander III.Now it is a historical landmark of Lake Baikal, recognized as one of the most beautiful and expensive railways in the world. To build an 85 km section from Kultuk to the port of Baikal, engineers had to build 39 tunnels with a total length of 9.5 km, 18 galleries, 476 bridges and viaducts.
After the construction of the hydroelectric power station, the authorities paved a new path. Now the Circum-Baikal Express runs on this section with stops and visits to local attractions. Express departs from Irkutsk and follows the route to the port. Then the passengers are transported by ferry through the Angara, and they are already returning to Irkutsk by buses. The tour runs all year round and takes the whole day. The total cost of the trip without meals is 3-3.5 thousand rubles. for adults and 2.8-3 thousand for children. You can order tickets on the company's website.
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Of course, these are not all beautiful and interesting places on Lake Baikal - there are Shumak springs, mountain Alkhanay, sacred for Buddhists, Ushkany Islands with seals, Peschanaya Bay with stilted pines, Sarma gorge, waterfalls on rivers and many other attractions. When going to Baikal on an independent journey, you should take into account that many places are located in the protected area, and to visit them you need to obtain a special permit.
