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Itineraries  /  Lake Baikal Winter Explorer
RU01 · Russia · Baikal

Lake Baikal Winter Explorer

Irkutsk · Lake Baikal · Olkhon Island
Duration
8 Days · 7 Nights
The route
Irkutsk · Lake Baikal · Olkhon Island
Style
The frozen sacred sea and Olkhon ice
Best season
February – March · best
The route

7 nights, 3 stops — the frozen sacred sea and olkhon ice.

Irkutsk → Lake Baikal → Olkhon Island.

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What you're tracking

What you'll see

Eurasian jay
In the city parks.
Azure tit
Along the Angara river.
Baikal seal
On the ice and water.
Taiga birds
Along the forested shore.
Day by day

The journey, one day at a time

01Arrive Irkutsk

Arrive Irkutsk

The journey begins.

Arrive in Irkutsk, met and transferred to your accommodation. Irkutsk, the 'Paris of Siberia', is the historic staging city for Lake Baikal.

02Irkutsk

Irkutsk

A full day in the field.

A city day in transit to Baikal.

03Irkutsk → Lake Baikal

To Lake Baikal

On to the next.

Transfer to Lake Baikal. The frozen lake, turquoise ice and Baikal seals. Taiga shore and lake scenery at Listvyanka.

04Lake Baikal

Lake Baikal

A full day in the field.

Taiga shore and lake scenery at Listvyanka. A full day on the world's deepest lake. Baikal, the oldest and deepest lake on earth, holds a fifth of the world's fresh water and its own endemic seal.

05Lake Baikal → Olkhon Island

To Olkhon Island

On to the next.

Transfer to Olkhon Island. Ice caves, turquoise sheets and the frozen lake. Shamanic sites and the island's dramatic cliffs.

06Olkhon Island

Olkhon Island

A full day in the field.

Shamanic sites and the island's dramatic cliffs. A full day of Olkhon's ice and legend. Olkhon's shamanic sites and spectacular winter ice make it the magical heart of Lake Baikal.

07Olkhon Island

Olkhon Island

A full day in the field.

A full day of Olkhon's ice and legend.

08Depart Olkhon Island

Departure

The journey ends.

A final morning in Olkhon Island — a last outing or a slow start as time allows — before the transfer onward and the journey home.

When to travel

The season changes what you see.

February – March

Peak season

The winter staging season for Baikal's ice.

July – August

Good season

Mild summer in the Siberian city.

Destinations

Where this journey goes

Make it yours.

Add nights, swap a park, extend to the coast — this route is a starting point, not a fixed menu. Tell us how you travel and we'll route the rest.

Field notes, now and then.

Where to go · When to go · Wildlife in season

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