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Tours to Baikal
- Circumbaikal Railway Tour
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Circumbaikal railway is the old part of the Transsiberian railroad. It starts in Kultuk village / Station Kultuk (157 km)
and ends in Port Baikal (73 km). Kultuk village is situated 8 km before Sludyanka and 98 km away from Irkutsk by road.
The main railway building however is in Sludyanka.
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Within the section of 84 km from Kultuk to Port Baikal there are 424 engineering constructions and 39 tunnels, the total
length of which is 8994 metres. The biggest tunnels are Katorzhny (538 m), Khabartuy (548 m), Poloviny (807 m). There are
about 200 bridges and 14 km of walls that supports the railway. All these constructions were build more than 100 years ago!
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the distance between Irkutsk and Listvyanka: 70 km / 44 ml
the distance between Irkutsk and Sludyanka: 106 km / 66 ml
the distance between Sludyanka and Port Baikal: 84 km / 52 ml
the distance between Port Baikal and Listvyanka: 2 km / 1.2 ml
The railroad was named "the Golden Buckle of the Great Siberian Trail". The "Buckle" - as it connected the Trans Siberian
railway divided by Baikal lake; the "Golden" - because the total value of building operations exceeded the cost of all
railroads in Russia at those time. At the end of 70's the railway was recognized as the historic and architectural monument
and now it is under government protection.
The Circumbaikal railway tour starts in Irkutsk everyday except Tuesday. The tour ends in Irkutsk in the evening. Price does not include meals during the tour.
In summer light snacks can be bought on the train at the restaurant carriage. It is recommended to take your own food before the train trip. The thermos with
hot boiled water is always available in every carriage.
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The Circumbaikal railway trip can be done by ELECTRIC TRAIN, STEAM LOCOMOTIVE TRAIN or DIESEL-POWERED RAIL BUS.
- Electric Train goes everyday during summer. It has carriages with 1st, 2nd and 3rd class.
- Steam Locomotive Train goes everyday except Monday and Tuesday. Carriages have no classes.
- Diesel-powered train carriage goes in winter on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Carriages have no classes.
Steam Locomotive Circumbaikal tour: from May till October:
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Tour option 1:
Departure days: every Wednesday and Saturday
Tour duration: 1 day (07:51 - 20:30/21:30)
Irkutsk - Sludyanka - Circumbaikal railway - Port Baikal - Ferry to Listvyanka - Irkutsk
Distance: 262 km / 162 ml
07:51 Trans-Siberian train departure for Sludyanka and 100km non-stop journey. Stop in Sludyanka for 30 minutes and at
10:30 travel by Circumbaikal railway along lake Baikal to Port Baikal (92 km). Special stops (4-5 stops from 20 min
to 1 hour) enroute are done for tourists at the historical sites of the railway: Staraya Angasolka, Shabartuysky
bridge, Polovinaya river, "Italian" Wall, through longest tunnels, viaducts and supporting walls. Arrive Port Baikal
at 18:30 and cross the Angara river (2 km) by ferry-boat to Listvyanka. Drive by bus 70 km / 1 hour to Irkutsk. The
trip is finished at 20:30 - 21:30 with the bus arrival to the central Kirov square (Angara hotel). The last stop is
at the train station.
Price: 8000R (+750R if lakeside seat is required*)
Price includes:
- Circumbaikal train tickets: Irkutsk - Sludyanka - Port Baikal
- Ferry-boat Port Baikal to Listvyanka
- Bus transfer Listvyanka to Irkutsk 70km
- Meals are not included
*Lakeside seat means on the side of the lake. Aisle seat on the side of the lake is also considered
to be a lakeside seat.
Tour option 2:
Departure days: every Thursday and Sunday
Tour duration: 1 day (07:30/08:00 - 20:15/20:45)
Irkutsk - Listvyanka - Ferry to Port Baikal - Circumbaikal railway - Sludyanka - Irkutsk
Distance: 262 km / 162 ml
At 07:30/08:00 Bus departure from Irkutsk to Lake Baikal / Listvyanka (70 km and 1 hour). Cross the Angara river (2 km)
by ferry-boat to Port Baikal. At 10:00 start the Circumbaikal railway excursion by train along lake Baikal to
Sludyanka (92 km). Special stops (4-5 stops from 20 min to 1 hour) enroute are done for tourists at the historical
sites of the railway: "Italian" Wall, Polovinaya river, Shabartuysky bridge, Staraya Angasolka, through longest
tunnels, viaducts and supporting walls. Arrive Sludyanka at 17:00. Stop for 40 min and ride by Trans-Siberian
railway (100 km) to Irkutsk. The trip is finished with the train arrival at Irkutsk train station at 20:15/20:45
Price: 8000R (+750R if lakeside seat is required*)
Price includes:
- Bus transfer Irkutsk to Listvyanka 70km
- Ferry-boat Listvyanka to Port Baikal
- Circumbaikal train tickets: Port Baikal - Sludyanka - Irkutsk
- Meals are not included
*Lakeside seat means on the side of the lake. Aisle seat on the side of the lake is also considered
to be a lakeside seat.
Possible extra expenses:
- Pick up at your place in Irkutsk and transfer to the starting point: 1000R
- Extra fee for baggage size bigger than 30x40x50 is 400R (cash payment on the train)
- Breakfast 350R
- Lunch 800R
- Dinner 700R |
Electric Train Circumbaikal tour: from May till October
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Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays:
07:00 or 08:00 - Bus departure from Irkutsk to Lake Baikal / Listvyanka (70 km and 1 hour). Cross the Angara river (2 km) by ferry-boat to Port Baikal.
10:40 - Start the Circumbaikal railway excursion by train along lake Baikal to Sludyanka (92 km). Special stops (from 20 min to 1,5 hours) enroute are done for
tourists at the historical sites of the railway: "Italian" Wall, Polovinaya river, Shabartuysky bridge, Staraya Angasolka, longest tunnels, viaducts and supporting
walls.
17:40 - Arrive Sludyanka. Stop for 20 minutes and ride by Trans-Siberian railway (100 km) to Irkutsk.
20:40 - Arrive to Irkutsk train station.
Tuesdays, Thursdays, Sundays:
08:00 - Trans-Siberian train departure for Sludyanka and 2,5 hours non-stop (100 km) journey.
10:30 - Stop in Sludyanka for 30 minutes and further travel by Circumbaikal railway along lake Baikal to Port Baikal (92 km). Special stops enroute are done
for tourists at the historical sites of the railway: Staraya Angasolka, Shabartuysky bridge, Polovinaya river, "Italian" Wall, longest tunnels, viaducts and
supporting walls.
17:00 - Arrive Port Baikal.
18:20 or 19:20 - Cross the Angara river (2 km) by ferry-boat to Listvyanka.
18:50 or 19:50 - Drive by bus 70 km to Irkutsk.
20:30 or 21:30 - Arrive to Irkutsk train station.
Tour price with 1st class train tickets: 8000 Rubles
Tour price with 2nd class train tickets: 7500 Rubles
16th July - 30th of August:
Tour price with 1st class train tickets: 8500 Rubles
Tour price with 2nd class train tickets: 8000 Rubles
Price includes: Circumbaikal train tickets, Ferry-boat, Bus transfer
Meals are not included
Possible extra expenses:
- Pick up at your place in Irkutsk and transfer to the starting point: 1000R
- Extra fee for baggage size bigger than 30x40x50 is 400R (cash payment on the train)
- Breakfast 250R (two sandwiches and tea)
- Lunch-box 650R (steamed potato with meat, chicken or fish or vegeterian, bread, tea, chocolate)
- Lunch 550R (beetroot soup, mashed potato with chicken rissole or chicken pilau, vegetable salad or salted cucumbers, tea with cake) |
You can use the form below to make a booking or ask a question. To book the tour we need your contact mobile phone number and the address in
Irkutsk where to deliver the tour vaucher. To issue train tickets for every group member please email your scanned passports. We will be able
to reserve the tour and buy train tickets right after payment.
OTHER POSSIBLE OPTIONS:
1) Tour duration: 2 days / 1 night
Irkutsk - Listvyanka - Ferry to Port Baikal - Circumbaikal ralway - Sludyanka - Irkutsk
The Circumbaikal railway tour (option 2) can be combined with the trip to Listvyanka on the previous day. The duration of
the tour is 2 days / 1 night. If you are already in Listvyanka, you can start the one day Circumbaikal trip (option 2)
on every Thursdays and Sundays at 11:00
2) Tour duration: 2 days / 1 night
Irkutsk - Kultuk - Arshan - Sludyanka - Circumbaikal railway - Port Baikal - Ferry to Listvyanka - Irkutsk
The Circumbaikal railway tour (option 1) can be combined with the trip to Arshan or Tunka valley on the previous day. The
duration of the tour is 2 days / 1 night. Otherwise you can also start the tour from Sludyanka on every Wednesdays and
Saturdays at 10:00.
3) The Circumbaikal railway can be visited by boat from Listvyanka.
The Yaroslavets boat rent is 3000 - 5000 rubles per hour.
Boats can take aboard up to 20 people. From Listvyanka it requires 1.5 - 2 hours to get to the most spectacular places of
the Circumbaikal railway. Please note that the boat rent price includes the cruise back to Listvyanka, plus the time the
boat is spending at the Circumbaikal railway.
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October - May:
Diesel-powered train carriage: comfortable carriages are equipped with special heating system and have bar.
Soft arm-chairs are located infront of each other and have cosy tables in between. Every carriage has 4 LCD monitors
which show DVD about the railway and camera view from the front of the train. Everything is to meet the 1st class
standards.
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June - September:
Electric train has 4 types of carriages: 1st and business class carriages have a pair of arm-chairs located
infront of each other and a table. 2nd class carriages have 2 and 3 chairs in a row and no tables. The train has a
restaurant car. Cars have hot boiled water supply for every table. Every car has LCD monitors which show DVD about
the railway and lake Baikal.
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You are welcome to spend more than 1 day at the circumbaikal
railway and explore the area by foot. 1-2 days trekking trips are possible along the Baikal shore and the railway
line, through the tunnels. Accommodation is available at the following guesthouses and tourist bases:
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All the accommodations above has big outside yards, view to the lake,
saunas/banya, places for picnics equipped for barbecues, dinning rooms with chimneys, cable TV, offer
excursions.
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Read more information about Circumbaikal railway.
Read more information
about Trans Siberian railway.
Tour options are endless. You are welcome to ask questions or reserve the trip at
request form page.
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Dear Guests: here you can read some comments of travellers who travelled to Olkhon island using one
of the packages above: |
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Thanks to a vert kind tour guide, I had a pleasant trip. Tour program was awesome and tour guide was very friendly. Thanks to the kindness, i
really enjoyed my trip. If tour guide to explain in english about Baikal and Russian railway it would be great to understand of history.
I recommend the baikalex to all of Korean!
Thank you for your kind.
Yujin, South Korea
(09 October, 2016)
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Thank you very much for your services. We had a nice surprise on the day, as we had 2 Steam Locomotives pulling us! This made it a very special
day-out. Infact we did see a few Nerpas, but you were correct, they were just black dots in the water far away!
However the butterflies and wild flowers were nice and close by us at the stops, which were many. The whole day was a highlight experience of
our Trans-Siberian journey. Thank-you again for organising the tickets.
Bolshoi spasibo!
Shena Maskell and friends
(28 June, 2015)
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We are now home after our wonderful trip to Russia. We would just like to thank you for your efficiency in organising the
Circumbaikal Railway journey which we very much enjoyed (in superb weather!) I have passed your contact details on to our
travel agent with a recommendation of your good service so I hope it brings you further business. If you ever have the
opportunity to visit Australia, contact us and we would be delighted to show you around the beautiful Blue Mountains where we live.
Warm regards,
Adrienne (John and Wally)
(05 September, 2012)
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Just a quick message to say thank you so much! Alena met me at the station and everything worked out as planned.
The Circumbaikal excursion was one of the highlights of my 4- week Trans-Siberian journey. The guide who accompanied us
on the trip was excellent, I loved the home cooked meal at the place where we stopped for lunch and Baikal simply took
my breath away!
Thanks again!
Madeleine Opthof, Switzerland
(09-10 June, 2010)
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Click here to read more reviews at Tripadvisor.com |
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