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Travel to Baikal
- Olkhon Island Tours
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Olkhon is the biggest island of Baikal and the largest lake-bound island in the world.
It has become the lake's energetic center. Picturesque landscapes, sandy bays, steep capes with unusual shapes
make Olkhon a place to treasure.
length: 71.7 km / 44.6 ml
width: 14 km / 8.7 ml
area: 730 km2
highest point: 1274 m
Map of Olkhon Island - 82 Kb / Scale 1:750000 (1cm = 1.5 km) |
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the distance between Irkutsk and Olkhon: 250 km / 155 ml.
the distance between Irkutsk and Khuzir: 300 km / 187 ml.
tour duration: minimum 3 days / 2 nights.
period: the best time (speaking about the weather) to visit Olkhon is
July and August. However during this time the island is "overcrowded". As a result, one can wait for several hours to get
on the ferry boat which goes once in an hour. On the whole it is good to travel to Olkhon island from the end
of May till the end of October.
Winter Tour to Olkhon Island |
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There are several settlements and 5 villages in Olkhon island (Yalga, Malomorets, Khuzir, Kharantsi, Ulan-Khushin) inhabited mostly by Buryats. Khuzir is
the geographical and administrative center of Olkhon. Population of the island is less then 1500 and consists of fishermen and farmers.
Due to its remoteness, Olkhon island has neither wired nor telephone/radio connection with the mainland. From 2005 cell phones have connection there and
the electricity 220V is available 24 hours. Food shops (5) are located on the central/main street of Khuzir.
Olkhon is one of the sacred shamanist center which is also considered a centre of Kurumchinskay culture of VI-X centuries.
On the island there are 143 archaeological objects. This land is full of legends and holy places.
There are no dangerous beasts of pray on the island, no mosquitos and midges. Olkhon is included in the territory of Pribaikalsky national park.
During the peak of the high season (July 15 - August 15) Olkhon island is overcrowded with tourists.
Read more about Olkhon Island |
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Tour to Olkhon Island
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3 days / 2 nights is the minimum duration for the tour to Olkhon island. Usually the trip starts
in Irkutsk or Listvyanka (hotel, hostel, etc.) where tourists are picked up by our guide and driver and drive north
250 km / 155 miles to the Olkhon Island ferry. Lunch en route, served in Buryat village of Elantsi, then make the ferry
crossing to Olkhon Island. Explore Khuzir, the island's main village, visit Burkhan Cape and Local Lore museum. Dine on
home-cooked grayling, a local Baikal specialty. Our Fisherman Guesthouse
in Khuzir this night has shared washing facilities but very nice atmosphere. (D)
Day 2: In the morning depart by Russian military jeeps to explore Olkhon Island and classic Lake Baikal vistas.
Heading north, visit Harantsi village and make stops at Peschanka, Sagaan-Khushun Cape, coastal sand dunes and stretches
of beach along the way, including the 600'-high cliffs of Khoboi Cape at the northern tip of the island. After a picnic
lunch in Uzuri bay, return back to Khuzir. Dinner and night in Khuzir. (B / L / D)
Day 3: In the morning drive to the ferry station. Crossing the strait to the mainland and drive to Irkutsk.
Make stop at the road cafe enroute for lunch. Approximate arrival time: 17.00 - 18.00. (B)
3 day tour price: for the group size of 4 persons the price is 21000R per person.
2 day tour price: for the group size of 4 persons the price is 18500R per person.
Price includes:
- Accommodation: Guest house in Olkhon island / 2 nights
- Ground Transport: Car/Minivan, jeep UAZ, fuel, driver and driver's travel expenses
- Guides: English-speaking guide to accompany group at all times
- Activities: Tours and visits as specified in itinerary
- Meals: As specified in itinerary, to include non-alcoholic beverages:
(B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner)
- Transfers: All transfers to/from hotels, hostels in Irkutsk, Olkhon Island
- Permits & Admission Fees For access to special areas and sites
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Regular tours to Olkhon island include visiting:
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Olkhon Island Local Lore museum
It is is situated in Khuzir village, on the territory of
the local school. There are more then 3000 valuable exhibits and finds that were collected on the island by the
founder of the museum Michail Revyakin and his pupils. Among the collection there are ancient ritual adornments of
shaman which were found at the supposed place of cremation, ancient yurta with authentic top priorities, chest
badge belonged to Chingis-Khan warriors.
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Burkhan Rock
The spectacular Burkhan Cape, Stone Temple or Skala Shamanka
as the local people call it is situated not far from the village of Khuzir. The cape is crowned with
'two-head' marble rock "Burkhan". There is a through cave in the small rock and ancient paintings with
sanskrit sign above the entrance. For a long time the cave was a place for annual shamanic worship. This
considerable historic monument is a peculiar symbol of Baikal and one of the nine holiest places in Asia.
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Peschanka Bay
Peschanoye or sandy bay, 20 km to the north from Khuzir, is
famous for its picturesque beach dunes and more for being a former camp for political and war prisoners
after the 2nd World War. Nowadays there are only log ruins absorbed by sand moving, wind and time. Old
pier and railways still remains, but the old abandoned cemetery in the nearby forest is already difficult to find.
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Sagaan-Khushun Cape
Translated from Buryat language as "white cape". It is
situated in the northern part of Olkhon island, 4 km before Khoboy cape. Very quite place that is difficult to find
from the land. This mountainous archipelago is 1 km width and looks like three huge ledges. Local people usually
call the cape Three Brothers. Light carbonic rocks are covered with bright multicoloured lichenous vegetation.
The place was inserted to the list of Baikal nature monuments.
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Khoboy cape
The northern point of Olkhon island represents vertically directed marble rock
plate. Khoboi is translated as 'fang' from old Buryat language and it realy looks like it. Beautiful view of endless
scopes and majestic circular panorama of Baikal. Sviatoy Nos peninsula and Ushkany archipelago can be seen from the
cape. Khoboi is situated near the widest point of Baikal lake - 79,5 km. One can understand why Baikal is compared
sometimes with a sea.
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Kurykanskaya Wall
The cape of Khargoy is famous for the remains of the ancient Kurykan's stone
wall. Kurykani is the name for the nation/tribe that lived here in VI - XI century a.d. Now it is difficult to prove
the purpose of the wall. The construction is considered to be protective. Others suppose the place to be the holy
worship shrine. The length of the wall is about 185 metres, in some parts the height is as much as 1.5 - 2 metres. Near
the wall there is a ditch, 3.5 m width / 1.5 m in depth. The wall was discovered in 1879 by I.D. Chersky.
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Saraysky Bay / Beach
Saraysky bay is situated between Burkhan cape and Harantsi
village. The sandy beach is 3 km long and the width is about 1 km. Cosy meadows and glades surrounded by pine forest are
behind the sandy banks. The bay is shallow and in summer the water is warm enough to swim. |
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You can ask a question or reserve the tour on our
Request Form page.
Read more information about Olkhon island. |
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Dear Guests: here you can read some comments of travellers who travelled to Olkhon island in summer using one
of the packages above.
We'd always like to hear about the service you recieve from us.
Please tell us all about it! |
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TRIP ADVISOR REVIEWS:
Baikal Explorer - Day Tours &
Lake Baikal - Siberian District
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I would just like to say a big thank you to Leonid and his superb driver who took us to Olkhon Island for the 3day/2night tour. We were a group of 8
travelling together and Leonid was able to accommodate us with our own private tour. He picked us up from the station and we headed off from there.
The accommodation and food on the island was so clean, with comfortable beds and food for both breakfast and dinner was exceptional. We are a group
of independent travellers getting together for the trans siberian journey and Baikal explorer made this sector very memorable for us all. Thank you
for making the booking so easy and always being there to answer any questions so promptly when initially booking the trip.
Vanessa Bortolin (13-15 September, 2017) / AUSTRALIA
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Center of shamanic energy on Lake Baikal
Last summer I visited Olkhon Island, I was really impressed by its beauty and therefore I wrote this article about it. "Shamanic experience; saving our vehicle; traditional food & culture"
ZUZANA VRABCOVA from Slovakia |
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If you are short of time, you can still get to the island in 2 days 1 night. The trains from Moscow arrives in Irkutsk at 8am and
you can leave on a local train 3 days later to go to Ulan bator. I emailed baikal explorer before I left the UK, Leonid replied to
all my emails quickly. He picked us up from the train station and we set off that day to the island. In september the Island is
still quite busy, but I heard that in July/Aug, the queue for the ferry across was 5hrs+ and overnight if you were taking a car!!!
We toured the East of the island & near the main town and then went to the hostel. It now has showers (though the website says no
running water) it is family run and they are very lovely. They provide you with bedding and towels, and the beds were really comfy.
The food was afternoon tea (cake & a cuppa) and dinner on the first day, which was filling and tasty. Breakfast the next day was a
bit strange as it was pasta, but it was still tasty and lunch was really good. There isn't much to do in town to be honest, but
Leonid took us to the supermarket and we bought beer and vodka and sat around talking to the other guests and playing cards. They
have a sauna (Banya) and that was awesome, so time went quick. The toilets are a little away from the accommodation, so don't drink
too much if you have a weak bladder :) The second day we did the tour of the north island, it was amazing, gorgeous scenery, we
were very lucky because there had been lost of fires on the mainland and that had obscured the view from the island, but the wind
changed direction for us & it was spectacular. If you remotely get car sick, take some tablets, this is off roading, so it's very
bumpy, but definitely worth it. We didn't get back to Irkutsk until late that evening, so it was a long couple of days but
definitely worth it, so much so i am thing of going back in the winter to see it in the ice.
Tina Howard-Hegarty (31-01 September, 2015) / UK
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We had such a wonderful trip to the Olkhon Island, so well organised. Leonid was the best guide and showed us some spots that were off the
beaten track. The homestay selected by them was excellent and we experienced the warm hospitality of the people of siberia through our host.
The half day trip to Listvyanka with Julia as our guide was super and her enthusiasm was infectious ! Good job guys and we reccomend them
to anyone who wants to visit the area. We hope to be back in Winter sometime to experience the lake in its frozen glory
Yashashree & Ruby (25-28 August, 2015) / INDIA
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