Meeting the participants at the airport or railway station in Irkutsk

09.00-15.00 – Transfer to the Small Sea

15.00 – Embarking and accomadation on board the motor-ships

Meeting the crew, safety briefing and rules of conduct on board and on Baikal.

Maloye More (the Small Sea) of ​​Baikal is a part of Baikal Lake separated from the main body of water by Olkhon Island. Different cartographic sources define it as a strait and as a bay. Its length is about 70 km, its width is from 5 to 16 km, and the depth in the northern part reaches 210 m. The Primorsky Ridge stretches along the northwestern shore. In the southwest, the bay is connected to Baikal by the Olkhon Gate Strait, to the northwest of which is Mukhor Bay.

Lunch on board the ship.

We go to Barakchin Island with shamans' graves and a seagull market, we go to Cape Khoboy on the northern tip of Olkhon.
Overnight close to the Cape Zunduk.

Breakfast on board the ship.

Passage along the western coast to Cape Zavorotny.

Stop at the areas of Cape Ryty and Cape Pokoyniki (Solnechnaya weather station) in the Baikal-Lena Nature Reserve, if the weather is favorable.

Cape Ryty is located in the central part of Lake Baikal on the western shore, opposite the widest part of Lake Baikal. There is not a single settlement here, there are no roads to this place, and there is not even a path along the coast. Local residents carefully avoid visiting the cape, calling it a cursed place. Something inexplicable still occures on Cape Ryty, but the nature of this impact remains unclear to people.

Cape Pokoyniki is located in the northern part on the western coast of the lake at the foot of the Baikal ridge. On the old map, one of the first to be compiled, the name of the cape is indicated as Cape Pokoynii. And the valley leading to the cape, Pokoynaya. Today, Pokoyniki cape is part of the Baikal-Lena Nature Reserve, and one of the oldest Baikal meteorological stations, Solnechnaya, is located on it, as well as the reserve cordon.

Lunch on board the ship.

Rest on the shore.

Dinner.

Overnight stay on board the ship in the area of ​​Cape Zavorotny.

In 1962, a geological settlement with the Baikalquartzsamosvety enterprise was built in the area of ​​Cape Zavorotny after the world's first discovery of microquartzite, an abrasive material of very high strength for mirror processing of metal. Now several people live in the settlement.

Breakfast on the board.

Further passage to Chivyrkuisky Bay.

Lunch on board the ship.

Dinner.

Arrival in Chivyrkuisky Bay in the evening.

Overnight stay on board the ship.

Passage through Chivyrkuisky gulf.

Visiting Zmeinaya Bay during the day.

This bay is famous for its healing sulphurous baths with water temperature from +41 to +45 degrees.

Lunch on board the ship.

Visiting islands of Chivyrkuisky gulf. Sightseeing of great cormorant nesting place from the water.

Visiting Krohalinaya Bay.

Fishing.

Dinner.

Banya on board the ship as an option.

Overnight stay on board the ship in one of the bays of Chivyrkuisky gulf.

Passage to Ushkan Islands.

Breakfast on board the ship.

Tour around the islands. The rocky shores of the islands are rookery of the unique Baikal mammal Baikal seal or nerpa.

The largest Baikal rookery of nerpa is located on the western side of Tonkiy Island. According to scientists, the number of nerpas at the rookery ranges from 2,000 animals and it hasn’t changed since 1934. Nerpa is cautious. If one speaks loudly and makes noise approaching nerpas, they dive from stones. Usually there aren’t nerpas at the rookery right after storm or in case of waves on the water (as an option you can visit the island at an additional cost).

Dinner on board the ship.

Further visiting the islands.

Overnight stay on board the ship near Bolshoy Ushkaniy Island.

Around 6 am, we leave Sennaya Bay and sail north along the western coast to Olkhon Island (travel time is about 8-10 hours), the largest island on Lake Baikal and one of the sacred places of the Buryat people and the shamanic religion.

Baikal is the blue heart of Siberia, and Olkhon is the heart of Baikal. The island is the geographical, historical and sacred center of the lake - the center of ancient legends and historical stories.

A transition through the strait Small Olkhon Gates – a narrow strait between the island and the mainland.

Overnight stay in one of the bays of Olkhon Island.

Breakfast on board the ship.

Afterwards, we will go to the small village of Bolshie Koty

Bolshie Koty is a village located on the western shore of Lake Baikal, 20 km north of the village of Listvyanka. The village got its name from the word "kotki" or "koty". This is how wooden shoes were called in these places, which were made for convicts. Bolshie Koty was founded as a village of gold miners, gold mining began here in 1842.

Transition to the Circum-Baikal Railway. A walking tour of abandoned tunnels and galleries from the early 20th century, the route runs along the shore of the lake among extremely picturesque nature.

Dinner on board the ship.

The tourist village of Listvyanka is located on the southwestern coast of Lake Baikal, 65 kilometers from Irkutsk, at the source of the Angara River, the city and the village are connected by a picturesque highway.

After breakfast - the end of the expedition and disembarkation of passengers

12:00 disembarkation of passengers at the pier in the village of Listvyanka.

Transfer by bus to Irkutsk (67 km, travel time 1-2 hours).