11D8NENIRKS

LAKE BAIKAL, RUSSIA

FOLLOW US....Starting in Irkutsk, nearest city of Lake Baikal, moving to the

republic of Buryatia and visiting Arshan village nestled at the foot

of Sayan Mountains, boarding the Circumbaikal train and travel

on the old Trans-Siberian line to the Listvyanka Village

and exploring the Olkhon island, a land full of legends and holy

places.

Travel Validity Period:Apr – Oct 2019

GLORIOUS LAKE BAIKAL + OLKHON ISLAND

DELICACIESMeal Plan9 Breakfasts, 9 Lunches, 9 Dinners

HIGHLIGHTS

3-4★ HOTELS

*Note: Hotels subject to final confirma on. Should there be changes, customers will be offered accommoda on similar to this list.

EU Holidays | Northern Europe 11

DAY 1HOME BEIJINGMeals on Board

Meals on Board, Lunch, Dinner

Assemble at the airport and take-off to Beijing, China where we have a stopover before departing for Irkutsk, a city on the Angara River in eastern Siberia, Russia.

Once upon arrival, take on a city tour to the historic districts of the city, the place where Irkutsk was founded by the Cossack Yakov Pokhabov, its ancient churches, cultural sites and monuments. The tour continues with the visit to the Historic Memorial Decembrists’ Museum (house-museum of Decembrist Sergei Volkonsky), where you are going to hear many stories about the life of Decembrists of Siberia.

DAY 3IRKUTSK ARSHANBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 2BEIJING IRKUTSK

We leave the big city behind this morning

and head for Arshan Village, a small

picturesque town situated in the republic

of Burvatia at the foot of Eastern Sayan

Mountains. Its known as “Little Siberian

Switzerland” because of its healing hot

springs that rise to the surface near

Kyngarga river. Walking into the Tunkinsky

National Park, take a short trek to the

Kyngarga Waterfall.

DAY 4ARSHAN TUNKA VALLEYARSHANBreakfast, Lunch, DinnerWe’ll spend the day exploring the village and its charming surroundings. Visiting the local market and the small BuddhistDastan (monastery) hidden in the forest. A breath-taking drive will take us to Zhemchug Village located at the end of the Tunkinsky Valley with its vast steppes, horses and cows. Here you will have the chance to bathe in the mineral springs,which are so good for your skin, joints and the nerve system. On the way back, we pass by a small local observatory withtelescopes and return to Arshan Village.

In the morning we drive straight to Slyudyanka Village where we’ll board the Circumbaikal Train to make a day trip on a former Trans-Siberian railway along the lake shore. Until the middle of the 20th century the Circumbaikal railway was partof the main line of Trans-Siberian Railway; later on however, a duplicate section of the railway was built. Sometimes calleda unique achievement in engineering, the Circumbaikal is one of the picturesque sights of the area around Lake Baikal. TheCircumbaikal contains thirty-eight tunnels with a total length of 9063m (the longest

IRKUTSK MarriotARSHAN Arshan VillageLISTVYANKA AnastasiyaOLKHON ISLAND Baikal View

Irkutsk

Maloe More Strait

SIBERIA

RUSSIA

DAY 5ARSHAN CIRCUMBAIKAL RAILWAY LISTVYANKABreakfast, Lunch, Dinner

SIBERIA, RUSSIAIRKUTSK• City Tour• Historic Memorial Decembrists’ Museum

ARSHAN• Arshan Village• Tunkinsky Na onal Park,• Kyngarga Waterfall• Tunka Valley• Zhemchug Village

LISTVYANKA• Slyudyanka Village• Circumbaikal Train• Listvyanka Village• Church of Saint Nicholas• Baikal Limnological Museum• Taltsy Museum of Wooden Architecture

OLKHON ISLAND• Buryat Village Ust-Orda• Maloe More Strait• Khuzhir• Shamanka Rock• “Three Brothers” Cliff• Cape Shunte-Leviy• Cape Khoboy• Tazheranskaya Steppe

Listvyanka1

2

3

Arshan

Tunka ValleyFlight path

Traverse by TrainTraverse by coach

Featured destinationsOvernight stays 1 2 3 4

11

Olkhon Island

LAKE BAIKAL

EXCLUSIVE

• Arshan Village• Circumbaikal Train• Olkhon Island• Shaman Ritual

12 Northern Europe | EU Holidays

DAY 6LISTVYANKA IRKUTSKBreakfast, Lunch, DinnerWe start the day exploring Listvyanka

Village with its port and fish market. Next,

we’ll visit the Church of Saint Nicholas

followed by the excursion in the Baikal

Limnological Museum. Here you will learn

a lot about the unique flora and fauna of

the lake. If you don’t suffer from dizziness,

you can also enjoy the virtual diving to the

bottom of the lake to see it more

closely. Departure to the Taltsy Museum

of Wooden Architecture that will tell you

the history of native people of Siberia.

Taltsy Museum opens its doors to all

visitors, wishing to enjoy the beauty of

different types of old wooden

constructions – civil, religious and

defensive – from the 17th to the 20th

centuries. You will get to know a lot about

the cultural heritage of Russian, Buryat,

Tofalar and Evenks people. Then leisurely

journey back to Irkutsk.

DAY 11 HOME SWEET HOMEWe hope you enjoyed your trip with our company and we look forward to seeingyou again for your next trip.

Tipping Guideline: (based on 11D8N)• €88 per person

Note:• A minimum group size is required for a confirmed departure: 10 passengers (without tour leader), 15 passengers & above (with tour leader).• The sequence of the i nerary, flight schedules and hotels are subject to change without prior no ce in the event of unforeseen circumstances.• Ac vi es are subject to weather condi ons.• During major events and fes vals, accommoda on may be re-located to outside of the city or in another city without prior no ce.

DAY 7

Breakfast, Lunch, DinnerIRKUTSK OLKHON ISLAND

DAY 8OLKHON ISLANDBreakfast, Lunch, DinnerToday spend the day exploring the northern of Olkhon Island. On the way we are going to make several stops in the most picturesque places: the cliff Three Brothers, the Love Cape and many others. Enroute, we will be having a picnic lunch. The final point of the excursion – the Cape Khoboy. This is a place where the smaller and bigger seas meet and form the widest place of the lake of 79.5 km. From the top of the cape opens a phenomenal panoramic view.

We will take into the sights of the southern part of the island with its steppes, small lake Khankhoy and beautiful landscapes. Return to the village in the afternoon and take a walk to the main symbol of the island – the famous Shamanka Rock, one of the 9 sacred places of Asia. Have some free time before dinner where you’ll have the opportunity to snap impressive photos of the sunsets on the island.

DAY 10OLKHON ISLAND IRKUTSK

HOMEBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner

This morning we depart to Irkutsk, we will pass the Tazheranskaya Steppe with its icebergs that form the Mongolianlandscapes. You can find few trees here but many prairie dogs running in front of the feet. The breath-taking viewpoints ofTan-Khan and Shebete mountains will open the fantastic view to the landscapes of the steppe and the lake. We then havelunch in a Buryat Café on the way before arriving in the evening to Irkutsk, for your flight home.

of them, a tunnel through Cape

Polovinny, is 777.5m long). There are also

15 stone galleries and 3 ferro-concrete

galleries with apertures, 248 bridges and

viaducts, and 268 retaining walls. We are

going to enjoy a day trip on board of the

train making several stops to wander

around the tunnels, bridges on the coast

of Baikal lakes with lots of wild flowers.

After arriving to the port Baikal in the

evening we take a ferry trip to Listvyanka

Village.

Today, we depart towards the Olkhon Island, on the way we‘ll visit the Buryat Village Ust-Orda with its ethnographicmuseums, where we are going to enjoy the folk program and take part in an authentic shaman ritual. Our next stop is the Datsan (Buddhist Temple) with a nice lunch of traditional Buryat cuisine afterwards. Enjoy the scenic journey across the picturesqueMaloe More (Small Sea) strait, and arrived to Khuzhir, the capital of Olkhon Island.

DAY 9OLKHON ISLANDBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner

11D8N GLORIOUS LAKE BAIKAL + OLKHON ISLAND

SHAMANIC SYLLABLES, OOLKHON ISLAND CIRCUMBAIKAL RAILWAY

FLOWERING-RHODODENDRON

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FEATURE

COLOURS OF

LAKE BAIKAL VILLAGE

BAIKALAptly called the ‘Blue Eye of Siberia’, Lake Baikal is a natural wonder that holds

many names and titles, yet no words can fully describe the miracle of this pristine, blue sea. The largest and deepest freshwater lake

contains a fifth of the world’s freshwater reserve, and is home to more than 2000

species of plants and animals, two-thirds of which

are found only in Lake Baikal. With the change of the seasons, Lake Baikal undergoes an amazing transformation to piece together vastly different

atmospheres and landscapes that will create

a different experience.

A season where nature begins to awaken from its deep winter slumber, spring begins its first bloom in the form of gradually brightening colours – the fresh green foliage of new sprigs of nature and the lilac blanket of wild rosemary flowers. For the lone explorer, this season is best suited for you as most parts of the lake will be devoid of the usual tourist crowd, due to the cool weather. As we move into May, you will be treated to a riveting performance of ‘ice drifting’ when the thick ice surface begins to melt.

If you smell the aromas of herbs, berries or mushrooms in the air, this means summer has officially arrived at Lake Baikal. Also known as the best season to view the lake in its full splendour, Baikal comes alive in rich hues of azure, emerald and agate. The warm weather also brings out all the fun in the sun, and you can take your pick from a whole range of activities available such as forest treks, boat cruises and various watersports.

Autumn casts a warm glow over Lake

Baikal, as bursts of orange, red and

gold spread through the foliage

surrounding the lake. Accompanied by

warm, sunny days, this is the season

perfect for art and photography lovers,

where you will find the most beautiful

sceneries and picturesque settings that

will take your breath away.

Spring

Summer AutumnBAIKAL LAKE OLKHON ISLAND