Baikal. A dog sleds and snowmobiles expedition route.

Winter Lake Baikal - a fabulous landscapes, snow-covered taiga, the icy rock and a transparent, slightly bluish, ice, and the proposed expeditionary educational program will allow participants to feel involved in the amazing wonders of this magical place. More than 100 kilometers by dog sled, and over 300 kilometers by snowmobile across the ice and snow, lake, and a full excursion, ice fishing, visiting the magical and sacred places, spending the night in snow-covered houses, clean air and endless expanses of lake ...

Region: Irkutsk region
Type of tourism: combined tour
Duration: 10 days
Length: Dog sleds - about 120 km, snowmobiles - more than 300 km
Dates: mid February - end March 2011
Group: 1 to 4 people
Requirements: No special skills are needed
Restrictions on age: from 14 years accompanied by parents
Accommodation: Hotels, Guest Houses, Hostels
Meals: by itinerary
Service: qualified guides and instructors
Date of beginning of the tour in 2011: by request
Price: by request.
Route: Irkutsk - Listvyanka - dogsledding across the ice in place Pereemnaya (eastern shore of the lake) - Pad Black (Big Cats) - Mount Skriper - Kadil'naya - Big Goloustnoye - Sandy Bay - Buguldeika - cliff Sagan-Zaba - Sahyurta (MRS) - Shaman Rock - Sagan-Khushun - Cape Khoboy (the northern tip of Olkhon) - return to Irkutsk.

Itinerary
Day 1: Meeting at the Irkutsk airport and 70 km transfer by the Baikal road to the shores of Lake Baikal, where the Baikal Museum, based at the pre-existing exposure Baikal Limnological Institute. Baikal Museum - one of the three currently existing lake museums in the world and the only one in Russia. After the tour in the museum visit Seals Pool open in summer 2009. Here you can see the first in the world show of trained seals who sing, dance, play with the ball and count. Baikal seals are very talented and know how to even draw with gouache and drawings, if desired, can be purchased. Dinner at a restaurant in Listvyanka and drive to Lake Baikal Centre of Riding Sports - established in 2002 in Siberia and the only private league sports and tourist center of the sled dogs: Alaskan Husky and Hybrids (a mixture of a Norwegian Husky),the 5 km intro tour driving on the highway. Accommodation in a cozy family hotel «The village». Dinner. Leisure time in Listvyanka.

Day 2: After a hearty breakfast in a family hotel at 11 o'clock transfer to Baikal Centre of Riding Sports for a detailed briefing before going on the trip, laying the necessary equipment and cargo, as well as training sled dogs for the transition. Starting dog sledding in the direction of the town Pereemnoe. (Approximately 60 km including rounds of cracks and ridges). Pereemnaya - is the name of the river, a small station and village on the southern shore of Lake Baikal. Pereemnaya appears on site of the postal station on the Moscow highway. The name comes from the Russian words of transbaikalian dialect: «Rename», «Adopt». N. Spafariy in 1675 wrote: «... and word Pereemnaya for what it stands exactly opposite the mouth of the Angara River, and those who want to cross the sea from the Angara sail, run, or run across the right, in order that there sea well narrowly».
On the way lunch - snacks and a little rest on the frozen lake. Closer to the eastern bank the snow mantle becomes more and you have to push off their feet by helping sledges glide over the snow crust, facilitating movement of rides. On arrival at Pereemnaya - accommodation in wooden huts.

Day 3: After breakfast, depart on foot to the Ice Hole, located 500 meters from the shore to watch, but at the same time and participate in ice-fishing on the omul. For lunch, prepares the famous fish-soup of freshly caught Lake Baikal omul (the main food fish of the lake), but as a «dessert» - fried in a pan golomyanka (viviparous fish weighing 15-25 grams).

Day 4: After breakfast - a continuation of the journey by dog sled to the west coast, route Pereemnaya - Pad' Black (about 60 km including bypass of ice ridges). Hummocks - piling ice blocks up to five meters, occur during the strong winds along the lines of cracks in the ice. On Lake Baikal ice thickness varies from 70 to 120 cm, and the ice itself has a special hue. On the route a stop for a little rest and lunch. When approaching the western shore, the amount of snow on the ice is becoming less and less, and the gaze of travelers stunning spectacle icy expanse of lake with small islands of snow. We must make significant efforts to keep the balance on the sled, while helping the dogs, pushing feet of ice. Dinner and overnight at the base «The Digger's Shelter».

Day 5: After breakfast, familiarity with the instructors and detailed briefing on safety and rules of conduct on the snowmobile route Pad' Black - Large Goloustnoye. The route length is about 40 km, lies on the ice, lightly powdered with snow along the shoreline of the lake and passes the famous Baikal places: Mount Skriper, Big Cats, Pad' Sennaya, Cape Sobolev, Pad' Large and Small Kadil'naya... Along the way there were piling up ridges, there are closed and open cracks in the clear ice, with a bluish tint, and opens a stunningly beautiful picture against the backdrop of distant snow-capped mountains of Hamar-Daban. A short stop for a snack and some rest and again in the way to the village of Large Goloustnoye. On arrival - accommodation in a wooden house, a hot bath, a delicious hot dinner.

Day 6: Breakfast and continued traveling on snowmobiles on the route Large Goloustnoye - Buguldeika village (80 km). The village of Large Goloustnoye was founded in 1673 in place of the Cossack Guard and Goloustnenskoe cabin. Cabin served as a reference point only breech winter crossing of Lake Baikal to the eastern shore of the lake to the village Posolskoye. This ice crossing was part of the Great Tea Way from China to Europe. The name of the cape characterizes the area, which is the steppe, treeless, as if a bare delta, which was formerly called Idin-Gol, and now has the same name as the village. The length of the river - 125 km. This is one of the largest rivers on the western coast in the central basin of Lake Baikal. At the confluence the river forms a lake steppe delta 5 km length and 4 km wide - the largest on the west coast of Lake Baikal.
Gently start a snowmobile on snowless places on the coast, and the course is taken on Buguldeika. The route passes through Ushkany Pad' - reserved specially protected territory of Baikal National Park. The peculiarity of this place is a combination of alpine meadows with unique flora and fauna, impassable taiga and rocks. On the slopes of Baikal ridge found cedars, whose age is about 400 years. Early in the morning at the top of Ushkany Pad' can observe red deer and roe deer grazing on meadows...
Further, about 35 km, we find ourselves in the world-famous places: Sandy Bay, or Siberian Riviera (declared a natural monument), cormorants stone cliffs Small and Big Bell Tower, in the Pad' Rogovik - a rocky Arka... In the rocks of the shore Baklaniy stone to rock Small Bell Tower is set long before the grottoes 22-26 meters in length, which can be viewed directly from the ice. Continues to move and after 9 km fall into the Pad' Hargino, where before the Revolution was mined quartz sand for small glass factories, and in 1930 the last century - for Ulan-Ude glass factory.
Later in the afternoon we arrive in town Buguldeika, located at the mouth of the same river. Accommodation in a cozy family hotel, dinner, rest.

Day 7: Breakfast and the next transition (90 km) of the snowmobile route: Buguldeika - Saherta. On the way to the north there are capes Golyi, Bora Elga and Krestovsky - the most remarkable place in the area. In Buryat language Krestovsky Cape means Dyne Khoshun - «Cape of war», on the cape-mountain are traces of an ancient fortress era kurykan (VI-XI centuries).. In ancient times it was a guard post from where the flue fires warning about the approach of the enemy... In place of the forest mountains of the Primorsky Range comes Tazheransk array of steep rocky headlands without timber... Mount Berhe, Cagan, Mount Tondora, Cape Ulan-Nur, Cape Orso ... In the town Tondora are caves Aya. At 5 km from Cape Krestovsky cliff towering white-marble Sagan-Zaba, who stands out by its color the gray cliffs coast. Rock iconostasis Sagan-Zaba includes images of ancient shamans, dancing, crowned with horns, with their hands up, running deer and swans. Located here ancient shamanistic shrine is one of the major holy sites of Lake Baikal. And the carvings on the shores of the bay Aya kept in three places. Three human figures carved on a path to depict shamans. The size of the largest pieces 25 x 45 cm eyes of these figures indicate the points across the body held the line. One figure on the shoulders shown nail-like appendages. Raised their hands, perhaps, are the symbol of prayer appeals to the sky ...
On the way - stop for lunch, snack and continue traveling. Later in the afternoon arrival in the village MRS (Sahyurta), located in the bay Bazarnaya in Olkhonskiye Strait and stop for dinner and overnight stay in a hotel in the village.

Day 8: Early breakfast and continued travel to the northern tip of Olkhon route: Sahyurta - Khoboy - Sahyurta (150 km). Between the island from the mainland are Olkhonskiye Gate - a mile wide Strait of trip participants overcome by snowmobiles. On the left is seen in the distance Sarminskoe gorge, famous for sudden gusty wind Sarma.
On the way there are such famous and legendary places like the Peninsula Horse Head (it is believed that there was once stopped the warriors of Genghis Khan) and the Cape Horgoy, the famous being on it a protective stone wall, created by kurykans - Ancient peoples in 6-9 cc. BC
From the ice of the Small sea is excellent view to Shaman Rock (Cape Burhan) and located next to the village Khuzhir - the capital of the island. In the rock, which has two vertices and consists of marble covered with red lichen, is a ritual Shamanic cave, the entrance to which is located almost at water level. Since ancient times, this rock is considered sacred places of worship, fanned by the mysteries and legends, one of which is that here, in the form of bald eagle, golden eagle lives Khan-Hute-Baabay - the owner of the island ... Highly rugged west coast of Olkhon is replete with numerous bays and headlands jutting far also plenty of sandy areas, the most picturesque of which is a hole Sandy. Going snowmobiling another sacred place of Baikal - cape Sagan-Khushun (Three Brothers) or «White Cape», with very beautiful high cliffs. On the side of the lake is considered in view of the Cape "W" or "E" and has a profile of a female head. According to legend, a wife of a son of God, turned to stone by the gods - Tengri over evil and jealousy towards her husband ... Khoboy is near the widest location of Lake Baikal (79,5 km). A little rest and a bite, go back to Sahyurtu. Lodging. Dinner.
Day 9: Brunch - return by car to Irkutsk. Lunch on the road. On arrival - accommodation in small family-run hotel, situated in a historic building (19 century) in the center of Irkutsk. Shower, dinner, free time.
Day 10: Breakfast and transfer to the airport (the order of transport at his own expense at the hotel)

The price includes:

• all transfers, except transfer to the airport on the last day;
• accommodation and meals by the program;
• all excursions included in the program;
• training riding and rental of a dog-sleds on a route;
• organization of ice fishing;
• rental of snowmobiles;
• supporting instructor on a snowmobile with cargo sleds;
• fuel for snowmobiles.

The price does not include:

• travel to Irkutsk and back;
• transfer to the airport on the last day;
• insurance.