Tour condition: Grade B. The route is suitable even for novice cyclists.
Activity: cycling (app. 20 - 50 km per day)
ITINERARY:
Day 1. Arrival in Moscow. Our English-speaking guide will meet you at the international airport. Transfer to the hotel. Your first night in Moscow. Optional – bus tour “Moscow at night” or pub crawl.
Day 2. Check-out from the hotel. We will have time to explore the major highlights of Moscow – the city of great Russian history and culture. We will visit the St. Basil's cathedral, Red Square and the world-renowned Lenin Mausoleum. A short bus tour around Moscow is waiting for us. Our tour guide takes you to the “Sparrow Hills” with an observation platform which provides a fantastic panoramic view of Moscow and then through the main streets of Moscow - huge, busy and elegant at the same time. Transfer to the airport to catch your flight to Irkutsk.
Day 3. Arrival in Irkutsk. Our guide will meet you in the airport. Transfer to the settlement of Listvyanka, located on the shore of Lake Baikal. On our way to Listvyanka, we will stop at a sacred stone “obo”, worshipped by believers of shamanism. Here we can make a symbolic offering to the local spirits and ask them to assist us in our further journeys. The “obо” is considered to be the residence of “ezhins”, guardian spirits relating to nature and our forefathers. Shamans used them as their allies. In Listvyanka, we will have a guided tour of the Baikal Ecology Museum followed by a sightseeing tour of the village, including a visit to the St. Nicolas Russian Orthodox Church. Dinner. Overnight in a guesthouse.
Day 4. Early breakfast. We take the ferry to the very heart of Lake Baikal, the mysterious island of Olkhon. On arrival at Zagli Bay we drive in off-road vehicles to the Kyzhi settlement. Overnight in wooden lodges or in ger camp. In the evening a typical Russian banya (sauna) awaits, to help us relax and enjoy Siberian hospitality. Dinner.
Day 5. After breakfast, safety briefing and equipment check. Introductory cycle ride around the village of Kyzhir: we’ll visit the local folklore museum to learn more about the formation of the island, and local traditions and customs. We visit the famous Shaman Cliff, worshipped by shamans and Buddhists alike. See if you can spot an image of a shaman’s mask, a Sanskrit inscription and a cave used by the ancient shamans. The Shaman Cliff is one of the 9 holiest cliffs in Asia. Once called the Temple of Rock, the name of the Cliff was changed when Buddhism started to spread among the Buryat people.After lunch free time to explore the surrounding area on your own. Overnight in wooden lodges or in ger camp. Dinner. (Cycling distance – approx. 15km.)
Day 6. We continue cycling to the northern part of Olkhon. The magnificent landscapes on our way change kaleidoscopically: sandy dunes and dense taiga forests, stony steppe and picturesque meadows, towering pinnacles and grassy hills - all this against the background of the boundless lake. We stop at the Three Brothers Cliff to hear one of the many local legends. Lunch en route. In the late afternoon we pitch camp on the lake shore. Dinner cooked on the camp fire. Overnight in tents. (Cycling distance – approx. 35km.)
Day 7. We start our day walking to Khoboi Cape, the northernmost point of the island and where Lake Baikal is at its widest. Close by is a stone platform where the Olkhon Shamans held their ‘Tailgans’ meetings. From here one can often see Baikal seals: the world’s only fresh-water seals and the lake’s only aquatic mammals. Afterwards we cycle to the eastern Baikal shore – Uzury settlement. Then we drive back to Khuzir village. After dinner we will have a special arrangement – a meeting with a local shaman who will tell you more about Shamanism and Buryat culture. Overnight in wooden lodges or ger camp. (Cycling distance – approx. 15km.)
Day 8. Today we go cycle to one of the most scenic places on Olkhon Island, the Shara Nur lake and the Tashkiney valley, famous for its mineral spas. Overnight in wooden lodges or ger camp. Farewell dinner.(Cycling distance – approx. 36km.)
Day 9. We say good-bye to the beautiful island and come back to the mainland. After crossing the lake on a ferry we stow our bicycles in the car and drive back to Irkutsk on the 4-wheel-drive bus mainly along the modern highway. Upon arrival a brief city tour around Irkutsk. You will learn about the discovery of Siberia by Russians and the development of the city and see the most interesting sights and peculiar features of one of the oldest and most beautiful cities in Siberia. Most of the city’s brick mansions and grand public buildings, varying in architectural styles, were constructed in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Overnight in a hotel.
Day 10. Early morning transfer to the airport to catch your flight to Moscow. It will still be morning when you arrive in Moscow, because of the time difference. Transfer from the local airport to the international airport.
Major Highlights of this Tour:
- Red Square
- Lake Baikal – enlisted in UNESCO world heritage list
- Olkhon island - beautiful and mysterious biggest Baikal’s island
- Khoboy Cape - one of the holiest place for Buddhists and Shamanists
- Traditional russian banya (sauna)
Optional: If you take a flight to the UK in the late evening you can enjoy Moscow for one more day.
At your request we can organise for you one of the following activities:
- If you are an art-lover, then you will be impressed by the world famous masterpieces displayed in the Tretyakov Gallery and in the Pushkin Museum;
- Another option in Moscow would be a visit to the large and interesting Izmailovo Park, where you will find traditional wooden houses and churches as well as authentic Russian souvenirs;
- You can also visit the Novodevichy Convent, which is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The Convent was used by women of the Tsar’s family and of the aristocracy. Many members of the Tsar’s family and some very famous Russian artists, writers, politicians have been buried in its cemetery. The Convent provides an example of the highest accomplishments of Russian architecture with rich interiors and an important collection of paintings and artefacts.
Some places you visit in this journey are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Please click here to view the UNESCO review page:
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