Irkutsk
City in Russia

Irkutsk is a city on the Angara River in eastern Siberia, Russia. The river embankment is lined with churches, including the Epiphany Cathedral (Sobor Bogoyavleniya), with gilded onion domes, and the Spasskaya Church, with its soaring bell tower. The restored neoclassical Moskovskie Vorota arch is also by the water. Near Kirov Square, the Irkutsk Regional Art Museum has ancient icons and more recent Russian artworks.

Day 1  ARRIVAL AT IRKUTSK 

• Arrival at the airport and meeting with the guide. 
• Transfer from the airport to the hotel. 
• Lunch at the restaurant. 
• Check in at the hotel. 
• Rest of the day, at your own arrangement. 
• Overnight at the hotel. 

CITY TOUR - Irkutsk has always been a merchant city, here are preserved a lot of wooden architecture monuments and magnificent Orthodox churches. During the city tour, you will have a walk along the main streets of the city - Karl Marx street, where you will see the buildings of XIX century: monument of Alexander III, the White House, Local lore museum, admire the view of Lower embankment, visit the Church of the Saviour - the only surviving building of Irkutsk Kremlin, Znamensky Cathedral, which houses the miraculous icon and see the place of execution with the Symbolic grave of Admiral Kolchak, located nearby, 

DAY 2  IRKUTSK, LISTVYANKA 

• Breakfast at the hotel. 
• Meeting with the guide.
• And check out from the hotel. 

TALTSY MUSEUM - Talsty is an open-air museum, located 20km away from Listvyanka in a picturesque place on the bank of Angara river. It allows you to get acquainted with the lifestyle and housekeeping of the indigenous peoples of the Baikal region. During this tour you will see the old Russian architecture of XVII-XX centuries: the old manors, schools, towers, churches – the whole exposition represents more than 20 thousand exhibits! In addition, all the visitors have an opportunity to participate in master-classes like the weaving of birch bark or clay modeling.

• Transfer service from IRKUTSK to LISTYVYANKA 
• Lunch at the restaurant. 
• Check in at the hotel in LISTYVYANKA

BAIKAL MUSEUM - In this museum, you will get acquainted with the diversity of the Lake Baikal’s flora and fauna species, as well with its geology and geography. You will experience a virtual dive in the underwater life of the Lake Baikal through the portals of a submarine. You will be amazed by the mix of authenticity and technology of this museum that will make your visit a real discovery of the Lake’s environment!

CABLE CAR TO CHERSKY STONE - Chersky Rock is an observation platform, located on the height of 728 meters above the sea level. Having reached the top of the mountain by chairlift, you will enjoy a beautiful view of Lake Baikal, Listvyanka, the source of Angara River, Hamar-Daban, the legendary Shamanka Stone and even the train, passing through the old railway. Amazing pictures are guaranteed!

CITY TOUR IN LISVYANKA - Listvyanka is an urban-type settlement, situated in 70 kilometers from Irkutsk, near the point where the Angara River leaves Lake Baikal. Despite its modest size, Listvyanka is one of the busiest tourist spots in the whole Siberia. This town has always been an inhabited place in the region for 300 years and hosted a shipbuilding workshop. During this tour, you will visit the St. Nicolas Church, which dates back from the XIX century.

• Dinner at the hotel. 
• Overnight stay at the hotel. 

DAY 3  LISTVYANKA, OLKHON ISLAND 

• Breakfast at the hotel. 
• Check out from the hotel. 

TRANSFER TO KUZHIR VILLAGE BY HIVUS

Today you will have an excellent opportunity to see many beautiful sculptures made of transparently clear ice, crossing Lake Baikal by hovercraft “Hivus” to the Peschnaya Bay, famous for its caves, covered with splendid icicles. “Hivus” is one of the best transport on Lake Baikal. Being able to reach 70kms/h, this engine not only works on the water but also when the Lake is frozen.

OPEN-AIR PICNIC

Baikal is rich in picturesque places which can just take your breath away. Get ready to have a cozy and tasty picnic with the incredible view on fluffy mountains, covered by trees, cliffs, and endless water surface. Delicious lunch and the moment of absolute calmness and harmony with nature will give you the strength for new discoveries of Baikal.

• Transfer to the OLKNON ISLAND (The tourist Base)

• Check in at the hotel. 

WALKING TOUR TO CAPE BURHAN (SHAMANKA)

The most famous place of Baikal's Lake is located not far from Khuzhir. This place is called Shaman-Rock. Now Burhan is the main attraction of the island, the place of shamanic power. Here, you can meet with the shaman and find out your future! Shaman-rock, one of the nine holy shrines of Asia, has become one of the most famous images of Lake Baikal. If you are in search of magic places all around the world, then this is a place to begin or end your journey!

• Dinner at the hotel. 
• Overnight stay at the hotel. 

DAY 4 OLKHON ISLAND 

• Breakfast at the hotel. 
• Meeting with the guide. 

FULL DAY EXCURSION TO "CAPE KHOBOY"

Located north of Olkhon Island, Cape Khoboy remains an unmissable place in Lake Baikal. Its name comes from an old Buryat word meaning "fang" because its shape, a marble rock oriented vertically, is a lot reminiscent of a fang. This marble promontory crowning the tip of Olkhon Island, ideal for a pedestrian excursion.

• Picnic on the Open Air 
• Dinner at the hotel. 
• Overnight at the hotel. 

DAY 5  OLKHON ISLAND,  IRKUTSK

• Breakfast at the hotel, Meeting with the tour guide. 
• Check out from the hotel.
• Free time for lunch.
• Transfer:  OLKHON - IRKUTSK 
• Check in at the hotel Free time in IRKUTSK. 
• Dinner at the restaurant. 
• Overnight stay at the hotel. 

DAY 6 IRKUTSK 

• Breakfast at the hotel. 
• Meeting with the guide. 
• Transfer to the airport for your departure.
• End of our services. 

All international travelers planning to visit the Russian Federation should apply for the visa prior to travel. 

For a tourist visa, the applicant must provide a Tourist Voucher, generally obtainable by a Russian local travel agency. The tourist visa is issued for a period of one month only. The entries within this one month can be- Single Entry and Double Entry. Multiple Entry standing valid for one year is solely permitted to US citizens.

Russia Visa Requirements (Documents)

Russia allows Visa-on-Arrival facility for the UAE nationals from February 2019. As per the agreement, Emirati nationals are now eligible for 30-days of stay in Russia on Visa-on-Arrival. This agreement is only applicable for UAE nationals. Citizens of other countries residing in the UAE will have to check with their respective countries visa policy and embassies. 

Citizens of the US, Syria, Iraq, Libya, Pakistan Afghanistan and few other nations have different visa requirements. It is advisable that nationals of these countries check with their respective embassies before traveling.  

PRICING

3-star hotel 

Irkutsk:  Marx Hotel 
Listvyanka: Legend of Baikal Hotel 
Olkhon Island:  Villa Malina 

• Double/Twin Room starts at AED 4855 per person 
• Single Room starts at AED 5350 per person 

4-star hotel 

Irkutsk:  Marriott Hotel 
Listvyanka:  Anastasya Hotel 
Olkhon Island:  Baikal View Hotel 

• Double/Twin Room starts at AED 5000 per person 
• Single Room starts at AED 6300 per person 

DATES OF TRAVEL 

1st trip:   February 17-22, 2020 
2nd trip:  March 02-07, 2020 
3rd trip:  March 17-22, 2020