2 D / 1 N tour to the PEARL of BAIKAL: Sandy Bay / Bukhta Peschanaya / Бухта Песчаная
This tour available: 1-15 March
This is a short but intensive tour to the one of the most beautiful part of lake Baikal – Sandy Bay!
That is what Alexei Batorov, a famous traveller from Irkutsk, says: “Peschanaya Bay is an inimitably beautiful nook of the lake where Nature has gathered and generously given man the blue sky, a vast space of Baikal, the amber-like quicksand of its beaches and the healthy air of the Baikal taiga. The bay is famous for plenty of sunny days: it is the only place on the lake where the average rage annual temperature is +3,40 C. The major part of the bay is occupied by a wonderful surprisingly clean sandy beach 15 – 20 m wide.”
Day 1
Meeting your group in Irkutsk. Driving from Irkutsk to the village of Bolshoe Goloustnoye (125 km) . After we reach the village, our 4WD vehicle starts driving on the ice. Stop for lunch in one of the cosy bays. Lunch cooked on fire. After lunch we proceed moving on the ice along the lake’s shore. Due the safety reasons and ice conditions we keep 1-2 km offshore.
En route: visiting an island “The Сormorant Stone / Baklani Kamen’ / Бакланий Камень ” This is a small island – favorite place for the see gulls and cormorants. The most remarkable sight there is a cedar tree growing from the stone surface. They called it “The courage of Life”. We make a ritualistic drive around the island. A main part of the Sandy Bay – Cape Small Bell Tower / Malaya Kolocolnya / Малая Колокольня can be seen from that spot. The view is especially dramatic if you manage to get on the top of the island – easy!
On our way to Sandy Bay we visit an ice cave, located right next to the Bay’s border. Sandy Bay is of of the most beautiful places of lake Baikal.
Activities:
- walking uphill to the viewpoint to enjoy the vista of endless ice fields of Baikal, the Cedar Tree mountain range and the Big Bell Tower Cape / Bolshaya Kolokolnya / Большая Колокольня (80 metres high). There are also interesting little bays around : Grandma, Grandpa and Granddaughter.
- Visiting those bays and ice caves.
In the afternoon, the group is checked into a guesthouse Sandy Dunes / Peschanye Duny / Песчаные Дюны.
Dinner included. Heated twin rooms with an outhouse. Electricity is only when it’s dark. There is no shower. For an extra charge a steam bath / banya may be requested. No WiFi. Cell phone coverage for the TELE2 users.
Big Bell Tower / Большая Колокольня. Photo by Alexander Oshepkov
Small Bell Tower / Малая Колокольня . Photo by Alexander Oshepkov
Day 2
Breakfast included.
Soon after breakfast, we start driving back to Irkutsk . En route: visiting the rock formations called “Arch” and a “Drinking Elephant”. Picnic lunch cooked on fire.
Returning to Irkutsk in the afternoon. Drop off at your hotel, hostel or train station / airport.
Transfer from Irkutsk to Listvyanka is extra 3000 R per group. Accommodation at Belka Hostel in Listvyanka can be arranged for an extra charge of 600 R per person.
Prices: |CURRENCY CONVERTER|
1 vehicle rent, 1 driver, 1 cook
1 person pays 24000 Rub (if the group is 2 people)
1 person pays 20000 Rub (if the group is 3 people)
1 person pays 18000 Rub (if the group is 4 people)
1 person pays 16000 Rub (if the group is 5 people)
1 person pays 14000 Rub (if the group is 6 people)
Prices include all services, pointed in the itinerary:
private car (and driver) transportation, 1 night accommodation, meals as noted (day 1: L-D, day 2: B-L), national park fees, 4WD Jeep rent and taxes. No hidden costs.
Terms of Payment : all prices are paid in Rubles. A deposit via PayPal required, rest of money due to pay on arrival, cash in Rubles.
