Road trip in Buryatia
Tour dates: 01 – 11 October 2026
For today, January 24, 2026, 6 places from 6 are available on this tour.
The world's natural pearl Lake Baikal, healing hot springs, majestic mountains, rivers flowing through picturesque gorges, silvery waterfalls, protected forests and steppes, sand dunes, extinct volcanoes, as well as Buddhist and pagan shrines - this tour has everything to make the most complete impression of an extremely interesting and original region of Russia - the Republic of Buryatia. We are going to Buryatia in the fall, when the tourist flow is low, and the autumn landscapes delight with their incredible beauty.
Our program is amazing in its diversity:
- we will learn a lot of interesting things during our visits to museums,
- we will spend time actively, doing mountain trekking,
- we will relax in thermal springs,
- we will feel unity with the protected nature, contemplating the amazing landscapes,
- we will try the most delicious national food,
- we will touch many Buddhist shrines and feel their positive energy.
Buryatia - an unknown, mysterious and beautiful land, is waiting for us!
Tour organizer and guide on the route:
VICTORIA SHATALOVA
Professional traveler, organizer of author's tours with years of experience. Has visited countries of the world and regions of Russia. Participant and organizer of many hikes, rafting and climbing trips, including climbing the highest and most dangerous volcano in Eurasia - Klyuchevskaya Sopka (4850 m), skiing trips in the northern and polar Urals, Murmansk region and Kuznetsk Alatau.... Read more
Itinerary day by day:
Ulan-Ude - Ivolginsky Datsan
Meeting at Ulan-Ude airport. Choose flights arriving no later than 9.00 am. We will begin our acquaintance with the republic with an excursion to the Museum of the History of Buryatia. Then we will go to the main Buddhist monastery of Russia - Ivolginsky Datsan. The main shrine of Ivolginsky Datsan is the Precious Inexhaustible Body of the 12th head of the Buddhists of Russia Pandito Khambo Lama Dashi-Dorzho Itigelov. The lama, who is considered a great teacher by Buddhists in Russia, Mongolia and China, passed away in meditation in 1927, but even 96 years after Itigelov's "death", all the vital functions of his body cells remain active, and scientists have been trying to explain this secret of immortality for many years.
To get to know the capital of Buryatia better, we will walk through the central part of the city of Ulan-Ude, see the largest sculpture of V.I. Lenin's head in the world, walk along the pedestrian Lenin Street, where you can buy souvenirs or taste national food, visit the Rinpoche Bagsha datsan, from the observation deck of which a panoramic view of the capital of Buryatia opens up.
We will spend the night at a hotel in Ulan-Ude.
Gremyachinsk - Turka - Goryachinsk - Maksimikha - Ust-Barguzin
We are heading to the shores of Lake Baikal, the first meeting with it will take place in the village of Gremyachinsk, where we will make a stop on the shore to say hello to the deepest lake in the world. The next stop will be in the village of Turka, the main attraction of the village is a 26-meter lighthouse, which you can climb to inspect the surroundings, then we will go to the Turtle Rock, a huge boulder, the shape of which resembles a turtle crawling out of Lake Baikal. The next point of the program will be the village of Goryachinsk - one of the oldest balneological resorts in Russia. The healing properties of the water of the local hot spring were first discovered in the 18th century, then the first bathhouse was built. The resort has been operating for two centuries and is the same age as the famous mineral water resorts in the Caucasus. We will walk around the resort, see the spring and the hot lake formed by it, walk through a pine forest and a sandy beach. If you wish, you can swim in the thermal pool, the water temperature in which is 36-38 ° C all year round.
We will also stop by the village of Maksimikha, where the artist Vladimir Shelkovnikov and his family created the ecological and ethnographic Park-Museum "Svetlaya Polyana". The Park-Museum is located in the forest on the shores of Lake Baikal, on its territory you can see the guard gates and the church-chapel built in the style of ancient Russian architecture, carved log guest towers, and also visit the museum building with an art gallery and antiques. Then we will drive past Dukhovoe Lake, which is interesting because sobs and sighs are periodically heard from it. There is, of course, a legend about unhappy love, but the sounds coming from the lake are explained simply - gas bubbles are formed at the bottom of Dukhovoe Lake, which come out, making sounds similar to sobs. By evening we will arrive in the village of Ust-Barguzin, where we will stay in a guest house.
Svyatoy Nos Peninsula
We will get up early and have a very active and interesting day. We are heading to the Svyatoy Nos Peninsula, also called the "sturgeon's muzzle" for its shape. The peninsula is part of the Zabaikalsky National Park and is the largest on Lake Baikal. Svyatoy Nos is connected to the mainland by a sand spit - the Chivyrkuisky Isthmus, on which is located the largest sandy beach of Baikal - Karga and Lake Arangatuy. On one side of the spit is the Barguzinsky Bay, and on the other - the Chivyrkuisky. We will admire the panorama of Chivyrkuisky Bay from the observation deck in the village of Monakhovo, and then head to the highest point of the peninsula - Mount Markova, 1878 m high. The climb up it is quite steep and will require a lot of effort and time (about 5-6 hours there and 2-3 hours back, the altitude gain will be 1400 m), but the views that open up from the top are worth the effort. We will see panoramas of Chivyrkuisky and Barguzinsky Bays and the isthmus between them, and on the other side - the endless expanses of open Baikal and the silhouette of Olkhon Island, which is about 80 km from here. From Mount Markova you can also clearly see the Ushkany Islands - a protected archipelago of Baikal, where the largest rookery of nerpa, the Baikal freshwater seal, is located on the lake.
After enjoying the views, we descend the mountain and return to the guest house in Ust-Barguzin.
If the weather conditions (heavy rain, snow, fog or strong low clouds) prevent the ascent, we will go for a walk along the coast of the Svyatoy Nos Peninsula to Zmeyevaya Bay, where there are thermal springs and bathing facilities, swim in the warm water and enjoy the views. The Svyatoy Nos Peninsula in autumn is a special, incomparable beauty. The fact is that the local mountains are covered not only with coniferous, but also deciduous forests, which turn golden and scarlet with the arrival of autumn. All this, combined with the blue color of autumn Baikal, looks incredibly beautiful.
If suddenly you do not feel the strength or desire to climb Mount Markova, you can spend this day on your own walking around the village of Ust-Barguzin or its environs.
Barguzin Valley (Suvo - dunes near the Argada River - Kurumkan)
We are going to explore the beauty of the Barguzin Valley. First, we will go to the outskirts of the village of Suvo, where one of the main attractions of the valley is located - the Suva stone castles, also called Suva Saxony because of their similarity to the ruins of a Gothic fortress. According to legend, this place is the habitat of the spirits of the wind. From the stone massif, a picturesque view of the valley, the surrounding mountains and the village of Suvo opens up. Not far from the Suva castles is one of the sacred places of the Barguzin Valley - a small stone Buhe-Shulun (Bull-stone), whose spirit is considered one of the masters of this valley, we will also visit it. Then we will go to an amazingly beautiful place - a sand dune in the bend of the Argada River, called the Golden Horseshoe of Argada. The Argada River, the largest tributary of the Barguzin River, makes a sharp 180-degree turn in this place in the shape of a horseshoe, forming a sand ridge more than 10 meters high. The dune looks like a small desert in the middle of the steppe, from which a beautiful view of the river and the mountains opens. In addition to the Golden Horseshoe of the Argada, we will visit another extremely interesting sand dune called the Petrik Dune, a large sand dune with a lonely pine tree growing on it, which looks very picturesque, and also visit a sacred place for Buddhists - the Stupa of Soodoy Lama. Soodoy Lama (Tseden Soodoev) was a great Buryat lama-yogi of the 19th-20th centuries, a famous master of meditation of world significance. His extensive knowledge and deep experience in comprehending the Teachings of Buddha are of great importance for the entire Buddhist world. We will also visit the Gandansheduvlin datsan, located near the village of Kurumkan. The datsan complex includes the main temple, two stupas in front of the main entrance, the Green Tara dugan, outbuildings and retreat houses. All this is beautifully located against the backdrop of the picturesque nature of the Barguzin Valley and the surrounding mountains.
We will stay overnight in a guest house in the Barguzin Valley.
Datsan of the goddess Yanzhima - Gusikhinsky thermal springs
Let's start the day with a visit to another Buddhist shrine - Datsan of the goddess Yanzhima. In addition to the temple, on its territory there is a stone with a miraculous face of the goddess. The place is beautiful, prayerful, with extremely positive energy, which is noted by many who have visited it. Those who want to find their soulmate, have a long-awaited child or find true inspiration come here, it is believed that regardless of the religion of the petitioner, Yanzhima helps everyone. After visiting this magnificent place, we go to rest in body and soul to the Gusikhinsky thermal springs. The healing springs, which formed in the depths of the Ikatsky ridge, were discovered in the 60s of the last century by geologists who were looking for oil here. We will stay at the base, among picturesque nature, walk around the area, warm up in a pool with healing water and stay here overnight.
Gusikha - Baikalsk
Today we have a long road ahead of us, we need to travel more than 500 km to the city of Baikalsk in the Irkutsk region, we will temporarily leave the Republic of Buryatia in order to enter it again in a day, already in another, no less interesting area.
On the way we will again admire the views of Baikal, and also get acquainted with the largest river flowing into the lake - Selenga, which we will cross on a ferry. We will stay overnight at a hotel in the city of Baikalsk.
Baikalsk - Slyudyanka - Arshan
In the morning we will go to admire the views of Lake Baikal and its surroundings from the cable car of the ski resort "Mount Sobolinaya". Here you can have a snack in a cafe with a panoramic view at an altitude of 900 meters above sea level and about 500 meters above the surface of Lake Baikal.
After descending from the cable car, we will visit another attraction of Baikalsk - the garnet beach. This is a place where the sand of the coastal strip seems to be painted in a red-burgundy color. The sand acquired such unusual shades due to the high content of the garnet mineral almandine. This mineral has been washed out of the surrounding hills and rocks for many years, and as a result this unusual beach was formed.
We leave Baikalsk and go to the city of Slyudyanka - a large railway junction on the Trans-Siberian Railway and a tourist center of the Irkutsk region, from here the historical Circum-Baikal Railway begins. In the past, Slyudyanka was known for mining phlogopite mica (which is where it got its name), lapis lazuli, and marble. In Slyudyanka, we will stop to visit the Historical and Mineralogical Museum, listen to an educational and exciting excursion, and then continue our journey to the village of Arshan. We return to Buryatia again to get acquainted with the sights of the Tunka Valley. We spend the night in a hotel in the village of Arshan.
Arshan - waterfalls of the Kyngarga River
We begin our acquaintance with Arshan. The area where this village is located is often called the Tunka Alps because of the mountain peaks and emerald valleys, which, according to many, resemble the landscapes of Switzerland. On the territory of the village there is a federal balneological and mountain-climatic resort, in the vicinity of which there are many natural and cultural attractions. We will see the large new datsan "Dechen Ravzhalin" in the center of the village, and also take a walk to the old datsan "Bodhidharma", located on the picturesque Holy Meadow, surrounded by centuries-old cedars. An interesting attraction of the resort is the sculpture of the Buddha of Medicine. It was erected in 2018 as a symbol of healing and support for everyone who comes to the resort to restore their health. You can taste the healing Arshan water, similar in composition to Kislovodsk narzans, for free in the drinking pump rooms. Several springs are located in the resort park. The most popular spring is in the northern part of the village near the Kyngarga River - it is decorated in the form of a bronze statue of a boy pouring healing water from a jug onto the stones. Having recovered from the Arshan water, we go to see the natural beauty, we will walk along the path along the Kyngarga River, flowing in a beautiful gorge. The river is famous for its waterfalls, of which there are twelve. There is a well-maintained path to the first two, if you wish, you can walk further along the wild path and see more waterfalls. We spend the night again in a hotel in the village of Arshan.
Peak of Love
We continue to get acquainted with the natural beauty of the surroundings of Arshan. We will set off to storm the picturesque peak with the romantic name Peak of Love. The height of the mountain is 2124 m. In the first part of the way, we will find a well-maintained ecological trail with many viewing platforms, the second part of the ascent will pass along an unimproved, but well-trodden path. No special skills are required for this ascent, but the ascent is quite steep: with a short route length of about 4.5 km, you need to gain almost 1100 m of altitude, comfortable non-slip trekking shoes, comfortable clothes are required, trekking poles will be useful. The ascent can take 5-6 hours, but the reward for our efforts will be a stunning panorama of the Tunka Valley and the ridges of the Eastern Sayan, opening from the top.
If for some reason you don't feel like climbing to the top of Love Peak, you can limit yourself to the well-maintained part of the eco-trail.
We spend the night in a hotel in the village of Arshan.
Valley of extinct volcanoes - Irkutsk
We will visit another unique place not far from Arshan - the valley of extinct volcanoes. It is incredible, but volcanoes erupted on the territory of modern Buryatia, about 12-13 thousand years ago they went extinct, but traces of past volcanic activity in the Tunka Valley can still be found. We will see the cinder cones of several volcanoes, touch the solidified lava and even walk in the crater. After a walk in the valley of volcanoes, we will go to Irkutsk, where we will stay at a hotel, and in the evening we will take a walk around the city.
To home
Transfer to the airport and flight home.