Accommodation during the trip
Languages
Accommodation during the trip
Languages
Experiences you'll have
Hannes Becker is a freelance photographer specializing in outdoors, adventures and landscapes from Germany. He grew up in a rural area which significantly shaped his photographic style. Passionate about traveling, he has used the platform of Instagram for the last five years to share his impressions on a daily basis and he quickly became one of the world biggest outdoor photography influencer. In order to inspire the viewer and portray his experiences realistically, his photos tell stories of his travels and also incorporate his personal interpretation with particular importance on composition and mood.
If you want to see Baikal ice, you can book it here →
Baikal is a place with huge amount of amazing space: cracks in the ice, which is transparent to the bottom, numerous bubbles, grottoes with icy stalactites, special light — all this creates magic pictures. From the first minute you would want to save these pictures and portray the atmosphere and the moment. You will have the opportunity to do this on a truly professional level.
You will explore the Tazheran steppes and travel through the floor of Baikal on the air-cushion ships "Khivus". You will visit several capes and take panoramic pictures of Baikal vast expanses. You will take pictures of the incredible beauty of nature at sunrise and sunset. And you will get magic portraits of yourselves within the space of this beauty...
To see how the trip went last year, visit our blog.
Itinerary
At the airport of Irkutsk you will be met by our guide, or a representative of the company. The person will hold a sign "RussiaDiscovery" in the hands.
Day 1
Landing in a comfortable minibus and departure to Baikal, to the island of Olkhon (300 km, 250 asphalt, 50 gravel road).
On the way lunch in the cafe with dishes of Buryat and Baikal cuisine.
After lunch there will be the first photo-stop in the Tazheransk steppes. Steppes are unique for Siberia, tens of kilometers of steppe landscapes, with rare larch, salty lakes and residual rocks.
Departure to the ice crossing, here you will see the first acquaintance with the Baikal ice.
Arrival to the island of Olkhon. Accommodation on the basis of "Baikalov Ostrog".
Evening walk to the most famous Baikal cape - Burkhan. Photo-stop at sunset.
Dinner at the cafe.
Day 2
On this day, we recommend that you skip the dawn photography so that the body can adjust to local time. Those wishing to get up at sunrise can walk to the grottoes and rocky capes, which are 10-15 minutes walk from the hostel.
Breakfast.
After breakfast, landing in 3 UAZ cars, a trip to the southern part of the Small Sea. Shooting of ice grottoes, cracks, hummocks. Lunch-picnic on the ice of Lake Baikal.
For dinner, we usually cook traditional Siberian dishes: hot smoked omul, venison dumplings, homemade raznosol, chopped and moonshine on pine nuts.
Closer to the sunset stop at the island of Ogoi, which is famous for its "rock" tooth, ice grottoes and a Buddhist stupa, located on the top of the island. Sunset shooting, moving around the island to the camp site.
Dinner.
In the case of a clear sky, a night sightseeing of Burhan Cape is possible, both from ice and from the shore.
Day 3
Night climbing, moving around the island to Usur Bay, which is on the east side of the island, in the Great Baikal.
In this place, usually, many beautiful ice hummocks are formed and they are all perfectly illuminated at dawn.
After the dawn shooting, return to base, breakfast. Rest.
At 13:00 lunch is served. Immediately after lunch, transfer to the northern part of the island, sunset shooting on capes Sagan-Khushun or in the widest place of Lake Baikal, at Cape Khoboy.
Return to the camp site. Dinner. Rest.
Day 4
Those wishing to take a sunrise can walk along the ice next to the camp site.
Breakfast. Departure of the group in the mainland of the Small Sea. When crossing the strait you will find many beautiful hummocks and cracks. On the mainland there will be photo-stops near rocky capes with through arches, pebble streams, panoramic platforms and ice grottoes.
Lunch-picnic on the ice of Lake Baikal. Towards evening return to the island. Meeting the sunset in the ice caves.
Return to base. Recreation.
Day 5
Departure with things from the base. Moving to the Tazheran steppes. Photo-stop at the highest point of the Tazheran steppes, Mount Tan-Khan, from where opens 360 panoramas to the Great Baikal, the Straits of the Little Sea, Olkhon Island and the steppes.
Then move along the steppes to the Valley of Castles. "Valley of Castles" is a rock, the size of a three-five-story house, beautifully standing in the middle of the steppe.
Lunch-picnic on the shore of Lake Baikal.
Then move to the mountain Shebety, which is an ancient defensive wall, a shaman altar, as well as a magnificent panorama of the Great Baikal and the Gulf.
It is worth noting that all the locations of this day are extremely rarely visited by professional photographers. Thus, you will have the opportunity to shoot magnificent panoramic images of Baikal ice from a height.
Closer to the evening, transfer to the camp site. Accommodation. Night shooting.
Day 6
Early wake up. Dawn shooting of ice and ice grottoes in a 10-15 minute walk from the base.
On this day, you will travel through the floor of Baikal on the air-cushion ships "Khivus".
Personal things are sent by car to the next camp site, landing at 2 Khivus, departure to the route along the Great Baikal.
Photo-stop at the cape with a through aperture "Arka", stop in the beautiful bay Peschanaya. The sandstone is famous for its beautiful rocky outcrops, Siberian cedars on the shore and sandy beaches.
Snack with hot tea on the ice of Lake Baikal.
Transfer to the Goloustnaya Delta. At this point, there are periodic outcrops of methane, which freezes in the thickness of the ice with very beautiful bubbles. Shooting "bubble" ice.
Transfer to Cape Scriper. With sufficient free time, an ascent to the cape, a panoramic survey of Baikal.
At 18:00 arrival to the village Listvyanka. Hotel accommodation.
Day 7
Breakfast. Airport transfer.
Accommodation during the trip
— "Uyga" hotel (TWIN\DBL) — 4 nights
— "Veter Stranstviy" hotel (TWIN\DBL) — 1 night
— "Dauria" hotel (TWIN/DBL) — 1 nights
Common questions
From the beginning of March, spring comes to Baikal. Daytime temperatures are growing every day. The sun's rays reflect off the ice surface of the lake and create favorable conditions for recreation. In the windless weather in March on the ice of the lake you can walk in one T-shirt and get a chocolate Baikal tan. However, a sharp drop in temperatures and strong winds are still possible.
