Is Baikal worth it in March? Baikal in March

Geography and climate

Mumbai (Bombay)- a city in western India, the center of the state of Maharashtra. The name Bombay was official until 1995. Mumbai, translated from the Maharati language, means “mother.” The area of ​​the city is 603.4 km². This is the most populous city India.

There are three lakes in the city: Tulsi, Powai and Vihar; the city itself is located at the mouth of the Ulhas River.

Mumbai's topography is varied: mangrove swamps border it, the rugged coastline is indented by bays and numerous streams. The soil near the sea is sandy, in some places clayey and alluvial. The territory of Mumbai belongs to seismically dangerous zones.

You can get to Mumbai by plane to Chhatrapati Shivaji Airport, which is 28 km from the city. The railway network and bus service are developed.

Mumbai is located in the subequatorial belt. There are two climatic seasons here: dry and wet. Dry season lasts from December to May, humidity at this time is moderate. January and February are the coldest months. Lowest recorded temperature: +10 °C.

The wet season lasts from June to November. The strongest monsoons occur from June to September. The average temperature at this time is +30 °C. The best time The best time to visit Mumbai is from November to February.

Fabulous beautiful Baikal will reveal stunning secrets to you. This wonderful holiday from the bustle of the city and the opportunity to admire unprecedented wonders. No wonder photographers from all over the world flock here. I am conducting two photo tours in March: from February 28 and from about March 9-10. The program lasts 10-11 days, but you can leave at any convenient time. There are 4 places left in the first group, 5 places left in the second. Living in a warm house.

The main theme of the photo tours is the amazing Baikal ice, the cleanest and most transparent in the world.



The program is extensive. We will visit the most beautiful places. We will live on Olkhon Island, where the main miracles are concentrated.

You can go to Burkhan and the sacred wishing tree every day, we will live nearby.

But few people come here - many beautiful places of Lake Baikal remain unknown. But for many years we specifically studied Baikal from the point of view of photography.

As a result, successful routes have been developed that cover the most interesting and amazing objects.

Try to go for 10-11 days, no less. You have to leave a day or two in reserve for bad weather.

We will definitely visit Kurma.

Let's visit Khoboy

Many tourists travel here on foot, with tents and backpacks. We used to go this way too. But this method is not available to some photographers, so we chose a more gentle option. We live in a warm house, and we go to sites by car.

We will meet such extreme people there. As a rule, these are very interesting people!

Let's catch reflections on the ice!

You will be surprised how clean and transparent the air is here.

There is a mirror under your feet!

We opened Zamogo for photographers. Not a single travel agency will offer you an excursion here - they simply don’t know the places.

Ice magic

There are places in our country where I really want to visit. One such place is Lake Baikal. The lake itself is also unique, and most of it coastline occupy National parks and nature reserves that attract with the beauty of nature. Everything in these places attracts: ethnic flavor, sacred monuments, shamanic places and rituals and nature... I hope there is no doubt why you should spend your vacation at least once in your life on Lake Baikal! And this series of articles will tell you how and when to go to Baikal on your own, as inexpensively as possible, and preserve vivid memories of these places for the rest of your life.

How and when to go to Baikal on your own?

At any time, Baikal is unique and beautiful and you can always find exciting activities for yourself, and therefore you can come to Baikal all year round. The warmest months in these places are July and August, but even if you arrive in these places in February-March, you can see a marvelous lake, bound by one and a half meters thick transparent and very strong ice. It’s quite possible to have an inexpensive holiday on Lake Baikal and take away impressions for a whole year, but no - for a lifetime!

You need to go to Baikal for at least five days, preferably seven or more. Otherwise you won't have time to see much.

Listvyanka. Photo by Anna Rybakova

Summer on Baikal

The most favorable time for traveling to Baikal is, of course, summer. In terms of weather, the quietest and calmest month is June. The water is clean and warm, there are almost no strong winds

After all, it is in the summer that most of the attractions on the lake are available: river rafting, ship cruises, hiking. And in the summer you can stay not only in a hotel or recreation center, but also in a tent. View all interesting places you can use the card yourself, or you can use it organized excursions with a guide. The water in the meko water warms up to 20-22 degrees, and therefore it is accessible and beach holiday.

Baikal, Kurkutsk Bay. Photo by Anna Rybakova

Having chosen the coast of the Small Sea or Olkhon Island as your vacation spot, you can go on a tour of the caves of the Tangeran steppes or climb into the Sarma Gorge. On Olkhon you can get to Cape Khoboy, visit Cape Uzury, take a boat ride on the islands of the Small Sea and swim in the Shara-Nur mineral lake.

During the summer you can:

Go hiking in the taiga. Taiga – she is always uniquely beautiful and mysterious. IN hiking you can get to know her better. The flora and fauna of the taiga near Lake Baikal is unique; many of its representatives are not found anywhere else in the world. For example, the smallest musk deer on Earth lives here. If you take a tent with you and spend the night in the taiga, new vivid impressions are guaranteed. But in this case it is better not to go alone, for safety reasons. You can find a guide from local residents.

Baikal, Circum-Baikal Railway. Photo by Anna Rybakova

On Olkhon in the summer there are practically no mosquitoes and midges - this is one of the sunniest places in Russia. The island offers many opportunities for an unforgettable experience. active leisure- various horse, walking, and auto excursions to the farthest corners. You can explore the most interesting and interesting places on your own, for example on foot or by bike. beautiful places. For example, Cape Khoboy, Mount Zhima, Peschanoye tract, lakes Khankhoy and Shara-Nur, Ogoy Island and the Buddhist stupa on it. Olkhon is very rich archaeological sites antiquities.

It is better to come to Olkhon in June, when the season has not yet begun and there are not so many people, or in September - when they are happy bright colors autumn. But if you come at another time of the year, you will still get a lot of impressions and joy from the natural splendor. Olkhon is a paradise for nature lovers, photographers and simply people with a sense of beauty.

Baikal, Olkhon Island, the beach a little before reaching the village of Khuzhir. Photo by Anna Rybakova

There are few tourists in June and it is not crowded. It should be remembered that the nights here in June are still cold!

You can swim anywhere in Baikal, but the water in the open “sea” is very cold. But in the summer, in the bays of the Small Sea, Chivyrkuisky, Barguzinsky and others, the water warms up to comfortable temperatures.

Autumn trip

Autumn is the most beautiful season, the most favorite time for photography enthusiasts. The best period for this is from the second ten days of September, the beginning of Baikal autumn. The weather at this time is usually sunny and calm. The influx of tourists is waning, and therefore you can feel a special peace and unity with nature.

In autumn, all attractions in the area are available for visiting.

Baikal, Small Sea, view from one of the capes of the Kurkutsky Bay. Photo by Anna Rybakova

Winter and New Year holidays

Admire the dazzling snow, feel the fabulous charm of the lake, enjoy the crystal clear air, see the extraordinary Baikal sky with the brightest stars - this is why you should come to Baikal in winter. The most suitable place for winter holiday– Listvyanka, where the infrastructure allows you to take advantage of all the opportunities for winter active recreation.

View of Lake Baikal from Mount Sobolina. Photo by Anna Rybakova

But for lovers of healing hot springs, there is the opportunity to visit the Zhemchug and Khakusy resorts in Severobaikalsk, mountain landscapes Arshan beckons, the mountain slopes of Baikalsk await skiers.
I would especially like to note that during this period the influx of tourists is quite large, so you should worry about the availability of places in hotels and recreation centers in advance.

Ice season on Lake Baikal

From the end of January to the beginning of April, the lake is covered with strong ice and you can skate and ski on it, or walk on the icy surface along the rocky shores of Olkhon. Sufficiently warm, clear and sunny weather allows you to see and capture in photographs the beauty of splash formations, ice grottoes and hummocks. There are trails for skiers ski resort in Baikalsk. At this time you can enjoy all the delights of winter Baikal.

Baikal, Listvyanka, winter. Photo by Anna Rybakova

Baikal during the May holidays

In the spring, when nature wakes up, colorful spring flowers peek through, wild rosemary blooms and ice drift begins - Baikal simply fascinates with its beauty. At this time people come here to relax at the Arshan resort or swim in the springs of Tunkinskaya Valley.

By ferry from Port Baikal to Listvyanka. In this place, a little to the left, the beautiful Angara begins to flow out of Lake Baikal. Photo by Anna Rybakova

Baikal is good at any time of the year; you can relax here all year round!

Which place to choose for vacation

The size of Baikal is impressive, the length of the lake is no less than 636 km, and therefore it will not be possible to visit and see all the sights at once, even if you want to.

But find places to suit your taste, given the completely different natural objects will not be difficult.

Cheap flights to Irkutsk

The easiest way to get to Lake Baikal on your own is:

• Listvyanka
• The village of Big Cats and the Great Baikal Trail
• Olkhon Island
• The coast of the Small Sea is that part of the lake that is separated by Olkhon, like a bay.
• Circum-Baikal Railway
• Peschanaya Bay
• Neighborhoods of Severobaykalsk
• Barguzinsky Bay
• Maksimikha
• Resort Goryachinsk
• Chivyrkuisky Bay
• Holy Nose Peninsula
• Cape Kotelnikovsky - Lake Gitara ( Northern part Baikal)
• The Great Baikal Trail (from Listvyanka to the village of Bolshie Koty).

View from the Khuzhir-Nugai Bay to the panorama of the Small Sea, in the distance on the horizon the Olkhon Gate to the Big Sea is visible. Photo by Anna Rybakova

Khuzhir village, Olkhon island Khuzhir is a small village on Olkhon island, almost the only place where people live permanently. In summer, life here is simply in full swing, music plays at night, on every post there is an advertisement for renting rooms for tourists, and prices in stores are quite high.

Baikal. South West Coast. The Circum-Baikal Railway passes through it. Photo by Anna Rybakova

The most important place on Olkhon is the Shamanka rock or Cape Burkhan - a sacred place for many peoples of Asia. Inside there is a cave where the ancients made sacrifices, a truly shamanic place. It was not spoiled even by the fairly massive tourism that is observed on Lake Baikal. It is believed that women are especially prohibited from entering the rock.

Of particular beauty are:

• Steppe landscapes of extraordinary beauty of the Tazheran steppes
• Tunkinskaya Valley attracts with its picturesque views
• The seascapes of Southern Baikal will not leave you indifferent. The rock formations of the Olkha plateau are mesmerizing.
• The highland silence of the Eastern Sayan Mountains attracts
• Ushkany Islands with Baikal seals in their natural habitat.

Baikal. Sennaya Pad, Skriper Rock. Photo by Anna Rybakova

It all depends on preferences and the season of visiting Baikal. But if you want peace and quiet, it is recommended to avoid places that can be reached by car and take into account that the southeast coast is more populated and the infrastructure in those places is more developed. When planning a vacation, of course, you need to take into account what is included in the plans: improving your health in a sanatorium, a beach holiday, sightseeing with a daily change of places, or conquering mountain peaks and river rafting - after all, everything is possible on Baikal!

Baikal cuisine: what to try?

The traditional menu of Lake Baikal consists of fish and meat dishes. The Baikal region is famous for Buryat and Siberian cuisine.

You can try fish here different types– smoked, dried, salted and even raw. Hot smoked omul is especially popular, especially if it comes straight from a smokehouse, and you definitely need to eat it on the shores of Lake Baikal. IN local cafes and restaurants you can try Baikal omul, whitefish, grayling in a variety of preparations - fried, baked, fish soup. Split and gudai are special Baikal fish dishes. Split is fresh frozen fish cut into slices, served with salt and pepper. Zagudai is especially piquant - raw fish cut into slices, seasoned with salt, pepper, onion and butter.

Transparent ice of Lake Baikal. Small Sea in the Khuzhir-Nugai Bay (3 km from the Sarma River). Photo by Anna Rybakova

Among the meat dishes, Buryat dishes are very popular on Baikal - large steamed dumplings with a hole, bukhler - lamb soup. In Buryat cafes you will also be offered special green tea with milk or tea with Baikal herbs. The Siberian region is rich in taiga berries - blueberries, blueberries, lingonberries, stoneberries, raspberries, currants, sea buckthorn, they are usually sold local residents along the highway or at local food markets. Mushroom season begins in August.

What souvenirs are sold on Baikal and where to buy souvenirs?

There are souvenir shops and markets in all cities, regional centers, as well as at museums and near popular tourist attractions (Arshan, Olkhon, Listvyanka).

To remember your trip, you can buy T-shirts, magnets, soft toys, figurines made of stone and wood, birch bark products or jewelry. The cutest image of Baikal is the seal; souvenirs depicting the local animal are especially popular. Also worth buying as gifts are pine nuts, oil and various teas and infusions made from Baikal herbs: saagan-dali, Kuril tea and others.
If you want to bring fish from Lake Baikal, buy cold-smoked omul or whitefish, just ask for it to be wrapped in several layers of wrapping paper. Such fish does not lose its properties from the flight, so it can be placed in luggage.

Diving on Baikal

Visibility underwater on Lake Baikal is up to 40 meters! The water is perfectly clean. Immerse yourself in the underwater world of big lake on the planet, there you will meet representatives of fish (there are not many of them here - 52 species, but there are interesting specimens), algae and plants, you may even come across colonies of sponges - they are the main “cleaners” of Lake Baikal, the planet owes the cleanliness of its waters to sponges Baikal.

Do not dive to a depth of more than 20 meters and for more than half an hour. But a dive instructor is required!

Port Baikal. Photo by Anna Rybakova

What else can you do on Baikal

Climb to the top of Munku-Sardyk. Munku-Sardyk is the most high point in all Eastern Siberia. In winter, from its snowy peak you can contemplate unique lakes under the ice and the unique nature of the Baikal region, untouched in many places.

Just be alone with Baikal. Sit somewhere on the shore of a lake, talk to the lake, listen to its voice, smell it. This is what the locals do. They say that Baikal responds to those who turn to it. Let him into your soul. This is a truly magical lake that fulfills the requests of those who turn to it sincerely and really need something.

Come to Baikal on your own! You will be satisfied, I promise!

Special thanks to Anna Rybakova for the provided photographic materials.

is rightfully considered one of the symbols of the harsh and pristine nature. And many of us dream of traveling to this legendary lake. In this case, of course, most people mean a summer hike. But who said that traveling in these parts is only possible in the warm season?! We are ready to dispel the misconception and prove to you: winter is quite suitable for going to Baikal. And it is the winter trip that will be more eventful and impressive than the summer one.
Our team invites you to an unusual tour to the Baikal ice. We will travel in March, when the day is warm enough to safely walk on the ice, skate or take photographs, but the ice is still strong enough to drive on.

This season we will conduct TWO tours to Lake Baikal.
The first - from March 5 to 13
Second - from March 13 to 20

The main part of our trip will take place on Olkhon Island.
Olkhon- largest island Lake Baikal: over 800 km2 of steppe, sand, rocks and taiga. Exactly this sunny place throughout the Irkutsk region (90 sunny days a year). Heavy rain and snow are very rare here. Olkhon is ideal for a winter holiday: there are no crowds of tourists, large settlements(about 1,200 residents live in the village of Khuzhir) and busy highways.
During the days of our trip we will visit different points of Olkhon Island at the very different time days. We do not have a clear schedule for visiting this or that point, because... a lot will depend on the weather and your mood. You can be sure of one thing: we will be wherever you can take a beautiful photo that will remain in your photo album for a long time. During all these days we will be able to see and photograph the icy rocks of the island, ice grottoes, many kilometers of cracks and hummocks, beautiful sunsets and sunrises.
We will walk a lot along the shore of the island and, of course, how can we do without ice skating on such a huge skating rink like Baikal!

1 day. (5th of March) Meeting of participants at Irkutsk airport. (Departure from the airport is planned no later than 10:00, so please pay attention to this when purchasing air tickets. We will inform you additionally about the meeting place for participants who will arrive in Irkutsk a day earlier). Immediately after the meeting, we take a minibus to Olkhon Island; the journey will take about 5-6 hours, depending on the weather. On the way we stop at a roadside cafe for lunch. We arrive on the island, check into a hotel (accommodation for 2-3 local numbers). Excursion to the Shamanka rock. Sunset photography for amateur photographers.

Day 2. (March, 6) Amateur photographers will be able to photograph the sunrise at the Shamanki rock, and those who do not like to get up early will be able to sleep well after a long journey and relax. For photography enthusiasts, Anton Petrus will conduct a photography lesson “Composition and style in landscape photography.” After lunch we set off on our first excursion on the Baikal ice, driving to the north of the island to Cape Khoboy. Along the way, we stop near the island of Khorantsy and see ice grottoes with huge stalactites of icicles, the most fantastic shapes, ice splashes on the rocks, which resemble the real kingdom of the Snow Queen. Next we will stop near the largest hummock, Cape THREE Brothers, and the final point of our journey will be Cape Khoboy. We return to the hotel. Dinner.

Day 3. (March 7) After the excursion to Cape Khoboy we rest, part of the day will be free and everyone will be able to do what they like best. Someone will be able to go ice skating, someone will just take a walk around the village, go to the local museum and buy souvenirs, someone will go to the fish factory for smoked omul. After lunch, photographers will have a session on “Panoramic Photography from A to Z.” Evening walk at sunset to the Shamanka rock. Dinner.

Day 4 (March 8) The routine for the first half of the day is the same - photography enthusiasts go out at dawn, lazy travelers sleep off and relax. Before lunch there will be a class on night photography and shooting the starry sky. After lunch, we will go to the southern part of the island, where we will see several islands with bizarre ice splashes, and the final destination of our journey will be Ogoy Island, where one of the local attractions is located - a Buddhist stupa. Return to the hotel. Dinner. Congratulations to our participants on the holiday!

Day 5. (9th of March) Today, part of the day will be free so that each of you can do what he likes: ice skating, walking on the ice of Lake Baikal, exploring the surroundings of the village. After lunch there will be a photography lesson “Processing Landscape Photos in Photoshop”. Evening walk on the ice to photograph the sunset.

Day 7 (11th of March) Today is the last day of our stay on Olkhon. After a long excursion to the north of the island, we rest and take stock of our trip. A lesson on Landscape photos on stock (how and where to sell your photos?) will be held for photographers. After class we will have free time. so that each of you can do what he likes. In the evening, farewell dinner and packing for the road!

Day 8 (March 12) Breakfast and departure to Irkutsk. We arrive in Irkutsk in the evening, accommodation in hotels or departure to the airport.

Cost of participation in the tour: 39,000 rubles per person

The tour price includes:
1. Transfer Irkutsk-Khuzhir-Irkutsk
2. Accommodation in guest house in the village of Khuzhir (2-3 bed rooms)
3. Three excursions around Lake Baikal in the Olkhon area
4. Three meals a day, according to expedition conditions
5. A set of necessary medications (first aid kit).
6. Medical insurance.
8. Services of an instructor and photo guide.

Not included in the tour price:
Baths
Meals during the driving part of the tour (First and last day of travel)
Souvenirs
Alcohol
Flight to Irkutsk
Hotel in Irkutsk on the last day of the trip.

And some photos for your appetite)
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More Baikal photos.