Lake Baikal Photography Tour

Duration8days

Price fromEUR €2,763 ?Currency ConversionConverted from USD based on the latest exchange rate. Final amount and payment will be in USD. Final conversion rate is determined by your bank.

Trip StylePhotography

Time of yearFebruary

With its enchanted ice caves, dazzling winter sun and dramatic landscapes, winter is without a doubt the most spectacular time to photograph frozen Lake Baikal.

This Lake Baikal Photography Tour will grant intrepid photographers the honour of focusing their lenses on some of Siberia’s most famously beautiful frozen landscapes. Summer sees the bulk of tourist activity in the area, but it’s in winter that the most devoted photographers make the pilgrimage, hoping to capture once-in-a-lifetime images of the natural world at its most powerful and surreal.

Lake Baikal Ice Photo Tour Highlights:

  • Enjoy a breathtaking panoramic view showing the true scale of Siberia’s “inland sea” from Khoboy Cape, which contains a labyrinth of grottoes where sunlight dances off ceilings jagged with icy stalactites
  • Khorin-Igri Bay: an ideal spot to photograph the natural phenomenon of frozen bubbles under Lake Baikal, rising to the surface in perfect discs suspended in the clear, dark water
  • Budun Cape is a rugged natural monument surrounded by shard-like ice mounds. An unreal sight with a huge variety of shapes, lines and geometry allowing for some creative perspectives
  • In the bay of Zuun-Khagun, the ice is often so transparent that the bottom of Lake Baikal is clearly seen. This is one of the best places to capture one of the most iconic images of Baikal – the inky black lake surface split with vein-like cracks in the ice that can stretch for dozens of kilometres
  • Uzury is a tiny village of about 10 people in eastern Olkhon. Close to Uzury are numerous ice grottoes and natural ice hummocks – giant blocks formed by the movement of ice floes that shimmer like precious stones on the surface of the lake.

Under deep freeze conditions, Lake Baikal is an astonishing sight, with its transparent layer of ice blanketing staggeringly clear water plunging over 1000 metres into the abyss. Exploring the lake’s numerous islands will reveal hidden grottoes and frozen caves where intricate ice formations make for otherworldly photo subjects.

The main subject of this 8-day Baikal tour will be the breathtakingly beautiful Olkhon Island, the largest of Lake Baikal’s 27 islands. Olkhon is divided into three distinct climatic zones – steppe, forest and desert. Dotted all around Olkhon are strikingly photogenic landscapes and natural monuments, made all the more spectacular in winter by the presence of glittering ice caves and bizarre, beautiful ice hummocks – huge shards of ice that form out of cracks in the surface of the lake and shimmer with a transparent, turquoise hue.

This dedicated photographer’s safari caters for camera buffs of all skill levels, with an expert photographer on hand to give you advice on shooting techniques. Amateur photographers will enjoy workshops on mastering equipment, building the right composition and using filters. Seasoned photographers will learn more about shooting panoramas, focus stacking and night photography. Travelling with a professional team including a guide, translator and drivers, you’ll visit the most visually breathtaking destinations in the region on this Lake Baikal photo tour. You won’t go home without a gallery’s worth of stunning pictures, guaranteed!

Arrival

Irkutsk

Departure

Irkutsk

Accomodation

3* hotels

Trip style

Photography

Duration

8 days / 7 nights

Action rating?

     

Group size

4-7 people

Type of tour

Guaranteed Departures

Itinerary View map

Day 1 Welcome to Siberia

Welcome to the astonishing Baikal region of Siberia and the winter photography expedition of a lifetime! Your journey begins with your arrival at Irkutsk airport, where you’ll be met by our staff, ready to answer all your questions on the mission to come. Once the group is gathered, we board a mini-bus for a journey to Listvyanka village on a shore of Lake Baikal. 

On the way to Listvyanka, we will visit the Taltsy open-air of wooden architecture, where we enjoy walking down the Siberian streets of 19 Century. On arrival to Listvyanka, after a short rest at the hotel, we’ll visit the observation point (720m) – Chersky Rock, a lift-chair will take you up from there. From the observation point, you will enjoy incredible views of the source of the Angara River and Lake Baikal. 

Day 2 From Listvyanka to Olkhon island

In the morning, we’ll waste no time venturing straight to the shores of the mighty Lake Baikal, where we board a hovercraft for our day journey to Olkhon! At 72 km long, Olkhon stands out among the three dozen islands of Baikal for its sheer size and the monumental grandeur of its landscapes.

Travelling north along the western shore of Lake Baikal in James Bond style, we will stop at many locations along the way for photoshooting amazingly clear ice of Baikal. We visit Peschanaya and Ayia Bays, and stop at Krestovsky Cape.

On arrival at Olkhon Island, we check-in at our home for the next days is Khuzhir, the main village on the island. You’ll stay in a basic but comfortable hotel with a welcoming local atmosphere. 

Days 3-6 Landscape photography around Olkhon

Over the next 4 days, we will visit the most picturesque destinations in and around Olkhon including the ice grottos of Kharantsy Island, the ice mounds of Khoboy Cape, the Buddhist stupa on Ogoy Island, the bubbles at Belenky Island, the tiny settlement of Uzury and the steppe landscapes on the southern part of Olkhon.

Because of the weather-dependent nature of the trip, there’s no fixed, day-by-day itinerary – we choose destinations based on the most opportune conditions on each day.

Day 7 Return to Irkutsk

Our expedition complete, after morning photo shooting and lunch we transfer back to Irkutsk to spend the evening relaxing, celebrating and sharing favourite photos and memories.

Day 8 Departure

Final morning in Irkutsk, with transport provided to the airport ready for the journey home.

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Inclusions

Group arrival and departure airport transfers

Transportation on tour according to the itinerary (4WD cars, hovercraft)

Hotel accommodation in Listvyanka village (1 night)

Hotel accommodation on Olkhon Island (5 nights)

Hotel accommodation in Irkutsk (1 night)

Breakfast, lunches and dinners while on Olkhon Island

Professional photographer guide

Local English-speaking tour leader

Experienced driver

Russian visa support documents

Exclusions

Flights

Travel insurance

Visa and visa fees.*Russian visa can be arranged by 56th Parallel for an additional cost (for Australian citizens only). Apply for comprehensive visa service here.

Optional excursions

Individual transfers

Alcohol

Dates & Prices

Dates Availability Price Single sup.  
30 Jan - 6 Feb, 2023
Guaranteed Departures
Available EU €2,763 EU €529 Reserve

Lake Baikal Photography Tour

8 days / 7 nights

From
€2,763
EUR

*Group Tour, price is per person, based on min 6 people

Make an enquiry Detailed Itinerary

Testimonials

Diana ClaxtonAustralia

Baikal's ice in our top 3 best ever things we have ever seen!

We loved our Lake Baikal tour! As you know we left the tour a day early and it was just the right amount of time for us. Early mornings as expected, but appreciated the break in the middle of the day. Unfortunately, we had a bit of snow a couple of days in so there was limited clear ice. Andrew and Igor did their best to find great locations for us that were tourist-free! The itinerary was great! You were excellent! We were very confident that anything you arranged would be as it was supposed to be and reliable. We were talking about how good 56th Parallel is and a word that came to mind about our experience was ‘seamless’.

The hotel was also good. The walls are very thin so you hear everything that people next door are discussing and doing. As members of our group were in the same row of rooms we had agreed to keep the noise down. Like-minded travellers stayed here so there was not a problem with people being up late and being noisy. The restaurant at Baikal Wood hotel served adequate food. It was more than enough in quantity, 4 courses each meal!!! I was soon refusing half the food, I think that they were surprised by this. Breakfast seemed to be a bit of an issue with our early starts – we had packed breakfasts which were pretty good.

We felt totally safe all of the time during the trip. And the highlight of the trip is definitely Baikal’s ice, it’s in our top 3 best ever things we have ever seen.

We were absolutely happy with your services!!! We would recommend you and definitely use you again. The only thing we raised an eyebrow at was having to pay in US $ – but that’s probably due to the crap exchange rate.

Edward GetleyUSA

I enjoy my time in Lake Baikal and was happy with the itinerary and your overall experience.

I was happy with the guides Igor and Andrey (although I prefer female guides) and accommodation provided on the tour. Food was fine.  For lunches would have preferred just a LARGE bowl of the Baikal Wood delicious soups with some bread and butter.  That would have been more than sufficient:).  Their soup was soooo good! The highlight of the trip is the clear ice of Lake Baikal:)

©Edward Getley

©Edward Getley

©Edward Getley

©Edward Getley

©Edward Getley

©Edward Getley

©Edward Getley

©Edward Getley

Christian SaagerSwitzerland

We had a fantastic time in Lake Baikal!

The itinerary was good and we appreciated the flexibility to do some adjustments if needed. Alexandra as the local office was very helpful as well and made all program adjustments possible. Everything was very smooth, all transfers were on time and we met very friendly people everywhere. Misha, the photographer, gave excellent recommendations on how to organise each day. He was outstanding! Exactly the person we were looking for. A very professional, helpful and friendly person. He integrated very well with the 3 of us. He selected the right photo places at the right time of the day. He made our trip to what it was: a great experience! We would definitely recommend him to all the people who like to do photography!

Vidana was with us and gave some background information. However, we think she is generally more used to big groups of tourists who stop at sightseeing points for a short time and then move on.

We were happy with the chosen accommodation options and we always ate very good food. All happy! We really enjoyed the Siberian friendliness and hospitality and felt absolutely safe on this trip. We also had very good drivers everywhere.

The entire trip was fantastic! You found the people who matched our needs for this trip! Thank you!

 

More Reviews
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Lake Baikal Photography Tour

8 days / 7 nights

From
€2,763
EUR

*Group Tour, price is per person, based on min 6 people

Make an enquiry

Dowlnload comprehansive info-kit for this tour, FAQ’s and extras

Detailed Itinerary
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Why travel to Russia with 56th Parallel?

Destination Specialists

Our team offers over 18 years of experience travelling and planning travel in Russia. Delivering outstanding travel experiences in Russia’s capitals and in some of the most stunning & remote locations takes experience, special access and the right connections. We make sure that all the fine details are handled perfectly so you can enjoy your Russia travel experience.

Group & Private Tours

The choice to join a small group on a guaranteed departure or chose to travel on your own dates with your own mates. Each destination we travel to in Russia offers an option between private tours and small group tours. Please note: on our adventure tours in remote destinations, we mostly run group tours to keep the cost down.

Bonded & Licensed

56th Parallel is a fully licensed, insured and accredited travel provider.

More benefits
+61 412 587 785[email protected]

Lake Baikal Photography Tour

Days 8

From EUR €2,763

Trip Style Photography

Time of year February

Day 1: Welcome to Siberia

Welcome to the astonishing Baikal region of Siberia and the winter photography expedition of a lifetime! Your journey begins with your arrival at Irkutsk airport, where you’ll be met by our staff, ready to answer all your questions on the mission to come. Once the group is gathered, we board a mini-bus for a journey to Listvyanka village on a shore of Lake Baikal. 

On the way to Listvyanka, we will visit the Taltsy open-air of wooden architecture, where we enjoy walking down the Siberian streets of 19 Century. On arrival to Listvyanka, after a short rest at the hotel, we’ll visit the observation point (720m) – Chersky Rock, a lift-chair will take you up from there. From the observation point, you will enjoy incredible views of the source of the Angara River and Lake Baikal. 

Day 2: From Listvyanka to Olkhon island

In the morning, we’ll waste no time venturing straight to the shores of the mighty Lake Baikal, where we board a hovercraft for our day journey to Olkhon! At 72 km long, Olkhon stands out among the three dozen islands of Baikal for its sheer size and the monumental grandeur of its landscapes.

Travelling north along the western shore of Lake Baikal in James Bond style, we will stop at many locations along the way for photoshooting amazingly clear ice of Baikal. We visit Peschanaya and Ayia Bays, and stop at Krestovsky Cape.

On arrival at Olkhon Island, we check-in at our home for the next days is Khuzhir, the main village on the island. You’ll stay in a basic but comfortable hotel with a welcoming local atmosphere. 

Days 3-6: Landscape photography around Olkhon

Over the next 4 days, we will visit the most picturesque destinations in and around Olkhon including the ice grottos of Kharantsy Island, the ice mounds of Khoboy Cape, the Buddhist stupa on Ogoy Island, the bubbles at Belenky Island, the tiny settlement of Uzury and the steppe landscapes on the southern part of Olkhon.

Because of the weather-dependent nature of the trip, there’s no fixed, day-by-day itinerary – we choose destinations based on the most opportune conditions on each day.

Day 7: Return to Irkutsk

Our expedition complete, after morning photo shooting and lunch we transfer back to Irkutsk to spend the evening relaxing, celebrating and sharing favourite photos and memories.

Day 8: Departure

Final morning in Irkutsk, with transport provided to the airport ready for the journey home.

Included

Group arrival and departure airport transfers

Transportation on tour according to the itinerary (4WD cars, hovercraft)

Hotel accommodation in Listvyanka village (1 night)

Hotel accommodation on Olkhon Island (5 nights)

Hotel accommodation in Irkutsk (1 night)

Breakfast, lunches and dinners while on Olkhon Island

Professional photographer guide

Local English-speaking tour leader

Experienced driver

Russian visa support documents

Not included

Flights

Travel insurance

Visa and visa fees.*Russian visa can be arranged by 56th Parallel for an additional cost (for Australian citizens only). Apply for comprehensive visa service here.

Optional excursions

Individual transfers

Alcohol

Dates & Prices

DatesAvailabilityPriceSingle sup.
30 Jan - 6 Feb, 2023
Guaranteed Departures
Available EU €2,763 EU €529

Start planning your tour

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Prefer to chat? Call us on +61 412 587 785 we will be delighted to be of service.

Lake Baikal Photography Tour

If you have any urgent questions or enquiries, please give us a call +61 412 587 785

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