Following the path of the nomads

Arrival in Irkutsk and transfer to Listvyanka. Today the plane will take you to the very heart of Siberia - the city of Irkutsk. Meeting at the airport in the morning and transfer to the destination - the village of Listvyanka, which is located 65 km from Irkutsk at the source of the Angara River. This is one of the most visited places on the coast of Lake Baikal. This will be our first meeting with the lake itself.

First we will visit the Baikal museum. Then, if the weather permits, we will drive up to the observation deck "Chersky Stone" from where there is a stunning view onto the source of the Angara, which is considered the widest in the world reaching almost 1 km and the Shaman-stone – a small island of only a couple of meters getting out of the water. But don't be fooled by its size above the water, because underneath it lies a huge rocky cliff. From your guide you will be able to hear a beautiful legend about this stone.

You can spend the rest of the day devoting it to an evening walk and visit of souvenir shops or relax in a comfortable hotel room.

Listvyanka - Irkutsk. After breakfast, we will go to the Taltsy open-air museum. This is an architectural and ethnographic complex located about 20 kilometers from the village of Listvyanka. This museum includes a unique collection of ethnographic and architectural exhibits dating back to the 18th century.

The indigenous peoples of the Baikal region such as the Buryats, Tofs, Evenks, and Russians have left behind an amazing legacy. Here you can see Russian wooden huts, Buryat yurts, Tofalar tents, Evenk storehouses, and the most amazing thing is that they are not reconstructions. These dwellings of different years were carefully brought here from all over the Baikal region. In Taltsy there are workshops of a folk artist, a potter, a blacksmith, a weaver and a glass blower. You can not only watch how they do their work but also buy pieces of arts from these masters. Here you may also swing on huge swings, walk on stilts, and even arrange a pillow fight.

After lunch, we will arrive in the city of Irkutsk, where you can walk around the old part of the city on your own. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Baikal - Khubsugul - 340 km asphalt. At 8:30 you will be met at the Irkutsk airport. After that, you will have breakfast; get acquainted with all the participants of our trip, pick your car for the tour and have a short briefing.

At 10 am we will leave for the first point of our travel - the Tunkinskaya Valley famous for its alpine meadows and mineral springs (there are about 400 of them here!). We have to drive about 100 km on a good asphalt road to the beginning point of the valley. This valley is one of the most unique places in the Baikal region because many thousands of troops of Genghis Khan walked along this very road many centuries ago. We will have lunch and cross the border at the checkpoint of Mondy. We will drive to Lake Khubsugul meaning "lake of blue waters" located in the north of Mongolia. Check-in at the campsite.

Around 8 pm we will have dinner (national cuisine). Activities.

Off-road section in Khubsgul National Park - 276 km off-road. After breakfast, we will go on an off-road route along Lake Khubsugul - the deepest lake in Mongolia and the younger brother of Lake Baikal. The water in the lake is fresh similar to the water of Lake Baikal; it’s clean and suitable for drinking in its raw form. It is just as pure but more oxygenated by mountain air than Baikal.

There are many birds and animals listed in the Book of rare species; along the way you can see wild ones (deer, elk, foxes, capercaillie, gray herons and swans). Lake Khubsugul is extremely rich in fish, which among the Mongols is a symbol of eternity, and therefore they do not eat it. Here one can find taimen, lenok, grayling, burbot and other types of fish. They say one can even catch fish with his hands here. We will arrange a field lunch on the shore of the lake and continue our journey to the village of Muren.

Upon arrival, check-in at the base, and in the evening we will have dinner and see Mongolian folk games.

Mongolian mountains. Today we have an off-road route. Dirt roads pass through the mountains of Mongolia, in some places passable only in the dry season on off-road vehicles. During the rainy season and off-season, they can be an obstacle for even the most prepared ones.

We will make a short stop for lunch and continue our route, now along the paved road over the pass to the fishing base where there will be an opportunity to catch fish. The Mongols practically do not fish, and there have never been fishermen here before, so the fish in local lakes and rivers sometimes reach incredible sizes.

We will make a fire on the river bank and have dinner with dishes prepared from local fish.

Driving to the ancient capital of the Great Moghuls. Our today's route runs by asphalt road to Tariat. The nature and ethnography of this region is surprisingly diverse. The local population breeds reindeer and sarlyks. On the roads you can meet a cart with wooden wheels harnessed by shaggy yaks just like in antiquity. The peoples inhabiting this region are Soyots, Darkhats, Buryats, Tsaatans, Evenks, Tuvans and still practice shamanism.

We will visit a small canyon and have a coffee break along the way. Argali, tarbagans, hares, foxes, wolves can be found in this area. The climate is sharply continental. The average July temperature is +12-14°C, so you need to be prepared for the fact that it certainly won’t be hot. Lunch will be organized at a restaurant of national cuisine in the village of Tariat. Here we will make a Mongolian shop tour to the local market. The last point of our route for today is Kharkhorin - a city in the Orkhon River valley 380 km southwest of Ulaanbaatar.

It is included in the Cultural Landscape of the Orkhon River Valley and is part of the World Heritage Site. The main attraction of the city is the ruins of the ancient Karakoram, which for a short time under Ogedei Khan in the 13th century was the capital of the Mongol Empire founded by Genghis Khan. The city was located on the northern branch of the Great Silk Road and was one of its most important posts. Check-in at the hotel, dinner and rest.

Driving to the modern capital. Today we will visit the historical part of the city and the museum of the city of Khorhorin, and then we will leave to the dunes where an off-road driving school on the sand will be organized for you. We will also have a camel ride and we will be able to take many colorful photos.

Lunch will be organized at the mountain base, and after that we will drive along the off-road section. Just a little more and we will arrive in the capital of Mongolia - the city of Ulaanbaatar.

Check in hotel. Dinner in the city and evening walk through the streets of the capital.

Genghis Khan. After breakfast, we will make a trip to the memorial complex of the statue of Genghis Khan. The giant statue of a hero sitting on horseback is located 54 km southeast of the capital. Its height, together with the pedestal inside which the archaeological museum is located, is 50 meters. Today it is the largest equestrian statue in the world.

The people of Mongolia revere Genghis Khan as a national hero - the ruler of one of the largest empires in history who established the Mongols as the main political and military force at that time. The image of the Khan who ruled 800 years ago can be found everywhere here: from huge statues to cigarette packs and bottles of alcohol. Picnic lunch and return to Ulaanbaatar.

The rest of the day you will have free time for independent walks, shopping and buying souvenirs. Dinner and rest.

Departure. Today you will be transferred to the airport for your home flight.