A Day Trip to Port Baikal: Unforgettable Views and Rich History

Hello everyone!

I'm still basking in the warm memories of an amazing summer while it's a chilly -35°C outside. We're just 150 kilometers away from the gem of Siberia. This summer, I finally managed to escape for a day trip to Port Baikal. I chose this destination because it's relatively easy to get to, without those long multi-kilometer hikes. Plus, I'd been there once before, 25 years ago, and I wanted to relive the memories.

I booked a guided tour with a private company that organizes weekend getaways. They picked us up from Irkutsk and Angarsk and drove us to the destinations in comfortable microbuses. After arriving in Listvyanka, we had a bit of time to stroll around the dendro park for about 30 minutes, and then we boarded a boat. I'm not sure if the ferry ride was included in the tour price or if it was free, but we were in the middle of summer – July 16th – and the ferry was packed. People were leaning against each other left and right, but the views were stunning, with the sun playing on the waves and a refreshing breeze blowing.

The ferry ride to Port Baikal takes about 20 minutes. As we approached the port, we were greeted by an old pier and a ghost ship.

It was once a thriving place. The settlement was founded in 1987, when the construction of the Baikal Circle Railway began. During the Russo-Japanese War and the Civil War, it was an important strategic hub. Two icebreakers – Baikal (which was later sunk by the White Army) and Angara (now a museum in Irkutsk) – used to operate between the port and the Tanhoa settlement.

Baykal Port turned out to be a real hub for water transportation with a super complex engineering infrastructure: from here, you could cross over to the eastern side of Lake Baikal – to the stations of Miikhaila, Tanghai, and Mysovaya (the journey took around 2.5 hours by water). In January, navigation on Lake Baikal came to an end, and they were laying down the railway tracks right across the ice.

I'm really fascinated by the history of the port, and I'd recommend diving deeper into it on your own, but I'll share my impressions of this historic place.

Next, our guide collected the group at the train station, and while we were waiting, we got to check out the legendary steam locomotive L-4657 (which was produced between 1945 and 1955).

The path we took led us to the observation deck, where we could see the Wish Rock and the old lighthouse.We were really lucky with the weather – it was sunny, warm, but there was a pretty strong wind blowing. After the train station, we had to hike up a hill. It wasn't a super high mountain, but we had to stop and catch our breath quite a few times, and the climb was pretty steep.

I'm still surprised I don't remember the hike up the mountain when I was 12, it's crazy how some memories just fade away. But one thing that's stuck with me is this wide path through the trees with low green grass that was all dewy, we took off our shoes and walked barefoot - it was amazing. As we crawled up the mountain like turtles, we kept getting these incredible views, one after the other. At the spot with the wish-granting rock, our guide called for a break and some snacks. Anyone who wanted to could take a photo and make a wish. From this point, you can see the mouth of the Angara River - how the Angara flows out of Lake Baikal, unfortunately, the shaman's rock was almost invisible behind the leaves. The sense of space around us was incredible, it was like I felt at peace, like a tiny, happy grain of sand in this world, lucky enough to see this beauty. Next, we headed to the lighthouse. It was just a 15-minute walk.

The lighthouse was made in England. Originally, it was located at the bottom, but in 1906, they moved it and installed it on the slope of the mountain. It was operational until 1984. They disassembled it and transported it piece by piece, and then reinforced it with rails on the sides. Now, the lighthouse is closed. I remember it being open when I was a kid, with a steep spiral staircase inside.

Our guide took us to a church, where we met a great priest who lets anyone ring the church bells. A little further down the hill, there's a cozy wooden church - the Transfiguration of the Lord. The priest was happy to let us ring the bells and showed us how to do it properly. Next, we took a 327-step wooden staircase down the hill. The steps were easy to climb, and before we knew it, we were at the bottom.We had two options in the tour program - we could either walk along the railway tracks to the first tunnel and galleries or continue to the beach and stay there until the others returned. Of course, we chose to chill on the beach. By the way, I was exhausted by the time we got there - I'm not sure how the others managed to keep going.

Just before the beach, there's a spring where we refilled our empty bottles. The water was cold and tasted great.

The beach is pebbly, and there were plenty of people around, but they were all at a comfortable distance from each other.

We spent a couple of hours there, soaking up the sun, and the water in Lake Baikal was freezing cold. The kids would run around and then quickly scurry back, their legs numb after just five seconds.

On the way back, I didn't want to walk, but we had to catch the ferry. Along the way, we stumbled upon a little shop where we could grab a snack - we picked up some ice cream (we usually brought our own food, but the hunger hit us on the go). There aren't many cafes in the village, but there is a buffet at the train station. And a few small grocery stores in the village itself. I did notice a sign that said 'Omul' near the shop. Check out this adorable little guy you might spot in the village:

We returned home feeling refreshed and full of new experiences - I didn't regret going back for a second time, it was just like the first time, and I only remembered the lighthouse, the rest was a blur. I highly recommend this place to everyone - it's not like Listvyanka, where you can't even look at the lake because everyone's rushing to buy fish and souvenirs or ride the Ferris wheel or visit the museum. Here, everything is more laid-back, and you can really appreciate what Baikal is all about. I hope my review was helpful - now you know what to expect from Port Baikal.

I've been to Lake Baikal with my little one more times than I can count.

The Aya Bay is truly out of this world.

And let's not forget Mamai - the snow-covered zefirki in the Swiss Siberia.

One of my favorite spots in Baikalsk is the Sobolinaya mountain in the summer.

Have you ever been to the Tanhoy village and seen the old wooden boats?

The story of Baikal is one I'll always treasure, and I'm so glad I got to experience it with my family.

And if you're looking for a real-life fairy tale, you have to check out the wooden sculpture festival in Savvateevka.