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 DOG SLEDDING
& BAIKAL EXCURSION - 1 DAY
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From mid December till early April
 All
transfers by private car, English/German/Japanese/Italian/Spanish speaking guide,
visit to the Museum of Lake Baikal (Limnological Museum) or the Museum of Wooden
Architecture (entrance ticket to one museum is included), the viewpoint over
the source of the Angara River, walk to St. Nicholas church, Dog Sledding. Departure
from hotel/homestay: 9:30 am. Back to Irkutsk at 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. Duration of
the tour is 8-9 hr.
Note: When taking a dog sled ride, there is a possibility
to share a lap among tourists, e.g. the lap of 10 km can be started by one tourist
and after 5 km ride a shift with another person may be done, so 2-3 tourists
can try dog sledding one after another during 10 km ride. It is also possible
to arrange a ride longer then 10 km.
The highway from Irkutsk to Lake Baikal goes through a picturesque taiga-forest
up and down the high hills. After 1 hour drive you come to a viewpoint facing
the Shaman Rock, at the source of the Angara River. The small but tourist-wise
village of Listvyanka is located on the western shore of Lake Baikal, 70 km
from Irkutsk. This old-style Siberian village is famous for its trade history.
From the 18th century its ferry took merchants across the lake to Mongolia and
China and the Far East. The Museum of Lake Baikal (Limnological Museum) provides
information about the origin and wild life of the lake. A video film gives you
the opportunity to see the deepest point of the lake's bottom (1.637 m) from
the submarine board. Lake Baikal is frozen over from late January to early May,
the thickness of the ice near Listvyanka can be 70-80 cm. The part of the lake
near the source of the Angara River is the only natural water place in Siberia,
which never freezes over.
After Listvyanka settlement sightseeing tourists get to a dog open-air cage
to see how the harness is put on dogs, listen to the brief instructions and
explanations from the guide. Breath-taking excitement creeps you up when a team
of Russian racing huskies, brought from Kamchatka peninsula, lead you along
the forest trail. Controlling the wooden sledge at the sharp turns, enjoying
the speed one has incomparable feeling of unity with nature.
Experienced guide-instructor will escort your trip with a ski-doo.
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