RUSSIA
BAIKAL AUTUMN

Day 1: arrival day. From all major Central airports, you are flying first to Moscow and from there to Irkutsk. The total flight time from Europe to Irkutsk is about 7-9 hours. From US and Canada about 15 to 18. The visa check is done in Moscow and is very simple and usually takes only a few minutes.

Day 2: Arrival in Irkutsk. The arrival in Irkutsk is depending on if the flight arrives in the early morning or around noon. Here, the tour group meets the tour guide and gets picked up and brought to the hotel only 15 minutes away. After checking in, you can relax or gather impressions of the beautiful city on a walk.

Day 3: Irkutsk at its best. Today you visit the sights, churches and monasteries as well as the old town of Irkutsk with its old traditional houses. Irkutsk is one of the few cities in Siberia in which the merchant buildings from the beginning of the 20th century have been preserved in the city center, as well as other examples of charming Siberian wooden architecture.

Day 4: from Irkutsk to Listvyanka. After a hearty breakfast we will drive at around 08:00 a.m. to Listvyanka, about 70 km. The ship will be ready for boarding when we arrive. After a short briefing and the traditional vodka offering for “Burchan”, the god of the lake, we go on board where you will find your cabin. Afterwards you can explore the ship and get first impressions of the mighty Lake Baikal from the sundeck while enjoying a Crimean sparkling wine. The adventure begins!

Day 5-11: Lake Baikal at its best – under and over water. We explore the Baikal nearly along its entire length, from south to north. We visit both the east and the west bank, as well as various islands. Our itinerary includes the island of Olkhon, the Ushkany Islands, the Chivyrkuy Bay and the Bay of Brown Bears. We experience breathtaking landscapes in amazing autumn colors, visit small villages and densely wooded islands, observe the local wildlife – with a little luck perhaps also one of the brown bears that occur here. In the evening we sometimes grill the self-caught fresh fish at the lake shore.

The exact route and the daily program are kept open, because at Baikal you can not (and will not) always plan everything. Depending on the weather, underwater visibility and other natural conditions, we decide daily where we go ashore or dive. Our expedition program is always (as far as possible) adapted to the wishes of the participants and, of course, the diving experience as well.

On most days, three to four dives are offered at the best dive spots of the lake. Incidentally, the dives take place directly from the ship: Here we prepare our dive gear in two groups. So there is plenty of space for each group. You dive in a buddy team – perfect for photographers, because you can decide together with your buddy the duration, speed and what to focus for on the dive.

The underwater topography of the Baikal is very simple and there are no currents. The visibility is usually excellent and crystal clear at this time of year, but may be regionally limited by an early plankton bloom. In such cases the M.Y. Valeria will continue to the next dive spot, because usually the visibility might be completely different just a few miles ahead. Sometimes the Baikal seems to be more an ocean than a freshwater lake.

Day 12: Listvyanka, Baikal Museum and transfer to Irkutsk. After breakfast there is time for two more dives before we explore Listvyanka. In the Baikal Museum we dive into the depths of the lake and experience its strange inhabitants.

Afterwards we visit the local market and at 03:00 p.m. the ship will continue towards Irkutsk. The last evening we spend together on the ship or at in the quaint “Beer house Irkutsk”.

Day 13: Departure. After breakfast and a restful night at the hotel, transfer to the airport. From here you will fly via Moscow back to the home airport. On request, you can also optionally participate in our follow-up program “Two Days Moscow” and experience the metropolis including the Kremlin and Red Square.