We begin our review of the winter trip to Lake Baikal. And its first point will be the settlement of Listvyanka. It is here that tourist Baikal begins. Listvyanka is located on the right side of the source of the Angara River and stretches to the northwest along Lake Baikal (Listvennichny Bay) for 5 km.
This village is now the fastest way to get to Lake Baikal from Irkutsk. Only 75 km - and you are on the shore of the lake. This village took its name from the larches that grow on the cape closest to the village. The old name is Listvenichny, which simplified over time to Listvyanka. At first there was a winter hut, then a post station, and later - a water crossing through Lake Baikal. Soon Listvenichny became the main Baikal pier. Now in Listvyanka there are hardly a few old houses ...
Baikalsky tract - the shortest federal highway ends in Listvyanka, this road was built in the 18th century for the transportation of goods, passengers, mail and even prisoners in Transbaikalia. The road did not end in the village of Listvenichnoye, but continued further - in summer by steamers, and in winter on ice. The Baikal tract became a modern highway in the early 1960s, for the arrival of a government delegation led by US President Eisenhower. The visit fell through, but the road secured the importance of the highway.
Now Listvyanka is a small village stretching on a narrow strip of land between the shore of Lake Baikal and steep mountains.
Many interesting things can be seen in Listvyanka. In our tour, we offer the following points for acquaintance: the Baikal Museum, the Taltsy Museum, the ascent to the Chersky stone and skating on the ice of Lake Baikal on a khivus.
Only in the Baikal Museum you will learn everything about Baikal! In the museum you will see the life of the Baikal fauna in aquariums: giant omul, whitefish, young sturgeon and ... two charming and impetuous seals! Water enters the aquariums through a pipeline - directly from Lake Baikal - and does not require purification. So we can say that the aquariums of the Baikal Museum are part of Baikal itself.
The Taltsy Museum on the road from Irkutsk to Listvyanka is an open-air museum of wooden architecture. A great place for an informative walk and unusual photos.
The Chersky stone is a mountain peak 728 meters high, named after the explorer of Siberia. Near the summit there is a viewing platform from which the source of the Angara, Cape Baranchuk, the port of Baikal and the adjacent water area of Lake Baikal are clearly visible. A path leads to the top from the upper station of the chairlift of the Eastland ski center.
And the most unusual and exciting attraction is riding a khivus. A walk around Lake Baikal on a khivus is a very exotic and safe entertainment. The comfortable hovercraft is designed for 8-9 passengers. It can walk on land, ice and water, it is not afraid of gullies, cracks and dirt. The most interesting thing is to ride in a khivus at high speed when there is a side wind and the boat is blowing sideways. Such a walk will bring vivid emotions and real drive. The permeability of the khivus is amazing. With its help, you can get to the most difficult and beautiful places of Lake Baikal. The routes can be different - from a short walk to the source of the Angara to a multi-day trip in which you will feel like a real traveler and discoverer.
