Cruises in Russia 2008

Volga cruises: Moscow-St.Petersburg, St.Petersburg-Moscow.

Included services:

The Baikal cruise on board of «Natalie» ship at a special price offer!

Cruise period – July 28 – August 3, 2006
Number of persons – 4-10   
28.07.06 1 day – Arrival in Irkutsk. Meeting at the airport by the representatives of tourist agency «S.A.N-Voyage». Transfer by microbus: airport – ship location (250 km). Breakfast in a roadside cafe (not included in cost). Accomodation on board ship. Dinner. Voyage to one of the Small sea bays. Leisure time. Supper. Overnight on board.
29.07.06 2 day - Excursion to the islands of the Small Sea. This is one of the most extensive and shallow parts of the lake, rich in fish. The climate of the Small Sea is very favorable for leisure. Water temperature in the bays is from +19 to +21˚C. Take a bathing suit, sunglasses and certainly tanning or sunscreen cream. Sun in Siberia is very intensive.
30.07.06 3 day - Breakfast. Voyage to Olkhon Island. Olkhon is «heart» of the Baikal. Olkhon Island is the largest and the only populated island of lake Baikal. Its length is 73 km, width reaches 15 km. The island is mountainous. Its eastern edge breaks itself into Baikal by cliffed headlands with up to 80 m  height and western - gently gets down to the shallow bays of the Small Sea. During this day you can walk about Khuzhir settlement and you can visit Shaman Cliff - this place is one of the classical photo and art images of Baikal. By the way it will be possible to look into the museum of local lore. Excursion lasts not more than an hour.
31.07.06 4day - Breakfast. Beach. Hiking. Lunch. Excursion program. Dinner. Return to ship. During one of the days spent on the island of Olkhon you will certainly visit Ogoi Island where Buddhist Stupa was set the last year. They say that if you go around this Stupa along with the sun and wish smth it will happen for sure. Supper. Overnight on board ship.
01.08.06 5 day - Voyage from the Small Sea to the Sennaya bay. On the way a short stop is possible at the white marble cliff of «Saagan-Zaba» with the inspection of cave drawings of the Neolithic age (but only in wave absence!). In the evening we recommend you visiting Russian steam bath (banya) – it is one of the best on Baikal. Breakfast, dinner and supper are all provided.                                                                                                                   
02.08.06 6 day - In the morning after breakfast you’ll take a walk along the mountain path to Peschanaya bay famous for its «stilted trees». Views are fascinating around. Camera will be very apropos. (Convenient foot-wear with nonslipping sole will be very useful this day.) After staying a little in Peschanaya bay you will sail in the direction of Listvyanka settlement. Dinner, supper. Overnight on board ship.
03.08.06 7 day - After dinner you will be awaited by the «workers of land» which transfer you into Irkutsk - the distance - 70 km, traveling time - 1 hour.

For extra charge:  On demand hotel accommodation is possible.

Cost for the group of 10 people: $ 632
Cost for the group of 8 people:  $ 747
Cost for the group of 6 people:  $ 938
Cost for the group of 4 people: $ 1360

The Baikal cruise on shipboard of «Nikolai Eroschenko»

Three deck sea motorship «NIKOLAI  EROSCHENKO» last refurbished in 2003 is considered the best cruiser in Siberia. This is really comfortable vessel with tourist infrastructure and modern navigation system safe from Baikal winds and storms.

Onboard facilities: restaurant, bar, upper-deck café, sauna, satellite communication, internet, fax, library, video, scooters, water ski, laundry, ironing services.
Capacity: 47 passengers
Optimum capacity: 30 passengers

Daily Itinerary
Duration: 5 days/4 nights
Dates:
20.06 – 24.06.06
29.08. – 02.09.06 

1st day 09:00 - transfer to Listvyanka settlement. Embark on motorship «Babushkin», voyage to Baikal port.
09: 30 - arrival at Baikal port. Embark on cruise ship «N. Eroschenko», accomodation, voyage starting.
10:00 – breakfast
13:00 - arrival at Kadilny Cape. Dinner with Russian family.
There is a cordon of Pribaikalsky National Park at Bolshaya Kadilnaya Pad’. A huntsman constantly lives in the cordon. Just there because of the vicinity of Listvyanka guests are invited to try Russian steam bath (banya) and Baikal fish-soup (ukha). Kadilnaya Pad’ is a preserved area. Name «Kadilnaya» is connected with a former lime-pit. In olden times there was a village and the locals burnt lime there. Huntsman can show you the outcrops of Precambrian limestone containing ancient petrified remains.
 15:00 – voyage to Peschanaya bay.
 19:00 - arrival at Peschanaya bay. Trip across the picturesque bay. Peschanaya bay - one of the most known and most picturesque places on the lake - leaves no one indifferent. The bay is called Siberian Riviera and it is declared a natural sanctuary. As if the Creator while making Baikal shores was so inspired that he created rocks, gentle mountainsides and accurate bay shores with special love having placed all these at a small space of Baikal coast.
The famous «stilted trees» from underneath of which water and wind are constantly washing and blowing out sandy soil are growing in the northern part of the bay.
There is soft microclimate and great number of sunny days in a year in Peschanaya bay the same as at the health resorts of the Black Sea coast. This is the only place in Eastern Siberia where the average annual temperature of air is positive (+0,4°C). However the temperature of water in the bay remains low the whole summer and only hardened people can bathe.
21:00 - return to the ship. Festive supper.
23:00 – voyage to Olkhon Island

2 day 9:00 breakfast. Continuation of the voyage. Olkhon Island.
There are 26 islands on Baikal, Olkhon is the largest one.
Resorting to poetic means it is possible to say that the Baikal - is blue heart of Siberia, and Olkhon – is heart of Baikal. The island is geographical, historical and sacral center of the lake - focus of ancient legends and historical stories.
Located in the central part of Baikal close to the inmost depth mark (1637m) and equidistant from the northernmost and southernmost tips of the lake the island of Olkhon has focused at its territory all the diversity of natural landscapes of Baikal lakesides. Even by its form it resembles the outlines of Baikal. There are steppe landscapes on the island with those deeply projected into the land and well warmed in summer bays, rare for Baikal region eolian sands with dunes and hills, mixed deciduous forests with relict firs, picturesque cliffs on the shore of marble densely covered with red lichens. For the amateurs of wild nature and photographers it’s a real preserve of amazingly diverse landscapes and majestic views.
13:00 dinner
13:00 arrival at the settlement of Khuzhir (Is. Olkhon). Disembarkation, visiting of local lore museum, walking about the island with a visit of the sacred Shaman Cliff.
Shaman Cliff - one of nine sacred things of Asia located near the settlement of Khuzhir - became a kind of visiting card of the lake, one of the most famous key images of Baikal: none of the films or photo albums made about Baikal do without its image. A cave in a cliff of this cape - Shamanka was the most sainted place on Baikal to which were offered sacrifices and made vows since the time of the first shamans appearance. The sacred Shaman cliff with a through cave where only shaman had the right of access remained forbidden for a long time, nobody was permitted to approach it and to pass through.
17:30 picnic on the shore
19:00 return to the ship.
20:00 supper
20:00 continuation of voyage.
3 day 06:00 Arrival at Chivyrkuisky bay
Chivyrkuisky bay is a detached corner of Baikal which in many ways differs from all other regions of the lake. Baikal nature is very severe but Chivyrkuisky bay amazes by its tender view. Its gently sloping shores are characterized by soft outlines and are almost completely treed. High mountains rising in the middle of Svyatoy Nos («Holy Nose») peninsula  and bald-peaked mountains at the southernmost tip of the Barguzin Range stand off the bay. Narrow cozy bays are deeply projecting into the coasts of the bay. Chivyrkuisky bay is shallow and that is why water in it is well warmed in summer. This place is famous by excellent fishing.
9:00 breakfast
12:00 disembarkation in Zmeinaya bay (Snake bay). Walking along the shore.
Zmeinaya bay  (8 km from Kurbulik settlement) is famous by its springs welling out in several places on land and under water The bay got Its name because of harmless wood snakes that sometimes appear there. At orifice of the spring (output of the spring is stable for many decades and makes out 0,2-0,3 l/s or about 20 m3/day, water temperature - from +40 to +45 °C) timberwork is built for bathing. Next to the basic captive timberwork there are 4 additional springs at the water edge among the pebble sediments where the temperature of water varies from +28 to +34 °C. Water is sodium hydrocarbonate-sulfate, general mineralization is 0,5 g/l with smell and taste of hydrogen sulfide, with fluorine content  from 10 to 23 mg/l. The locals use the springs for treating of radiculites and diseases of locomotor system. There are many tourists in summer. In winter there is no snow around the spring, it melts on the warm earth and colored algae multiply prolifically between the edge of ice and the warm earth in nonfreezing water.
13:00 picnic on the shore
19:00 supper aboard
21:00 departure for Sennaya bay
4 day 07:00 Arrival at Sennaya bay. In Sennaya bay where the forester of Baikal National Park lives you can test the magic force of real Russian steam bath (banya). Walking along the picturesque environments leaves unforgettable impressions.
 9:00 breakfast
12:00 disembarkation, walk, Russian steam bath
13:00 picnic
19:00 farewell supper
21:00 departure for Baikal port
5 day 6:00 arrival in Baikal port
 07:30 breakfast
09:00 embark on  «Babushkin» ship in p. Baikal, passage to Listvyanka
. 09:30 arrival in the settlement of Listvyanka. Disembarkation

CRUISE COST 5 DAYS/4 NIGHTS ON SHIPBOARD OF «NIKOLAI EROSCHENKO» (CABIN/5 DAYS IN EURO)

Cabins:
Suite - 1 cabin (upper deck, double, toilet/bath, 1 double bed, TV, video, PC, satellite telephone, air conditioner/heating, voltage 220 W)
Junior suite - 2 cabins (upper deck, toilet/shower booth, TV, video, 2 separate beds, satellite telephone, the air conditioner/heating, voltage 220 W)
1st class - 6 cabins (upper deck, the toilet/shower, 2 separate beds, satellite telephone, TV, video, air conditioner/heating, lvoltage 220 W)
2nd class - 6 cabins (middle deck, toilet/shower, 2 separate beds, satellite telephone, TV, video, air conditioner/heating, voltage 220 W)
Cost of cruise includes
: • transfers
 • full board
• excursions, entrance tickets, recreation payments
• fishing
• on shore entertainment
 daily entertaining program aboard
optimum capacity: 30 passengers
additional places: 15
minimum quantity of passengers for this cruise: 20