Rest on Baikal with children

Holidays in Russia are becoming more and more popular every day. A trip to Lake Baikal with children is an opportunity to enjoy magnificent landscapes. Active recreation combined with unique landscapes will not leave your children indifferent. Where to go and what time, let's find out.

Features:

Lake Baikal is located on the border of Buryatia and the Irkutsk region. It is the cleanest and deepest lake in the world. In 1996, Baikal was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The lake was formed as a result of the fracture of tectonic plates, its length is about 600 km.

The diversity of flora is impressive: relict forests on Olkhon Island, hornbeams and oaks that form the southeastern groves, blue spruce trees, the appearance of which remains a mystery to scientists to this day. The coast of the lake is a broken line. Most of the coast is not suitable for families with children.

When is the best time to go?

With children, it is better to go on vacation in July, August and September. During the day, the air temperature will warm up to + 28 ° С, at night it will drop to + 13- + 15 ° С. The wind is warm, the water near the coast warms up to a comfortable temperature. All historic sites are available during the summer months. Comfortable sailing on cruise yachts, kayaking, diving with children.

For bathing children, choose Maloye More, the water in this place warms up to +22 degrees. This place is popular with tourists and is easily accessible.

In winter, the rest is amazing - white snow and clean, frosty air. To celebrate the New Year, go to Listvyanka for active recreation or to Khakusy for bathing in hot springs. Mountain landscapes are especially beautiful in winter in the Arshan area; skiers will appreciate the Baikalsk lifts.

Advantages and disadvantages

According to the reviews of tourists who have already visited Baikal, the following advantages of recreation in this place can be distinguished:

the cost of travel to Lake Baikal is not high, route and sightseeing buses run from Irkutsk, the cost is from 800 rubles;
crystal clear water;
absence of noisy parties not only at night, but also during the day;
amazing landscapes;
clean air filled with the scent of resin and herbs.

However, tourists mention the following disadvantages:

underdeveloped infrastructure for families with children (minimum of playgrounds or their complete absence);
the water in the lake warms up only at the end of July - beginning of August, the rest of the time it is uncomfortable for the kids to swim;
lack of places for swimming with children - backwaters, pools;
medical assistance in the form of junior staff - paramedics or nurses;

in holiday homes, boarding houses and guesthouses there are interruptions with hot water;
most of the sights are located far from Irkutsk;
the cost of hotels and tourist centers does not correspond to the quality of services (tourists call recreation at tourist centers "a pioneer camp with permitted alcohol");
most often, at camp sites and in holiday homes, toilets are located in the yard, pay attention to this when choosing a vacation spot;
forest fires can spoil the rest.

Before traveling to Lake Baikal, get your children and yourself vaccinated against tick-borne encephalitis! Be sure to stock up on insect aerosols and ointments after bites! The best option is mesh clothes, so the baby's skin will breathe and become inaccessible to insect bites.

How to get there?

Baikal is a place visited not only by Russian tourists. Germans and British love to fly here. Beauty and mysticism attract more and more tourists every year. Baikal can be reached in several ways. Let's consider the most optimal ones.

From Irkutsk

From Irkutsk it is easier to get to Olkhon Island, Maloye More, Arshan by sightseeing or shuttle bus.

You will get to Irkutsk:

by plane;
by train;
by yourself by car.

Regular flights from Moscow and St. Petersburg. Trains to Irkutsk run from Yaroslavsky and Kazansky railway stations. There is no direct train from St. Petersburg.

From Ulan-Ude

You will get to:

Cape Holy Nose;
Arshan;
Maximikhs;
Ust-Barguzin.

Ulan-Ude can be reached by train. From Yaroslavsky and Kazansky railway stations - by transit train "Moscow-Chita", "Moscow-Vladivostok", "Moscow-Khabarovsk". There is no train from St. Petersburg.

By plane - direct flight "Moscow-Ulan-Ude" or with transfers.

From Severobaikalsk

Fans of tent cities and untouched and wild resting places prefer to travel from this city. It:

Lake Frolikha;
Khakus;
Dzelinda.

You can get to Severobaikalsk by train or by car yourself.

Independent travel by car

It is not difficult to get to Baikal from Siberia. So, the distance from Novosibirsk to Listvyanka is 1900 km along the highway. From Kemerovo - 1649 km. A serious distance for traveling with children will be the Khabarovsk - Baikal route, a distance of about 3,100 km (this is two days of travel).

Most tourists from Moscow and St. Petersburg get to Irkutsk or Ulan-Ude by train or plane; they rent a car in Irkutsk.

Where to stay?

Now let's talk about the most beautiful and interesting places for families with children.

Listvyanka

It is easy to get to Listvyanka from Irkutsk by shuttle bus or on your own by car. Listvyanka is recognized as the best recreation area with a developed infrastructure. There are shops, small eateries and cafes, rest houses.

It is here that the Shaman-stone is located and the Angara begins its course. Listvyanka has entertainment for children: the Taltsy Museum of Architecture, the Baikal Museum, the arboretum, and the nerpinary. All this will help your child learn the secrets of local residents, plunge into the life of ancient peoples and learn about the conquerors of Siberia at different times.

The disadvantages of resting in Listvyanka are:

the influx of tourists on weekends, lovers of secluded relaxation will not be able to enjoy the beauty and silence;
the coast is rocky, huge boulders are located along the entire coastline, so swimming here is dangerous;
the water near the coast is cold at any time of the year;
lack of bike paths and sidewalks along the road.

What to see: museums, Cape Listvenichny, Shaman-stone, Chersky peak (728 meters above sea level), Vampilov monument, astrophysical observatory,

Olkhon Island

The island is located 300 kilometers from the city of Irkutsk. You can get to it through the crossing. Legend has it that it was on this island that Genghis Khan was buried. You can get from Irkutsk to the village of Sakhyurta, the ferry runs from 7 am to 10 pm.

In the summer season, a long queue of tourists is created at the crossing; be prepared to stand in the heat from an hour to several hours. There are many hiking and cycling routes on the island. The main disadvantage of living with children on the island, tourists call interruptions in drinking water and the presence of creeping reptiles. A big plus is the absence of ticks and insects.

What to see: capes Sagan-Shuun, Kobylya's head, Khoboy; ethnographic museum, Buryat village. To make the children remember their vacation on Olkhon, it is better to take excursions around the island. There are travel agencies with good guides.

Be sure to visit a real shaman who drives out evil spirits. He lives in the Buryat village.

Goryachinsk

The resort has been known for over 200 years for its mineral springs. A great place to relax with children. It is best to take a ticket to the Goryachinsk sanatorium. The main diseases with which children come: musculoskeletal and respiratory system diseases.

This is a good place for family holidays, walks in the pine forest. The city has a sandy beach with a developed infrastructure: cafe, disco, toilet, changing room. You can get to the city from Ulan-Ude by bus.

Small Sea

This place got its name from the strait that separates Olkhon Island from the lake. Here is a paradise for babies: the water is warm from mid-June, children can swim from the sandy shore.

The length of the Small Sea reaches 100 kilometers. Olkhon Island protects the strait from cold winds, therefore there are always comfortable conditions for rest. Several small bays (Khuzhir-Nugaysky, Khagdan-Dalai) have become popular places for families with children.

Tourists get here by bus or car. In summer, Raketa runs to some of the tourist centers. Some of the bases have their own pools. There is no city entertainment for teenagers, this is a place for a beach holiday.

Khakus

A resort in the north-east of Lake Baikal. Famous for its hot thermal springs. The resort is located on a 4 km long sandy spit with springs 700 meters from the coastline.

The resort begins operations on June 10 and ends the season on October 15. It is surrounded by the Barguzinsky Nature Reserve and the Frolikhinsky Nature Reserve. This is an ideal place for families with children: developed infrastructure, warm mineral springs and coniferous forests around.

Arshan

Families looking for an active holiday will love it. A small village in Buryatia has been attracting tourists for many years. Amazing places and developed infrastructure will allow you to relax with pleasure. What to see: waterfalls Kyngagri, Datsan, Peak of Love, Chalice of virgins, mineral spring, Souvenir market.

Plan your trip to Arshan in a few days. You can go by yourself by car or order an excursion tour from Ulan-Ude.

Tips

You need to know the following:

Be sure to take warm clothes, the night air temperature in summer in some areas is up to +13.
Get vaccinated against tick-borne encephalitis in advance.
Stock up on mosquito and midge repellent.
Take insect bite remedies.

It is better to take baby food with you.
If you plan to sleep in tents, take care of your inventory in advance. Also check the availability of camping space.
Stock up on cash. Cards are not accepted everywhere.
The territory of Baikal is the tariffication of the Far East, take care of connecting roaming in advance.

Baikal is an amazing place not only for Russia, but for the whole world. Here you can find a quiet family vacation along with an active one. The best season for traveling with children is July-August, for winter holidays lovers of skiing come here.