Baikal

• Meeting at Irkutsk airport
• Transfer to Listvyanka village, which is Baikal's gate located on Listvennichny cape (approx. 1 hour).

Meals: lunch, dinner

Cape Hoboy, located 40 kilometers away from Huzhir, is the largest settlement on the island. "Hoboy" means "fang" in Buryat and is situated between the southern and nothern tip of Baikal. A trip there gives an opportunity to enjoy the breathtaking and unforgettable view of the lake. On the way to Hoboy there will be some stops at places which are believed to have spiritual power.

Meals: breakfast, lunch (picnick with ukha (fish soup) and local tea), dinner

A visit to a buryat village to find out about buryat cuisine, traditions and history. The buryats are nomads which results in their unusual cooking traditions. Nomads' life requires spending huge energy, therefore the cuisine of Buryatia is notable for its richness and calorie content of dishes. Since long time meat dishes, as well as dishes made of milk and dairy products (salamat, tarasun - an alcoholic beverage obtained by distilling a fermented milk product) played an important role in life of the Buryats. Poza, or booza, is a national dish of the Buryat cuisine. The mince (meat mixed with lard) is wrapped in pieces of dough and steamed.
Certain rules exist when visiting Buryat yurts. For example, one shouldn't step on the threshold of the yurt when entering it, because it is considered impolite. In the old days, the guest who had stepped on the threshold intentionally, was considered an enemy, announcing his evil intentions to the owner. One can neither enter a yurt with any burden. It is believed that the person who did this has the evil inclinations of a thief.
The Buryats have a developed cult of obeisances to the Eternal Blue Sky. It is necessary to appease the spirits, staying everywhere and everywhere, so that they do not harm and provide assistance. During the meeting in the village you will be treated with "white food" - self-made milk, cheese, cottage cheese and sour cream.

Meals: breakfast, dinner

• Transfer to Irkutsk
• Sightseeing in Irkutsk, which is one of the largest cities in Siberia. Many distinguished Russians were sent into exile in Irkutsk for their part in the Decembrist revolt of 1825, and the city became an exile-post for the rest of the century. Some of the fine wooden houses still survive, contrasting with the dominant Soviet architecture. When the railway reached Irkutsk, it had earned the nickname of "The Paris of Siberia." The city saw bitter fighting in the Russian Civil War of 1918-20, and then became a major centre of aircraft manufacture.

Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner