Day 1:

Arrival to the city of Ulan-Ude, the capital of the Republic of Buriatia.

Transfer by car (about 1 hr), then take a motor boat (20 min) along channels into the Selenga river delta. Ornithological excursions.

Selenga river is the biggest tributary of Baikal Lake. Delta of the Selenga (covering the area of about 5 thousand hectares ) is included in the list of unique natural phenomena of the planetary significance, it is the important North Asia key point of migration routes of the birds of passage. There are large areas of marshes, a lot of small and big channels and its branches, hillocks overgrown with willow, and lakes and meadows between.

Selenga Delta is one of the main nesting places for the Asian Dowitcher. The big quantity of White-winged tern is nesting there as well. Other interesting species – black stork (does not nest there), Garganey, Caspian and Whiskered Tern, Blue Hill Pigeon, hoopoe, Сitrine Wagtail. You will have a chance to see Ural Owl, Long-Eared Owl and perhaps Hawk Owl.

Dinner and overnight in the cordon (spacious wooden house).

*Note:Depending on your wishes, accommodation can be arranged in the comfortable tourist cottage on the Baikal Lake shore (facilities inside).

Day 2:

Ornithological excursions in Selenga delta. Overnight, as per Day 1.

Days 3:

Transfer by car along the picturesque road on the Baikal riverside to the village of Ust-Barguzin. The office of the Zabaikalski National Park is located there. Bed & breakfast accommodation in the private hotels (accommodation type: single, double and triple; comfortable, WC inside, tasty home-made food, made of local ecologically pure ingredients)

Days 4:

Trip to the Zabaikalski National Park. (transfer on a ferry, then 30 min drive to the coast of the Barguzin bay, then along the protected coast to the Svyatoi Nos peninsula). Entire day walking excursion.

Writers and poets call the Zabaikalsky National park ''Chivyrkuisky Legend'', ''Pearl in the Baikal Crown''. This is the famous Baikal ''Podlemorye'', with snow-white mountains peaks, fast running rivers with abrupt banks, high-mountain tundras and lakes, mysterious Ushkany islands with its marble rocks and the biggest rookery of endemic Baikal seal. 241 species of birds are registered in the Park. There are such rare species as whooper swan, white-tailed sea eagle, Pallas’ sea eagle, osprey, hooded crane, black stork, peregrine falcon, etc.

One of the remarkable sights of the Chivyrkuisky isthmus is its large sandy beach, dunes overgrown with the dwarf forms of trees, and also marshes. This is one of the three biggest nesting areas of aquatic birds of Baikal. Scientists are surprised about the vegetation of the isthmus. Is there anywhere else such a place where you can find cedar creeper and cedar pine growing side by side, where you can touch cedar cones standing on the ground? Is there a place anywhere else where in the same small area mountain cedar creeper, desert astraghal and Popov’ moss are growing? The bird-cherry tree is spread out on the ground and even the pine trees have taken the prostrate form. Many of pine trees and cedars have flag-like tops.

We will visit some big and small lakes of the Zabaikal’sky National Park. These lakes are surrounded by moss-sedge marshes, sparse growth of birch trees, and swamp shrubs. In addition to a lot of shorebirds, you can watch Arctic (black-throated) loon, huge old nests of white-tailed sea eagle. Earlier, eagle owls were nesting there. It is also possible to find bear footprints. Id, sazan, perch, pike, grayling are abundant in the lakes and small bays

There are also small spa springs.

By evening, we will return to Ust-Barguzin. Overnight stay in the private hotels.

*Note:Another option is accommodation in tents. Also, accommodation in the drifting hotel is possible, on the barge in the Krokhalinaya bay (single and double rooms, facilities inside).

Days 5:

Cruise down the Chevykuisk bay on the small boat ''Yaroslavetz''. Enjoy picturesque banks, a lot of small bays, wonderful beaches and spa springs. Visit the Ushkany islands, observe the largest rookery of endemic Baikal seal (it takes about 4-5 hours by boat to get to the Ushkany islands). Hundreds of seals gather on the islands in the summer time.

You can taste dishes of the Buryat national cuisine in the local village, visit the Buryat folk concert.

Overnight stay, as per Day 4.

Days 6:

After the morning excursion in the Zabaikalski National Park, we take a car to Ulan-Ude (6-7 hours). Visit the biggest Buddhist datzan (1 hour drive). Ornithological excursion (steppe ornithofauna).

Overnight at the hotel in Ulan-Ude (facilities inside).

Days 7:

Car transfer to the Borgoi Hollow (''Kotlovina'') (250 km). Accommodation in the private sector or in tents (depending on your wish).

Days 8-9:

Ornithological excursions in the Borgoi area. The largest accumulations of ruddy sheldducks (about 4-7 thousands of birds) and gray cranes (up to 4 thousand) can be found there. You can come across the individuals or small groups of demoiselle cranes and whooper swans. There is also a great variety of ducks: 10-15 species in flocks of 3-5 thousand of birds ( gadwall, mallard, garganey, green-winged teal, northern pintail, northern shoveler, common (European) pochard, tufted duck, common goldeneye, common shelduck). In September, there are still flocks of coots, black-necked (eared) grebes, shorebirds (lapwing, wood sandpiper, green sandpiper, spotted redshank and some others). Small flocks of bean goose stay there. From time to time, Bewick’s swan, Baikal teal, swan goose can be seen. Birds of prey are numerous, as white-tailed sea eagle, tawny eagle, imperial eagle, greater spotted eagle, saker falcon, upland buzzard, even black vulture. Hen harrier, kestrel, European hobby can be observed ( in the period throughout the end of September ). You will even get a chance to see great bustard – this is the last place in Pribaikalie (including Irkutsk region and Buriatia) where it used to inhabit. Last registration of this species are dated to 1998. Mongolian larks and pipits are rather numerous. Red-billed choughs can be seen even in the villages. Fauna of steppe mammals is the richest in Pribaikalie. In the autumn time ''prints'' of Daurian pika can be clearly seen. You can see the holes of tarbogan marmot, if you are lucky – you can meet tolai hare, corsac fox, and even Pallas’ cat. In some places, Chinese vole is very numerous. In Russia, this species is found in Russia only in the steppes of the Southern Buratia.

Days 10:

Transfer by car to the extreme southern part of Baikal, the Kultuk village. Visit to the unique private museum of minerals in the village Sludyanka is possible. Walking excursion to the marshes near the border of the Pribaikal’sky National Park for watching shorebirds, ducks, some passerines.

Altogether there are 340 species of birds in the Pribaikal’sky Park. 47 of them are enlisted in the Red Data Books of different range, including such globally rare eagle species as the imperial, golden, tawny, greater spotted, little, and white-tailed sea eagle. You cannot find so rich composition of eagle species anywhere else in the Eastern Siberia. One of the largest populations of imperial eagle in Russia is located in Pribaikalie (in the recent years it is diminishing quickly). Earlier, great bustard and white-tailed sea eagle used to be nesting there, but during the recent years they can be seen only periodically.

Dinner and accommodation at the comfortable tourist cottages (facilities inside). If you prefer, accommodation in the tented camp can be organized.

Days 11-12:

Watch the bird migration

In the first half of September, the south-western Baikal coast becomes the “passage” of the mass autumn migration of raptorial birds. The most interesting species are: crested honey buzzard (Pernis ptilorhynchus), greater spotted eagle (Aquila clanga), black stork ( Ciconia nigra); mass migration of common buzzard (Buteo buteo), northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) and European sparrowhawk. Various species of passerine birds are of interest, including numerous typical Siberian species. Big flocks of Siberian rosy (Arctoa mountain) finch (Leucosticte arctoa), снигери, thrushes, Pallas’ rosefinch, Lapland bunting, mass of Bohemian waxwing can be seen there. In the surroundings of Sludianka village, there is a lot of common dipper. Only in this area the red-throated thrush and Naumann’s thrush are wintering, consuming nymphs of aquatic insects and cancers. Starting from November, the Alpian and Himalayan accentors come down to the area of Slyudianka and Kultuk from highlands. All year round, you can meet the Godlewski’s rock bunting, an all-Siberian and Sayan endemic, an analogue to the European rock bunting. Up to October-November, the Eversmann’s (rufous-backed) and Guldenstadts’ redstarts can be seen on its migration way (in the Sayans, these species are usually found only in the highlands).

Overnight, as per Day 10.

Days 13:

Transfer to Listvianka village by motor boat or by train along the renovated railway road – the unique site of the engineering state of the art.

It was actually cut through the rocks above Lake Baikal in 1902-1905. It runs 84 km and includes 424 engineering objects. Among them are 39 tunnels of 8994 m in length, 47 stone galleries, 14 km of supporting walls. In the beginning of the century, this section of the road was called ''golden buckle on the steel belt of Russia''.

The railway road runs along the border of Pribaikal’sky National Park.

On the Baikal banks, there are a lot of grand rocks and cliffs, as well as natural caves. Altitude vegetation zones are very well expressed: highland tundra and alpine meadows, under-the-golets creepers and sparse growth of trees, coniferous forests, taiga-steppe complexes. Pine forests with admixture of larch dominate there. On the watersheds, some areas are covered with cedar and cedar- fir forests, in the river valleys and very seldom on the rocks – spruce forests.

Arrival in the village of Listvianka. Visit to one of the museums (of your choice): Baikal Museum in Listvianka or architecture-ethnographic museum in Tal’tsy (40 architectural monuments of the republic significance, 800 exhibits (for example, Spasskaya Tower dated from 1667). Car transfer to Irkutsk (70 km). Accommodation in the hotel (double type rooms).

Days 14:

Brief sightseeing tour about Irkutsk, an old Siberian town. Visit to various museums, depending on your choice. Trip by bus to the Novoleninskoe Marsh or to the floodland of the Angara river in the Irkutsk suburbs. There you can watch a lot of passerines, ducks and shorebirds.

Dinner and overnight stay in the hotel.

Days 15:

Transfer to the airport, departure. Possible Extensions:

1. ''Birds’ Cross-Roads'' (visiting Olkhon island – territory of the Pribaikal’sky National Park).

4 days before the tour.

Watching the autumnal migration of various shorebirds, aquatic and raptorial birds. Bays of thw Maloe Sea, pebbly sea points and delta of the Sarma river are the stop place for many birds flying from tundra and Northern taiga. The most interesting species are: various types of sandpipers Calidris and other northern species (Limicolae), white-winged (velvet) scoter (Melanitta fusca), Baikal teal (Anas formosa), migrating Aquila and Falco. Olkhon is a nesting place for eagles and eagle owls. In Baikal area, only the delta of Sarma river (opposite to Olkhon) provide nesting grounds for the тонкопалый песочник. The rock capes of the Maloe Sea (a channel which separates the Olkhon Island) coast are very beautiful. Relic steppes are of a especial interest. In the Baikal area, its massifs are located only in the Pribaikal’sky National Park. These are the remains of tundra-steppes of late Kainozoi period. Geographists call this region as a refuge of the desert-steppe species of plants and animals. Low rocky edges, rocky cliffs, hollows with salty lakes carry the mysterious magic of the ancient nature of the Central Asia. Steppes of the Pribaikal’sky National Park are the habitat for many relic species of animals. Among them are: amphibians – Mongolian toad, reptiles – узорчатый полоз, mammals - endemic Olkhon vole (Alticola olchonensis), steppe polecat, birds - saker falcon, imperial eagle, tawny eagle, demoiselle crane, Daurian partridge, ruddy shelduck and some others. The biggest colonies of herring gull on Baikal are situated on small rocky islands of the Maloe Sea, as well as rather big nesting grounds of white-winged scoter, common and red-breasted mergansers)

As concerns the archaeological monuments, the Olkhon and surroundings outnumber any other region in Baikal. Only on the Olkhon island, 143 such objects are known (ancient settlements, remains of stone walls, graves, etc.) Drawings on the rocks in Sagan-Zaba have become world-famous. It is remarkable that the local Buriat people still continue to preserve ''relics of the ancient ideology'' - legends, traditions and ceremonies related to shamanism, including ''cult of the Eagle''.

2. Visit to Daurian Nature Reserve.

Variants of ornithological tours to the Baikal Lake during the other seasons:

1) Olkhon Island, Borgoi Hollow and Zabaikal’sky National park in May-June and July-August.

In the Borgoi hollow, common shelducks can be seen nesting, as well as pied avocets Recurvirostra avosetta, black-winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus), Eastern hen harrier, lesser kestrel Falco naumanni (one of the last nesting places in Russia), Amur red-footed falcon, and also buntings (Siberian meadow bunting Emberiza cioides, pine bunting E.leucocephala, perhaps Godlewski’ rock bunting E.godlewskii), краснохвостого сорокапута, isabelline wheatear Oenanthe isabellina, pied wheatear O.pleschanka, different pipits (including Godlewski’s pipit), hoopoe, terns and gulls.

2) Southern section of Lake Baikal in winter time. Watching the largest “cold wintering” of waterfowl in the Eastern Siberia. Big air-hole forms at the place where the river Angara outflows from Lake Baikal; about 10-15 thousand of ducks winter there (common goldeneye dominates). The most interesting in the region complex of wintering birds can be observed there: rosy (Arctoa mountain) finch, Godlewski’s bunting, Alpine accentor, dipper, Pallas’ rosefinch (till December), thrushes, bullfinches, northern (great gray) shrike, golden eagle, gyrfalcon.