Eastern Siberia

Fancifully located at the ‘centre of Asia’, the Tuvan capital is where the vast majority of travellers begin their exploration of this captivating republic. Although the city’s Soviet-era concrete lacks any architectural charm, in recent years the purpose-built National Museum and the superb cultural centre have provided attractive focus for those interested in the country’s mesmerising traditions.

The key to enjoying Kyzyl (and all of Tuva) is contacting tour companies and Kyzyl-based English-speaking helpers well in advance – up to two months ahead if you’re planning to go anywhere near the Mongolian border, an area for which special permits are needed.

One of the world’s oldest geographical features (formed 25 to 30 million years ago), magnificent Lake Baikal (Озеро Байкал) is the highlight of Eastern Siberia. Summer travellers enjoy gobsmacking vistas across waters of the deepest blue to soaring mountain ranges on the opposite shore; rarer winter visitors marvel at its powder-white surface, frozen steel-hard and scored with ice roads. Whether they swim in it, drink its water, skirt its southern tip by train, cycle or dog sled over it in winter, or just admire it from 2000km of shoreline, most agree that Siberia doesn’t get better than this.

Banana-shaped Baikal is 636km from north to south and up to 1637m deep, making it the world’s deepest lake, containing nearly one-fifth of the planet’s unfrozen fresh water. Despite some environmental concerns, it’s pure enough to drink in most places, but use common sense. Fed by 300 rivers, it’s drained by just one, the Angara near Listvyanka.

The de facto capital of Eastern Siberia, pleasantly historic Irkutsk is by far the most popular stop on the Trans-Siberian Railway between Moscow and all points east. With Lake Baikal a mere 70km away, the city is the best base from which to strike out for the western shoreline. Amid the 19th-century architecture, revived churches, classy eateries and numerous hostels, plentiful English-speaking agencies can help you plan anything from a winter trek across the lake’s ice to a short walking tour through the city.

In recent years Irkutsk has seen something of a tourist boom, spawning a municipally funded information centre, detailed city maps planted at strategic points and a handful of freshly conceived museums, as well as the blockbuster 130 Kvartal project, an entire neighbourhood given over to typical Siberian timber buildings housing new restaurants, bars, cafes and the odd museum.

The confident epicentre of Russian Buddhism owes its existence to none other than Josef Stalin, who reversed the Bolshevik policy of destroying temples and allowed it to be built, in a plot of marshy land 35km from Ulan-Ude, in gratitude to the Buryats for their sacrifices during WWII. The first temple was a modest affair, but today the datsan has grown large and is expanding fast. Pilgrims and tourists flock here on half-day trips from the Buryat capital.

Part of the Great Baikal Trail, this incredible, relatively demanding 100km adventure trekking route runs between the delta of the Verkhnyaya Angara River and the spa hamlet of Khakusy on Baikal’s eastern shore. You’ll need a boat to find the start of the trail at the mouth of the river, from where it takes eight days to reach Khakusy via countless lonely capes and bays, wild camping by the lake all the way.

To land at this idyllically isolated hot-spring turbaza (holiday camp) requires permits in summer (available through Severobaikalsk tour companies and hotels), but these are waived in February and March, when it takes about an hour to drive across the ice from Severobaikalsk. Bathing is fun in the snow and frozen steam creates curious ice patterns on the wooden spa buildings.

Excruciatingly slow train ride or a great social event? Opinions are mixed, but taking one of the four-per-week Slyudyanka–Port Baikal trains along the scenic, lake-hugging Circumbaikal Railway remains a popular tourist activity. The most picturesque sections of the route are the valley, pebble beach and headland at Polovinnaya (around halfway), and the bridge area at km149. Note that most trains from Port Baikal travel by night and so are useless for sightseeing. Another thing to remember: if you travel outside summer season, you won't be able to catch a ferry to Listvyanka when you arrive in Port Baikal, so you'll have to overnight there. In summer, the last ferry departs at 8.45pm, so you'll be all right even if your Matanya train arrives late.

The old stone tunnels, cliff cuttings and bridges are an attraction even for non-train buffs who might drive alongside sections of the route on winter ice roads from Kultuk. Hiking the entire route or just sections of the peaceful track is also popular, and walking a couple of kilometres from Port Baikal leads to some pleasant, if litter-marred, beaches. Or get off an Irkutsk–Slyudyanka elektrichka at Temnaya Pad three hours into the journey and hike down the stream valley for about an hour. You should emerge at km149 on the Circumbaikal track, from where you can continue by train to Port Baikal if you time things well.

At the time of research, Matanya trains departed from a side platform at Slyudyanka 1 station at 1.20pm on Monday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday – check timetables carefully. An additional but more expensive tourist train direct from Irkutsk departs at 8.20am on Wednesday and Saturday, reaching Slyudyanka at 10.30am. Except in high summer season, Matanya trains arrive in Port Baikal in the evening after the last ferry for Listvyanka has departed, so organising accommodation in advance is advisable.

An expensive alternative to Matanya is the retro-train tour run by Tu-tu Baikal. An early-20th-century steamer pulls modern comfortable carriages, departing from Irkutsk train station twice a week at 8am and reaching Port Baikal in the evening. From there, people are ferried back to Irkutsk. Make sure you pay R500 extra for a Baikal-view seat, otherwise the trip may turn into a disappointment.

Yet another, fun way of exploring the Circumbaikal Railway is by high-speed boat, which takes people from Listvyanka to Polovinnaya, where it stops for a picnic before returning. Tours run by Krugobaikalsky Ekspress include transfers to/from Irkutsk.