Duration: from 10 hours
Group: 1-10
Season: All year round
Language: English
Tour type: Hot Springs, Nature and Wildlife, Shaman tour, History and Culture
Tour price: from 8,000 rub per person
A real fairy tale awaits you on Arshan tour! Down caps of treetops, blue, green, black, white ice of Lake Baikal, sun, walk along the lake on foot and by car, hot springs with amazing views of the majestic snow peaks bring resemblance to the Swiss Alps and Tibet at the glance of a globe rover.
No matter when you come to Arshan, the area looks stunning at any season.
Arshan (from Sanskrit “Rasayana” is “healing water”) in Mongolia and ethnic Buryatia, as well as in Altai, Tuva, Kalmykia, in the northern and western regions of China, is the name of a mineral spring, which, according to locals has healing properties that sometimes are be confirmed by hydrochemical studies.
The village of Arshan is located at the foot of the Sayan Mountains. The very location of the resort sets up spiritual harmony and self-healing of the body. A nimble mountain river flows along the village, it is heard from all corners of the slumbering and drowsy settlement, for this, the locals nicknamed it Kyngarga, which means “drum” in Buryat language.
The Tunkinsky valley is probably the most unique place in the Baikal region pampered with a mass of ancient legends and stories. Many centuries ago, Genghis Khan and his army of many thousand warriors ran along this road along the bank of the Irkut River. Numerous sacred places, some of which are a thousand years old, miraculous mineral springs, the majestic Sayan mountains surrounding the picturesque Tunkinsky valley, give the impression of an unrealistic place with some superb hikes accessible on foot from the village.
Tour Description of the Hot Springs Arshan Tour
08:00 Irkutsk hotel pick up
08:30 Transfer along Kultuk motorway.
11:30 Stop for lunch (not included) in one of the numerous cafes to try some of local specialities.
12:30 Transfer to Arshan village and a hike to Arshan waterfalls with a stop at the Mongolian Goodies market where you can buy wool and cashmere products and start a slight ascend along the walking path of the Kyngarga River with the maximum elevation of 800 meters above the sea level.
15:30 Lunch on the way (not included). Try some authentic Buryat dishes to get the real taste of Tunka Valley.
17:00 After the hike we drive about +20 km to Zhemchug (Pearl) village with hot springs, opened all year around. The temperature of hot springs is +55C, the recommended bath time is 10-25 minutes.
Arshan and Zhemchug hot springs contain different substances like calcium, sulfates, and sodium. With that being said, when you rest in the water you absorb the minerals and when you soak up the minerals “your hydrostatic pressure rises”.
Your blood starts pumping and you get to feeling like you’re working out – without even having to run or lift weights! Blood circulation helps your body feel not so stiff and tired as it would if you were lying in bed all day.
And what fun to come to the springs in winter at -30 and plunge into a lukewarm open bath with silk-soft waters! Please take a swimming suit and a towel!
19:00 return to Irkutsk.
Please note! The Arshan tour might be combined with a guided visit to the indigenous Shaman.
Price of the Hot Springs Arshan Tour: from 8,000 rub per person.
5-7 PAX: 8,000 rub per person
4 PAX: 9,000 rub per person
3 PAX: 10,000 rub per person
2 PAX: 13,000 rub per person
1 PAX: 25,000 rub
Discounts for bigger groups!
The price includes:
– Pick-up/drop off
– Transfer
– English-speaking guide
– Tunka National park fees
– Pribaikalsky National park fees
– Entrance fees to the hot baths
The price does not include: Meals and drinks
Additional service:
Visit to the indigenous Shaman – 10,000 rub per person
If you’re looking for something unique, book Baikal Ice Yachting, luxury and adrenaline fuelled experience! Sail an ice boat over Siberian lake Baikal.
Whatever rout of the Full-day snowmobile tour you choose, either through taiga or over frozen surface of the lake, make sure you’ve got your camera with you because the views are breathtaking!
Book the Dogsled Tour along the Circum-Baikal Railway and enjoy working with powerful Baikal huskies, the beauty of the Baikal’s winter nature and the architecture monuments of the Circum-Baikal Railway.
Want to see the Circum-Baikal Railway in winter but afraid of riding over the frozen lake? Take the tour by hovercraft and enjoy winter views of the Circum-Baikal Railway from its warm and comfortable cabin.
A Real Icy Banya! Such an exotic place actually exists and is located on the shore of Lake Baikal.
Winter tour to Maloye Morye and Olkhon Island. During the trip you will see landmarks which are not available in any seasons except winter.
On the Baikal Caves tour you will explore several caves and admire their spacious halls and narrow passages, stalactites and stalagmites, crystals of ice and corallits. Most of Baikal caves are even older than the lake!
On the Baikal Helicopter tour, you will see the unforgettable Baikal landscapes and the Circum-Baikal railway from a bird’s-eye view.
Circum-Baikal Railway tour. Spend a day in a comfortable train moving along Lake Baikal shore by the old railroad through tunnels and bridges built during the Tsarist Russia in 1902-1904.
Explore the Circum Baikal Railway more thoroughly with the Baikal Railway Walking Tour. Walk through the old tunnels and visit the most significant structures of the Baikal Railway.
When you are at Lake Baikal area you can have the unique opportunity to visit a Shaman in Ust-Orda village or on Olkhon Island. You’ll be able to ask the Shaman all your questions and take part in the rituals of the Shamanism.
One-day Fishing trip on Lake Baikal give you a chance to spend a day enjoing the stunning beauty of the Baikal’s nature and experience the excitement of fishing.
“Around the Baikal” tour. During this boat tour you will travel by variety of water vehicles watching slowly changing landscapes or getting adrenaline rafting the fast mountain rivers.
Looking for an itinerary for a One-day tour to Olkhon island? It is impossible to see all of Olkhon in one day, but a daytrip can be fun and rewarding.
Spend your vacation in the Floating hotel “Ecotur” which is located in Chivyrkuysky Bay, the most magnificent bay of Lake Baikal.
Check out the full list of the most interesting tours in Russian cities.
