Icy Banya

Ice houses, palaces and even hotels… In Russia you can find a lot of unusual things made of ice. However, we bet that you never hear about a steam sauna (aka Russian banya) made of ice. A Real Icy Banya!
Such an exotic place actually exists and is located on the shore of Lake Baikal.
The creators managed to reconcile the irreconcilable, ice and fire. The two incompatible elements need a special approach so as not to destroy each other. It takes about 150 tons of pure Baikal ice to erect this amazing bathhouse. The temperature inside rises up to 120 degrees!
Of course, with the arrival of spring, it stops. So, once you at lake Baikal, do not miss the chance to take this extraordinary banya.
Adventure lovers could try a favorite Russian winter fun that follows hot banya – plunge either in cold water of the lake or into a pile of snow.
In addition, there is an ice town nearby. It is erected each winter along with the bathhouse. The design and construction of the ice town involve 20 to 30 people including designers, engineers, builders, carpenters, painters, sculptors, and even electricians. The town is decorated with a special LED illumination that creates wonderful festive atmosphere.
After the hot banya there is nothing like freshly prepared ukha (Russian fish soup) made of Baikal omul.
The icy banya is located in Baikalsk town, 162 km away from Irkutsk and 320 km from Ulan-Ude. Baikalsk is famous as a popular Russian ski resort. For skiing and snowboarding, there are 15 km of slopes available. Thousands of fans of skiing come to have a rest on the mount “Sobolinaya” every year.
Being surrounded with mountains, Baikalsk has an important advantage, its microclimate, which is warmer and there are no strong winds in winter.
You will not have to think what to do in Baikalsk. A variety of natural sites and activities could be interesting in winter: ice golf, relaxing walks toward “warm lakes”, snowmobile ride through taiga, skiing Sobolinaya Mountain, or trips to the hot springs of Arshan village, etc.
Those who want to spend a night in this magic place, could book a yurt, a buryat portable tent-like house. This is the real authentic house with a wood stove, which needs to be kept going all night.

Description of the tour to the Ice Banya:

1. Transfer Irkutsk-Baikalsk. The journey normally takes 3 hours. Tour of Baikalsk.
2. Visit to the Ice town. It includes ice sculptures, castles and palaces, big and small slides, mazes, children’s playgrounds, etc.
3. Icy Banya (2 hours). There is an outdoor natural pool, an elegantly decorated big ice-hole in lake Baikal. After a taking a 120-degrees banya, jump into the icy water of the Baikal. This is a real pleasure for Siberians and exotic adventure for foreign travelers!
4. Lunch. There are two option for the dinner: Ukha (Russian fish soup) made of Baikal omul and rich broth of lamb Bukhlyor (Buryat broth).
5. Transfer to Irkutsk

The price of the tour to the Icy Banya: from 8000 per person
1 PAX – 16500 Rub
2 PAX – 10000 Rub per person
3 PAX – 9000 Rub per person
4 PAX – 8000 Rub per person
Discounts for bigger groups!

The price includes:
– Transfer Irkutsk-Baikalsk (round trip)
– Banya (2 hours)
– Lunch
– English-speaking guide
– Tour of Baikalsk

During you stay in the Baikalsk, you can book some of the following activities:

1. Have you ever played golf? So what do you say about Ice Golf? You’ve probably never heard of it. Surface cracks and ice hummocks created by wild Siberian nature form a fancy relief the Golf Course.
Play Golf right on the frozen surface of Lake Baikal!

2. Winter Walk to the “Warm lakes”. Enjoy this enchanting walk on freezing winter day. Be prepared for a very immersive experience and don’t forget your camera.

3. Snowmobil ride is offered for those guests seeking the memorable winter adventure. Rides are suitable for all experience levels from novice to experienced.

4. Thanks to the large amount of snow, which falls each winter on nearby Sobolinaya Mountain Baikalsk boasts the largest ski and snowboarding resort in the region. There are 11 trails with the total length about 15 km on. Trails has of varying complexity from beginners to professionals.

5. Day trip to Arshan or Zhemchug, thermal waters resorts with unique combination of natural favorable factors: mountain climate, carbonic mineral water, silt sulphide mud. Hot spa waters (38C methane rich water and 55C carbon dioxide-rich water) flow naturally from deep-drilled wells into outdoor wooden pools, indoor baths and showers.