Listvyanka tours
Listvyanka trip is the gate to Baikal lake! This village at the source of the Angara River stretches along the coastline of Lake Baikal for five kilometers. Most of tourists first make their acquaintance with the great lake here.
Sights of Listvyanka
During your Listvyanka tour, you will visit a unique place - the only museum in Russia dedicated solely to a lake - Baikal Museum. It was created as a department of the Baikal Limnological Institute. The exposition of the museum tells the story of the study and research on the lake, its flora and fauna. The museum has 11 aquariums: the water comes in them directly from the lake at a 400 meters depth. The museum aquariums are now home to 20 species of fish, 9 species of goby fish, 5 species of crustaceans, 3 species of sponges and 2 species of mollusks.
Listvyanka is the only place on Earth where you can see Baikal seal show. Baikal freshwater seal or the nerpa is endemic to the lake and can’t be found anywhere else in the world.
The source of the Angara and the shaman-stone.
At the entrance to the village of Listvyanka, next to Baikal Museum, there is a viewing platform. It offers a perspective of the source of the Angara and the legendary Shaman stone.
Souvenir market and local fish market.
At the market, located in the center of Listvyanka, you can buy different souvenirs. The locals sell handmade crafts here – the images of Baikal seal and other symbols of the lake, semiprecious stones, birch bark crafts and many other interesting things.
The prices are different – you can find both affordable and exclusive things here. The locals earn extra money by selling souvenirs and fish. You can also fish on your own on Baikal Lake fishing tour.
Listvyanka is also the center of dogsledding on the lake.
The Baikal dog sledding center in Listvyanka is a unique place to spend time outdoors. There are very few places like this in the world.
On a budget tour for 1 day, you can visit the Circum-Baikal Railway. Conceived by Tsar Alexander III, the construction of the railroad began in 19th century and now it is considered one of the most beautiful railway scenes in the world. Today you can get on a train and travel along the railroad From Irkutsk to Port Baikal.