Pribaikalsky National Park (Russian: Прибайкальский национальный парк) is one of Russia's most beautiful national parks off the southwest shores of the world heritage-listed Lake Baikal in Irkutsk Oblast, Siberia. The park also includes Olkhon Island, the world's third largest lake island and the largest outside Canada.

Understand

Flora and fauna

More than 300,000 hectares of the park is covered by forests. Pine forests predominate, often with an admixture of larch; there are spruce forests, cedar and cedar-fir forests.

The flora of the park includes more than 1000 species of vascular plants (this is more than half of the flora of Central Siberia), about 250 species of lichens and 200 species of mosses. The wildlife in the park is also rich and varied – there are 9 species of amphibians and reptiles, 55 species of mammals, about 340 species of birds.

Visitor information

• Unofficial website but with information in English
• Official website but only in Russian

Get in

Listvyanka in December

By bus or marshrutka from Irkutsk, mainly from the bus station, however some marshrutkas go from the railway station as well. By boat you can get there from Irkutsk and Port Baykal. You can get to the port in Irkutsk by marshrutka no. 16

By bus

If you go by bus, you have to leave from the autobus station (avtobus stanice). The bus is often full and doesn't take on passengers along the way when it is. There are at least buses each day, a bus costs 140 руб (December 2018), it takes an hour and 40 min to get to Listvjanka.

From the train Station to the autobus station (avtobus stanice)

You can get to the autobus station from the railway station by taking tram number 1 or 2 (right in front of the station, take a tram that goes to the right.). Get out after four stops (Central Market), change to tram number 4, ride two more stations, then you can see the autobus station.

Trams cost 15 руб.

By ship

The boat isn't very expensive leave from a port called Raketa, but it can be overbooked. The staff at the port are really unhelpful, so attempt to get tickets online in advance. Travel time: 1h 20 min. It arrives to the pier known as 1 Rogatka in Listvyanka.

By train and ferry

Take a Circum-Baikal Railway train from Slyudyanka to Port Baikal and then a ferry across Angara to Listvyanka. The Port Baikal pier is not far from the railway station, but is not marked, so go with a crowd or ask locals for direction. Regular 6201 train from Slyudyanka to Port Baikal goes 4 times a week, on Monday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday; arrives at Port Baikal at around 19:30 local time. Ferry from Port Baikal to Listvyanka departs at 06:40, 10:45, 15:50, 17:15 and 20:15 (summer 2014). The ferry trip takes 20 minutes and cost 49 руб in Aug 2013 (one traveller, in July 2014, reported not being asked for payment, but don't count on that). It doesn't arrive at Listvyanka main port, but to a minor port Rogatka cca 2 km from the Listvyanka town center. Catch a minibus on the main road to get to the center (20 руб in July 2014).

Fees and permits

All visitors will need to obtain a permit or "entrance pass" as it's known on the park website. Keep in mind that there's little to no reception in Pribaikalsky National Park so be sure to print out or download an offline copy of your entrance pass.

Standard rules apply: you can’t hunt, fish, pick mushrooms and berries in the park, and you can put up tents and make fires only in specially designated places. In reality, these places are unmarked, there is no information about them, so everyone puts up tents where they have to, and pick mushrooms and berries within reasonable limits.

See

St. Nikolay Church

The main attraction of the Pribaikalsky National Park is the largest wintering ground for waterfowl in Eastern Siberia. In the place where the Angara flows out of Baikal, a huge polynya is formed, on which up to 10-15 thousand ducks survive during winter. The southwestern coast of Lake Baikal is also a route for the massive autumn bird migration. Up to 2,000 of them fly by here a day; in Siberia, this is an exceptional phenomenon.

• 1 Baikal Museum, Akademicheskaya Ulitsa, 1А, Listvyanka, ☏ +7 395 245-31-46, bm@isc.irk.ru. Daily 09:00–19:00. 400 руб per adult; 200 руб per child; 100 руб (arboretum). (updated Sep 2022)
• The big solar vacuum telescope on the hill for registration of sun's activity. Breathtaking view.
• St. Nikolay Church, built in the end of 19th century.
• Private gallery. Address: 76, Chapayeva st.
• 2 Shaman Rock. A 30-meter rock that's known as one of the "Nine Holy Sites of Asia" sacred to locals. Depending on where you are, the rocks might even look like an island! (updated Sep 2022)

Do

• Rent an all-terrain vehicle or a bike at Baikal-Visa Info Center. In the winter do dog-sledging. Info-Center is inside the Town Administration building close to the Hotel Mayak. They could help in accommodations, excursions and picking a tour as well as providing information on schedules. E-mail: info@baikalvisa.ru; phone: +7 (3952) 550-464, 792-551, 792-556; fax: +7 (3952) 792-546. Internet access.

Itineraries

• The Circum-Baikal Railway mostly runs along the park's southern shore between Slyudyanka and Baikal. It used to be a part of the Trans-Siberian Railway but the section has since been bypassed. Today, it mostly provides scenic views among one of the world's most beautiful lakes.
• The Great Baikal Trail – a great hiking trail

Buy

Omul fish

The marketplace in Listvyanka has many stalls with fish, precious stones, emblems and amulets for sale.

Eat

You can try omul, which is a local fish specialty which you can buy from locals at the market. (An omul directly from the market may be more expensive than bought from a further stall.) You can also try Buriat food at the Buriat restaurant located just next to the market by the shore of the lake.

Sleep

Lodging

The park has a few hotels (The upper-end hotels have English-speaking attendants). Few hostels can be booked through HostelWorld web.

• 1 Mayak Hotel, Ulitsa Gor'kogo, 85а, Listvyanka, ☏ +7 395 249-69-10. Check-in: 10:00, check-out: 12:00. the seven-floor hotel from $120. 
• Hotel Baikal (more expensive than others but with more amenities)
• The Park Center unadvertised rooms for $10
• Derevenka (not a hotel, they rent wooden cabins on a ground filled with wooden cabin, with view of lake Baikal, around $25 a night)
• Belka hostel, Chapaev street, building # 77A (15-20 mins walk uphill from the waterfront), ☏ +7 9526 261251, info@baikaler.com. 600-750 руб. 

You can also sleep in the privates. It is cheaper and you will meet locals. Accommodation next to the main road costs around 350 руб, accommodation somewhere further can by find from 250 руб (summer 2008).

Go next

If you're in Listvyanka, take a ferry across Angara river to port Baikal to ride on a train on the Circum-Baikal Railway. Ferry departure times are: 08:15, 11:15, 16:15, 18:15 and 20:45 (as of summer 2014). The 6202 train leaves Port Baikal in the night hours 4 times a week: on Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday.

You can go by boat to Bolshoie Koty, a village in the heart of Baykal national park. You can also go for various excursions on the boats.