Olkhon Island

Olkhon is the largest and only inhabited of the Baikal islands. It is located in the central part of the lake and is shaped like Lake Baikal itself. All Baikal landscapes are represented here: taiga and steppe, mountains and sandy beaches. Part of the island is part of the Pribaikalsky National Park, so to visit many of its attractions, you must obtain a permit from the Zapovednoye Pribaikalye (Reserved Baikal Region) visitor center. It is located in Khuzhir, the largest of the nine villages located on Olkhon. An interactive exhibition at the visitor center will help you learn many interesting things about the island's nature and history. For a more complete exploration of Olkhon, visit the Khuzhir Museum of Local History. It was founded in the early 1950s by schoolteacher Nikolai Mikhailovich Revyakin, who, during expeditions with a group of students, collected numerous unique materials on the ethnography, flora, fauna, mineralogy, and history of the island. In particular, they discovered 17 ancient human sites and a relict spruce forest on Mount Zhima. Today, the museum collection contains more than 7,000 exhibits. Other attractions in Khuzhir include the Church of the Sovereign Icon of the Mother of God, a small and very soulful temple on the shore, offering a marvelous view of the lake.

Land of Shamans

Olkhon Island is home to sacred sites of Buryat shamans. Some of the shrines, such as Mount Zhima, the island's highest point (1,274 meters above sea level), are off-limits, while others are visited by an endless stream of pilgrims. Not far from Khuzhir is the island's main attraction, Cape Burkhan and Shamanka Rock. Every year in early August, the Tailagan, a ritual festival held here, attracts shamans from all over Russia and abroad to offer prayers to the spirits—the guardians and protectors of Siberia. The rest of the year, numerous tourists come here to recharge their batteries and gain new experiences. Near the rock, 13 serge (spiritual monuments) are installed. Prayer poles symbolizing the tree of life and tied with colorful ribbons. Traditionally, when asking the spirits for something, they offer them special khadki scarves of a specific color: for example, white is used for asking for health, while red is used for solving family problems.

Cape Khoboy

This northernmost point of Olkhon Island is famous for its cliffs and grottoes. "Khoboy" means "fang" in Buryat. However, from the water, the cliff bearing this name resembles a woman's profile, hence its other name, "Virgin." The cape is located at the widest point of Lake Baikal (almost 80 kilometers). In clear weather, the mountainous Svyatoy Nos Peninsula is visible to the right, on the eastern shore of the lake, and to the left, on the western shore, the snow-capped peaks of the Baikal Range, where the great Siberian Lena River originates. Looking down, you might spot seals at the foot of the steep cliffs in the summer. Khoboy is also a sacred site, as evidenced by the nearby serge pillars. It is believed that wishes come true here, so one should come here only with pure thoughts.

Cape Sagan-Khushun, or Three Brothers

A few kilometers from Cape Khoboy, on the coast of the Maloye More Strait, separating Olkhon from the mainland, lies another natural monument – three cliffs that drop steeply into the lake's waters. In Buryat, this place is called "Sagan-Khushun" – "White Cape," which is understandable: the cliffs, covered in red lichen, are composed of white marble. Besides the beautiful views, this place is also interesting because it contains an ancient settlement, believed to date back to the 5th and 6th centuries AD. In former times, this cape was considered sacred, and only shamans could come here to perform rituals.

"Guardian of Baikal"

In 2018, Dashi Namdakov's sculpture "Guardian of Baikal" was installed on the eastern shore of Olkhon, near the village of Uzury: a seven-meter bronze tree with the face of an old shaman and bells filling the space with a magical ringing. A smaller version of "Guardian" was exhibited at the Tretyakov Gallery. Contemporary art experts have praised the sculpture, but local residents are much more reserved, reminding everyone that the island already has a "Guardian of Olkhon" – a real, living larch tree considered the oldest tree in Russia. According to a 2018 study, it is over 780 years old.

While traveling around Lake Baikal, be sure to also visit Listvyanka and Circum-Baikal Railway, and if time permits, admire the amazing nature of Buryatia.

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