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KRASNOYARSK to LAKE BAIKAL Baikal, Continue Baikal, to Ulan-Ude

KRASNOYARSK to LAKE BAIKAL Baikal, Continue Baikal, to Ulan-Ude

TO Baikal, continue Baikal, to Ulan-Ude. alongtheTunkafor transport Valley totheBuddhistspatownofArshan.Tovisiteastern feasible aswellahub Railway, hop-offpointasit’stheterminus fortheCircumbaikal a makes Lakeside andBaikalsk. superb views,especiallybetweenSlyudyanka Trailofferfishing villagesalongtheGreat Baikal tranquil retreats. Islandandseveral timeless 70kmaway,butOlkhon head straightfortouristyListvyanka, theworld’sdeepestlake. Most highlight ofanyTrans-Siberianjourney:magnificentBaikal, by far. travels aroundwhatisformostthe It’salsothebestbase fromwhichtoplotfurther capitalofeasternit ,thedefacto Siberiaandthemostengaging cityintheregion Krasnoyarsk to Lake Baikal 204 © LonelyPlanetPublications till it’stimeto move on. provideinKrasnoyarsk resorts ampleentertainment dam andoneofSiberia’snewestski River, thoughforeigners The mustdisembarkatIgarka. StolbyNature Reserve, life shamans. Cruiseshipsare Circlebythepowerful carriedtowardstheArctic where it’spossibletocarryonbybusTuva forthroatsinging andencounters withreal- remoteness.breathtaking from Trainsfromhere alsorunsouthtolittle-visited Khakassia, andcontinuestoplacesof Baikal ofLake thenorth Magistral), whichskirts Amurskaya Mainline;Baikalo- the bestplacetojumpaboardtrainsboundforBAM (Baikal-Amur the railsandexplore. citiesandalso KrasnoyarskisoneofSiberia’smostforward-looking overnight hop,butatbothendsoftheroute you’lldiscover excitingreasons togetoff At justover thisstretch athousandkilometres, oftheTrans-Siberian isnomore thanan „ Back onthetrain,Trans-Sibtrackspassrightalongshore affording of thelake If choosingoneplacetodetrainenroute fromMoscowtoB

„ „ „ „ „ HIGHLIGHTS ROUTEDISTANCE: 1088KM Cross ice-covered Pull out bootsandstrike onyourhiking Take atrek intotheweirdandwonderful BranchofftheTrans-Sibontoslowbut Dancewiththeshamansonmysterious wheels orfour,onfootbydogsled along the Krasnoyarsk near ( p207), rock formationsat scenic legends Island Olkhon Circumbaikal Railway Circumbaikal Great Baikal ( p223 ), steeped inmythsand Lake Baikal ( p224 ) (p226) ( p219 ) ontwo

Stolby Rock „ Formations DURATION: 41½TO44HOURS Circumbaikal Railway Olkhon Island ě Lake Baikal ij ī ng or , make ng orUlaanbaatar,make KRASNOYARSK TO LAKE BAIKAL

), ), 205 entice Rossiya Usole-Sibirskoe 8am-5pm) h few are distracted distracted are few marker, look north look north marker, Rossiya, (4795km), where you’ll have you’ll have (4795km), where (ul Lenina 27; (ul Lenina

5171km (5185km; p211 ) station. Once ) station. Once p211 (5185km; (5087km; no stop for the (5087km; no stop for (5145km), where there’s a clock mu- there’s (5145km), where Irkutsk (4934km), which translates ominously ominously translates (4934km), which Moving on from Irkutsk, the line takes a on from Irkutsk, the line takes Moving Around the There’s an overgenerous 30-minute break break 30-minute an overgenerous There’s is the most popular Siberian stop for most is the most popular Siberian stop for most notably as a transcontinental travellers, Lake Baikal, 70km point to reach launching further southeast. the tracks once contin- sharp right where to Port Baikal, a ued along the River supplies much of ’s salt and many of Russia’s salt and many of of supplies much oil-rich By the time you reach its matches. if good restaurants seum and a couple of time off, it’s probably want to get you really to start collecting your belongings scattered alighting around the compartment if you’re at Irkutsk. 50m beyond the tracks through the trees; neat rows are fences behind two barbed wire old tanks decommissioned and rocket- of rusting trucks (without rockets) launcher their Cold War heyday. away thinking of 3km be- The train crosses River the fore Irkutsk ’, of nicknamed the ‘ of the architecturally confident station build- the architecturally of 225km north to a road heads ing. From here ( p261 ) on the BAM. in proceedings former exile town of at the at translation is required More as ‘winter’. Polovina whose name means roughly ‘halfway’ (be- tween and ), which the it was in the early 20th century before in many places. From line was rerouted the train heads southeast and is joined here around by the Angara River stop may a shuddering (5118km), where jolt you from your slumber but hopefully The town not from your bunk altogether. after 10pm on the 10pm after instant and bedtime vodka from their noo- here built a small fortress dles. Cossacks first the town two centuries for over in 1649 and served and for as an important centre the and The St Nicolas Church fur traders. regional the along hike the rails, but an 18km off few water- to the 20m-high Ukovsky Uda River side trip. for an adventurous falls could make out and flattens Further east the landscape logged. The been extensively have the forests next stop is the merits to contemplate just two minutes

mu- Yenisey Yenisey Zaozernaya in the 100-year-old, in the 100-year-old, (for ; 4344km). (for Kansk; , endless forests and , endless taiga forests (carriage attendant) allows attendant) (carriage (4678km), but as this comes THE ROUTE •• Krasnoyarsk to the line rises above the taiga the line rises above stops for just two minutes at stops for just two minutes makes short stops at short makes , the train passes into Irkutsk (Ilansky; 4377km) has a small (Ilansky; 4377km) has a , whose original won a gold 1898

10am-5pm Mon-Fri) 4560km Rossiya Kansk-Yeniseysky Rossiya (4515km), but long enough for most Sayan Mountains 4474km h

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Nizhneudinsk The Ilanskaya

There’s a 12-minute stop at mildly histor- a 12-minute There’s At The THE ROUTE Heading east out of Krasnoyarsk (4098km), (4098km), Krasnoyarsk out of east Heading ical offering good photo opportunities. good offering a real sense wilderness seta real in. However, at of around and sweeps around bends for many kilometres of the If riding straight through from Moscow, but only halfway to now on day three you’re foothills the railway skirts the As the Pacific. Tayshet to Slyudyanka Tayshet to Slyudyanka Tayshet was once an infamous transit point was once an infamous transit point Tayshet prisoners. for ellers change at Krasnoyarsk for through for through Krasnoyarsk at change ellers services to Severobaikalsk and Tynda. Tayshet western- This is the Trans-Siberian’s people. but most trav- most junction with the BAM Oblast (region); local time becomes Moscow Oblast (region); hours. five time plus (still considered espionage in Russia). espionage (still considered arrested for taking photographs of the station of for taking photographs arrested tower behind the wooden stationtower behind building. The but here, to roam for 20 minutes passengers from the police if you’re you will not rescue red-brick locomotive depot at the western end depot at the western locomotive red-brick and water the station, and an old locomotive of seum only community on this entire stretch worth stretch entire only community on this see (just). to off getting bronze war memorial and an illuminated vic- an illuminated bronze war memorial and this is possibly the With ample time, tory arch. renovated Trinity Cathedral whose spire Trinity Cathedral whose spire renovated can be seen for miles around, an impressive Historic Kansk, founded in 1636, boasts a founded in 1636, boasts a Historic Kansk, buildings, a freshly century-old of scattering the off-limits Krasnoyarsk-45, of space centre and at medal at the 1900 Paris Expo (along with the 1900 Paris medal at the Eiffel Tower). a line runs north to (4265km), from where River fore the train crosses the 1km-long fore Krasnoyarsk to Tayshet Tayshet to Krasnoyarsk lonelyplanet.com your fellow travellers will not have even fa- have will not travellers your fellow be- in their midst a foreigner thomed there’s

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