Buryatia, Russia

The Republic of Buryatia is located in Eastern Siberia. Buryatia is very interesting for its history and culture. Its territory combines two traditions - Eastern and European, each of which is unique. In Buryatia, these traditions are tightly intertwined, as are the fates of the peoples who consider this land their ancestral home and who came here from other places. The Buryat lands remember the great nomads of the Xiongnu, the powerful warriors of Genghis Khan, and the brave defenders of the borders of Russia - the Transbaikal Cossacks.

In Buryatia, the cultural values of the Mongolian world, to which it has always belonged, have been preserved, while many values were born precisely on Buryat soil. This remained in the consciousness of the people, their way of life, and art. Thanks to this, a special attitude towards the past has been preserved here, which has not gone away without a trace; many of its features have become modern.

 

Regions

Western Buryatia
Okinsky district, Tunkinsky district
Here are the historical settlements of Tunka and Arshan.

Northern Buryatia
Severo-Baikalsky district, Muisky district, Bauntovsky Evenki district, Kurumkansky district, Barguzinsky district
Here are the historical settlements of Barguzin and Ust-Barguzin.

Eastern Buryatia
Eravninsky district, Khorinsky district, Kizhinginsky district
Here is the historical settlement of Khorinsk.

Southern Buryatia
Zakamensky district, Dzhidinsky district, Kyakhtinsky district, Bichursky district, Selenginsky district, Mukhorshibirsky district
Here are the historical settlements of Kyakhta and Novoselenginsk.

Eastern Baikal region
Pribaikalsky district, Kabansky district
Here are the historical settlements of Goryachinsk, Ilyinka, Troitskoye, Kabansk, Posolskoye, Babushkin.

Central Buryatia
Ivolginsky district, Tarbagataisky district, Zaigraevsky district
Here are the historical settlements of Tarbagatai, New Bryan, Narin-Atsagat.

 

Cities

Ulan-Ude
Arshan
Baikalsky Nature Reserve
Barguzin Nature Reserve
Dzherginsky Nature Reserve
Gusinoozyorsk
Khoyto-Gol
Kyakhta

 

Other destinations

Ivolginsky Datsan
Lake Baikal
Orlik
Severobaikalsk
Tarbagatai
Olkhon
Tunkinsky National Park
Zabaykalsky National Park
Zhemchug

 

Geography

Buryatia is located in the very center of Asia, on the eastern coast of Lake Baikal, next to Mongolia.

It borders on Tyva in the west, Irkutsk region in the north-west, and Trans-Baikal Territory in the east. It has a federal border with Mongolia in the south.

The distance by rail from the capital of Buryatia, Ulan-Ude, to Moscow is 5519 km, to the Pacific Ocean - 3500 km, to Lake Baikal - 130 km, to the border with Mongolia - 234 km.

The area of Buryatia is 351.3 thousand km². For comparison: four Austrias or seventeen Israels will fit within the borders of the republic.

There are many amazing and unique places in Buryatia. All the landscapes of Eurasia are found here: mountains, taiga, steppes, tundra, desert, plain. Having visited these places, the famous Russian writer A.P. Chekhov described Buryatia this way: “The Selenga is sheer beauty, in Transbaikalia I found everything I wanted: the Caucasus, and the Psla Valley, and the Zvenigorod district, and the Don. During the day you gallop across the Caucasus, at night along the Don steppe, and in the morning you wake up from your slumber, and lo and behold, it’s already the Poltava province, and so on for the whole thousand miles.”

Nature has generously rewarded Buryatia with healing resources. There are 303 mineral springs and 55 mineral lakes located in different regions in the republic. Local residents call the water sources “arshans,” which translated from the Buryat language means “healing water.” Arshans are revered as sacred places.

Buryatia is a sunny republic; the sun shines here up to 300 days a year, which is more than in any other region of Russia and comparable to Central Asia. Also here is the highest purity and transparency of the air - from a height of 9 thousand meters the area is clearly visible for tens of kilometers around, which is also not the case in all other regions of the Russian Federation.

The climate in the republic is sharply continental, winters are dry and cold, summers are short and hot. The average temperature in winter is -22°C, in summer +18.5°C.

Buryatia is the highest mountainous region in Russia. Not in the sense that there are high mountains, but in the fact that the area is located quite high from sea level. For example, Ulan-Ude is located at an altitude of 500 to 650 meters, Lake Baikal is at an altitude of approx. 400 meters.

 

Population

According to the 2010 census, the permanent population of Buryatia was 963.5 thousand people. The population density is three people per square kilometer. 60% of people live in cities. National composition: 65% - Russians, 30% - Buryats. The indigenous inhabitants of the republic are Buryats, Soyots, Evenks.

In Buryatia, Buddhism, shamanism, Orthodoxy and Old Believers coexist peacefully.

Buryatia is the center of Russian Buddhism. In the main Buddhist temple of the country, the Ivolginsky Datsan, is the residence of the head of the Buddhist Traditional Sangha of Russia, Pandito Khambo Lama Damba Ayusheev. Here is also the largest university in the country, Dashi Choynkhorlin, where future clergymen comprehend the basics of Buddhist philosophy, study oriental medicine, ethnography, Tibetan, Old Mongolian and Buryat languages, as well as iconography, the basics of tantrism and meditation.

Of great interest is the phenomenon of Pandito Khambo-Lama Dashi-Dorzho Itigelov, who 80 years ago went into nirvana and is still in a meditation pose. As many scientific studies have shown, the Lama's brain and body correspond in physical characteristics to the state of a living organism. Scientists believe that Lama's body is in a state unknown to science. People from all over the world make pilgrimages to the body and spirit of the Lama, believing that touching the great Lama has miraculous powers.

 

Sights

Lake Baikal
Arshan is a large climatic and balneological resort at the foot of the Eastern Sayan Mountains.
Bichura is the largest semey village in Transbaikalia
Nilova Pustyn - resort in the Tunkinskaya Valley
Zhemchug - a resort village in the Tunkinskaya Valley
Mondy - automobile border crossing into Mongolia
Orlik: Zhoygan, Khoyto-Gol, valley of volcanoes, Sailag waterfall, Nuhu-Daban, Geser Temple
Maksimikha is one of the most beautiful and interesting places on the Baikal coast: Barguzinsky and Chivyrkuisky bays
Enkhaluk is a popular holiday destination on the southeastern shore of Lake Baikal with golden beaches and warm water
Goryachinsk is a popular resort on the shores of Lake Baikal, created in 1751.
Tarbagatai and Novaya Bryansk are the old Russian culture of Semeisk (Old Believers), recognized by UNESCO as a masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity.
Peter and Paul Fortress: Sartul-Gegetuisky datsan, Atagan-Dyrestuisky datsan, Tabangut-Ichetuysky datsan, Sartuul-Bulagsky datsan, Sarbaduy cave, Burin-Khan, Lake Tagley, Mount Kharaty, Borgoysky reserve
Sosnovo-Ozerskoye: Egituisky datsan, Eravny lakes, Maraktinskaya valley, poetic rock garden
Barguzin: Barguzin datsan, goddess Yanzhima, Suva castle
Kurumkan: mineral springs Alla, Kucheger, Umkhey, Garga, Buksyken, Mount Baragkhan
Bagdarin: Baunt resort, White Mountain, Dolganskaya Yama cave, extinct volcanoes
Taximo: Vitim River (Ugryum River), Muyskaya Valley, Severomuysky Tunnel, Paramskaya Cave, Zolotoe Plateau
Naushki - railway border crossing to Mongolia
Zarubino is a village on the border with Mongolia, rich in archaeological monuments of the Xiongnu era.
Ivolginsk is the administrative center of the Ivolginsky district
Khorinsk - village
Kijinga - village
Nizhneangarsk is an urban-type settlement
Taksimo is an urban village

Transbaikal National Park is the most interesting place on the eastern shore of Lake Baikal. Here the mountains rise above the lake by almost one and a half thousand meters, and if you climb onto the Holy Nose plateau (which not everyone can do!), you will see a panorama of rare beauty. The views from the water are no worse: the Chivyrkuisky Bay, surrounded by mountains, is rightfully considered one of the most picturesque places of the lake, and on the Ushkany Islands you can see the famous Baikal seal.

The Tunkinskaya Valley goes west of Lake Baikal, crashing into the Eastern Sayan massif. Here is the Arshan resort, equally popular among residents of the Irkutsk region and Buryatia, although the valley is not only remarkable for them. This is the most agricultural part of the republic, lined with a network of neat hedges. The meadows are sometimes interrupted by groves, and majestic mountains rise above them - Tunkinsky Goltsy. In the west, the valley narrows, leading to Mount Munku-Sardyk, the highest point of the Sayan Mountains.

The Tugnuiskaya Valley is located along the Chita tract on the way from Ulan-Ude to Petrovsk-Zabaikalsky. This is a very beautiful and completely lifeless steppe, where only occasionally there are nondescript villages, rural datsans, and large rocks hung with Buddhist ribbons.

The mouth of the Selenga and the adjacent Kaban steppes are one of the resort places on the eastern shore of Lake Baikal, with a low bank and warm water. It is also interesting in terms of architecture, since along the Selenga there was a historical route to Transbaikalia, along which several monasteries were built. The best of them is Posolsky, standing on the very shore, with a wonderful cathedral and a mystical pile of crosses in memory of the royal embassy killed on this site. The Baikal highway and the railway are nearby.

Khamar-Daban is a mountain range that borders Lake Baikal from the south. This is perhaps the best place on the lake for active recreation: there are several ski resorts, and the trail to Chersky Peak (2090 m) is one of the simplest and, at the same time, very beautiful hiking routes. Roads and resort villages cluster close to the shore of the lake, in one of which, Tankhoy, is the office of the Baikal Nature Reserve. Visiting the reserve itself, as usual, is not easy, but the visitor center deserves attention as one of the most modern nature museums in Russia, which also has equipped ecological trails that run through forests and raised bogs on the slopes of Khamar-Daban.

 

Language

The main language spoken by the population of Buryatia is Russian, possibly Buryat. In remote villages where mostly Buryats live, you can meet people who do not speak Russian. These are mainly preschool children and older adults.

Knowledge of English is very rare among the population. Even in the tourist-oriented service industry, you don't often find English-speaking staff. But the situation is changing.

The development of tourism has become one of the priority areas of policy of the republican authorities. The departments responsible for the tourism sector do their best to encourage the study of foreign languages by specialists in the hospitality industry. Menus in English are already appearing in restaurants, and in the near future it is planned to equip the streets and roads of Buryatia with the necessary signs and information boards that are understandable for foreign guests.

 

How to get there

All routes mainly lie through the transport hub of Ulan-Ude, or from neighboring regions and Mongolia.

By plane
Ulan-Ude International Airport (IATA:UUD) “Baikal”.

As of November 23, 2012, the airport receives 13 flights.

International flights are operated - Ulaanbaatar, Beijing, Manzhouli, Thailand (Bangkok), Vietnam (Danang, Cam Ranh).

There is communication with the following cities of Russia: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Omsk, Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk, Chita, Yakutsk, Khabarovsk, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.

Flights are carried out within Buryatia: Bagdarin, Nizhneangarsk, Taximo.

By train
The Trans-Siberian Railway passes through the territory of the republic as part of the East Siberian Railway (ESJD) and the Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM).

The main stopping stations in Buryatia: Mysovaya in Babushkino, Ulan-Ude on the Trans-Siberian Railway, Severobaikalsk and Taksimo on the BAM.

On the Eastern Railway there is a main branch TS-8 “Ulan-Ude - Naushki - Ulaanbaatar - Beijing”, with large stations Zagustay (Gusinoozersk), Dzhida and Naushki. In Naushki there is a railway border crossing to Mongolia.

By car
The federal highway M55 “Baikal” passes through the territory of the republic, which connects the Irkutsk region in the west of the republic and the Trans-Baikal Territory in the east.

You can get from Mongolia to Buryatia through road crossings in the city of Kyakhta and the village of Mondy (Tunkinsky district).

In the near future, two more automobile crossings will open on the border with Mongolia - in Zheltur (Dzhidinsky district) and Ainek-Gol (Zakamensky district). The construction of crossings on both sides of the border is in full swing.

 

Internal transport

The main means of transport for residents of Buryatia is a car. All major settlements of the republic can be reached from Ulan-Ude by minibus or bus.

From Ulan-Ude, buses to different places in Buryatia depart from several points: the bus station, the station square of the Ulan-Ude railway station, Tsivileva Street (opposite the Sagaan Morin shopping center), Banzarov Square.

From the railway station, buses go to Chita (Aginsky Buryat District), Irkutsk (Ust-Ordynsky Buryat District), Arshan, Kyren, and to recreation centers on Lake Baikal: Sukhaya, Enkhaluk, Baikalsky Surf, Kultushnaya.

From Banzarov Square you can go to Gurulba, Zvezdny, Ivolginsk, Oshurkovo, Sosnovy Bor, Sotnikovo, Tapkhar. To get to the Ivolginsky datsan, you need to take minibus 130 to Ivolginsk, then you need to change to another bus that will take you to the datsan. On major religious holidays, minibuses run from Banzarov Square directly to the datsan.

From the bus station you can go to almost all regional centers and large settlements of Buryatia, with which there is road communication: Arshan, Barguzin, Bichura, Goryachinsk, Gremyachinsk, Gusinoozersk, Zagan, Zakamensk, Irkutsk, Kudara, Kultushnaya, Kurumkan, Kyren, Kyakhta, Mukhorshibir , Orlik, Petropavlovka, Posolsk, Potanino, Romanovka, Ust-Barguzin, Ust-Ordynsky (via Irkutsk), Khorinsk, Shchuchye Lake.

In the southern direction from Ulan-Ude you can leave every day by trains “Ulan-Ude-Naushki”, “Irkutsk-Naushki”; electric trains run in the western and eastern directions.

The remote northern regions - Severo-Baikalsky and Muisky - can be reached by rail from the Taishet station in the Irkutsk region. Domestic airlines also fly from Ulan-Ude airport "Baikal" to Nizhneangarsk and Taksimo.

 

What to do

Recharge yourself with the powerful energy of Lake Baikal
Find peace and peace of mind in the protected corners of Buryatia
Perform a ritual of offering to Buddhist shrines
Bow to the goddess Yanzhima (Barguzin), asking for vitality and fertility for your family
Receive the blessing of the incorruptible body of Pandito Khambo Lama Itigelov
Visit one of the most revered Buddhist shrines in Russia - the statue of the Sandalwood Buddha (Zandan Zhuu) in the Egituysky datsan
Get in touch with other worlds on a shamanic tailagan
Attend a colorful and mesmerizing theatrical Buddhist performance - the Tsam mystery - in the Tamchinsky datsan (Gusinoozersk) or in the Buddhist temple Hambyn Khure (Ulan-Ude)
Get acquainted with the unique and original culture of the Semeisk (Trans-Baikal Old Believers) in Tarbagatai or New Bryan
Feel the breath of eternity, feel the aura of the ancient Xiongnu civilization at the Ivolginsky settlement
Plunge into the era of the mighty Genghis Khan at the Merkit fortress in the Tugnui Valley
Strengthen your body tone at the miraculous resorts and mineral springs
Visit the Valley of Volcanoes in Gornaya Oka, full of secrets and mysteries
Improve your health at the Center for Oriental Medicine, where the thousand-year experience of Tibetan medicine and the advanced achievements of modern healthcare are organically combined
Study the Atlas of Tibetan Medicine in the Museum of the History of Buryatia - a priceless rarity, an outstanding monument of fine art of the Middle Ages
Get acquainted with the grandiose collection of antiquities in the Kyakhtinsky Museum of Local Lore
Take a look at the ethnographic museum of the peoples of Transbaikalia, where an ensemble of the rich cultural heritage of the peoples living on the shores of Lake Baikal is collected
Feel the atmosphere of old Verkhneudinsk by walking through the historical center of Ulan-Ude
Visit the Jarun Khashore Stupa - an analogue of the Bodhnath Stupa, located near Kathmandu in Nepal. In Tibetan, the name is interpreted as “the stupa that fulfills wishes.”

 

Museums

Ethnographic Museum of the Peoples of Transbaikalia, Ulan-Ude, Verkhnyaya Berezovka. ✉ ☎ +7 (3012) 44-33-10, 33-25-10. In summer: from 09.30 to 18.00; on weekends - from 10.00 to 19.00. In winter: from 09.00 to 17.00.. Ticket price for adults - 100 rubles, for students - 60 rubles, for schoolchildren and pensioners - 50 rubles. How to get there: by minibus No. 37
Museum of the History of Buryatia, Ulan-Ude, st. Profsoyuznaya, 29. ☎ +7 (3012) 21-40-08, 21-06-53.
Art Museum, Ulan-Ude, st. Kuibysheva, 29. ☎ + 7 (3012) 21-29-09, 21-43-93.
Kyakhta Local History Museum (Branch and information center in Ulan-Ude - Sovetskaya St. 27 a), Kyakhta, st. Lenina, 49. ✉ ☎ +7 (30142) 92-1-46. Adults - 70 rubles, students - 25 rubles, schoolchildren - 15 rubles, foreign citizens - 100 rubles. Preferential admission: preschoolers, disabled people, WWII veterans, conscripts - free. One of the oldest museums in Siberia and the Far East, founded in 1890. A unique collection from the Xiongnu era. There is a branch in Ulan-Ude on the street. Sovetskaya 27a

 

Theaters

Buryat State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater, Ulan-Ude, st. Lenina, 51. ☎ +7 (3012) 21-39-13, 21-44-54, fax: +7 (3012) 21-44-54.
Buryat State Academic Drama Theater, Ulan-Ude, st. Kuibysheva, 38. ☎ +7 (3012) 22-25-37, 64-14-55, 22-25-46.
Puppet theater "Ulger", Ulan-Ude, st. Lenina, 46. ☎ +7 (3012) 21-80-37, 21-22-92, fax: +7 (3012) 21-80-37.
Song and Dance Theater "Baikal", Ulan-Ude, st. Erbanova, 6. ☎ +7 (3012) 21-78-96, 43-05-06.
State Circus of Buryatia, Ulan-Ude, Pobeda Ave., 17. ✉ ☎ +7 (3012) 22-36-56, 46-12-29.

 

Events

Sagaalgan: Buddhist New Year according to the lunar calendar. The holiday is celebrated for almost a month. The date is “floating” - calculated by Buddhist monks according to the lunar calendar. The day of the offensive of Sagaalgan is annually declared by the Head of the Republic of Buryatia a day off. February 24, 2020.
Festival of national traditions “Buuzin Bayar”. February 24, 2020, Ulan-Ude.
World flash mob "Grand Yohor". February 24, 2020, Ulan-Ude.
Interregional freeride competition "Formula Mamaia-2020". February 22 - 24, 2020, Bolshoy Mamai River, Kabansky district.
Days of culture and art of Buryatia in Moscow. February 25 - 26, 2020, Moscow, State Kremlin Palace.
All-Russian rapid chess competition for prizes from the Dashi Choynkhorlin Buddhist University. D.D. Zayaeva. February 26, 2020, Ivolginsky datsan, Ivolginsky district.
Open snow fighting tournament "Snow Battle in the Sayans". February 29, 2020, Tunkinsky district.
Festival of speed on the ice of Lake Baikal "Baikal Mile". February 27 - March 1, 2020, Maksimikha village, Barguzin district.
Wide Maslenitsa. March 1, 2020, Ulan-Ude, Ethnographic Museum of the Peoples of Transbaikalia.
Ice fishing competitions, “Reserve Triathlon” relay race, “Chivyrkuisky Dog Sprint” dog sled race, competitions, games, concert and entertainment program “Chivyrkuisky Fun”. March 15, 2020, Barguzinsky district.
Festival of children's and youth books "Paper Key". March 27, 2020, Ulan-Ude.
XVI ice fishing tournament “Baikal Fishing-2020”. March 27 - 28, 2020, village of Turka, Pribaikalsky district.
Ice fishing tournament "Northern Baikal". March 28, 2020, Nizhneangarsk village, Severo-Baikal region.
Baikal tourism fair "Baikal Travel Mart - Tourism and recreation in Buryatia"". April 26 - 28, 2020, Ulan-Ude.
International freestyle wrestling tournament "Baikal Open 2020" for the prizes of the Head of Buryatia. March 28-29, 2020, Ulan-Ude.
VIII Chamber Music Festival PIZZICATO. April 1-30, 2020, Ulan-Ude.
Championship of the Siberian Federal District in mountaineering in the skyrunning discipline "Capricorn-2020". April 13, 2020, Arshan village, Tunkinsky district.
Celebration of the meeting of swans. April 14, 2020, Khorinsky district.
Baikal ski marathon. April 20 - 21, 2020, Maksimikha village, Barguzin district.
Tournament "Eryn Gurban Naadan" in honor of the goddess Yanzhima. April 28, 2020, village of Yarikto, Barguzin district.
Festival “Munku-Sardyk”: climbing mountain paths of varying difficulty, including the “Eternal White Char”, and a festival of bard songs. May 1 - 5, 2020, Mondy village, Tunkinsky district.
Traditional prayer service Barkhan Tahilgaan. May 2, 2020, Kurumkansky district.
"The Day of the Herdsman" May 16, 2020, village of Uldurga, Eravninsky district.
Official opening of the water rowing season Ulan-Ude Water Open Cup. June 1, 2020, Ulan-Ude.
All-Russian boxing tournament "Baikal". June 1 - 30, 2020, Ulan-Ude.
Festival of Russian culture "Baikal round dance". June 7, 2020.
IX International Student Scientific and Practical Conference "Sustainable Development of Service Technologies". June 10 - 13, 2020, Maksimikha village, Barguzin district.
International forum "Tourism Week on the Great Silk Road". June 10 - 16, 2020, Ulan-Ude.
"Summer School for Young Artists". June 12, 2020, Enkhaluk village, Kabansky district.
A holiday dedicated to the history of the Xiongnu tribes. June 13, 2020, Ulan-Ude.
Interregional summer school-festival "Baikal Fantasies". June 15 - 26, 2020, Enkhaluk village, Kabansky district.
Interregional festival "Yanzhima's Necklace". June 20, 2020, village of Yarikto, Barguzin district.
Festival of craftsmanship "Tvorogovsky ax". June 21, 2020, village of Tvorogovo, Kabansky district.
Festival "Catch the Wave". June 27, 2020, lake. Shchuchye, Selenginsky district.
National holiday "Naadan Surkharban". June 30 - July 3, 2020, Ulan-Ude.
Festival "Night of Yohora". July 3, 2020, Ulan-Ude.
Festival - fair "Strawberry Paradise". July 11, 2020, village of Vydrino, Kabansky district.
XII International Music Festival “Voice of Nomads. Baikal/Buryatia": world music festival. July 11 - 13, 2020.
Fisherman's Day in Chivyrkuisky Bay. July 12, 2020, Kurbulik village, Barguzin district.
All-Russian archery competition “Arrows of Baikal.” July 17, 2020, Ulan-Ude.
VIII Interregional Youth Festival of Evenki Culture "Baikal Argish". July 23 - 25, 2020, Enkhaluk village, Kabansky district.
Festival - fair "Fofonovsky cucumber". July 26, 2020, village of Fofonovo, Kabansky district.
Traditional games "108 Suburgans". July 27, 2020, village of Khorinsk, Khorinsky district.
Milk festival "Sagaan edeenay nair 2020". August 7 - 8, 2020, Khilgana village, Barguzin district.
Republican berry festival "Kikinskoe Basket". August 9, 2020, Kika village, Pribaikalsky district.
International street film festival. August 10, 2020, Severobaykalsk city.
Water sports festival "Baikal Wind". August 13, 2020, Posolskoye village, Kabansky district.
Festival of culture of Semey - Old Believers of Transbaikalia "Bichursky Amber". August 14, 2020, village of Bichura, Bichur district.
Running marathon "Clean Baikal". August 15, 2020, Maksimikha village, Barguzin district.
Competitions in national sports dedicated to the holiday of Hambo Lama D.-D. Itigelova. August 22 - 31, 2020, Ivolginsky datsan, Ivolginsky district.
Rural holiday "Bird cherry festival on Chikoy". September 5, 2020, Kiran locality, Kyakhtinsky district.
Parade in honor of the formation of the Selenga Infantry Regiment. September 21, 2020, Novoselenginsk village, Selenginsky district.
Festival "Great Melodies of the Great Steppe". September 26 - 27, 2020, Novoselenginsk village, Selenginsk district.
Festival "Bichur Potatoes". October 2, 2020, village of Bichura, Bichur district.
Fashion week "Baikal Fashion Week 2020". December 5 - 6, 2020, Ulan-Ude.

 

Routes

The Great Tea Route runs from China to Russia, through the territory of Buryatia.
Baikal-Khuvsgul. The route connecting the two great lakes of Asia - Russian Baikal and Mongolian Khubsugul - is gaining increasing popularity. The route passes through the picturesque Tunkinskaya Valley.
“Pilgrim’s Path” (to the places of Khambo Lama Dasha-Dorzho Itigelov): Ulan-Ude - Aninsky datsan - Egituisky datsan - Arangin-Arya Bala - Talyn Khargana - Tamchinsky datsan - Ivolginsky datsan.
Along the path of Archpriest Avvakum - acquaintance with the history of the development of Transbaikalia by Old Believers

 

Eat

Buryatia offers a wide selection of dishes from various cuisines. But guests of the republic prefer to try Baikal and Buryat cuisines.

In Baikal cuisine, dishes are prepared mainly from noble species of fish caught in Baikal - omul, sturgeon, grayling, whitefish. The most favorite fish in Buryatia is the Baikal omul. It is eaten fried, boiled, smoked and salted. Particularly valued by connoisseurs and lovers of this product is “scented omul”, which is particularly piquant due to its specific smell. Also popular are omul caviar and raskolka (frozen raw fish), which are served as an appetizer.

Most often, guests are offered to try omul on rods, which is cooked like shashlik over a fire, only on wooden skewers. The fish is used exclusively from fresh catch. As a rule, this dish is prepared right on the shore of Lake Baikal, accompanied by the sound of the surf, the crackling of a fire and pleasant conversation in a friendly company.

The basis of Buryat cuisine is milk and meat, and its main advantage is ease of preparation and naturalness.

Guests are usually treated to lamb. Buryats can prepare up to 50 different dishes from one sheep. The entire sheep is used for food - nothing is thrown away. The most delicious and famous lamb comes from the Borgoy Valley. This meat was also loved in the Romanov imperial house. Historical fact: Borgoy lamb coexisted with Baikal omul on the ceremonial table on the occasion of the coronation of Nicholas II.

The most popular dish that is on the menu of almost any establishment is buuza. This is a ball of minced meat wrapped in a pancake made of thin dough, with a hole left at the top. The shape of the dish resembles a yurt. Steamed buuzas are prepared.

Also popular in Buryatia are buhler (lamb broth), shulen (meat soup with homemade noodles), blood sausage and green tea with milk.

 

Night life

A varied and vibrant nightlife, where there is an atmosphere of unbridled fun with fiery music and hot dancing until the morning, is available only in one place in Buryatia - in its capital, Ulan-Ude. There are many nightlife establishments here - restaurants, pubs, clubs, cinemas...

In the summer, nightlife also boils in popular holiday destinations - Arshan, Enkhaluk, Maksimikha.

In the rest of the territory, during the dark hours of the day, guests of the republic admire stunning sunsets and a mystically bright starry sky, which is why they remain no less happy.

 

Precautionary measures

Buryatia can hardly be classified as a dangerous region.

The locals are quite peaceful. Buddhism, which is professed by a significant part of the population, plays an important role in this. But, as they say, every family has its black sheep, and sometimes there is a black sheep that can spoil the overall good picture. If adventures are not included in the plans of your tourist program, you should not enter into close relationships with the first person you meet, much less drink alcohol with him.

As elsewhere, being in pristine nature, you need to be wary of the bites of ticks, bees, snakes and any other game. Although, as practice shows, these representatives of the fauna themselves try to quickly hide from the eyes of “two-legged animals” if they do not feel a threat to their lives. Therefore, in the forest you need to behave in such a way that your appearance does not come as a surprise to the animals, which can frighten them and cause aggression. You can talk loudly (don’t shout!) or make other sounds so that all living things around have time to hide in their holes in advance and voluntarily.

Considering that Buryatia is a sunny republic, you need to protect yourself from sunstroke on hot days. And on rare bad weather days, when a thunderstorm occurs, you need to know how to protect yourself from this atmospheric scourge.

When taking baths in wild mineral springs, follow a simple but important rule: your stay in the water should not exceed five minutes, otherwise such procedures will do you more harm than good. You should also not cool your body after hot baths, so it is better to immediately wrap yourself in warm clothes.

Sometimes poisoning happens to tourists. And then, instead of getting new pleasant sensations in the Buryat expanses, you have to spend a lot of time and effort on chaotic intimate relationships with a white “faience friend” in a hotel room. To warn yourself against this sad prospect, you need to treat any unfamiliar food with caution and first ask what ingredients the dish is made from. Also, you should not buy Baikal omul, which is so popular in Buryatia, from your hands, no matter how tempting it may look to you. This frivolity may result in botulism for you. Just by the sound of the word it is clear that it does not promise you anything pleasant.

In general, be reasonable and you will have only pleasant memories from your trip to Buryatia.