Places to see

Zagli Bay – officially the sunniest place in Irkutsk region! The number of sunny days per year is more than at the Black Sea.

Kobylia Golova Cape (Horse Head, Khorin-Irgi) – this cape looks like a horse's head drinking water from the lake. This is the first cape you see when you cross the channel by ferry. According to legends the warriors of Ghengis-Khan stayed here. Sarma, the most ferocious wind on Baikal, blows here. Sarma gets its name from the river and valley on the other side of the Maloye More.

Khaday Mountain – the highest pass between the ferry dock and Khuzhir. Shamanists pray here and give offerings to the spirits. Khargoy Cape – attracts tourists with its simple beauty. There are also remains of an ancient Kurykan wall here (the Kurykan people lived on the island in the 8th and 9th century AD). Scientists still argue if this wall served as a sacred place or a hiding place.

Lake (bay) Khankhoy (also known as Elgai or Yalga) – the most popular place for people who want to camp. During the summer, the water gets nice and warm and you can go swimming and fish. The lake is separated from Baikal by a thin, natural sand bar. There is no wood available for campfires in this area.

Burkhan Cape (Shaman Rock) – known as one of the palaces of Heaven's tengriis (gods) and one of Asia's most sacred places. This is the most famous of Olkhon's capes. Its walls are cut by vertical cracks and resemble the feathers of a giant stone bird. Here, many testimonies of ancient peoples' lives were found. The strongest of heavenly tengriis chose Shaman Rock to be his home, and people were not allowed to go there in earlier times. People used to cover the hooves of their horses so as not to disturb the great spirit and master of the rock when they passed by. Nowadays people are not supposed to think negatively or behave badly here.

Saraysky Bay Beach – goes for 3 km from Burkhan Cape to Kharantsy village. It is a place where in summer you can relax on the hot sand, listen to the music of the waves and contemplate the great panorama of the mountains across the Maloye More. A 5 min walk from our homestead. Ulan-Khushin Bay – the sandy beach and its surroundings greet you with blossoming thyme and larch trees, and it feels like you've landed in a fairy tale. It is said that the bay keeps it's own spirits and secrets.

Peschanka Bay – another unique place, with sand dunes that move as time passes. There are heaps of flowers on each of the dunes and trees with open roots. Astragal, a flower endemic to Olkhon, grows here. Not long ago there were the abandoned buildings of the Maloye More fishery, where prisoners worked shortly after the 2nd WorldWar. Now the only reminders of that time a few fragments of old buildings.

The "Three Brothers" marble rock in the north of Olkhon. Sagan-Khushun, White Cape, or Three Brothers – the light marble rock at this cape is covered with red lichen. The beauty of this place was described by the famous Russian writer, Valentin Rasputin: "I would choose this place as a grave for Ghengis Khan. And I would bring here people with different sins to show them what they are fighting against; I would wish poor souls to find relief here, ill people health, and arrogant people humility."

Khoboy – the most northern cape of Olkhon, when looked at from the water, resembles a woman's profile. You can have fun with the multi-layered echoes bouncing off enourmous boulders, and there are rare plants growing here too. From the cape there is an amazing panoramic view of the Maloye and the Bolshoye Morye, and if the weather is good, the Ushkanii Islands and Svyatoy Nos (on the Eastern Shore of the lake). Someone once said that standing at Khoboy is like standing at the end of the Earth, as it is surrounded by water ("Khoboy" means "tusk" in Buryat). If you are lucky, you can see seals coming to sunbathe on the rocks below. It is one of the most sacred places on Baikal.

Uzury – this is a valley that brings you to the Bolshoye More, where there is a breathtaking panoramic view of Baikal. It is the only valley with easy access to the water in the north of the island. Here there is a little settlement with a few research centers from The Russian Academy of Sciences including one from the Institute of the Earth's Crust.

Shara-Nur Lake – the so-called "salted lake". Mud from the lake is believed to heal different illnesses, including arthritis. In summer the water warms up and is a good temperature for swimming.

Tashkiney (Teshkine) Valley – is a great valley with a creek which flows into Baikal. It is bordered by huge rocks and is rich with life. Many wild currants, flowers and various plants are found here.

Idebe (Yagiba) Valley – a valley with rich natural life, where flowers change quickly all through the summer colouring it blue, pink and lilac. And lots of mushrooms grow here in August. There is a rock in the forest nearby called "the rock of the Warrior Khushkhe-Bukha", named after a Buryat legendary hero who was so strong that he could move mountains.

Zhima – is the highest mountain on Olkhon. It is a sacred place where, according to legends, the Master of Olkhon lived (Zhima translates as master or lord). Here there are remains of Bhuddist huts, called "mankhos". A rare breed of spruce trees grows on the Western slope (these were found in 1963 by Nikolai Reviakin, a teacher from the local school). Traditionally, women were not allowed to go up this mountain.