Part 16: First Day in Listvyanka (Lake Baikal)
Hotel: Mayak Hotel, 29 EUR/night incl. Breakfast
When I arrived at the open-air market in Irkutsk for the
marshrutka (minibus) service to Listvyanka I already saw one vehicle parked on the pavement waiting for it to fill up with passengers. Within minutes after taking a seat, the minibus filled up and off we were for the approximately 65 kilometres to Irkutsk, which would take a little over an hour. Just about the perfect distance in these cramped vehicles frequented mostly by
babushkas on a shopping spree returning to their villages with tons of goods. The scenery along the way consisted of eternal Russian taiga forests – if I could look out of the window that is as you had to wipe off the condensation every five seconds to look out.
Half of the minibus emptied out along villages along the way, and when the vehicle arrived at its terminus in Listvyanka it was only me, four or so Russian women and a Chinese tourist on the bus. Luckily, the terminus happened to be right outside my hotel for the next two days: the Mayak Hotel, which means lighthouse in Russian. It's quite obvious why from the looks of the building.
The gaudy Mayak Hotel
Listvyanka is basically a 3-4 kilometre-strip along Lake Baikal, with most of the townfolk however not living directly at the lakeside road but living in wooden houses in a valley that runs inland. The town is fairly low-key with mostly wooden houses so the gaudy Mayak stands out completely. It's the only hotel that is somewhat of a luxurious option among an otherwise OK-looking selection of wooden B&Bs and small hotels (which I didn't want to risk as I needed reliable internet).
I had the smallest and cheapest room at the Mayak, a small-ish single room which at 29 EUR per night including breakfast was very well priced. Internet was very fast and hotel facilities were good (especially the bathtub proved to be very welcome after a long day in the cold outside!).
My room at the Mayak Hotel
Bathroom
The view from my window. Part of the rooms face Lake Baikal, while those in the back face the hill located directly behind the short strip
After settling into my room it was time for a walk. There isn't really much to see at all in Listvyanka, it being a small town, but what a feeling it was just walking around! The sheer emptiness and massive ice cover of Lake Baikal, the snow, the freezing temperatures, it almost felt like I was walking at some Antarctic research centre. As it was a lovely sunny day even the temperatures were quite good! Sure, it was still -20 degrees Celsius (-4 Fahrenheit for those in the Colonies) and the wind at the lake was strong. Take your gloves off and your hands will freeze off. But when walking a bit inland into the more sheltered valley away from the lakeside strip, it was wonderful.
The coastal strip along the lakeside. Listvyanka basically is just one coastal road – with the exception of a valley running inland where most of the old wooden houses are located.
The biggest draws of coming to Listvyanka in winter are its outdoor activities it being the easiest place along Lake Baikal to reach in winter. One of the activities really high on my to-do list has always been dog sledding. According to my guidebook and Google Maps, there was indeed such a place in the valley. It was a lovely walk through the old town towards the place, with many beautiful wooden houses and churches.
The dog sledding centre was run by a very welcoming father and son. Dog sledding turned out to be as much fun as I thought. It might not seem very fast if you look at it from away, but believe me, once you sit down on the sled and the dogs speed up it
is fast – and freezing cold as obviously you feel the wind at these speeds! At our halfway point inside the taiga, we switched places and I could steer the sleigh while standing – yet another amazing experience. Highly recommended!
After the ride, the father invited me to have a look inside his shed. It turned out that he has his own armoury making weapons in the same way as they did in Medieval times. It was fascinating to hear his stories and to see his homemade objects, which ranged from Russian swords to Mongolian-style helmets.
Next up, my plan was to walk back to the lakeside and walk alongside the road for a few kilometres in the direction back of Irkutsk. Just shortly before the town of Listvyanka (where the road ends), is the start of the Angara River. As the river never freezes, I though it might be a scenic spot to see the contrast between frozen Lake Baikal and the blue river.
The scenery was indeed fantastic at the place where Lake Baikal drains into the Angara River, but as it was getting cold and I was getting hungry, I didn't venture for too long. As walking to the place was a fairly slow affair on the snow-covered pavement, I opted to walk back to Listvyanka over the lake itself – which obviously turned to be out
much faster!
Back in Listvyanka I waited a bit more on the ice to wait for the sun to set. Even if by this time I was freezing – it was absolutely worth it. Seeing the sun set on the lake definitely would make my top five travel experiences to date in well over 65 countries visited so far. It was just spectacular. Even though I managed to take some good shots, the pictures don't do it justice as it's the sheer remoteness and vastness of the place which is so amazing.
Really one of those moments in nature that truly make you speechless!
I opted for dinner out of the hotel and found a local restaurant nearby (Berg House Cafe Bar), which was completely empty. The host was very welcoming and provided me with an English-language menu. My dinner, which consisted of some caviar as a starter, some borscht, and grilled omul (a Lake Baikal fish). Even though by no means haute cuisine it was all very tasty – the kind of grandma style cooking.
There not being anything to do at night in Listvyanka – I just bought a few beers at a local shop and retreated back into my hotel room. After an entire day out in freezing temperatures, nothing really beats a warm bath while downing a cold one!