Olkhon Island: my guide to Siberia’s best-kept secret

While arranging my Trans Siberian Train ticket with a Dutch agency, I was told most people take breaks from the epic train journey in two places: Ulaanbataar in Mongolia and Irkutsk in Russia. A friend had told me that I should definitely visit Olkhon Island, an island in the middle of the magnificent Lake Baikal and about 300 kilometers (186 miles) from Irkutsk.

Lake Baikal, the oldest and deepest lake in the world, is located in the heart of Siberia. With it’s 32.000 square meters of untouched wilderness it’s an absolute gem for hikers.  I blocked 5 days in my itinerary to visit Irkutsk and Olkhon Island. Read my experience, hiking tips and how to get to Olkhon island in this article.

A characteristic Russian Lada in Irkutsk

My first stop on my trip from Beijing to Moscow was at Irkutsk, just over the Mongolian border in Russia. It started with meeting a cute cross-eyed cat at my Couchsurfer’s place. I also met Kristijan from Croatian travel agency Nomadi.hr who had plans to travel north. I hadn’t really done any research on the area so I asked what drew him to travel there. ‘The grand Baikal lake of course!’, was his reply. I quickly googled “Baikal Lake” and was immediately sold. The oldest and deepest lake in the world? Bring it on!

How to get from Irkutsk to Olkhon Island

We spend an enjoyable day eating chiburekki in Irkutsk and then decided to travel together the morning after. There seemed to be very limited possibilities. There was a public bus going there, but since we weren’t able to reserve in time we didn’t want to be left stranded. So, what is a traveler to do? Hitchhike, of course! 🙂 Since we both didn’t speak any Russian, it was ought to be a challenge. I learned to read Cyrillic script on the train to Irkutsk (which was surprisingly easy) and found out how to phonetically pronounce them. With the help of Google Maps, we were able to write our first stop, баиндаи (Bayanday), in Cyrillic on a piece of cardboard. We took a bus to a turn-off just outside the city, and proudly stuck up our beloved piece of magical cardboard (at least we hoped it would be).

It didn’t take very long for us to get our first ride. An officer wearing a blue uniform and a typical furry Russian hat picked us up in his white van. Conversing with this man turned out to be hilarious: Kristijan was speaking Croatian and I tried my best Polish, and somehow it even worked! It was then that I realized how alike the Slavic languages can be. After an enjoyable ride through the vast Siberian tundra and desert, we get dropped off at a roadside cafe in the middle of nowhere. Luckily they were well equipped with some more delicious chiburekki.

Our first ride towards Olkhon island

After half an hour or so we stick our thumbs out again. We get a ride from a couple that drops us off at a desolate intersection. As there are very few cars passing this intersection, it takes us a bit longer to get a ride. Finally, a Mongolian-looking man picks us up in his van. He’s on his way to the island for work and offers to take us all the way. Amazing! Again our conversation stays on a very basic level, but the driver seems to understand us a bit better than the last one.

A beautiful old Russian lorry

Khuzhir, the biggest village on Olkhon Island

This little village is the main spot for tourism on Olkhon island, and on paper, its Cyrillic name looks like a bunch of consonants: XYXNP. At the time I was there, the end of October, it was well out of the season: too late for a summer holiday and too early for ice skating. It was very peaceful, and it felt as if we had the whole village to ourselves.

Olkhon island’s locals

Accommodation tip: Nikita guesthouse

On the train to Irkutsk, I overheard a conversation where Nikita guesthouse was mentioned. It was supposed to be a typical rural Russian wooden bungalow village, for the price of a hostel. The name stuck, and we asked our driver if he’d heard about it. He did, and he dropped us right in front of it. Since it was nightfall and hardly any lights were on, it was hard to see any of the structures properly. It did look very cozy but spacious at the same time, giving it a village-in-village feel. We got led to our room by a guy of about our age, who later turned out to be a sportsman from Kazachstan.

Nikita’s Homestead

The room was pretty standard, with a pretty thin mattress, but since I didn’t expect the world from this hostel it was just all that I needed. The price per person per night is about 25 euro (28 dollars) for the cheapest room, but this includes breakfast and dinner. It was amazing to not have to think about these things, just show up somewhere between the set times and you will be served 🙂

On one night, during dinner, a few Russian men joined. It was hard to tell if they were tourists or locals, but they were definitely drunk. One of the guys started to sing an emotional Russian ballad, and the others joined in at the chorus. The guy could sing well, which made it all a very interesting scene.

Hiking across Olkhon Island

Rarely have I had the chance to admire vast, open nature without some sort of backdrop of tour buses or other tourist vehicles. Silence and nature, ’tis a great combination. The day after our arrival we decided it was time for some action. We asked around and found that there are many hiking routes starting from the little town. We choose the hike across the island sideways, which fits our time schedule best.

These frozen puddles provided an amazing reflection.

Some sort of Shaman poles

The next day we rise early, have our complimentary breakfast porridge and start walking east through the village. We notice that two German Shepherds are following us, marking their territory along the way and giving other dogs ye olde butt-sniff. I was sure they’ll get distracted by something and return to their owners, but I was wrong. 8 hours later they were still by our sides, tired but loyal. We get to the point where the village ends and the forest starts when we see a little lorry drive towards us.

The Nikita homestead had a map of the island, so I quickly photographed it. We hiked from the north side to the south side.

We were very lucky with the gorgeous autumn weather.

It stops near us and a man in a grey officer’s uniform and Russian looking furry hat steps out. We’ve vaguely heard that you’re not allowed to hike in the area without a permit, but we decided to go anyway. “Dobryden, can I see your permits”, the man says in Russian. We look at each other and put on the old “we’re just tourists, we don’t understand your language” charade while we know all too well what is asked of us. This continues on for a little bit, and at one point we really do lose track of what’s going on. We settle on Kristijan giving the officer his ID card, which he promises to give back to us when we return down the same way. We continue on and Kristijan tells me that was a fake ID card he uses for situations like this. We never do get it back.

The great autumn colors of this Lake Baikal hike.

Our guard dog by a burned out fireplace where we rested.

The hike is amazing, through the dense forests that slowly change from dark green to light brown. The needles on the ground make for a nice soft path. Our German Shepherds are scanning the area for any animals and soon one of them is digging something up. It holds up its treasure proudly: a hairy skull of a cow-like animal. A little while later the alpha-Shepherd lets out a ferocious bark, the first and last one of the whole trip. With a primal focus, he starts chasing down a rabbit in between the trees and bushes. Then the rabbit decided to sprint up the hill, and without hesitation, the dog chases after it. Never have I seen a dog sprint up a hill with such agility and strength. With its sprint ‘our’ dog completely disappears off the radar for quite a while.

“Our” dog found a hairy skull of presumably some kind of cow

Kristijan and the dogs that followed us all the way on our hike and back

We continue to follow the trail hoping nothing bad happened to it. We call out the name we have given it (which I forgot) but no response. About half an hour later we hear panting and rattling in the bushes, and the visibly tired alpha-dog joins us again. After about 4 hours we reach the other side of the island, where we find a bench in an open spot next to a cliff. The Baikal lake stretches as far as our eyes can see, even though it is a clear day. Quite exhausted, we rest on the bench with the dogs resting next to us.

The silence around us is perfect for reflection and I remember doing just that. After about an hour of rest, we head back along the same route. This has easily been one of the most remote places I’ve been, but it was definitely an amazing experience. The vast nature calms you down, especially if you’re used to the constant distraction that is grown to be the standard of the current-day society. You will have to find your own way, without Wifi, Starbucks or laptops. If you’re up for the challenge (and ready to reap the rewards) I would definitely recommend a trip to Olkhon Island in magical Siberia.

Olkhon Island, a great place to rethink your life.

The shore on the other side of Olkhon Island. Impressive, but also very calming.

Bonus tip: Enjoy a banya, the quirky Russian version of a sauna

When in Russia, be sure to visit one of the public Banya (sauna): it’s quite the spectacle, to say the least. Men and women’s saunas are separated (back home it’s normal to have mixed saunas where everybody is trotting around naked), and therefore I can only tell you the male perspective on it. The buildings themselves look pretty regular, inside and out. But it’s a particular room that makes the difference. You get to wear a hat and be able to slap other men with oak-like leaves. Wait, what?! Yes, you read that correctly.

A typical scene in a Russian banya, but imagine fewer girls and more dudes. Original photo: Banya-spa.com

The Banya is one of the country’s oldest traditions, dating back several centuries, and it never decreased in popularity. The temperature in these banyas is pushing the limits of bearable, often exceeding 93 degrees Celsius (199 °F). Luckily there are ample funny-looking felt hats available to protect your head from this intense heat. You can see plenty of Russian hitting or “massage” themselves and others with bunches of dried branches and leaves from the white birch, oak or eucalyptus. No, the Russians don’t have sadomasochistic tendencies (per sé), they do this because it improves the blood circulation. When it gets a little too hot, follow the locals to a nearby lake (if there is one) for a butt-naked plunge. The Russians don’t care if it’s summer or winter, and neither did I. It was wonderfully refreshing I must say, and I felt reborn after the whole experience.

A collection of the felt hats you wear in a Russian banya to protect your head from the heat. Original photo: withoutbaggage.com