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Where
to Go: Circum-Baikal Railway
Circum-Baikal
railway was built more than a hundred years ago, and is an outstanding
landmark to the construction and engineering art. There are a lot
of beautifully constructed tunnels and bridges along the way, making
Circum-Baikal a huge monument.
The railway was supposed to be a continuation of the Trans-Siberian
railway, and was very important for Russia strategically. That was
the
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Circum Baikal railway view |
reason why such
a complicated project ever started. The volume of earth-moving work
done on every kilometer of the way was equal to 400 carriages that
may be compared to the volume of work done during the Suyuz Channel
construction (which was a great job of the 20th century in USSR).
424 engineer constructions were built along 84 kilometers-long stretch
of the road from Khultuk to port Baikal including 39 tunnels with
the total length of 8994 meters, 14 kilometers of supporting walls,
47 stone and 3 iron galleries.
The Circum-Baikal railway was used for Trans-Siberian trains starting
from 1904 until 1950s, when the new railway from Irkutsk to Slyudyanka
was built.
Nowadays, Circum-Baikal is a quiet picturesque route. There are
a few trains every week, and tourists like to come there to spend
a few quiet days at the tour bases or camp on the beach. There are
a few villages along the way.
Map,
Location & How to Get There & Back:
Click on the map to see it in large scale. |
Circum-Baikal
railway starts in Slyudyanka (or Kultuk), and terminates in
Port Baikal, which is across Angara river from Lisvyanka.
You can start your journey at any of these points, but it's
more convenient to start in Slyudyanka, because trains depart
there usually in afternoon. Trains depart Port Baikal usually
in the night.
Slyudyanka is a station along the Trans-Siberian, so every
train stops there. Make sure you arrive early in the morning,
like this you'll have time to change to the Circum-Baikal
train. Even though the trip is not very long (about 80 km),
it takes the train about 5 hours to make it. By the time you
arrive to Port Baikal, there will be evening already. But
the ferries to Listvyanka tend to wait for the train anyway. |
Practical
Information:
Circum-Baikal
Train Schedule: Trains depart Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun from
Sludyanka at 14.20 and take about 5 hours (at the best) to get to
Port Baikal. A ticket costs about 30R ($1). There’s a ferry
from Port Baikal to Listvyanka and usually it waits for the train,
if it’s late.
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Circum Baikal railway -- carrying the dry grass |
Train going back depart from Port Baikal at about 2.20 in the morning
and arrives around 8.00 in the morning to Slyudyanka.
The Circum-Baikal is measured and thought about in kilometers. Every
kilometer has it's own significance. Local people say: ok, meet
you on the 102. It means they'll meet at the 102 km of the railway.
The best portion of Circum-Baikal to walk is from
112 to 98 kilometer. There’ll be Baikal along the way, two
longest and darkest tunnels (800 and 1000 meters long), a couple
of bridges, nice beaches, real villages where you can buy milk and
veggies from the locals and good places to put a tent. The beach
on the 110th kilometer (before and after the tunnels) is
the most popular destination for Russian backpackers, who come there
from the nearby cities (Irkutsk, Angarsk) for holidays or weekend.
Sometimes, depending on what people there are, these beaches become
nudist beaches for a period of time. The
longest tunnel is before the 98th kilometer.
Shumikha Tourbase. A tourist base on the 102 kilometer.
A very nice place to stay on the shore of Baikal in a quiet green
area. The rooms are very cozy and neat, cost 750 R ($23) per person
a day. The toilets and bathrooms are in the corridor. Strangely
enough, even though the price is relatively high, it seems appropriate
for what there is. Usually, the rooms are completely booked by the
Russian and foreign group tourists, however, if you come for
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Circum Baikal train |
a day or two
there might be something available. If you want to be sure, better
book in advance.
For reservations contact Irktusk, 2nd Zheleznodorozhnaya St., 2b.
Tel: 29-46-41 (Russian language only).
Khvoinaya Tourbase. A tourist base on the 98 kilometer
similar to all the others. The price is also 750 R a day for a person.
If you don't want to deal with them directly (language barrier),
send us a note to tour@waytorussia.net
or at Our Team / Information
and we'll refer your request to the tour operator, that can book
accommodation in these tour bases for you. The price you will get
will be the same or lower as when you come to the base directly.
There are no shops along the way, but every train
has a shop inside and stop at every station for a few minutes, so
you will be able to buy basics, such as bread, water, beer, crops,
sweets. Veggies and milk can be bought from locals at the villages.
The only dangerous thing on the railway are snakes.
Don't come close to the cliffs, and look where you walk, and you'll
be ok.
One last thing: be prepared to meet people. You
will surely have a nice conversation and a beer or two, either in
the train, or outside.
Your
Comments & Questions:
If
you have something to say (or ask) and you want it to be posted
on this page, please, leave your message below. We will put on
this page the most interesting comments and questions.
You can also leave a message in the Trans-Siberian section of
our Talk
Lounge forum.
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