3 - 12 February

Tour schedule: 9 days, 8 nights.
max 8 participants

1950 €

Prices may change without notice for reasons not dependent on the tour operator but due to force majeure due to the pandemic of COVID-19.

The tour includes:
1. Guide in Italian and English
2. Transfer from the airports in Irkutsk and Moscow (outward and return).
3. Stay in a double room in Irkutsk and other locations. Single supplement on request (500 €).
4. All transport with 4x4 off-road vehicles at Lake Baikal.
5. Permits for entering the Natural Park.
6. All meals.
7. Hotel in Moscow on return.
8. A day in a hovercraft (sunrise and sunset).

The tour does not include:

1. International flights from Europe to Irkutsk and back (around 600 €).
2. Tourist visa for Russia (155 €).
3. Insurance.
4. PCR test.
5. Alcohol.
6. Tips

Departure from Europe must take place on 03/02.

February 4th
Arrival of the participants in Irkutsk in the morning. Local time is +7 compared to Italy.

Transfer from the airport to the hotel will be organized. Our hotel is the center of Irkutsk. We meet and get to know each other among the participants. Walk in the Siberian city, street photos and souvenir purchases.
Dinner in a typical restaurant of the area.

February 5th
Departure after breakfast from Irkutsk to Lake Baikal by 4x4 (about 4-5 hours by car). This day we manage to photograph the sunset over the lake.
Accommodation in rustic hotel, we will have small houses huts for 2 persons each (with bathroom and small kitchen inside). Next 5 nights we are staying in the same hotel.
Dinner in the hotel.

February 6-10
We will do the tour with heated 4x4 cars, which will always be at our disposal. One day according to the weather conditions we will go with a hovercraft to the remote places where the car cannot venture and we will see landscapes of incredible beauty. You will see landscapes with very high ice crystals and you will feel like you are on a giant skating rink - this will be the Big Frozen Sea of a Baikal.

The days will begin with outings at sunrise from 6.00, around 10.00 we will have breakfast, from 11.00 until 14 we will have a few hours of rest, in which we can download and see photos.

Then around 3 pm we leave for the sunset, we will photograph the ice caves, natural streaks and cracks on the ice towards the islands. We will go to the viewpoints in one hill. We will photograph the sunset in the most beautiful points of the lake, and then for those interested in the dark we will take a couple of hours at night to make photos of stars.

Our starting point will be the Uyuga promontory from here we go to photograph various islets within a radius of 3/4 km.

Among which: Oltrek, Ogoy, Kobyliya Golova (horse head), Tsagan Khushun, Hubyn. The more distant islands are also waiting for us such as the Three Brothers rock, Hoboy promontory, Harantsy, Shamanka and other islets.

Every evening we will do the sunset at different points.

We will go to Huzhir, the largest village on Olhon Island. Olkhon is the largest island on Lake Baikal, mostly rocky, with forests, steppe, taiga and even a desert part. It is considered one of the sacred places of Central Asia. In the east of the island some overhangs are up to 80 meters deep, but in other areas the terrain slopes gently towards the lake. On the west coast there is the famous the Rock of Shaman. The inhabitants of the island are about 1500, concentrated in the village of Huzhir. The entire territory of Olkhon is included in the National and Natural Park. The sunset at the Rock of Sjìhaman is absolutely beautiful!

February 10
After the sunrise at the lake, we will return for breakfast and to prepare our luggage. Departure and return to Irkutsk. Check-in at the hotel in Irkutsk. Dinner

February 11th
Departure from Irkutsk to Moscow Domodedovo Airport (DME). Upon arrival at the airport we can do the PCR test to return to Europe.

February 12
Departure of participants for Europe.

Accommodation in double rooms. Single supplement on request.

Note
The program may vary depending on the climatic conditions.
Get ready to wake up at dawn to shoot at the first light of the sun reflecting in the Baikal ice. The same thing awaits us at sunset; but the show continues even with twilight and then at night, when the whole sky lights up with the stars. Since we will be far from large towns, we will have the opportunity to admire the stars without light pollution. Especially on calm nights it is fun to use flashlights to light up the ice.

Advice
Since the climate on the lake in February is quite cold (down to -30 C) and there could be strong winds, it is recommended to dress in heavy windproof clothing, Goretex and bring thermal clothing with you.

Clothing you will need:
1. North Face / Montura / Canada Goose Himalaya down parka or jacket
2. Sweatshirts, fleeces, vests, gilet
3. Neck warmer. Balaclava
4. Snowmobile / ski goggles (better transparent) against the wind but they are not compulsory
5. Socks / thermal underwear
6. Warm hat
7. Heavy padded pants
8. Technical trousers to stay in the hotel, not heavy (with those you will travel from Europe)
9. Slippers for hotel better in rubber
10. Small 500 ml thermos.
11. Warm gloves - 2 pairs, and another with mittens like The Heat gloves for photographers.
12. You may need footwarmers / handwarmers if one is cold - you can get them from decathlon or on the internet https://www.theheatcompany.com/it-it/scaldini/scal...
13. Greasy hand cream (for those who suffer more there are specific creams to rebuild the skin after cracking: Avene Cicalfate, Bepanthol).
14. Cocoa butter for the lips.
15. Wet salvettines, personal medicines, earplugs.
16. Headlamp for night outings.
17. Cover for the knees in plastic.


Photographic equipment:

• photo camera
• lens (wide-angle, macro, medium-long lenses)
• tripod
• batteries
• SD cards
• remote control
• lens and sensor cleaning kit
• polarizer

• computer to download photos or external disks.
• front torches
• Battery pack
• Small termos

Cancellation and refund policy
If a participant decides to cancel the reservation, he or she must communicate it as soon as possible to the email address of the organizer.
However, the sudden absence of a participant would create management difficulties in bookings, in addition to the risk of not reaching the minimum quota of participants for the photo travel.

Then:
• If the cancellation request is sent at least 60 days before the scheduled departure date, the booking fee can be refunded (excluding agency fees only).

• If the cancellation request is sent less than 60 days before the scheduled departure date, the reservation fee cannot be refunded.
The entire amount paid (excluding agency fees only) will be refunded if the event is canceled.