February and March Holidays Are Peak Season for Lake Baikal Tours

Late February and early March are not only a time for gender holidays and long weekends but also the most active period for the tourism business on Lake Baikal. Our colleagues from «IrCity» found out how much tours cost during the February and March holidays and whether they are in demand.

From 50,000 Rubles to Premium Tours

Finding tours that exactly coincide with the holidays turned out to be not so simple. As a rule, such trips to Baikal are designed for 4–5 days. But there are exceptions.

The community of tour operators «Bolshaya Strana» (Big Country) offers a weekend tour called «Winter Patterns of Baikal». It is designed for only three weekend days not counting the days that out-of-town visitors may need to arrive and depart from Irkutsk: in February — from the 21st to the 23rd, in March — from the 6th to the 8th.

Its minimum cost is 55,000 rubles per person (about $611 at current rates), which includes transfers throughout the tour, two breakfasts and lunch, excursions, hotel accommodation, and payment for entry to the national park. For this money, tourists are offered to visit «Taltsy» and the Limnological Institute museum in Listvyanka as part of an organized group, see Peschanaya Bay and Baklaniy Kamen, and have a picnic on the ice or shore.

For other options, one way or another, you will have to take vacation or time off. Slightly more expensive is the trip «Olkhon — Winter Heart of Baikal» from the same «Bolshaya Strana». In February, groups are formed from the 20th to the 22nd, as well as from the 22nd to the 24th. In the first month of spring — from March 5 to 7 or from March 7 to 9.

The first of the three days will be spent on the road to Khuzhir, during which tourists are promised to see the beauty of the Tazheran steppes. Then vacationers will have trips to Cape Khoboy and Sagan-Khushun. If time allows, travelers will be able to skate on Baikal ice (for this, they need to bring their own skates or rent them).

«Depending on the ice conditions, the excursion to the north of Olkhon on ice will be replaced by a land excursion, meaning travel will be overland without going onto the ice. All locations announced for the excursion will be visited. The only difference is the view: from the ice, tourists observe the capes from below, walk on the ice; from land — panoramas of the vast Baikal open up from above,» the tour announcement states.

The trip will cost 57,000 rubles (about $633 at current rates).

One of the longest tours at the end of winter — beginning of spring is scheduled from February 20 to 25 and from March 6 to 11. It is called «Ice Castles of Olkhon». It is organized by the tour company «Fanat Baikala», and the cost per person starts from 77,500 rubles (about $861 at current rates).

On the first day, tourists will visit «Taltsy», then they will go to Listvyanka and climb to Chersky Stone. The next day — they will head to the Circum-Baikal Railway. The third day will be spent on transfers: from Listvyanka — to Irkutsk, from Irkutsk — to Khuzhir. The next two days tourists will spend on Olkhon: excursions to Khoboy, Sagan-Khushun and Shunte-Levy will be arranged for them; they may also be taken for a ride around the southern part of Olkhon (but for the latter, an additional payment is required — from 3,500 to 5,000 rubles, about $39–$56).

Tour operators suggest not limiting oneself to Irkutsk Oblast only and offer to visit Baikal on the Buryat side. Tourists will be taken to Turka, Ust-Barguzin, Maksimikha, and Chivyrkuisky Bay. Of course, it will include walks on the icy surface of Baikal, including over its deepest point. As a bonus — a trip to Ivolginsky Datsan (a Buddhist temple; this, of course, is not Baikal, but the site itself is attractive). Currently, there are only spots from March 6 to 10. The price is 90,000 rubles (about $1,000 at current rates).

Such amounts are not the limit. On the tourism market, even now, a month before the February holidays, one can find other offers, including more expensive ones — from 100,000 to 150,000 rubles (about $1,100–$1,700 at current rates) for a four- or five-day trip.

«You Can Come, But Accommodation Will Be Difficult»

Deputy Chairman of the Siberian Baikal Tourism Association (SBAT) Vadim Kopylov told the editorial office of «IrCity» that so far the tourism industry is operating within usual expectations. According to him, in autumn there was a situation when booking accommodation on Baikal for winter-spring was almost impossible, everything was occupied. Now bookings are being adjusted downward, but this is a normal situation observed every year.

«There is no sharp (increase or decrease in demand. — Ed.) everything is within [usual] trends. There is a trend toward growth in independent flow (if we are talking about Russian tourists) rather than organized tours; it can only be calculated at the end of the season. For foreign tourists, the situation is the same: some bookings are canceled, some are added, this is a normal living process,» Kopylov reported.

He also added that gender holidays are traditionally the hottest dates, demand for them has formed, even despite the small number of days off.

«Out-of-town demand for these dates has formed, and the local market has not even tried to book yet. There will be many difficulties; you can come, of course, but accommodation will be difficult. I«m afraid that only day trips will remain for the local market,» the specialist suggested.

He also added that in recent years, residents of the Angara region have been less able to afford the costs of long trips, so they are betting on short visits.

By the way, similar conclusions were shared with «IrCity» by guide Nikita Istomin. In his opinion, the price of the trip deters many who want to visit Baikal and walk on the incredible ice, and this could become a serious problem in the upcoming winter season.

Since mid-September 2025, China and Russia have introduced a mutual visa-free regime for tourist trips for up to 30 days. According to the deputy head of SBAT, it is difficult to assess the impact of this decision on the winter Baikal season yet, since quite often guests from the Celestial Empire organize trips on their own, bypassing Russian tour companies.

«There is a trend that Chinese have become less interested in Baikal. But it should be noted that among residents of Asian countries, we were more often visited in winter by Thais, Taiwanese, Singaporeans — that is, representatives of countries from more southern regions, for whom snow is a novelty. Chinese have enough «snow and ice entertainment» in Harbin or Manchuria; they have never made up the majority in winter. When we talk about the «Chinese» flow, in the tourism sphere, they usually mean the summer flow,» the expert noted.

According to Kopylov, the tourist tax, which began to be applied in the region in 2025, has had a much greater impact on the situation with recreation on Baikal. In particular, an additional fee, which is levied on accommodation providers, appeared in Bolshoye Goloustnoye, Listvyanka, in settlements of Olkhonsky (including Khuzhir and Onguren) and Slyudyansky (Baykalsk, Kultuk, Port Baikal, Slyudyanka, and Utulik) districts.

According to the industry specialist, in terms of financial burden, the tourist tax is comparable to the value-added tax (VAT).

«Those 2% that are stated as the minimum rate sometimes reach much higher figures. There is such a minimum threshold — 100 rubles, this is the minimum, calculated for a room price of 10,000 rubles. For cheaper accommodations, this already amounts to more than 2%, sometimes even reaching 5–7%,» Vadim Kopylov said.

However, the change in VAT rate did not directly affect the tourism sector: operators and accommodation providers are exempt from paying it until 2030. But problems may arise in related areas: for example, the increase in VAT will certainly seriously affect catering, which will become a significant expense item when forming tours.

However, Kopylov is not yet ready to assess the degree of influence of increased VAT on the cost of tourism products, noting that business «lives a little ahead of everyone.»

«Tours were formed back in summer, and now for tour operators and entrepreneurs the question is how to fit into this price. It has already been announced, sales have taken place, people have paid. Now you can«t tell them: »Pay extra.« Therefore, in the winter season, a rise in prices for tours or accommodation is unlikely, but it will probably affect the summer season,» emphasized the deputy chairman of the Siberian Baikal Tourism Association.