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Related links:
 The republic of Buryatia
Ivolginsky datsan
Ethnographic museum
Olkhon Island
CircumBaikal Railroad
Shumak springs
Tunkinsky region description 
Highlights of Okinsky district
Munku-Sardyk Mount
Mountaineering in Tunka range
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If you have just a few days in Ulan Ude, or want to incorporate some day trips during your stay, here are some nearby places of historical and religious significance. Atsagat datsan, located in Atsagat about 60 km from Ulan Ude, is a Buddhist temple built in 1991. The temple, a beautiful example of architecture, has been visited and blessed by Dalai Lama XIV. Atsagat has a good Buryat folk group. Khara-Shibir, a nearby village about 13 km from Atsagat is the birthplace of Agvan Dorzhiev, a famous researcher and orientalist. His log home, surrounded by a pine and larch forest, has been rebuilt near a mineral spring in Narin-Atsagat, about 4 km after Atsagat. Here, Dorzhiev established the only school in Buryatia for Tibetan doctors. Another nearby datsan, Suburgan, was also blessed by the Dalai Lama. The locals can show you how to get there.
Battle site of Chingis Khan and the Taikhal fortress
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The first battle between Genghis Khan and the Merkit tribes took place 100 km from Ulan Ude, at the junction of the Tugnuy and Khilok Rivers. The Tugnuy River flows into the Khilok River and the Khilok into the Selenga River, about 15 km above Kibalino village (see Day 4 of the Selenga River Rafting Itinerary). To get to the Tugnuy River from Ulan Ude, take a bus to the village of Tsolga. Close to Tsolga is Taikhal Fortress, the sacred mountain home of the Merkit’s tribal guarder of the Human Spirit. This natural rock was used by the Merkits to protect Tugnuy Valley from Mongolian tribes. The fort is located five km (a two to three hour walk) from the road linking Tsolga and Ulan Ude. On the way to the fortress, look for the village of Tarbagatai, and follow the road to the right up to the villages of Nizhniy Zhirim, Verkhniy Zhirim and Barykino. The Tugney Valley begins after the road leaves the forest. At kilometer 100, veer from the road to the right. The fortress remains are on the mountain ridge. The remains of the fortress are well-hidden. One of the legends tells of the adventurer, Dalay Davan-Khan, who buried nine camel-loads of treasure somewhere in the area, The precious cargo has gone undiscovered for over 500 years.
Artifacts dating back to the eleventh through fourteenth centuries prove that the name, Barguzin, originates from an ancient Mongolian tribe of Barguts who once lived in Pribaikalye. After the fall of the Mongolian Empire, the valley was populated by Evenks, Buryats and Russian settlers. The Barguzin Valley contains several important communities. The town of Barguzin was built in 1648 by a detachment of soldiers from Yeniseysk led by Ivan Galkin. The town became an outpost for the opening of Zabaikalye, and for many years, Barguzin was the home of exiled Decembrist brothers Wilhelm and Mikhail Kuhelbekker. Mikhail’s grave can be seen by tourists. The town of Ust-Barguzin, 50 kilometers from Barguzin, is the gateway to the Barguzin Valley. When the Irkutsk dam was built, Ust-Barguzin was moved from the flooded left bank of the Barguzin River to its present location, higher land on the right bank. The headquarters of Zabaikalsky National Park are located within the settlement. The last large valley settlement, Kurumkan, is located 150 km from Ust-Barguzin; the smaller settlement of Alla is located 50 km from Kurumkan, and the settlement of Ulunkhan is 30 km from Alla.
The southern part of the Barguzin Range is protected by both Barguzinsky Zapovednik and Zabaikalsky National Park. Bargusinsky Zapovednik, founded in December of 1916, is one of the oldest zapovedniks (nature preserves) in Russia. In the South, the zapovednik borders Zabaikalsky National Park. The highest point of the Barguzin Range, Baikal Peak (2841 m) is located at the zapovednik’s border. Beautiful mountainous terrain occupies nearly half of the zapovednik’s territory. The middle to lower zones are covered with dense cedar spreads, and the lowest region is dense taiga. The study of the sable was the main reason for the founding of the Barguzinsky Zapovednik, which began with a 1914 expedition studying the effect of a three-year ban on sable hunting. Expedition members, G. Doppelmayer, D. Alexandrov, A. Baturin, K. Zabelin and Z. Svatosh, impressed with what they found, wished to create a reserve to provide a safe haven for the sable and other wilderness animals of Siberia. In May of 1916, they received approval from the Irkutsk government to go ahead with the project. Unfortunately, the government offered Evenk land for the reserve, causing years of hostility. Despite land tenure problems with the Evenks and the emerging civil war, the borders of the reserve have remained intact, a tribute to the local administration. The reserve has made a great contribution toward saving the region’s indigenous sable. and has greatly contributed to saving the indigenous sable. Today, the reserve serves a much broader conservation purpose. Altogether, protected within the reserve, are 39 varieties of mammals, 220 kinds of birds, 4 species of reptiles, and about 30 types of fish and numerous invertebrates. Among the protected mammals, are the sable, brown bear, wolf, lynx, fox, otter, ermine, elk, reindeer, caribou, and musk deer.
Zabaikalsky National Park
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Zabaikalsky National Park was founded in September of 1986 and covers 270,000 hectares, including the Ushkaniye Islands. Other areas of the park include the Svyatoy Nos Peninsula, the lower reaches of the Barguzin River, Chivyrkuysky Bay and the mouth of the Chivyrkuysky River. The northern region of the park has a mountain range almost one kilometer high.
The Ushkaniye Archepelago consists of four islands: Tonky, Bolshoye Ushkaniye, Dolgiy and Kruglyi. Geologists believe that these four islands are the “key” to unlocking the secrets behind the geological origination of Baikal. Since the islands appeared during the Quaternary period, they have risen at a rate of 2 meters per 1,000 years. Scientists believe they will eventually form one large island. The largest of the Ushkaniye Islands, Bolshoye Ushkaniye, is about five km long and 216 m above the lake’s water level. Koltygey and Lokhmaty are small islands, about a kilometer away from Bolshoye Ushkaniye. Tonky, located near Koltygey, is reportedly the best place in the area to watch nerpa,the unique Baikal freshwater seal. During good weather, it is common to see dozens of the seals sunning themselves on the island’s large rocks. Koltygey and Lokhmaty are good birdwatching islands.
Chivirkuysky Bay and the Svyatoy Nos peninsula
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Cape Nizhnye Izgolovye, on the southern extremity of the Svyatoy Nos Peninsula, is an excellent place to view the nearby mountains. Note the meteorological station and the lighthouse on the green hills. Barguzinsky Bay separates the wild northern part of the eastern coast from the populated and developed southeastern coast and is the largest on Baikal, with an area of more than 700 square km. Other notable sites include the islands of Chivyrkuysky Bay, Ongokonskaya Bay, the hot springs, Zmeinaya (Snake) and Nechaevsky and the Kulinye Marsh. Chivyrkuysky Bay is situated on the northern part of the Svyatoy Nos Peninsula. A kayaking paradise from June until late September, it is one of the lake’s most beautiful and picturesque bays. Surrounded by dark blue mountain ridges and thick taiga, it gives an impression of real wilderness. The bay is relatively shallow (18 m), warm and an abundance of sea grass in the bay’s shallow coves makes it attractive for all kinds of fish such as perch, pike, trout, grayling, white lake fish, and omul. Zmeinaya Cove, in particular, offers excellent pike and perch fishing. In the past, the main attraction to the cove was the number of grass snakes living around the area’s hot springs. The small settlement of Chivyrkuysky, located in the mouth of the Chivyrkuysky River, serves as a check point for Zabaikalsky National Park. . Kurbulik, the largest settlement on Chivyrkuysky Bay, has about 20 houses strung along the long sandy beach. The fishing is excellent, and the area is frequented by locals. Zabaikalsky National Park also has a check point in Kurbulik. Ongokonsky Inlet and Fertik Inlet, to the north in Chivyrkuysky Bay are two unique areas. Protected from the fierce Baikal winds, they offer boaters calm waters and a good shoreline. The area also has many flowering plants throughout the summer, and ancient petroglyphs cover some of the cape’s rocky cliffs.
Ascending the Svyatoy Nos Plateau is probably the most enjoyable adventure of the Zabaikalsky National Park. A hike to the 1,877 m high peak takes just a couple of days and covers 15 km. The former settlement of Glinky on the shore of Kultuk Bay, connects to Ust-Barguzin via road. This hiking tour follows a route along Chivyrkuysky Bay and Svyatoy Nos Peninsula, climbs to the highest point on the peninsula, then visits Zmeinaya, Ongokonskaya and Fertic Bays in the Northeast. Since the route is within Zabaikalsky National Park, hikers need a permit from the park administration in Ust-Barguzin or at a check-point on the edge of the town. The tour is best taken from July to September. Kayaking along the shore of Chivyrkuysky Bay is also recommended. The route starts at Glinky Settlement, reached by a bumpy, dirt road which begins at the edge of Ust-Barguzin and runs north along Barguzin Bay.
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