Olkhon sights

Olkhon Island is rich in natural sights; its beauty will leave nobody indifferent. These protected areas have everything: rock, natural sandy beaches of extraordinary beauty, dense pinewoods and broad-leaved forests, rocky shores, intricately peppered with snow-white stones. You can go fishing, take a walk by motor ship, meet real shamans who will tell you legends handed down by the local people from generation to generation for centuries. A visit to Olkhon is the unity with breathtakingly beautiful scenery of Baikal. It is impossible to find the words to describe the pristine and wild charm of these places, while professional photographers claim that virtually every shot, taken on the island is already a masterpiece as such.

Things to do on Olkhon Island

Cape Shamansky

The most famous attraction of Olkhon is sacral cape Shamansky, considered one of the natural wonders of Asia. Cape Shamansky, also known as Cape Burhan used to be a sacred place for the Buryats, who anciently inhabited the Baikal lakesides. In ancient times, cape Shamansky was called Ayha -Shulun (Scary stone) which, for a long time, served as a venue to hold various special ceremonies, including sacrificial offering. More

Sagan Khushun Cape

The western coast of the island is occupied by Sagan Khushun Cape (White Cape). From the water it resembles an extended rocky mass of white marble, but when you look from the land it turns into a rock ensemble that changes its appearance virtually beyond recognition, depending on the perspective. The cape rock is covered with red lichen, contrasting with the bright white cliffs. From the top, Cape Sagan Khushun greets a breathtaking view of the Small Sea, Seaside Ridge and Cape Khoboy.

Cape Khoboy

Cape Khoboy (Fang) is the northernmost point of Olkhon. On the cape, from a distance you can see a rock, whose outline suggests a woman's profile on a Greek galley nose. According to one of the Buryat legends, this rock is a girl whom gods turned to a stone for her envy and evil nature. The most beautiful sunrise is believed can be seen from Cape Khoboy. Once it used to be the place for shamans to performed rituals, while today it is a popular place for meditation among the followers of different spiritual practices.

Lake Shara-Nur

Shara-Nur (Yellow Lake) is a brine lake, located inland at the altitude of 750 m above sea level. Swimming is especially good there, as the lake is sheltered from Olkhon permanent winds by forest and hills. Shara-Nur is famous for curative muds and warm baths, particularly useful for the joints.

Pad Tashkiney

Pad Tashkiney is found on the eastern shore of Olkhon. Its location is convenient for fishing due to the rocky shores surrounding the bay. Seagull Island inhabited by gulls and cormorants, as well as Cape Khorgoy with ruins of the extant ancient Kurykan wall stand out against the background of many other Olkhon attractions.

Saraysk Bay

The Saraysk bay with a sandy beach, stretching for three miles is also worth visiting: the pines growing there remind the Baltic Sea landscapes.

Khuzhir

Huzhir, the biggest town in Olkhon, has 1,200 inhabitants out of its total population of 1,500 who live permanently on the island. In recent years, due to the growing popularity of Olkhon among tourists, Huzhir has been sublimating, gradually turning into a resort settlement. More