explore Lake Baikal
GUIDED TOURS
Multi-days tours around Baikal
SELF DRIVE TOURS
Rent UAZ van and discover Siberia on your own. We will give you suggestions of places to visit
Custom TOURS & STAYS
Crossing the frozen lake by car or walking, helicopter fly or an off-road tour to Yakutsk – Get in touch with us and let us know where would you like to go and we will prepare everything for you
Authentic Tours to Siberia – explore Lake Baikal
eastories is a family project which aims to develop environmentally friendly tourism in the Lake Baikal region. We support the people of Baikal by giving them the opportunity to welcome tourists from all over the world and participate in international activities in the region. In this way, we would like to integrate the local community with foreigners and present the authentic life of locals to tourists.
Rent Uaz off-road van
Discover Siberian landscapes on your own
This unique all-wheel-drive UAZ van was first produced in 1965 but somehow it is been manufactured without any big modification still nowadays . Thanks to its simplicity and technical design adapted specially to the Russian clima and road, UAZ continues to be one of the best off-road vehicles in Russia.
TOURS
The packages below are just an example of possible tour.
The best way is to contact us directly to compose your experience in base of your wishes and needs.
ICE OF BAIKAL
Small group tours to explore lake Baikal during the winter. Spend an amazing time accompanied of good company and pro local guide.
SIBERIAN CAMP
Hike and camp along the shore of the Lake Baikal with a small group and local guide. Explore wild Siberian nature.
Self-Drive UAZ
Explore Siberia on your own, driving one of our UAZ cars.
LOCAL LIFE
Experience living in an authentic Siberian village at the local family farm
Finding your best time to visit Lake Baikal
World’s oldest and deepest lake, that contains 23% of the world’s fresh surface water – more than all of the North American Great Lakes combined.
Because it is located in an active continental rift zone, which is widening at a rate of about 1 inch (2.5 cm) per year, Lake Baikal could grow wider and deeper in the future
Guide Ilja
Linguist, musician and guide to the Lake Baikal
My name is Ilja, I have Buryat-Russian roots but I’ve spent the major part of my life in Poland and Germany, and nowadays I live in Cortona, Italy. Since an early age I have been passionate about Russian culture, literature, history and nature. Every time that I could, I was travelling there to my family, that lives far away from me, in a small village on the shore of the Lake Baikal.
Travel with us
Exploring Siberia and Lake Baikal with eastories means to choose an alternative travel solution and a different way of organising a trip.
Travelling to Russia is not easy due to the language and bureaucratic barriers which makes the organisation full of steps and extra expenses.
Our core values
We have established our core value on bringing authentic travel experiences. Thanks to the local connections, consistent assistance on traveling organisation and ensured cultural exchanges, we can guarantee the maximum of adventure.
Why eastories
eastories offers customised guided trips and series of services. Among everything we offer, you can find total assistance on flights booking, train tickets, car rental, recommendations for accommodation and transportations within Russia.
I’ve Developed Fun & Authentic Experience For Hundreds of Travellers From All Over The World.
We’ve hosted tourist and volunteers from all over the world in the last few years and we hope to attract more enthusiast to support our project.
Start your journey to Siberia
Get in touch
Select dates
Join the group
Write to us
Mostly the group tours start during winter and summer time. Try to contact us in advance, so we can guarantee you a place.
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My husband and I travel often and we have stayed in many Airbnbs around the world. But we never encountered such warmth, welcoming, generosity and kindness as we did from... read more 
Gabriela
December 27, 2018
News
Who can travel to Russia by now, in 2021
Italy - Germany - Austria - Finland - Croatia - Switzerland - Belgium - Hungary - UK - Vietnam - Azerbaijan - Albania - Armenia - Belarus - Bulgaria - Cyprus - Venezuela - Greece - Egypt - India - Iceland - Ireland - Jordan - Kazakhstan - Qatar - Kyrgyzstan - Korea -...
Article about Buryat People
“The indigenous, traditionally semi-nomadic Buryat people of Eastern Siberia used to live separately from one another until the Soviet Union forced them into collectives where their language and customs were suppressed. Now, in post-Soviet times, many still live side by side with Russians in villages like Bugul’deyka, a tiny hamlet of traditional wooden homes on the Western shore of Lake Baikal. There, Buryat families endeavor simultaneously to preserve important customs and traditions from the past while entering the modern economy. (…)”
Gabriela Bulisova & Mark Isaac
Frequently Asked Questions
Get Ready for Adventure
Where to book train tickets in Russia
Simply go to the www.tutu.ru and book your ticket.
There is also an official website of Russian Railways, but the booking process is a bit more complicated. www.rzd.ru
Rememberer that you can buy the ticket max. 45 days in advance.
Once you have the ticket, all you need is just to go to your train and show your passport to the conductor, he/she then will check if you are on the list of the passengers, then you enter to the train and that’s it
Another good thing to know about the train ticket booking in Russia is, that you almost always have to possibility of refund, date change or even name change, without huge extra charge
Bus Station in Irkutsk
If you are on the train station and you immediately want to go to the Lake Baikal, you can search on the parking in front of the station for minivans. Even if they seem to be private, they work for public transport and most of them are going or Ulan Ude (УЛАН УДЭ), or Khuzir (ХУЖИР). Both of that directions are going to the Lake Baikal.
If you prefer first to spend a bit of time in Irkutsk you can go on foot to the centre or take the tram (tickets inside). You also can take kind of UBER Taxi, which Russian alternative name is YANDEX TAXI in Russia and it is really cheap there. All you need is to order yandex taxi via app (download it here for IOS and here for ANDROID). The cost from the station/airport to the centre of the city is about 150RUB.
The Bus (marshrutka) Irkutsk – Buguldeyka departs from the bus station at 16:00, the tickets are available online 30 days before departure and cost 800 RUB.
Here is the link to the website:
https://en.avtovokzal-on-line.ru
Here is the address to the bus station in Irkutsk city: Ulitsa Oktyabr’skoy Revolyutsii, 11, Irkutsk, Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, 664007
https://g.page/AvtovokzalIrkutsk?share
Get in Touch!
Email Address
info@eastories.org
Call Us
+7 902 767 9193 – Lena
+39 331 560 89 88 – Ilja
Visit Us
Buguldeyka, Irkutsk Oblast’, Russia
Naberezhnaya 16
Italy
Cortona (AR), Via Cioli 16