The warmest corner of the Baikal shore: a bay with sandy beaches among the foothills of the Primorsky ridge, reached on foot from Bolshoye Goloustnoye along the Great Baikal Trail.
Peschanaya Bay
Peschanaya bay cuts 400 metres into the south-western shore of Baikal; the entrance between the Maly and Bolshoy Kolokolny rocks is 950 metres wide. It lies in the Irkutsky district of the oblast, on the territory of the Pribaikalsky National Park, thirty-three kilometres from the village of Bolshoye Goloustnoye. Sandy beaches, a bowl closed from the winds and water that warms better in summer than on open Baikal have made it a cult spot: people come with tents, and a section of the Great Baikal Trail from Bolshoye Goloustnoye leads here — a beautiful ridge exit to the water. In the depth of the bay are a pier, a tourist base and a recreation centre: boats from Irkutsk call right at the beach. The 'Bells' rocks flanking the entrance give evening photographs, and the water's transparency by the shore reads in centimetres, like an aquarium.
How to get there
By boat from Irkutsk (seasonal navigation) or on foot along the Great Baikal Trail from Bolshoye Goloustnoye; by car — via forest roads from the southern shore.
Best season
July to August: water at its warmest; September — quiet empty beaches.
Travel tips & stories
Pitch tents outside the base zone: national park rules apply along the whole shore.
The trail from Bolshoye Goloustnoye takes an overnight: allow two days there and back.
In the evening the bay frames the sunset between the Kolokolny rocks — the classic shot.
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Local guides
- TR
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