The Kabansky region

The Kabansky region is rather independent tourist region of Buryatia. It is located along south-eastern coast of Baikal lake stretching from the cape of Oblom in the north to the Snezhnaya-river in the south and borders on the Irkutsk oblast. From the west it is washed by the waters of Baikal lake, from the east it is surrounded by the mountain chains of Ulan-Burgasy and Khamar-daban. The river of Selenga divides this region almost into two equal parts. The main territory represents an extensive valley in the mouth of the Selenga-river, laying 462 m. above sea level. The territory of the region is cut by numerous channels of the rivers running into Baikal, they are the Abramikha, the Kultushnaya, the Manturikha, the Mysovka, the Bolshaya, the Pereemnaya, the Tankhoy, the Snezhnaya, the Vydrinaya and others.The region got its name after the Kabanya river because its valley earlier was inhabited by a great number of wild boars (“kaban” in the Russian language).

In the epoch of great nomadic empires this territory was connected with many significant events. The region was included into the borders of the legendary country Bargudzhin-Tokum and this land for the first time was declared by Chingis-khan as “Ikh-khorig”. In the 16-17 centuries in the mouth of the river Selenga the Buryat (in steppe areas) and the Evenk (in mountain - taiga areas) tribes led nomad’s life. The Kabansky region has been the gate to Transbaikalye (Zabaykalye) for already more than three centuries. The most convenient ways from the centre of Russia into the depth of Transbaikalye, to Amur, Mongolia and China are located here. The people’s flood rushed on these ways along the Baikal searching for new lands and natural riches. Since 1646 Russian cossacks began to penetrate in these places. In 1653 the Cossack ataman Peter Beketov founded ostrog (a fortress) Ust-Prorva on the place of death of Russian embassy to Mongolia headed by Erofey Zabolotsky, in 1681 it was replaced by the Spaso-Preobrazhensky monastery, and next to it appeared the village of Posolskoye (the Ambassadorial). By 1740 many villages had been built in the lower stream of the Selenga-river and preserved until present days. Also zaimky ( the remote temporary houses) of fish and sable manufacturers appeared on the banks of the rivers. In 1660 the Cossack winter house was founded, then in 1692 appeared the ostrog on the Kabanya –river called “the first Daur fortress.” Nowadays it is an administrative centre of the region – the settlement of Kabansk.

One of historical pages of the region is connected to “ Great tea way ”. Across its territory in the 17-18 centuries the trading caravans travelled by land through mountain range of Khamar-Daban and by waterway on the Selenga-river and lake Baikal from the town of Kyakhta (the Russian - Mongolian border) to the city of Irkutsk. Since the 18 century two annual fairs had been conducted in Kabansk. And in 1895 there began the construction of Krugobaikalsky (around Baikal) part of the Transsiberian Railway Road. Here passed the “Kandalny way” (shackles’s way) along which state criminals were led and carried to the depth of exiling Transbaikalye. Nowadays the Kabansky region is one of the most advanced industrial and agricultural areas of Buryatia, where traditionally people are engaged in agriculture, catching and processing fish and large industrial enterprises, including the Selenginsky PPF (Pulp-and-paper factory) work here. Several rather large settlements are located in the region, among them is the town of Babushkin, 4 working settlements and 59 villages.

The Kabansky region has a number of conditions favorable for the development of tourism.
The convenient transport scheme makes all recreational zones easily accessible. The region is situated on the crossing of transport ways, including a highway Moscow - Chita, a railway trunk connecting Moscow and Vladivostok, and also railway roads connecting Russia with Mongolia and China. The electric train plies from the city of Ulan-Ude to the town of Babushkin. The region has a well-developed net of motorways, many of which are asphalted and there is a bus service.

The development of tourism is favoured by natural-climatic conditions, warm temperature in shallow gulfs in comparison to the basic water area, presence of large forests, plots of sandy beaches, an abundance of precipitations in the winter period due to which rather deep snow cover is formed in the mountains of Khamar-Daban. On the territory of the region function 4 basic recreational zones as "Kultushnaya”, “the Baikalsky Priboy” (the Baykal Surf), “Lemasovo”, located on the left bank of the Selenga-river and “Enkhaluk-Sukhaya” on the right bank. There is also a mineral spring. As the zone of tourism specializing on the development of ornithological, fishing and hunting tourism, the delta of the river Selenga has large perspectives. It comes into the water area of Baikal for more than 30 kms, forming a system of channels and islands that favours to flight and nestings of birds. The region has about 80 objects of accommodation for tourists. The majority of them are of summer type, at the same time there are objects that work all-the-year-round. The settlements develop the network of guest houses. Here function especially protected natural territories, among which the largest is the Baikal biosphere reserve.

The Kabansky region specializes on the following kinds of tourism: stationary summer rest in tourist camps, rest bases and tent campings on the coast of lake Baikal, fishing, active tourism in mountains of Khamar-Daban (hiking, skiing, rafting), ecological and scientific tourism (Baikal biosphere reserve), cultural - cognitive excursions. There are also good perspectives for development of mountain skiing.

The climate in the region is continental, but it is milder than in other regions of Buryatia. The "warmest" place in winter is the area of the town of Babushkin.. The information centre of tourism of Administration of Kabansky region functions in the settlement of Kabansk. The centre develops tourist routes, organizes tourist trips and excursions, assists in accommodation in tourist centers and guest houses. The settlement Kabansky has a local lore museum. In the village of Bolshaya Rechka (Big River) there is a group of search and rescue service of the Ministry of Emergency Measures of the Russian Federation. Here works the Bolsherechensky fish-processing factory which has a factory museum and excursions are conducted there.

Among the sights of the region there are a lot of monuments of history and nature.
The region is very popular among tourists. Now there are no the tourist organizations having the licenses. So it is better to charge the organization of tours to the tour operators represented in the list of tour agencies of Buryatia, to the head information centre of tourism in the city of Ulan-Ude or to Kabansky information centre of tourism.