Pribaykalye

Pribaykalye is called the area near Lake Baikal stretching along its eastern coast and crossed by valleys of the rivers Selenga, Turka, Itantsa, Kika, Khaim, Kotochik and also a number of smaller rivers. The mountain spurs of Golondinsky, Ulan-Burgasy and Morskoy ranges are located along the shore of Baikal lake. Between the spurs of Ulan-Burgasy there are steppe valleys. The coastline of Baikal is stretching nearly 90 kms long. The mouths of flowing into the Baikal rivers are covered with low-marshy plots with a system of lakes, among which the largest is Lake Kotokel.

Pribaykalye had been inhabited long since. Many ancient monuments, including camps of epoch of paleolith, neolith, burial grounds of different periods, rocky drawings have been preserved here.

In the epoch of great nomadic empires Pribaykalye was the part of legendary country "Bargudzhin-Tokum”.It was explored by Russian cossacks in the 17-th century, who founded first Ilyinsky and then Itantsinsky ostrogs and became the first Russian settlers in Pribaykalye. At that time the valley of the river of Selenga was occupied by the Buryat tribes, and the valleys of the rivers Itantsa and Тurka - by the Evenk tribes. In 1681 the Svyato-Troitsky Selenginsky monastery was founded there which became the main forpost of the exploration Zabykalye by the Russians. Later the Spasskaya church in the village of Turuntaevo, the Sretenskaya church in the village of Baturino were built. And by the year 1739 the Itantsinsky ostrog (now the village of Turuntaevo) had 22 villages founded by immigrants and also participants of peasants’ revolts in Russia. In Pribaykalye lived in exile the Decembrists E.P.Obolensky and I.F.Shimkov. The territory of Pribaykalye has the memorable places connected to revolutionary events in Russia.

The Selenga-river divides Pribaykalye into two parts.The ferry works in the village of Turuntaevo connecting these two parts. In total Pribaykalye has two urban settlements, they are Ilyinka and Turka, 34 villages, 3 railway stations: Talovka, Lesovozny and Tataurovo. The centre of Pribaykalye is the village of Turuntaevo. On the left bank of the river there are settlements with industrial enterprises and agricultural fields. The right bank which adjoins to Baikal is occupied with settlements of fishermen and enterprises of the wood industry. The recreational area of Pribaykalye is also located here, there are plenty of beaches near which in many places zones of rest were spontaneously formed. The majority of settlements on the shore are directed to the development of tourism, so they have a functioning network of guest houses. These are the villages of Gremyachinsk, Turka and Goryachinsk. Relatively a large and independent zone of rest is lake Kotokel.

Pribaykalye is connected by one motorway with Ulan-Ude (the Barguzinsky road), leading from Ulan-Ude up to Kurumkan. On the river Haim crossing the road there is a big parking of motor transport where a summer market works.

The specialization of Pribaykalye is a summer stationary rest in tourist centers, bases of rest and camps, beach rest, health-improving tourism, fishing tourism and rafting in the rivers. There are conditions for skiing development and mountain skiing. In summertime Pribaykalye is a popular tourist area. Now there are no tourist organizations having the licenses, and a visiting centre is in the stage of creating.. It is better to charge the organization of tours to the tour operators represented in the list of tour agencies of Buryatia or to a republican information-consultation centre of tourism in the city of Ulan-Ude.