In this article we will tell you what Chivyrkuisky Bay is. Photos of this beautiful place encourage you to pack your backpack, take a camera and fishing rod and go on an adventure-full vacation. And what are the beaches in Chivyrkuy Bay? Is there any kind of infrastructure for recreation for those who are not used to living in tents? How to get to local camp sites? Does the visitor need any vaccinations? What excursions are offered to tourists on Lake Baikal. All this and much more you will learn from this article.
Location
Chivyrkuisky is the largest bay on Lake Baikal after Barguzinsky. It is located on the east coast of the lake. In the northern part is the mouth of the Bolshoi Chivyrkuy River, which gave the name to the bay. The area of the entire water area is approximately three hundred square kilometers. Chivyrkuisky Bay penetrates very deep into the land. The map shows that its length from south to north is almost thirty kilometers, while its width is from 6 to 14 km. The boundaries of the bay are rather arbitrary. The entrance to this water area is usually determined by the line between Cape Malyi Sukhoi and Upper Headboard. Along the shore, the bay is located between the Holy Nose Peninsula and the mainland. This territory is under the protection of the Trans-Baikal National Park. The western shore of the bay is settled: there are three villages: Monakhovo, Kurbulik and Katun. The village of Chivyrkuy at the mouth of the river of the same name is now abandoned.
Nature
The deepest lake on the planet is Baikal. Chivyrkuisky Bay, however, is rather shallow. At the entrance, its depth still reaches 600 meters, but closer to the shore it does not exceed ten. The shallow water warms up perfectly in the summer. The water temperature in August reaches + 20-24 ° C. This is the warmest place on Lake Baikal. The shores of the Chivyrkuy Bay are very indented and form numerous bays. The most famous are Krutaya, Krokhalinaya, Ongokonskaya and Zmeinaya. This last bay, so named because of the abundance of snakes, has a thermal mineral spring. Local Buryats have long used it to treat sciatica. The water temperature in the source is + 38.5-46 ° , and its composition is sulfate-hydrogen carbonate-sodium with a high content of hydrogen sulfide. Zmeinaya Bay is located at the western end of the bay. At this point, numerous rivers flow into Baikal, the main of which are the Bolshoi Chivyrkuy and Malaya Sukhaya. There are seven islands in the bay. These are Baklanii, White and Mortuary Stones, Naked, Elena, Kovrizhka and Shaggy.
Climate
Chivyrkuisky Bay is an isolated and very picturesque corner of Lake Baikal. It has its own microclimate. It is due to the fact that the bay is sheltered from the harsh winds and legendary Baikal storms by the mountains. From the west it is protected by the high peninsula of the Holy Nose. Buryats call it “Hilman-Khushun”, which means “sturgeon face”. To the east of the Chivyrkuisky Gulf, the spurs of the high Barguzinsky Range are rising. These mountainous shores, composed of granites, form many secluded bays with sandy beaches. There are quite a lot of sunny clear days. In the absence of wind, excellent weather is established. And if we take into account that the shallow water warms up to comfortable + 24 degrees, it is not surprising that the bay is popular with those who want to relax in the wilderness. Here, in a small area, you can admire the most diverse landscapes. Golden sandy beaches, lakes and marshy swamps, cedar forests, alpine meadows, snow-capped peaks of mountains - all this makes an enchanting picture of the Baikal region.
Chivyrkuiskiy Gulf: camp sites
The places here are beautiful because they are wild. The human factor here has not yet harmed nature. Most tourists come here with their tents or live on board their own yachts. But there are also camp sites on the bay. A special service is provided by Monakhovo. It is located in the village of the same name on the Holy Nose Peninsula. This is a cozy wooden blockhouse for several rooms with a kitchen. Nearby there is a Russian bathhouse and a spacious sandy beach. The company also provides transfer of vacationers (upon request) from Ulan-Ude or from the village of Ust-Barguzin. Excellent conditions for relaxation are provided by the floating hotel Ecotur, which is located in Zmeinaya Bay. Accommodation of tourists takes place in cabins of different classes. At the Katun camp site, they provide three meals a day and a shuttle service to the main village of Monakhovo. And in Bezymyannaya Bay there is a specialized recreation center "Baikal Land", intended for fishing lovers. Almost all of these companies organize excursions around the bay, picnics on nearby islands, trips to the thermal spring for their guests.
Chivyrkuy Bay: how to get there
From Irkutsk this coast of Lake Baikal is seven hundred and fifty kilometers away. You can get closer by train. From the city of Ulan-Ude to the resting place, you will need to overcome a distance of three hundred kilometers. Most vacationers prefer to stay in the largest village of the bay - Monakhovo. But first you need to get to the village of Ust-Barguzin. To do this, from Ulan-Ude you need to get to Gremyachinsk (200 km). Then, another forty kilometers, an asphalt road will go right along the shore of Lake Baikal. To get to the Chivyrkuy Bay, in Ust-Barguzin you should ferry across the river and continue on through the isthmus and Svyatoy Nos Peninsula. This part of the road is the most difficult, since asphalt is replaced by a primer. Then you need to drive along the isthmus of Myagkaya Karga - and you are already in Monakhovo. To two other villages - Kurbuliku and Katun - the road is very impassable. And in some gulf bays, for example, in Krokhalina or Zmeinaya, you can only get by boat.
How to get to Chivyrkuisky Bay
Some tourists like to come to this reserved corner of Baikal in the winter. Well, let's be honest: in the snow the road seems more convenient for the motorist than on such asphalt. In Ust-Barguzin in winter, an ice crossing runs across the river. For tourists with funds, a very comfortable way is provided for how to get to the place of rest. Since July 2010, the East Siberian River Shipping Company launched a summer charter flight on a ship. A ship enters different islands along the way and a trip on it can already be regarded as a vacation. A ticket for the route "Irkutsk - Chivyrkuisky Bay - Irkutsk" can be purchased at the box office on the pier "Rocket". The cost of such a trip is about five thousand rubles.
What a tourist needs to know
Immediately outside the village of Ust-Barguzin, if you get off the ferry, you will be met by a guard of the Trans-Baikal National Park. Since Chivyrkuisky Bay is a protected area, access to it is paid. Places here are deaf, so you should not have high hopes for grocery stores in the village. If there is such an opportunity, take provisions with you. Although along the way, problems with refueling do not arise. Tourists claim that there are no mosquitoes on the beaches of Chivirkuy Bay. But if you are attracted to rest on lakes between the sandy shafts or on the Easter cakes, you need to stock up on protection from midges. Before going on vacation, tourists are advised to be vaccinated against encephalitis, since there are many ticks in the local burs. Some islands are completely closed to visitors, and some - only for the period of nesting birds.
Information for amateur fishermen
Baikal, due to the purity of the water, is rich in the inhabitants of the depths. Industrial fishing is prohibited in these places. Only individual trophy fishing is allowed. Chivyrkuisky Bay, due to its shallow water, is a true paradise for those who like to sit on the beach with a spinning rod or fishing rod. Durable ice is set here in December, so those who prefer to catch from the holes come here. Summer fishing is especially fruitful. From June to the end of September you can catch a pike weighing up to fifteen kilograms, and perches here reach a mass of 3 kg. In rivers flowing into Lake Baikal, grayling and lenok can be caught. The ide holds bays, the bottom of which is covered with a carpet of algae. Also in the bay there are burbot, dace, roach, whitefish and omul.