Lake Baikal is located on the border of the Irkutsk Region and the Republic of Buryatia - in the center of the Asian continent. “The Blue Eye of Siberia”, “The Sacred Sea”, “The Diamond of the Planet” - this is the name of Baikal. The deep-water lake stores the world's largest freshwater supply, unique in composition. It is not only pure and transparent, but also contains so little mineral salts that it is equal to distilled.

In the shape of the emerging crescent, Baikal stretched from southwest to northeast. The length of the lake is 636 km, the maximum width in the central part is 81 km, the minimum width opposite the Selenga delta is 27 km. Baikal is located at an altitude of 455 m above sea level, the coastline is about 2 thousand km. More than half the length of the lake’s shoreline is protected.

Olkhon Island is part of the Pribaikalsky Nature Reserve. It is distinguished by its natural beauty and diversity of landscapes - steppes, dense forests, swamps, harsh cliffs and dunes with sandy beaches. Tourists come here for spectacular wildlife to visit historical and archaeological sites and experience the culture of shamanism.

The outlines of the island repeat the shape of Baikal itself.

Baikal is the only inhabited island, people live here from the Paleolithic era. It is surrounded by many ancient legends and legends - the Buryats consider it a haven of Baikal spirits. Even now, Olkhon is revered as a sacred center of northern shamanism - there is a place of special worship at Cape Burkhan and Mount Izhimei.