From Wikitravel

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Irkutsk Oblast (Ирку́тская о́бласть) is a region in Eastern Siberia, which borders Krasnoyarsk (region) to the west, Evenkia to the northwest, Yakutia to the north, Chita Oblast to the northeast, Buryatia to the southeast, and Tuva to the southwest.

[edit] Regions

[edit] Cities

• Irkutsk — the attractive capital and largest city; one of the principal stops on the Trans-Siberian Railway and the gateway to Lake Baikal
• Angarsk — the second largest regional city is home to the Museum of Clocks
• Bratsk — a relatively large city on the Baikal-Amur Mainline
• Listvyanka — located on the shores of Lake Baikal
• Nizhneudinsk — a small city on the Trans-Siberian with a pretty church; located near some interesting caves and a waterfall along the Uda River
• Taishet — nothing much to see, but many stop at this important rail junction to begin the Baikal-Amur Mainline
• Usolye-Sibirskoye — a medium sized city on the Trans-Siberian with a mudbath spa and many archaeological sites
• Ust-Orda — the center of the Ust-Orda region contains a museum of regional history featuring the indigenous Buryat culture

[edit] Other destinations

• Baikalo-Lensky Nature Reserve
• Lake Baikal. Located between Buryatia and Irkutsk Oblast, is the the deepest and oldest lake in the world and also the planet's largest body of freshwater.
• Pribaikalsky National Park
• Vitimsky Nature Reserve

[edit] Understand

Irkutsk Oblast, in particular the capital Irkutsk and the shores of Lake Baikal, is likely Siberia's top travel destination.

[edit] Talk

Russian is understood and spoken by all; some members of ethnic minorities (especially the Buryat) are bilingual and speak their native languages with one another.

[edit] Get in

Irkutsk Airport is one of Russia's most important and receives international flights from Mongolia, China, South Korea, Thailand, and Uzbekistan. Domestic flights are available from most major Russian airports, including: Saint Petersburg, Moscow, Khabarovsk, Yekaterinburg, Vladivostok, and many others.

Despite the importance of Irkutsk Airport, most travellers still arrive via the Trans-Siberian Railway, which stops at (from west to east): Taishet (junction with the Baikal-Amur Mainline), Nizhneudinsk, Usolye-Sibirskoe, Angarsk, Irkutsk, among other less frequented settlements.

[edit] Get around

Bratsk and Ust-Orda are accessible via the Baikal-Amur Mainline from the Trans-Siberian Railway junction at Taishet.

[edit][add listing] See

[edit] Itineraries

[edit][add listing] Do

• Camping out on one of Lake Baikal's islands
• Fishing galore

[edit][add listing] Eat

[edit][add listing] Drink

[edit] Stay safe

[edit] Get out

Irkutsk Airport is a useful hub to jump off to different parts of the country.

For closer destinations, most will travel by the Trans-Siberian Railway, which leads to Kansk and further Krasnoyarsk in the west and to Ulan Ude in the east.

The Baikal-Amur Mainline, which runs on a parallel track to north of the Trans-Siberian, begins at Taishet in western Irkutsk Oblast and on to Severobaikalsk.

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