Lake Baikal, Barguzin Valley, Buryat Monasteries Trip Report
 

In September 2010 I crossed into Russia from Mongolia at Kyakhta and visited Lake Baikal and the stunning Barguzin Valley just east of the Lake. It's a mixed Buryat and Russian area, very friendly, perfect for camping and the scenery is unforgettable.

Read it here: Stage 23 – Russia & Mongolia: Baikal And Beyond [1/2] | EurasiaOverland

The village of Suvo:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Y.../1084-Suvo.jpg

Further up the Barguzin Valley:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-B...zin-Valley.jpg

I then returned to Ulan-Ude with new-found friends, and drove east on the Trans-Siberian Highway to the pleasant city of Chita, turning south through Zabaikal Territory to the totally unexpected and stunningly beautiful datsans (monasteries) at Aginskoye and Tsugol, before passing through Borzya and down to the very rarely used border crossing with Mongolia at Solovyevsk / Ereentsav.

The gorgeous 19th Century Tsogchen Dugan Temple at Tsugol:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-n...gol-Datsan.jpg

Zun-Torey Lake at the beginning of the great grassy steppe which extends over much of eastern Mongolia:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-2...Torey-Lake.jpg

Thanks for looking

EO