'''Irkutsk Oblast''' (_I___{__?_____{_p__ __?_q_|_p______) 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.
Regions
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
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.
Olkhon. The largest island in lake Baikal is a real jewel, and worthy of the effort it takes to reach it.
Pribaikalsky National Park
Vitimsky Nature Reserve
Understand
Irkutsk Oblast, in particular the capital Irkutsk and the shores of Lake Baikal, is likely Siberia's top travel destination.
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.
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.
Get around
Bratsk and Ust-Orda are accessible via the Baikal-Amur Mainline from the Trans-Siberian Railway junction at Taishet.
See
Itineraries
Do
Camping out on one of Lake Baikal's islands
Fishing galore
Eat
Drink
Stay safe
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.