Travel Guide Goryatchinsk (Горячинск)

The village is famous for its hot spring, rich in radon, which relieves bone, joint and digestive pains and certain dermatological pathologies. Its thermal centre, opened in Soviet times, is still active. Goryachinsk also stands out for its superb sandy beach, on the edge of the lake. Many inhabitants of Ulan Ude have an isba here, where they like to go green in the summer. The place is therefore very touristy, mostly frequented by Russian travellers. In the summer, you just have to knock on the doors of the houses to find room and board. You will discover a very pretty traditional Siberian village, with its wood racks arranged in a spiral. The sanatorium is the centre of the village. Its pretty wooded park, open to visitors, is a rather exotic place for a walk: first welcomed by a statue of Mother Buryatia, the Buryat symbol of hospitality, you cross a river where the locals are fishing. Then, you pass by korpus, legacies of the Soviet period, long collective residential buildings made of brick or wood. Continue straight ahead until you reach the spring, where you can help yourself (be careful, it is hot). Here the trees are lined with offerings, multicoloured ribbons. If you go there in September, don't forget to pick up the pine gables. The village has its own small square, where street vendors offer a lot of delicacies: wild berries, honey, smoked fish from Baikal, etc.. Finally, the beach of Goriatchinsk is 37 km away from the island of Olkhon. In winter, when the ice is frozen, several agencies organize a walking tour there. You can walk these 37 km and have a picnic on the ice!