Olkhon Island

Olkhon is the largest island in Lake Baikal and one of the ten largest lake islands in the world, its western shore formed by exposed marble cliffs rising directly from the water while the eastern coast shelves gradually into the lake. The island holds sacred significance in Buryat shamanic tradition, centred on the cave at Shaman Rock near the settlement of Khuzhir. The wide sandy bays of the northern end and the viewpoints at Khoboy Cape on the island's northern tip are among the most photographed spots on the lake.