The establishment of a Russian-Mongolian border led to the isolation of the Buryat tribes from the Mongolian world.
Buryatia’s nature is characterized by its diversity of landscapes and geology, along with peculiarities of its climate.
There are about 9,000 rivers and streams belonging to the catchment area of Lake Baikal, along with the basins of two of the largest Siberian rivers—the Yenisei and Lena.
Lake Baikal is the deepest lake in the world, as well as one of the clearest. The ancient lake is 25–30 million years old, and boasts a unique ecosystem rich in biodiversity.
Goyryachinsk, less than 200 km from Ulan-Ude, is a popular resort destination due to the natural healing powers of its waters & springs—known since at least the 18th century.
A revival of shamanism and its rituals gives visitors a chance to look deep into the best, understand the present, or even imagine the future...
Tibetan Buddhism is also important to the region, and is built on the concept of “Buddhahood”, or “Enlightenment”—a potential found in all living beings.
Also spelled “Buryad”, this ethnonym lends its name to the Republic of Buryatia. According to tradition, it has ties to the name of the ancestor of all the Mongols of Borte-Chino, with the wolf as its totemic animal.
To the south of the capital of Buryatia, Ulan-Ude, there is a land of rare beauty...
The first Russian Cossacks appear in Buryatia’s history in the middle of the 17th century.
The history of the glorious city of Ulan-Ude dates back to 1662, when a detachment of Russian Cossacks founded a modest cabin high on the rocky banks of the river Uda.
Archaeological finds, including ceramics from Central Asia and other artifacts, date from the late first to early second millennium BC, suggesting what is now a modern city was once an ancient settlement.
On the steppes at the foot of the Khamar-Daban, on a quiet tract of land 30 km from Ulan-Ude, is the spiritual capital of the traditional Buddhist congregation of Russia — the Ivolginsky Datsan (or Buddhist temple).
