Bolshie Koty is situated 24 km from Listvianka. The village is very small – about 50 residents. Nobody can explain the village name. In Russian it sounds as big cats. Presumably the word “koty” derives from ancient convicts’ shoes “kotka” or a trap to catch fish in a mouth of a river (“katsy”). The locals used “katsy” to catch fish in the Kotinka-river which flows into the Baikal near in the village.
In the nineteenth century Bolshie Koty was a local gold rush center where more than 160 kg were mined. Later a glass factory was founded. Now it is an attractive tourist place.
Not any motor road leads to the village. During the summer one can get there by water:
- By scheduled hydrofoil “Voskhod” (www.vsrp.ru) – one hour and half from Irkutsk or 25 minutes from Listvianka;
- By private boat or ship from Listvianka.
If you a fun of hiking, the Big Baikal Trail is the second possible way to get to Bolshie Koty. The picturesque route is 24,7kmandusuallytakes 5-8 hours. Difficultyis medium. Tourists usually start from Listvianka in the morning and return by a scheduled hydrofoil in the evening. Or do the route vice versa.
In the winter tourists can get to the village by car or by air boat.
-Walk along the Baikal shore, enjoy the views and panoramas, have a picnic on the shore (please, collect any picnic garbage with you).
-Climb up Skriper Rock. The route: the village pier – a path along the lake shore – Sennaya Valley – a former gold field – Skriper Rock – a cave in the rock. This takes 4-5 hours. When climbing up the rock, one can admire the scenery for hours. Skriper Rock got the natural monument status in 1985. The cave in the rock is located 200 m above the lake surface. Some tools and weapons of ancient people
- Walk to Chernaya (Black) valleytoan abandoned gold mine. The route: the village pier – a picturesque path along the Lake Baikal shore – Chernaya Valley – the tourist camp “Miners’ shelter” - the abandoned gold mine. Theroutetakes 2-3 hours.
- Visit the Baikal museum. The small museum is situated 100 m from the pier. A scientific biology station works in the village.