According to SOFTWARELEVERAGE, the village of Kabansk is located in the delta of the Selenga River not far from the southeastern coast of Lake Baikal. The settlement is the administrative center of the Kabansky district of the republic. Kabansk offers a variety of excursions to the main attractions of the area.
Southwest of Kabansk on the coast of Lake Baikal stands the Ambassadorial Transfiguration Monastery. Its construction began in 1681 with the erection of the chapel of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker not far from the place of death of the first royal embassy to Mongolia. headed by Yerofey Zabolotsky. Almost 100 years later, in 1778, a stone cathedral appeared on this site with a lower limit in the name of the Icon of the Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos and an upper limit in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord. It became the first stone church in Buryatia. In 1812, a church was erected on the territory of the monastery in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. The monastery played an important role in the spiritual life of Transbaikalia – since 1862, the center of the Transbaikal Spiritual Mission was located in the monastery, and a missionary school was opened near it, in which Buryat boys were trained for missionary service. Later, the mission was transferred to Chita, and the monastery became a women’s one. In 1930 it was closed and only in the 90s of the 20th century was revived. Only the Transfiguration Cathedral and St. Nicholas Church have survived to this day, however, restoration work is now in full swing.
Between the village of Kabansk and the shore of Lake Baikal there is a vast valley of the delta of the Selenga River. This is a swampy area with many small lakes, channels and islets. The delta is home to a large number of birds – about 250 species. You can look at a variety of birds during ornithological excursions in the Kabansky reserve. The reserve has a large cordon, observation towers and boats. A characteristic feature of the Selenga delta is the presence of sors – shallow bays separated from the main waters of Lake Baikal by sand and pebble spits. The water here warms up better, which means that it is the habitat of various fish species such as roach, dace, ide, crucian carp, perch, pike, burbot, gobies, grayling, whitefish, lenok, taimen, omul and sturgeon. This place is perfect for fishing lovers. Also, warm waters and sandy shores attract a large number of tourists here in the summer. Several recreation areas have been created on the coast of the Kabansky District. Posolsky Sor Bay – the largest bay of the region, the length of the coastline is 14 km. There are numerous campsites, tourist facilities and shops. The most popular recreation areas here are the Baikal surf, Kultushnaya and Povorot. Due to the ever-increasing popularity of recreation on the shores of Lake Baikal, the territory of the Posolsky Sor was declared a specially protected natural area of regional significance, where certain rules must be observed. A relaxing holiday is offered by the Lemasovo recreation area on the shores of the Chekalov Sor Bay. The bay is mostly swampy, its depth does not exceed 1 m. Recently, it has been popular among windsurfers.
From the south, the delta of the Selenga River is bounded by the Khamar-Daban ridge.. The peaks of this mountainous country, stretching along Lake Baikal, reach a height of 2000-2300 m above sea level. For several decades, Khamar-Daban has been a popular destination among tourists who love hiking in the mountains. In Khamar-Daban there are both easy and very difficult routes – for every taste. The main attractions of this region are the Chersky Peak, Sable Lakes, the Snezhnaya River (with a grove of relic poplars), Utulik, Temnik and Zun-Murin, which form picturesque waterfalls. The unique natural complex of the central part of the Khamar-Daban ridge is under the protection of the Baikal State Natural Biosphere Reserve. On the territory of the reserve, the area of which is 166 thousand hectares, there are 840 species of plants and more than 250 species of birds, and many animals, among which sable is under special protection. The routes of the Baikal Reserve are not difficult and are suitable even for unprepared tourists.
On the territory of the Khamar-Daban ridge is Mount Mamay, famous among lovers of extreme skiing or snowboarding. During the period from late October to mid-April, a thick snow cover forms here, which is ideal for freeriding. There are often large stones and other obstacles on the slopes, so this place is suitable only for trained tourists.
