ABOUT LAKE BAIKAL

     What makes man go faraway to unknown remote places like Siberia, Baikal?

      It is Baikal’s beauty taking your breath away. «Sacred Sea”, “sacred water” – these names have been given to Lake Baikal since time immemorial by the locals and nowadays by foreign travelers in their admiration for its unearthly beauty. Even if you only have a short stay here, you can feel the spirit of Baikal. That spirit of Baikal is something special , something that actually exists, something that makes you believe old legends and makes you experience a rare sensation of uplift and spirituality. You feel as if you have been touched by the mysterious influence of these magic place.

     The Lake is located in the South part of Eastern Siberia, near Mongolian border. It is the ancient (25-30 mln .) fresh water resource in the world. Fed by more than 300 rivers and streams the Lake holds 20 per cent of world’s fresh water. Only one river, Angara, flows out from the lake. Baikal is about 636 km long and about 80 km wide water reservoir in a huge stone bowl set 445 m above sea level. The coastline’s length is about 2100 km. There is no doubt that Baikal of 1637 m depth is the deepest lake in the world.

     The earliest written acounts of Lake Baikal occur in Chinese texts. Baikal was called as “Beihei”- “Northern sea”. There is no any definite opinion on the origin of the word Baikal. Scientists say the word Baikal has Turkic origin –“Bai” –rich, “Kul”- lake. But nowadays name Baikal was assimilated by Russians from Buryat word “Baigal” .

     What kind of sea would it be without islands? Olkhon is the largest of about 30 islands of lake Baikal. It is 72 km long and 15 km wide. The name originates from “Oy-Hon” given by Buryats, locals of this place . It means “small forest”. Olkhon is called “heart of Baikal” for it’s geographical, historical and spiritual status. Olkhon Island holds a real treasure of splendid landscapes. Here can be found all the variety of Baikal’s surroundings, from Mongolian typical steppes to golden dunes. Also mixed forests with ancient fir- wood exist here. There is a belief that Olkhon is the home of Baikal’s severe ghosts. It’s a spiritual center of Baikal region’s Shamanists.

     The Island is unique in it’s architecture. There are 143 objects of interest including burial grounds, sites of ancient settlements. The most popular ones are Shaman Rock – the sacred place of all shamanists, Khoboy Cape and Sagan – Khushun cape.

     Lake Baikal is a home to more then 1200 different species of animals and 1000 species of plants. 80 % of them are endemic. The most unique mammal on Baikal is the world’s only fresh water seal-nerpa. The way how nerpa came to Baikal is still a mystery. There is an opinion that nerpa migrated to Baikal from Arctic Ocean through Enisey and Angara rivers. Also Baikal is home for many kinds of fish, most of them are suitable for eating including salmon, sturgeon, grayling omul, sig, pike, taimen, lenok and others. But the most remarkable group of the fish are bullheads, a small fish which is the main food for omul and other fish. Golomyanka is one of only a few viviparous fish in the world. The small, transparent golomyanka lives in Baikal’s cold temperate zone. Golomyanka’s body consists of more than 40% of fat.

     Lake Baikal became famous for the purity of it’s water and picturesque shores. Pristine taiga and surrounding wilderness give an excellent opportunity for outdoor activities in Baikal region.

 WELCOME!