Lake Baikal: a first-timer's guide to Siberia's great lake

Why visit Lake Baikal

Baikal is one of the great natural wonders of the world, and for many travellers the reason to cross Siberia. In summer the lake is cold and clear, ringed by taiga forest and mountains, with hiking trails along its shores. In February and March the surface freezes into sheets of transparent, cracked blue ice, with ice caves and grottoes around Olkhon Island that draw photographers from across Russia and Asia.

Baikal is far from the war zone, but the national travel advice of the UK, US and many others still covers all of Russia. Read it before planning. Distances here are big, help can be far away and travel insurance may not cover you, so plan carefully.

Irkutsk, the gateway

Most visitors arrive in **Irkutsk**, a historic Siberian city around 70 kilometres from the lake, by air or on the **Trans-Siberian Railway**. It has carved wooden houses, the Znamensky Monastery, the **130th Quarter** of restored wooden buildings with restaurants, and the **House Museum of the Decembrists**, telling the story of nobles exiled here after a failed revolt in 1825. Spend a day here before heading to the lake.

Around the lake

**Listvyanka**, about an hour from Irkutsk, is the closest lakeside village and the easiest day trip. It has the **Baikal Museum** with live nerpa seals, a fish market selling smoked **omul**, Baikal's famous fish, and a chairlift to a viewpoint. It is busy at weekends.

The **Great Baikal Trail** network has hiking routes along the shore; the stretch between Listvyanka and Bolshie Koty is a popular day or two day hike. The **Circum-Baikal Railway**, an old stretch of the Trans-Siberian along the southern shore with tunnels and bridges, runs scenic tourist trains in summer.

**Olkhon Island**, the largest island in the lake, is reached by minibus and ferry from Irkutsk in around six to seven hours, or across the ice road in winter. Its main village, **Khuzhir**, is a base for visiting **Shaman Rock** at Cape Burkhan, sacred to the Buryat people, and the dramatic northern tip at **Cape Khoboy**. Roads are rough and electricity and internet can be limited.

On the eastern shore, the Republic of Buryatia and its capital **Ulan-Ude** offer Buddhist culture, including the Ivolginsky Datsan monastery.

Winter on the ice

From roughly mid February to mid March, the ice is thick enough for walking, skating and official ice roads. Never go onto the ice without local guidance: cracks open, conditions change and vehicles do fall through each year. Temperatures can drop well below minus twenty, so bring proper winter clothing.

Food

Try smoked or salted **omul**, Buryat **buuzy** dumplings, pine nuts and berries from the taiga. Restaurants in Irkutsk are good; on Olkhon, guesthouses often include meals.

Practical tips

Book trains and flights early in summer. Bring enough cash, since foreign cards do not work and village cash machines are few. Swimming is bracing even in August. Respect sacred sites: Buryat custom asks visitors not to climb Shaman Rock, and to leave no litter anywhere around the lake.