In 2019, my family and I went to Lake Baikal. This is a very unusual lake. It is the deepest lake... read more
In 2019, my family and I went to Lake Baikal. This is a very unusual lake. It is the deepest lake... read more
Hello, dear friends and readers of my review! In this review, I want to tell you about my trip to... read more
We used Baikal.explorer for our tour agency and they did a good job taking us around. It was a trip well worth taking! There is a recreated village on the way, a museum in Baikal, both worth visiting.
If you are short of time, you can still get to the island in 2 days 1 night. The trains from Moscow arrives in Irkutsk at 8am and you can leave on a local train 3 days later to go to Ulan bator. I emailed baikal explorer before I left the UK, Leonid replied to all my emails quickly. He picked us up from the train station and we set off that day to the island. In september the Island is still quite busy, but I heard that in July/Aug, the queue for the ferry across was 5hrs+ and overnight if you were taking a car!!! We toured the East of the island & near the main town and then went to the hostel. It now has showers (though the website says no running water) it is family run and they are very lovely. They provide you with bedding and towels, and the beds were really comfy. The food was afternoon tea (cake & a cuppa) and dinner on the first day, which was filling and tasty. Breakfast the next day was a bit strange as it was pasta, but it was still tasty and lunch was really good. There isn't much to do in town to be honest, but Leonid took us to the supermarket and we bought beer and vodka and sat around talking to the other guests and playing cards. They have a sauna (Banya) and that was awesome, so time went quick. The toilets are a little away from the accommodation, so don't drink too much if you have a weak bladder :) The second day we did the tour of the north island, it was amazing, gorgeous scenery, we were very lucky because there had been lost of fires on the mainland and that had obscured the view from the island, but the wind changed direction for us & it was spectacular. If you remotely get car sick, take some tablets, this is off roading, so it's very bumpy, but definitely worth it. We didn't get back to Irkutsk until late that evening, so it was a long couple of days but definitely worth it, so much so i am thing of going back in the winter to see it in the ice.
The lake is mesmerizing and has to be experienced first hand ...it cannot be described in words ! Each side of the lake presents a different scene and each time of the day different colors. Take a chairlift and see the panoramic view and the circumbaikal rail to see it from different angles. A visit to Olkhon island , one of the largest islands within the lake has completely different vistas and shows the rough side of the lake. Anyone going to Russia must include the lake in their itinerary !
Definitely worth a visit if you get anywhere near Siberia. Lots of hiking options, as well as camping. Many resorts along the Lake, although they are still more primitive and less commercialized than in other parts of the world.
A gob smacking piece of natural beauty. Well worth a visit - would be easy to spend more than a few days here.
Lake Baikal is located in east Russia, Siberia!
Its a huge Lake, the main city is Irkutsk which is 6h flight from Moscow, on the south side of the Lake there is the Angara River.
The lake is frozen more or less 8months a year, but in summer temperatures can arrive to + 36* degrees.
People dont speak english there, except in some hotel and in some excursion offices.
i stayed on the South of the Lake at the beginning of Angara River.
In summer there are various excursions, the longest one is the one to Olchon Island (14hours excursion).
Olchon island is 300km from Irkutsk, more or less 4h drive, streets are destroied, full of holes but the view is incredibly beautiful!
To get to Olchon there is a FerryBoat which leaves every 30'm and goes back and forth all day till 18.30 (The boat is free).
Once on the island there is one more hour drive to Shaman rock wich is the main attraction of the island.
Olchon is still wild, they got elecrticity for the first time in 2005, and there are no modern toilets, mostly holes in the ground... exc exc
lake is more or less 600km long and 60km large, so pay attention when you look for a Hotel it might be too far from the arrival airport.
Its an amazing place, to visit if you like adventure, nature and wild places.
Things to know about Lake Baikal:
- is the biggest lake of the World
- deepest lake 1.300 meters deep (more or less)
- has the 80% of pure water present in the planet
Most of the turists get here with the Transiberiana train and then continue the trip to China!
Hope it was helpfull
xx