Lake Baikal is located in Southern Siberia near the City of Irkutske in the republic of Buryat near the city of Irkutsk. The name Baikal comes from Baigal which means nature in the Mongolaian language. At 1,637 meters (5,371 ft) it is the deepest lake in the world and is the largest freshwater lake by volume (23,000 km³), containing approximately twenty percent of the world's total surface fresh water.Baikal is home to more than 1,700 species of plants and animals, two thirds of which can be found nowhere else in the world Lake Baikal (Russian: о́зеро Байка́л Ozero Baykal, pronounced [ˈozʲɪrə bʌjˈkɑl], Buryat: Байгал нуур Baygal nuur, meaning "the rich lake"[1]) is in southern Siberia in Russia, located between Irkutsk Oblast to the northwest and the Buryat Republic to the southeast, near the city of Irkutsk. It is also known as the "Blue Eye of Siberia". It contains more water than all of the North American Great Lakes combined. At 1,637 meters (5,370 ft), Lake Baikal is the deepest lake in the world,[4] and the largest freshwater lake in the world by volume.[5] However, Lake Baikal contains less than one third the amount of water as the Caspian Sea[citation needed], which is the largest lake in the world. Like Lake Tanganyika, Lake Baikal was formed as an ancient rift valley, having the typical long crescent shape with a surface area of (31,494 km2/12,160 sq mi), less than that of Lake Superior or Lake Victoria. Baikal is home to more than 1,700 species of plants and animals, two thirds of which can be found nowhere else in the world[6] and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.[7] At more than 25 million years old, it is the oldest lake in the world. A Russian mini-submarine attempting to set a record for the deepest freshwater dive on July 29, 2008, was originally reported as being successful, but a correction later emerged that reported the MIR I[clarification needed] failed to do so, reaching a depth of only 1,580 meters (5,200 ft)
Baikal is a beautiful lake located in the South-Eastern part of Siberia. It is the deepest freshwater lake on the earth and the largest reservoir of fresh surface water. Baikal is famous for unique clarity of its waters and diversity of flora and fauna. Besides, Baikal Lake has been the important holy place of Asia for many centuries. It is especially good (and just a "must") to visit Baikal if you're taking a Trans-Siberian train. This train stops in Irkutsk and rather than sitting in the train for 6 days waiting Moscow, you can hop off the train in Irkutsk and Baikal Lake in evening, Olkhon island make a trip to Baikal Lake. The experiences you will get there will be incomparable to anything else. In Russia we spell Lake Baikal like “Ozero Baykal”. The word “Baikal” came from Turk language. The word “bai” means “wealthy” and “kul” means “lake”. So “Baikal” originally means “wealthy lake”. It IS wealthy. The lake contains 20% of the world surface fresh water while the flora and fauna of the lake are mostly endemic. The lake is so huge and enormous that locals call it sea. This “sea” is rapidly growing with the average speed of 2 cm (0.8 in) per year. Baikal is considered to be a future ocean; in several million years there will be a new great ocean all over Asia and Baikal is a starting point for this ocean. This remarkable lake is a one of Asia’s holy places. Peoples through over the centuries prayed to the lake and believed in its power. You can still see at the lake the unique carvings and parts of the ritual buildings of the tribes that gone thousands years ago. Baikal serves as a boundary for two Russian provinces – Buryatia Republic (south-east shore) and Irkutskaya oblast (north-west shore). The south-western part of Baikal is more touristic, however north-eastern part is almost deserted – few inhabitants and almost no tourists. Baikal was added to the World Heritage list by UNESCO in 1996.
A simple kayak and a paddle as old as the hills - that's all you need to strengthen your body and soothe your soul. For a time you can forget those towns drowning in their grey haze, those endless urgent matters and constant fuss. You can return to where you have come from and where you should be always - you can return to Nature. It will be around you in beautiful mountains, meadows, forest and air, full of the smell of the sea, cliffs and wild flowers, beneath you - in crystal clear water, and above - the fathomless blue of the sky, the blinding white of clouds and hot sun, making way at night for those madly scattered stars. You will see majestic cliffs where time itself carved out startling grottos and caves, mysterious rock paintings - the creation of distant ancestors, cosy bays and inlets. You will see Baikal, touch it and try to understand. For the time being I invite you to make a virtual trip around Lake Baikal, to those places I have been. If you become inspired with the magic of Baikal and respect for this great lake, I will know that I haven't wasted my time setting up this site. In the section About Baikal you can find information about climate, geographical position, the age, plant and animal life of Baikal. The peculiarities of Baikal's winds are described in detail, and there is also information about the protected territories - national parks, nature reserves and game reserves along the lake's shores. The section Special Locations contains articles on sites of particular interest. One of the largest sections of the site is the Baikal Photos where there are hundreds of photographs of Baikal taken during trips on the lake. Amongst the photographs presented are panoramic photos of Baikal and space images of Lake Baikal. Sitting on a rock on Olkhon island, Baikal from the lake, rocky mountains, and beautiful forests for people who want to be close to the nature. The usual tourist activities like trekking, biking, camping, kayaking, fishing occur to be unusual if it’s done at this magic lake. You will experience another culture at Baikal, in fact two cultures – Asian Buryat and Siberian Russian. The ancient culture of Buryat people with their holy attitude to the nature, traditional shamanism and unique spiritual songs used to be the dominant at the lake for many centuries until Russian colonization in 17th century. As Russians arrived, they started to live in the Russian way with the Orthodox church, banya (sauna) and vodka but with Siberian peculiarity. Siberian Russians call themselves Siberians and are accepted like different people all over Russia. Simply said, centuries of independent life in wild nature have made them reliable, strong, traditional, and nature-respecting. These people differ from central Russians and are respected much in Russia. Special: Baikal Fish. Fishermen have little wooden houses and come some evenings from villages for a night on the lake. It’s possible to buy fish from them; they usually sell it from home, where they prepare it for you before selling it. Weekend campers also fish, and cook their fish in all kind of ways. For example the fresh fish can be salted (‘solyoni’), which is very tasty. It’s Selling Baikal fish - Buryatia made by opening the fish in the middle, emptying it from the guts and inside organs, then hammering the salt in with a big hammer. Or fish may be dried and smoked above a fire, they are kept open with sticks in the stomach. Another way of preparing Baikal fish is in the special soup Ukha. The soup is best prepared with water directly taken from the lake. On the beach you carefully make a fire, hang a pot over it, and boil the water. Inside you drop cut garlic, onion, carrots, potatoes, and fresh fish. It’s best to clean its skin, cut off its head and tail, and remove the red organs, then you can rinse it, cut it in pieces and drop it in the soup. Add some salt, wait not too long, and enjoy the fresh Ukha… Also the fish can be wrapped in aluminum paper and baked in the fire.
