What is it called the depth of Lake Baikal. Interesting and mysterious sights of Lake Baikal. Baikal. Where is the lake

Address: Russia, Republic of Buryatia, Irkutsk region
Square: 31,722 km²
Greatest depth: 1642 m
Transparency: 40 m
Coordinates: 53°43"36.9"N 108°27"32.4"E

The purest and, without a doubt, the most beautiful lake Baikal rightfully took its place in the list of 7 wonders of Russia, according to a vote held in 2008.

The lake, fascinating with its pristine nature and mystery, is located almost in the very center of Asia on the border of Buryatia and Irkutsk region. The water surface, which shimmers with a mystical light, stretches for 620 (!) kilometers from northeast to southwest.

If you look at photographs of Lake Baikal taken from space, you will notice that it has the shape of a crescent. The width of the lake in its various places ranges from 24 to 79 kilometers. Such dimensions allow local residents and many tourists to call Baikal not a lake, but a sea.

No matter how much one would like to call this majestic reservoir of fresh water a sea, it is still a lake that is surrounded on almost all sides the most picturesque mountains and hills extinct volcanoes. By the way, the supply of fresh water in Lake Baikal is 90% of the entire supply of drinking water in Russia and almost 20% of the entire supply of clean water and, according to the results of many scientific experiments, healing water in the world. Speaking about Lake Baikal, one cannot help but say that it is considered the deepest in the world: the mirror of the lake is located 453 meters above the level of the World Ocean, and its bottom is almost 1170 meters lower. True, many researchers are skeptical that Baikal is the most deep lake on our planet. When calculating the depth of lakes, many scientists forget about those fresh water reservoirs that are located under eternal ice Antarctica, one of which is called Vostok. True, it is hidden by an almost 4-kilometer layer of ice, and the calculation of the depth of lakes and oceans under glacial conditions should be carried out using completely different parameters.

Unique ecosystem

Alas, modern science cannot yet accurately answer the question of how old Baikal is, however, as well as other questions that this constantly poses to scientists. amazing lake. At the moment, it is generally accepted that Baikal, whose area is almost 32,000 square kilometers, originated no less than 25 million years ago. There are more daring assumptions; some scientists believe that the age of the lake exceeds 35 million years. This is a long period of time, even by the standards of the existence of our planet. True, it is precisely these figures that pose a new problem: how has the lake remained practically in its original form for so many years? The thing is that any lake does not “live” for more than 15, maximum 20,000 years. Its bottom is covered with silt and over time it turns into an ordinary swamp. This is not observed in Lake Baikal. Perhaps it is worth paying special attention to the point of view of the authoritative scientist Tatarinov, who in 2009 put forward the idea that Baikal has existed “for now” for “only” 8,000 years.

Which theory is considered reliable, everyone decides for himself: the conclusions of most experts say that the whole point is in the unique ecosystem of the lake in its inflows and the only outflow, as well as in constant earthquakes, as a result of which a vacuum arises at the depths, filled with “fresh » groundwater.

Due to its purity, Lake Baikal and its surroundings are a favorite habitat for a huge number of species of birds and mammals. Many of the animals, birds and fish are endemic, meaning that they live only in this ecosystem and are not found anywhere else in the world. The golomyanka fish, which belongs to the viviparous family, attracts particular attention from ichthyologists. And this fish is another mystery of Lake Baikal. Firstly, the entire body of this fish consists of more than 30% fat, and secondly, this fish lives at very great depths and goes to shallow water to feed. This is not at all typical for deep-sea fish, because sudden changes in pressure in almost all species lead to death. Another representative of the ichthyofauna is the smallest crustacean, called epishura. This is also endemic to the lake. Without it, life in Baikal would probably have perished, because it is the main food for many fish and it is he who reproduces in incredible quantities, filters Baikal water, purifying it of organic matter. Maybe it is in this crustacean that the secret of such a long “life” of the lake lies...

Lake Baikal water

Even schoolchildren know about the purity of Lake Baikal water junior classes. Teachers talking about the nature of our planet often emphasize that you can drink water from Lake Baikal without even boiling it. By the way, the opinion is quite controversial. Naturally, there are many places where the water in the lake not only does not pose a threat to human health, but is also considered healing. The tourism infrastructure, which is constantly developing and thousands of tourists wanting to see the great Baikal, like many other lakes around the world, is becoming larger and larger. Only an experienced guide who lives near the lake can indicate where it is completely safe to drink from Baikal. Surprisingly, despite the presence of rock deposits and tributaries at the bottom, which includes the Selenga River, which is constantly polluted in Mongolia, the water in Baikal contains practically no dissolved salts and minerals. Simply put, it is almost identical to distilled water, which undergoes multi-level purification in special laboratories.

The lake is so transparent that, according to some researchers, in some parts of the lake you can see the bottom in great detail from a boat at a depth of 40 meters.

Such transparency of water can be observed after the ice melts: usually in early spring The water of Lake Baikal turns bright blue. In summer and autumn, when the water warms up, microplankton and algae begin to develop in small quantities: naturally, at this moment it is already quite difficult to distinguish underwater rocks at a depth of 40 meters, but the transparency at these times of the year is amazing. True, its color changes: it does not turn into cloudy green, on the contrary, it becomes soft turquoise.

Immersing yourself in the gentle and clean waters of Lake Baikal... is a dream! True, the dream is only for those who know very little about this lake. The thing is that the water here does not warm up above +9 degrees Celsius even in summer. Only in small and shallow bays can you expect that the water will warm up to +16 under the sun. Therefore, swim in Baikal and see undersea world You can only cross the crystal clear water in a wetsuit. In winter, the water surface is almost completely covered with thick ice, so thick that in the 19th century sleepers were installed on the ice and steam locomotives were transported across Baikal using horses. The ice on the lake is an amazing sight: during severe frosts, cracks run through it, sometimes 30 (!) kilometers long and 3 meters wide.

During the formation of such a crack, a powerful sound is heard throughout the entire vicinity of Lake Baikal, which can only be compared to a howitzer shot or a clap of thunder from lightning striking the ground several meters from a person. This phenomenon was provided for by nature itself; thanks to the formation of such cracks, the water is constantly saturated with oxygen and the flora and fauna of Baikal does not die in severe frosts.

Origin of the name of the lake

As with the age of Lake Baikal, there has been confusion in scientific circles with its name. In any case, some historians agree that the name “Baikal” comes from one of the Asian languages: Mongolian, Yakut, or Turkic. However, there are also versions that the lake was first seen and named... by the Chinese. The Chinese word that sounds like “Bei-Hai” literally translates to “North Sea”. This opinion also deserves attention: after all, isn’t the majestic lake similar to the North Sea? Most experts trying to solve the mystery of the origin of the name of the deepest lake in the world believe that it came from the Buryat language.

The Buryats called the endless expanse of water “Baigal,” but members of the Russian expedition who took part in a trip to the lake back in the 17th century had difficulty coping with the letter “g” and, without thinking twice, replaced it with “k.” This is how the name of Lake Baikal came about. Although, as mentioned above, none of the listed versions is recognized by the scientific world as reliable and proven.

On Baikal

No matter how many legends and myths are associated with this lake, no matter how many scientific disputes there are about its name and origin, all this instantly loses its meaning when you find yourself in front of the amazing mirror of Baikal. It is sometimes calm, and sometimes it rises up in waves. The surrounding nature is beyond description; here on a calm day, despite the singing of birds and the barely audible blow of the wind, one comes to realize what real silence, peace and tranquility are. It seems that Baikal communicates on a subconscious level with everyone who comes to see this majestic lake. It is not without reason that many travelers who have explored Lake Baikal are looking forward to the moment when they can return to this amazing world, which is more than 25 million years old.

The etymology of the name of the lake has several versions. According to one of them, the word is Turkic and means “rich lake” - Bai-Kul. According to another, the name of the reservoir was given by the Mongols, and it means either “rich fire” (Baigal) or “big sea” (Baigal Dalai). And the Chinese called it the “northern sea” (Bei-Hai).

The Lake Baikal basin as an orographic unit is a complex formation of the earth's crust. It began to form 25-30 million years ago, and latest research show that the process of lake formation continues. According to geologists, Baikal is the embryo of the future ocean. Its shores “scatter”, and after some time (several million years) there will be a new ocean in place of the lake. But this is a matter of the distant future. Why is Baikal interesting for us today?

First of all - with your own geographical characteristics. The maximum depth of Lake Baikal is 1637 meters. This is the highest figure among all lakes in the world. The African one, which is in second place, lags behind by as much as one hundred and sixty-seven meters.

The average depth of Baikal is also very great - seven hundred and thirty meters! The area of the lake (more than 31 thousand sq. km.) is approximately equal to the area of a small European country(Belgium or Denmark).

The depth of Lake Baikal is determined by a huge amount large and small and streams (336!) flowing into the lake. Only the Angara flows out of it.

Baikal is also the world's largest reservoir of purest water, slightly larger in volume than all five great American cities Huron, Erie, Michigan and Ontario)! In numbers, this will be more than 23,600 cubic kilometers. Great depth Lake Baikal and the impressive area of the water surface became the reason why local residents they dubbed this lake, lying in the depths of Eurasia, the sea. Here, as on a real sea, there are storms and even tides, although they are of small magnitude.

Why is the water of Baikal so transparent that at a depth of up to forty (!) meters the bottom is visible? The beds of the rivers feeding the lake are in poorly soluble crystalline rocks, as is the bed of the lake itself. Therefore, the mineralization of Lake Baikal is minimal and amounts to 120 milligrams per liter.

Considering that the depth of Lake Baikal is 1637 meters, and coastline 456 meters above sea level, it turns out that the bottom of the lake is the deepest continental depression in the world.

In August 2009, the Mir-1 deep-sea submersible dived into the deepest point of Lake Baikal, near Lake Baikal. The dive lasted more than an hour. For five and a half hours, video shooting was carried out at the bottom of the lake and samples of bottom rocks and water were taken. During the descent, several new organisms were discovered and a place where the lake was being polluted with oil was discovered.

For ten years now, an autonomous deep-sea station has been operating nine kilometers from the coast at a depth of 1370 meters, which houses equipment for monitoring the Earth’s electromagnetic field. Scientists expect that the depth of Lake Baikal will affect the accuracy of the research, since the equipment is installed almost a kilometer below ocean level. And on the shore, to process incoming data, a station for collecting, processing and transmitting information was installed.

Lake Baikal is a truly mysterious and wonderful place not only in Russia, but throughout the entire planet.

Animal and vegetable world, the composition of water and even air cannot be compared with the nature of other lakes. Baikal surpasses them in many ways.

The local population is noticeably different from residents of other regions. They honor traditions, remember and preserve legends and respectfully call Lake Baikal the sea.

The lake has a crescent shape with a width varying from 20 to 80 km and a length of about 630 sq. km, and the most deep point The lake is located at a level of 1642 meters. Baikal receives more than 300 small and large rivers, and releases only one Angara.

Where is Lake Baikal located?

Where the lake is located, there is a border between Buryatia and the Irkutsk region. The Russian part of Baikal is geographically located in the south of eastern Siberia.

How to get there

viber for computer

Every tourist planning a vacation on the lake is concerned with the question of how to get there. First of all, you need to get to Irkutsk or the capital of Buryatia. This can be done by plane or train. And from the administrative centers to the lake itself or the nearest populated area there are buses, minibuses, and ships.

Do not forget that tickets to Ulan-Ude or Severobaikalsk are not sold so often and are quite expensive. Therefore, travelers often purchase tickets to Irkutsk. If the choice was made in favor of the train, then you can purchase a ticket for almost any one going towards Vladivostok and Khabarovsk.

The quality of the roads to Lake Baikal is relatively good, which is a definite plus for those who like to travel around the world behind the wheel of their car. And for extreme seekers, there is always a way to travel called hitchhiking.

Cities on Lake Baikal

There are numerous cities on Lake Baikal - from small villages to large administrative centers. The majority of the population is professionally employed in the tourism sector. These are workers of hotels, hotels, tourist centers, entertainment centers, guides and tour guides, transport drivers and guides in the mountains.

Lake Baikal. Slyudyanka photo

TO major cities include Irkutsk, Severobaikalsk, Ulan-Ude. They contain architectural, historical monuments and museums. They are also centers of culture, politics and economics. The population of these cities ranges from 100 to 400,000 people.

Smaller settlements these are Slyudyanka, Listvyanka, Katun, Maksimikha, Khuzhir, Posolskoye, Turka, Goryachinsk and others. They are more visited by tourists. Whitewater rafting, mountain climbing, lake cruises, various excursions take place here. ski resorts V winter time.

Lake Baikal on the plain or in the mountains

Lake Baikal is located more in the mountains than on the plain. Western and East Coast differ from each other. The eastern side has a smoother and flatter relief. And the western one is represented by mountains, rocks and cliffs, which can be several kilometers away from the coast. Type of lake basin and basin. The Baikal Rift Zone measures 12,500 km and extends from Mongolia to Yakutia.

A rift is a crack in the layers of the earth's surface that takes the shape of a crescent. The center of the Baikal rift is its deepest place. It was here that the basin of Lake Baikal was formed. The type of lake basin is volcanic and similar to Dead Sea in its structure and represents a system of depressions of various sizes. Volume of water in the lake. The volume of water in the lake is approximately 23 km3. This is the largest fresh water reserve in the world.

Baikal photo

The volume of water is amazing in its colossality. It exceeds the Ladoga Sea by 23 times, and the Azov Sea by 90 times. Baikal water is saturated with oxygen and practically does not contain various impurities. At a depth of 30-40 meters, individual objects can be easily distinguished. And in some places of the lake you can drink the water without fear of poisoning. Depth. The surface of Lake Baikal rises 456 meters above sea level.

Characteristics of Lake Baikal

The area of Lake Baikal is 550,000 square km
Lake length 636 km
Lake width 25 - 79 km
Maximum depth - 1637m, average depth - 730m
Lake mode. The hydrological regime is the floods and floods of its rivers. River flow is mainly observed in the warm season. In winter, the rivers are fed only by groundwater. The water surface freezes for about a month from mid-December to mid-January. But the source of the Angara, 15 km long, is not covered with ice, as it draws in water above freezing temperature.
The climate is moderate continental. It is characterized by cold winters and not hot summers (+16+18). Winds generated by different temperatures coastal and water zones, often raise storm waves and create hurricanes.
The age of the lake exceeds 25,000 years. This oldest lake ice age. Most of these lakes, reaching 15,000 years of age, disappear from the face of the Earth.
The Baikal fissure cuts the upper mantle of the earth deeper than 50 km. The abnormally high temperature of the subsoil under the water column forms hot springs, reaching an average of +80 degrees.

Nature of Lake Baikal

The nature of Lake Baikal is unique and picturesque. Dense forests, rocky cliffs, hills and mountains, and chains of volcanoes are scattered around the lake. More than 2,600 species of plants and animals live and grow in this territory, 70% of which are endemic. On the coast, which is more than 2000 km long, there are rapids waterfalls, sandy bays, and about 180 capes with their own bays. The number of sunny and cloudless days prevails over cloudy ones (there are about 40 of them per year).

Lake Baikal wildlife

The fauna of Lake Baikal is vividly presented. Some species have been practically untouched by evolution, while others live only in the Baikal region. The seal is the symbol of the lake. Scientists still cannot give a clear answer about the route of this seal’s entry into the fresh waters of Lake Baikal. Musk deer is a deer that weighs 17 kg. Its peculiarity is the absence of horns, but the presence of long fangs in males.

Baikal seal photo

Also inhabited are red wolf, sable, deer, squirrel, bear, wild boar, fox, lynx, and snow leopard. The most common birds are golden eagles, imperial eagles, gulls, ducks, swans, cormorants, bustards, and peregrine falcons. In addition to fish, the water column is dominated by special crustaceans called epishura. They act as a natural filter, allowing lake water to pass through them.

A variety of molluscs and sponges are also present. For example, Baikalia and Benediction accumulate in large groups on the rocks. Fish of Lake Baikal. The fish of Lake Baikal are represented by omul, viviparous golomyanka fish, sturgeon, bream, sculpin goby, carp and others.

Lake Baikal plants

Lake Baikal is densely populated with both terrestrial and underwater plants. There are many forests in which centuries-old trees grow. For example, Siberian pine and cedar, reaching a trunk diameter of more than 6 meters and an age of more than 700 years. Birch with black bark is also considered a unique tree.

There are many medicinal plants (more than 1000 species). These are licorice, anise, bearberry, chamomile, hogweed, wormwood, thyme, bracken, and bergenia. Plants that are found mainly only in this region include circe parisis, wolfberry, yellow field poppy, sleep grass, common grass, etc.

bottom of Lake Baikal photo

In the water column, various algae and sponges dominate almost every centimeter of the bottom. These are mainly blue-green and golden algae. Green algae fills bays and bays. Sponges come in a variety of colors and prefer to attach themselves to underwater slopes. In addition, there are quite a lot of higher underwater plants with full leaves, stems and roots (more than 70 species). These are representatives of the families Ranunculaceae, Bryophytes, Lycophytes, Burmaceae and others. For example, a small water lily and a quadrangular water lily.

Flowing rivers of the lake

The flowing rivers of Lake Baikal number in the hundreds (336 rivers). It's more and less large rivers, and large streams. These include the Snezhnaya River, Amga, Utulik, Upper Angara, Selenga, Bolshaya Buguldeika, Sarma, Goloustnaya, Barguzin, Zen-Murin and many others.

River flowing out of a lake

The river flowing from the lake is called the Lower Angara and boasts a length of 1,779 km. At the source of the river stands the Shaman Stone, a rock entangled in mystery and legend. According to one legend, the beautiful Angara was in love and wanted to run away to her chosen one, the hero Yenisei. And the enraged father Baikal threw this stone after his disobedient daughter.

River connecting Lake Baikal with the Arctic Ocean

The river connecting Lake Baikal with the Arctic Ocean is called the Yenisei. It divides Siberia into western and eastern and has a length of 3487 km. The river is unique in that it passes through all climatic zones. On its banks you can find both camels and polar bears.

Lakes near Baikal

The lakes near Baikal have the same tectonic origin, but are smaller in size. There are a large number of such lakes and each is unique in its own way. Lake Kolok is considered popular among fishermen.

Lake Baikal in winter photo

Frolikha is located on the northeastern coast of Lake Baikal and has an area of more than 16 square km and is included in the Red Book as an Ice Age lake. And Lake Kotokel is toxic. But although swimming in it is prohibited, there are about 40 recreation centers on the coast. Also nearby are lakes Arangatui, Gusinoye, Sobolinoye, and Angarsky Sor.

Sights of Baikal

The sights of Lake Baikal are numerous, especially those created by nature itself. But there are also those to which man had a hand. Natural attractions:

Great Baikal Trail
Sandy Bay
Small sea with very warm water
Olkhon Island and the Kobylya Golova Cape and Lake Shara-Nur located on it, located 750 meters above sea level
Ushkany Islands
Chivyrkuisky and Barguzinsky bays
Tunkinskaya Valley
Hot Springs
Valley of volcanoes in the Sayan Mountains
In the Slyudyanka area there is a 300-meter-high cliff on which birds nest, called the bird market.

Sights created by man: Taltsy is an architectural monument. Buildings from various times from the flooded areas of Lake Baikal were brought here. In Listvyanka you can visit the nerpinarium and the sled dog center. Drive or walk along the Circum-Baikal Railway for 84 km. More than 30 tunnels were cut into the rocks for it and 248 bridges were built.

Baikal photo

The Cathedral of the Epiphany and the Astrophysical Observatory are located in Irkutsk. World Heritage of Lake Baikal. Title world heritage Lake Baikal received it in 1996. The lake meets all the requirements for uniqueness. Many endangered species of plants and animals are listed in the Red Book.

The ice reaches 30 meters deep in winter and breaks spontaneously during the winter, providing fish with an influx of oxygen.
The height of storm waves sometimes reaches 5 meters
In the lake, sturgeon live up to 60 years
The world's highest mountains, 7,500 meters high, are flooded under the waters of Lake Baikal
Scientists assume that over time Baikal will become a sea. Its banks diverge by 2 cm every year.
Baikal Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of September.

Problems of Lake Baikal

The problems of Lake Baikal have existed for a long time, and without proper help they will progress. It is worth noting the drying up of small rivers flowing into the lake. Thanks to this, its ecosystem changes. The banks are being destroyed and fish spawning is becoming difficult. Poachers and forest fires, mostly caused by humans, have had a hand in the decline and extinction of some species of flora and fauna. The number of seals, omuls, wapiti, and musk deer has decreased almost 2-fold.

Lake pollution

Lake pollution is widespread environmental problem. The culprit in this is only man. This includes trash left by tourists in coastal zone, petroleum products from shipping transport, waste, carbon dioxide, wastewater from large-scale production.

The popularity of Baikal is growing every year, attracting Russian and foreign tourists, artists and scientists. Scientific developments are carried out here by archaeologists, geologists, historians, physicists, ethnographers and others. But it is precisely this factor that leads to environmental problems in the lake areas. If measures are not taken to protect it, Lake Baikal may disappear from the face of the Earth, and with it the world's supply of fresh water.

>Lake Baikal

Lake Baikal

Baikal is the deepest lake (1642 meters) and the largest reservoir of fresh water on planet Earth (19 percent of the world's reserves). The length of the lake is 630 km (almost the same distance as from Moscow to St. Petersburg), the maximum width of Baikal is about 80 km.

Where is Lake Baikal located on the map of Russia

Lake Baikal on the map should be looked for a little above the border of Russia and Mongolia

Baikal is located in Eastern Siberia on the border of two constituent entities of the Russian Federation: the Irkutsk region (west coast) and the Republic of Buryatia (east coast).

How to get to Baikal

You can get to Lake Baikal by train on the Trans-Siberian Railway from Moscow or from any other city located on this railway line, getting off at the platform in Irkutsk or Ulan-Ude. They also fly to these cities regular flights Of all Russian megacities, however, it is cheaper and easier to fly to Irkutsk. Planes depart to Ulan-Ude much less frequently.

On West coast The main tourist bases are located in Listvyanka and on Olkhon Island (the village of Khuzhir), and in the East the stronghold for all travel is Ust-Barguzin and Gremyachinsk.

From Irkutsk and Ulan-Ude you can get to Lake Baikal by minibus, train, or bus. You can get from Irkutsk by water during the season (June-August). In a straight line from Irkutsk to Baikal 70 km.

The easiest way to get to Listvyanka takes about an hour, to get to the tourist centers on the Small Sea you need to get from Irkutsk for 4-5 hours, to Olkhon the same amount plus a ferry crossing (15 minutes and a queue).

From Ulan-Ude to Gremyachinsk 1.5 hours, to Ust-Barguzin 4-5 hours.

Sights of Baikal

Baikal is primarily famous for its natural attractions, and mainly beach, hiking and health resort tourism is developed here, although there are several museums and historical sites in the vicinity of the lake.
The best time to swim on Lake Baikal is from mid-July to mid-August, sometimes until early September; the lake takes a long time to warm up, but also cools down for a long time. For beach holiday It is worth choosing the bays and bays of Baikal, they are the warmest. But you need to understand that the water generally warms up to 17-18 degrees, the maximum recorded water warming in the coastal waters of Lake Baikal is 23 degrees. The warmest water is on the Buryat coast in the Barguzinsky Bay and in Chivirkuysky.

Listvyanka village

The village of Listvyanka is the most developed and convenient Baikal resort; here is the Baikal Limnological Museum with aquariums that display the living flora and fauna of the lake, a small zoo, the Plamenevsky Gallery, where paintings by young artists are exhibited, and a park of unusual metal sculptures.

Also from the village you can get to the famous Shaman Stone (place of worship of shamans), the Vampilov Memorial Stone (installed near the place of his death), the Baikal astrophysical laboratory and the source of the Angara. Also near Listvyanka you can climb to one of the most beautiful observation platforms - Chersky Stone.

Circular Baikal Railway

From the city of Slyudyanka on the Trans-Siberian Railway, where you can visit the museum of Baikal gems, the famous Circular Baikal Railway runs to the port of Baikal. Railway- a miracle of engineering.

Along the road in the rocks along the very shore of the lake there is a train that will be interesting to ride. The train makes numerous stops during which you can take photographs. As you can see in the diagram, the Circum-Baikal Railway does not make a circle along the coast of Lake Baikal, but is on this moment dead-end branch of the Trans-Siberian Railway.

Detailed schedule and prices can be found on the website.

Olkhon Island and Small Sea

Practically, the entire coast of Lake Baikal is nature reserves and National parks With special conditions stay on their territory. The most famous of them is Pribaikalsky national park, which includes the heart of Baikal - Olkhon Island with good beaches and mysterious “Mongolian buildings” (ancient megaliths) and the most popular ethnographic museum region in the village of Khuzhir.

The coast of the Maloye More Strait between Olkhon and the shore of Lake Baikal is also part of the Pribaikalsky National Park. Here are some of the most comfortable conditions for a beach holiday on the lake. Especially in this regard, the Kurkutsky Bay stands out, where you can ride a banana and try your hand at paragliding. You can also have a good rest in Sandy Bay, known for its unusual natural monument- walking pine trees.

Cape Ryty

Lovers of esotericism should visit Cape Ryty in the Baikal-Lena Nature Reserve, where there is a shamanic place of power with a mysterious 333-meter-long wall and pyramids oriented strictly to the cardinal points.

Buryat part of Baikal

Chivyrkuisky Bay

Trans-Baikal National Park on the Buryat part of Lake Baikal is famous for the Chivyrkuisky Bay and the Svyatoy Nos Peninsula, one of best places for relaxing in tents on the lake, as well as the largest rookery of the Baikal seal on the Ushkany Islands and a massive concentration of birds on Lake Arangatui.

You can have a good rest on the coast of the Barguzin Bay. You should stay in the village of Maksimikha in the picturesque Lukomorye Hotel, located on the very shore of Lake Baikal.

Thermal springs of Baikal

Baikal is widely known for its thermal springs. The camp site on Cape Kotelnikovsky, not far from Severobaikalsk, is especially popular among guests of the lake, where water from the source is mixed with water from the lake in special pools. You cannot drink this water, but baths from it are extremely beneficial. Unfortunately, the base can only be reached by water in summer and ice in winter.

Other popular balneological resorts: Nilova Pustyn, Arshan and Source Inexhaustible hope located at a distance from south coast Lake Baikal in Tunkinsky National Park.

On the Buryat side of Lake Baikal there is the Barguzinsky Nature Reserve ( oldest reserve Russia, created even before the revolution) there are also hot springs there, but it is not easy to get to the reserve only by water to the village of Dovsha.

It is worth noting that every year holidays on Lake Baikal become more comfortable. Previously, an in-room bathroom and hot water were very rare. Now almost everything popular places can boast hotels and bases with amenities in the rooms and Wi-Fi.

But there are still many tourist centers with minimal amenities and low prices. So everyone can find accommodation to their liking on Lake Baikal.

Lake Baikal is the pearl of Russia. This is the cleanest, largest and deepest lake on our planet. The maximum depth of Baikal reaches 1642 meters. It contains 20% of the world's fresh water. Its water table lies at an altitude of 456 meters above sea level, and its deepest point is at an altitude of 1186 meters below sea level. 336 large and small rivers and streams flow into Baikal, and only one flows out - the Angara.

Lake Baikal. Russia on Google Maps.

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Lake Baikal. Photos.

To the question: “How was Baikal formed?” — scientists answer differently. Some argue that the waters of huge glaciers melted and gathered in one place. Others suggest that water came out of huge cracks in the ground after a series of earthquakes. But, in any case, Baikal is the oldest, largest, deepest and most clear lake on the ground. The formation of the Baikal depression began about 30 million years ago and has not ended yet. Where is the bottom of Baikal? According to some reports, this sacred lake has no bottom at all and comes into contact with underground lava in the bowels of the earth. On the coast of Lake Baikal there are many places that are famous for their witchcraft and magic, and there is also a lot of evidence of its healing power.

Baikal in summer. Video.

Winter on Baikal. Video.

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