Baikal – 6 days ~ 1500 km

Interesting for us:

• Ulan Ude – the largest in the world the head of Vladimir Lenin located in the central square. Built in 1970 for the centennial of Lenin’s birth, it towers over the main plaza at 7.7 meters and weighs 42 tons

  Olkhon (Russian: Ольхо́н, also transliterated as Olchon) is the fourth-largest lake-bound island in the world. It is by far the largest island in Lake Baikal in eastern Siberia, with an area of 730 km2. The island is large enough to have its own lakes, and features a combination of taiga, steppe and even a small desert. A deep strait separates the island from the land.

   

• Lake Baikal is the largest freshwater lake by volume in the world, containing 22–23% of the world’s fresh surface water With ~24K km3 of fresh wate – it contains more water than the all North American Great Lakes together. With a maximum depth of 1,642 m, Baikal is the world’s deepest lake. It is considered among the world’s clearest lakes and is considered the world’s oldest lake — at 25–30 million years. It is also the seventh-largest lake in the world by surface area.

   

• Irkutsk – The de facto capital of Eastern Siberia, pleasantly historic Irkutsk is by far the most popular stop on the Trans-Siberian Railway between Moscow and all points east. With Lake Baikal a mere 70km away, the city is the best base from which to strike out for the western shoreline. Amid the 19th-century architecture, revived churches, classy eateries and numerous hostels, plentiful English-speaking agencies can help you plan anything from a winter trek across the lake’s ice to a short walking tour through the city.