{"id":20407,"date":"2020-01-22T08:00:02","date_gmt":"2020-01-22T07:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ecobnb.com\/blog\/?p=20407"},"modified":"2020-05-22T14:36:08","modified_gmt":"2020-05-22T12:36:08","slug":"siberia-lake-baikal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecobnb.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/siberia-lake-baikal\/","title":{"rendered":"The pearl of Siberia: Lake Baikal"},"content":{"rendered":"

A unique lake<\/strong> in the world that looks like a sea: Lake Baikal<\/strong> with its 25 million years<\/strong> and its maximum depth of 1642 meters is the deepest<\/strong> and oldest lake<\/strong> in the world and the largest fresh water lake in volume, representing 23% of the fresh water on the earth.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Finding yourself in front of this spectacle of<\/strong> nature<\/strong>, which freezes from May to November, is truly a unique emotion. We are in the wild<\/strong> and remote Siberia<\/strong>, which gives us here one of the most incredible and breathtaking beauties of the world, an immense lake with crystal clear waters<\/strong> full of life, surrounded by wild mountains<\/strong>, forests and rivers. Here you can make an exciting trip through the forests of taiga<\/strong> pulled by a sled of 12 Siberian huskies or walk on the frozen surface<\/strong> of the lake, where you can also play golf, observe the pretty wooden houses<\/strong> with the typical multicolored<\/strong> windows<\/strong>, discover the lake in an aerosphere and sight seals, sables and arctic foxes.<\/p>\n

The fauna of Lake Baikal<\/h2>\n
\"Nerpa,
\u00a9 Francorov via Wikimedia<\/div><\/div>\n

Lake Baikal has been a World Heritage Site<\/strong> since 1996 and is home to more than 2,500 species<\/strong> of plants<\/strong> and animals<\/strong>, 2\/3 of which can not be found anywhere else in the world, thanks to the high level of oxygen in its waters. The pearl of Siberia is the home of the nerpa<\/strong>, the seal of the Bajkal, a small-scale endemic species with a dark gray coat and the Omul fish<\/strong> of the Bajkal.<\/p>\n

Irkutsk, nature and museums<\/h2>\n
\"Irkutsk\"
\u00a9 Baikalsky via Wikimedia<\/div><\/div>\n

Irkutsk<\/strong> is one of the main access gates of Lake Baikal and is a city rich<\/strong> in history<\/strong>. Walking around on foot, in a few hours we can visit the most interesting places of this destination, among the most popular in the region and among those who venture along the tracks of the Trans-Siberian<\/strong> Railway<\/strong>. Walking through the historic center we admire the characteristic wooden<\/strong> architecture<\/strong>, the Drama Theater,<\/strong> one of the country’s oldest drama centers, the open-air market<\/strong> where we can taste the famous “omul” fish of the Bajkal. The city is a great starting point to discover all the wonders of the lake.<\/p>\n

\"Panorama
\u00a9 Sergey Pesterev \/ Wikimedia Commons \/ CC BY-SA 4.0<\/div><\/div>\n

Unfortunately, despite being UNESCO heritage and despite its isolated location, Lake Baikal is continually threatened by pollution<\/strong> and poaching<\/strong>. Preserving this wonder is a duty of all of us: we can help the WWF<\/strong> in its projects to safeguard<\/strong> this unique microcosm<\/strong> and respect it during our journey.<\/p>\n

Where to sleep near Lake Baikal<\/h2>\n\n\t\t