To travel away from a beaten path is under my skin. Thus, as I planned my journey I wished to get some unforgettable experience this summer. Surfing Internet I came across BaikalNature tour operator. Immediately I thought why not Lake Baikal in Siberia? I knew very little about it and, perhaps, this was the reason of my growing interest in that location. I found the cruise named "Sea Of Siberia" more attractive among other options and booked it on-line.
My flight to Irkutsk, the closest city to Lake Baikal, was delayed due to the bad weather. At the airport I saw a girl with a sign "BaikalNature" in her hand and a smile on her face. That was Natasha, our English-speaking guide. She took me to the boat where I joined the group of 7 people. They were from different countries, but all spoke English quite well. And the journey began.
That day we visited Listvyanka, the village on the shore of Lake Baikal, the Baikal Museum, and stayed overnight at the anchor near Sandy Bay. I never forget the impression I got when I saw the lake for the first time as it was really incredible. I could hardly believe that I was looking at this mysterious lake with my own eyes!
The next day we took a hike to explore Sandy Bay, one of the most picturesque bays on the lake; for it looked like paradise to me! Next we went by boat to Sagan-Zaba Rock to see its cave paintings dated 2500 years old. That was fun!
Following two days we devoted to Olkhon Island, the biggest island and so-called "heart" of the lake. There I was impressed by Burkhan Rock the most. Even now natives believe that the Spirit of the lake lives there and the Rock is a sacred place for Buryats and shamans.
Our hike to the northern point of Olkhon Island was quite tiresome, however a spectacular view on Lake Baikal was worth the effort.
On the following day we discovered to ourselves the waterfalls in Solontsovaya Bay. The water wasn't as cold as we thought it might be and bathing was really refreshing after a 3-hour walk in taiga. For the safety sake we were accompanied by a forester with a gun who told us funny and sometimes weird stories about bears in that area.
Next morning we were to cross the lake. That navigation impressed me greatly. According to Natasha, the depth was 900 m there and somewhere in the middle of the lake I had an impression of being out at sea.
Having arrived to Davsha, the center of the Barguzin reserve, we went to the local museum and saw some stuffed animals. That collection was not big but definitely good. Honestly, I didn't like the village itself but the landscape was amazing!
For the rest of the cruise we were sunbathing, fishing, and even swimming (some crazy of us, not me!) in the Chivyrkuysky gulf.
On the last day of the tour we returned to Irkutsk, had a city tour and a marvelous dinner at the restaurant. Although a light rain drizzled most of the evening, it was a relaxing, very enjoyable night. Full and tired, we went to a lovely homestay to get some sleep.
Well, most good things must come to an end one day and we had to go home. I do think that I was lucky to see Lake Baikal and to meet those incredible guys from BaikalNature Company. To my mind, Lake Baikal is one of the few places in the world where tourists are still rare and there is always something left to discover and enjoy. Also one of the most amazing things I guess is that I had some of the best and brightest people in my group!