Lake Baikal. Lake Baikal Unique fauna and flora

Lake Baikal is the largest freshwater body of water in the world. More than 23,000 km³ of clean water is stored in its depths for future generations, which is 4/5 of the Russian reserves of the most important liquid on the planet and 1/5 of the world's. Its dimensions are amazing: the length from the southwest to the northeast is more than 700 km, the width is 25-80 km. Baikal is a unique holiday destination. There are many legends and songs about the reservoir. Hundreds of thousands of travelers from Russia and dozens of other countries of the world wish to come to him.

Where is Lake Baikal located?

It is located in the center of Asia, in the southern part Eastern Siberia. The border of the Irkutsk region and the Republic of Buryatia passes along the water surface of the lake. The coordinates are as follows: 53°13′00″ s. sh. 107°45′00″ E e. The distance from the southern shore of the reservoir to the border with Mongolia is 114 km, to the border with China - 693 km. The city, which is located nearby, is Irkutsk (69 km from the reservoir).

Flora and fauna

The nature of Baikal pleasantly surprises travelers. The reservoir of water is a habitat for more than 2600 species of animals and birds. More than 50% of them can be found only on this lake. On the banks of the reservoir are found:

• the Bears;
• hares;
• wolves;
• wolverines;
• foxes;
• stoats;
• tarbagans;
• red deer;
• proteins;
• moose;
• boars.

Of marine animals, only seals or seals, as the Buryats call them, adorn the natural necklace. The pond abounds with fish. In the depths of the lake float:

• omuli (fish from the genus of salmon);
• graylings;
• roaches;
• sturgeons;
• burbots;
• taimen;
• lenki;
• perch;
• horned;
• ide and pike;
• golomyanki.

The last representatives of the fauna are unique in that they have special swimming feathers stretching over the entire length of their body. The tissues of their sirloin consist of a third of fat. Almost all of the above fish can be caught from Baikal if you have special equipment (rods, nets, etc.) and desire.

The fauna of the lake itself and its coast is also peculiar. Pine, spruce, cedar, fir, birch, larch, balsamic poplar and alder grow near the reservoir. Of the shrubs, bird cherry, currant and Siberian wild rosemary are common, which every spring delights people with a beautiful pink-lilac color and heady aroma.

At any depth in the lake, you can find freshwater sponges - animals that consist only of individual tissues and cell layers.

Lake Baikal has a large volume not due to the huge area. According to this indicator, the natural reservoir occupies only the 7th place in the world. The safety of water is ensured by the huge depths of the lake basin. Baikal is the deepest lake on the planet Earth. In one of the places the bottom is 1642 meters from the water surface. The average depth is 730 meters. To completely fill the bowl of the reservoir, it would be necessary to force all the rivers of the world to give up their flow within 200 days.

According to official data, more than 300 rivers flow into Lake Baikal. But most of them are very small. The width of the inflowing rivers does not exceed 50 meters. There are only 3 large streams that carry their waters to the lake. Only one river flows out of the lake - the Angara.

There are 36 islands scattered across the water surface. The area of ​​the largest piece of land, Olkhon, is 730 km². On its banks there are 2 fishing villages: Yalga and Khuzhir.

Along the southern coast runs the Circum-Baikal Railway- the most complex engineering structure, during the construction of which several dozen tunnels, viaducts and bridges were erected.

The main problem of the lake is the difficulty of protecting flora and fauna from poachers. Because of large area a reservoir and adjacent lands, the presence of many small bays and bays on the coast, it is very difficult to track down violators of the laws even with modern technical means of searching for boats and people.

Rest in 2019 on Lake Baikal

Dozens of resort towns and villages are scattered along the banks. The largest of them are:

• Listyanka- a village located at the source of the Angara. It houses the only museum dedicated to the lake. Also in the village and its environs, tourists will like the St. Nicholas Church, built in the 19th century, and the Taltsy architectural and ethnographic complex, where you can learn birch bark weaving and clay modeling.
  
• is a small town on the southwest coast. It is famous in Russia due to the presence of a railway station built of marble - the starting point of the Circum-Baikal Railway and the mineralogical museum.
  
• Goryachinsk- the oldest resort of the lake. It was founded at the end of the 18th century by order of Catherine II. Its springs are great for healing, and the picturesque sandy bay is great for taking great photos. Pictures with images of this resort can be found in guidebooks published in the 19th century.
  
• Big Cats- a village located at a distance of several kilometers from Listvyanka. It boasts the presence of an aquarium of the Institute of Biology and old vertical mines, in which gold was mined more than 100 years ago.
  
• - a unique place, the only corner of the Mediterranean climate in Siberia. It is great for summer holidays with "savages" in tents, with bonfires and guitars.
  

Buses or commuter trains run regularly to these health resorts. The rest of the points can only be reached by car or fixed-route taxis. The remoteness of the resort from major transport hubs dictates the level of prices. So the highest cost of accommodation in guest houses and recreation centers is observed in Slyudyanka, the lowest - in settlements on the northeastern coast of the lake.

What to do on the pond and near it?

Drink mineral water. Some of the resorts of Lake Baikal (Goryachinsk, Khakusy, Dzelinda) are balneological. People with diseases of the musculoskeletal system, nervous, genitourinary, cardiovascular systems can take healing baths and drink mineral water in these places.

Visit excursions. Routes of several hundred excursions are laid along the shores of Lake Baikal. Conventionally, all walks that are conducted by guides from the Irkutsk region and the Republic of Buryatia can be divided into:

• ethnographic;
• local history;
• historical;
• natural history.

Most of the excursions are conducted by residents of the coast of the reservoir. They are happy to show travelers places where you can take great photos.

Go hiking. Hikes of all categories of difficulty are conducted along hiking trails, through forests and mountains located near Lake Baikal. They last from 2 to 30 days. Such trials provide an opportunity to see with your own eyes all the beauty of nature, get a lot of pleasant impressions and acquire some skills necessary for survival (learn how to make fires, cook food in the open air, cross rivers).

Have a good time on cruises. Several thousand cruises take place on the water surface of the lake every year. Some of them aim to show tourists the most Beautiful places reservoirs and attractions that are located on the shores of Lake Baikal, and some are entirely devoted to fishing. Cruise routes of the first type are built so that travelers can survey the waters and bays, visit the most famous museums located near the reservoir. The cost of tours of the second type includes the rental of fishing equipment and the services of experienced rangers who know where to find the most valuable and delicious Baikal fish.

Buy and burn. The beaches of Lake Baikal are places that are great for swimming and getting an even tan. Most of the cozy corners of the coast are covered with fine-grained sand. In summer, when the water near the beaches warms up to + 17-19 ° C, everyone has the opportunity to swim and feel the purity and strength of this great lake with their own body.

Learn extreme sports. Baikal is one of the favorite places for Russian extreme sportsmen. In summer, amateurs train on the water surface of the lake:

• surfing;
• windsurfing;
• kiting;
• diving;
• snorkeling.

Every year in March, competitions are held on the ice of the reservoir in:

• karting;
• motocross;
• quadcross;
• speedway
• enduro.

Parachuting competitions are taking place in the skies over Baikal at this time.

Lake Baikal is one of the most popular tourist destinations in . Every year, tens of thousands of tourists come here from various parts of the world, not only from Russia, but from all over the world. The region is rich in sights, flora, fauna and mysteries. Many interesting facts are connected with Lake Baikal, and it is also included in the list of Wonders of Russia.

Lake Baikal: description, photo and video

Lake Baikal has a truly impressive size. It covers an area of ​​more than 30 thousand square meters. The depth of Lake Baikal is 1620 meters, which makes it the deepest lake in the world. By the way, the maximum in Abkhazia is only 130 meters. The average depth of Lake Baikal is 744 meters. Depending on the season and weather, the transparency of lake water can be 40 meters.

It is 636 kilometers long and almost 80 kilometers wide. The entire coastline is 2,000 kilometers long. Many are interested in the question How many rivers flow into Lake Baikal? Despite its impressive size, it feeds only one river - the Angara.

Photo of Lake Baikal

Exact time of appearance Lake Baikal unknown. According to some estimates, he is about 30-35 million years old. At the same time, the bottom of Baikal is constantly in the process of transformation due to earthquakes. The first Russian settlements here date back to the end of the 17th century.

The water of Lake Baikal is its main advantage. It contains huge volumes of oxygen and a very minimal percentage of organics and minerals. In the warm season, water can reach a temperature of 23 degrees, as on, but the average figures in summer period are kept within 9 degrees, which is comparable to.

Photo of Lake Baikal in winter

Baikal ice is also highly transparent. It freezes in January and opens in late spring. The average thickness of the ice cover is 1 meter, but in severe winters it can reach 2 meters. body of water with big amount water significantly affects the climate. For example, winter comes here with a 2-week delay and is much milder than in neighboring regions. Summer, on the other hand, is cooler. Baikal is also rich in sunny days. In total, according to this indicator, the region can give odds to many resorts on.

Over 2,000 people live in the waters of Lake Baikal various kinds animals, including those that are found exclusively here. Valuable fish species are found in oxygen-rich water - pike, taimen, sturgeon, grayling, etc. The flora is also varied. Pine, cedar, spruce and many other species grow in local forests. In 1999, a law was developed on Lake Baikal, and in 1996 it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Where is Lake Baikal located?

Lake Baikal has an oblong shape from the southwest to the northeast. On the map, it looks like a crescent or "comma", and some see it as a smile. Where is Lake Baikal located? It is located practically in the center of the Eurasian continent, in the southern region of Eastern Siberia, in Central Asia.

• Latitude - 53°01’12″
• Longitude - 108°41’03″

Lake Baikal on the map

The basin of the lake is located in an ancient depression of glacial origin. It, in turn, was formed in the Baikal mountainous region, surrounded by impenetrable forests and mountain ranges.

How to get to Lake Baikal?

In ancient times, getting to Baikal, covered with swampy swamps, forests and mountains, was not an easy task. Now, thanks to progress, it is not difficult. How to get to Lake Baikal? You can get here in three ways:

• by plane;
• by rail;
• on personal transport.

The latter option is most suitable for those living in Siberia, although there are travelers who come by car from the western and Far Eastern regions of Russia. The closest cities to Baikal with airports are Ulan-Ude and Irkutsk. They are located on opposite sides, so you have to choose which side of the lake to see.

Ulan-Ude Airport receives flights from the capital every day. Flight time is 5 hours. Since the fall of 2017, the Pobeda airline has been flying here. As a result, ticket prices have dropped significantly. From Ulan-Ude to the lake - 80 kilometers. You can get to the lake by minibus, car or train. In the first case, transport goes to the village of Gremyachinsk, located on the east coast, and by rail you can get to the south coast. Approximate travel time is 2 hours.

Irkutsk Airport also receives flights from many major cities. Walks from the regional center to the lake public transport, and in summer there is a water connection to Olkhon Island. There are also trains to Irkutsk and Ulan-Ude. Travel time - 4 days. The ticket price is slightly less than by plane. When traveling to western part Lakes can be stood at the Slyudanka station. Russian Railways has a dynamic pricing system, by purchasing a ticket in advance, you can save a significant part of the budget.

Travel on Lake Baikal is a whole adventure. The lake is removed from the capital as much as 5 thousand kilometers. The main part of the route runs along the federal highways M-7 and M-53. During this time, you will have to pass through a large number of cities and change 5 time zones. In order not to go astray, it is advisable to get a navigator or see the location of Lake Baikal on a map of Russia.

Rock Shamanka (also Cape Burkhan, Shamansky Cape, Cave Cape) - a cape in the middle part of the western coast of Olkhon Island, on Lake Baikal

According to drivers, the road to Baikal is generally quite good, but there are also difficult sections.

When is the best time to visit Lake Baikal?

Lake Baikal wonderful at any time of the year. There is always something to do here. The hottest months are July and August. For winter entertainment, it is better to go at the end of winter-beginning of spring, when the ice is strong and transparent. The most popular season for relaxing on the lake is summer. At this time, almost all sights are available, it is possible to carry out hiking trips with tents, rafting on the rivers, go on a cruise.

Autumn on Baikal comes in the second decade of September. This is the perfect time for photography. beautiful scenery. Throughout the autumn, the weather on Lake Baikal is windless and sunny. On new year holidays and Christmas on the lake a fabulous atmosphere reigns. Fresh air, an incredible sky dotted with hundreds of stars and a snow-white blanket can surprise anyone.

In May, Baikal nature comes to life, the first flowers and leaves appear. Freezing can be observed at the end of May.

What to see in the surroundings?

Lake Baikal is the most popular tourist destination. There are many attractions in its vicinity, which will take more than one week to visit. Some of the must-see places include:

1. Listvyanka village. It is located at the mouth of the Angara River and is popularly considered the capital of Baikal. In winter, there is a ski complex and a sled dog center. The village has a museum with a large number of exhibits and nerpinaria. Listvyanka is rich in hills from which a beautiful panorama of the lake opens. Also on the territory of the village there is an observatory for observing the sun.
2. Ethnographic and cultural complex "Taltsy". It is located near Irkutsk. On its territory, the life of local peoples is equipped. The territory of the complex is 70 hectares. Many excursions and master classes are available for tourists.
3. Sandy Bay. This is one of business cards Baikal. Almost no selection of photographs about the lake is complete without it. The main attraction of the bay is the stilted trees. In the process of erosion, their roots were washed away and now, like giants, on thin legs, they rise above the coast. Near Peschanaya, there are two bays Vnuchka and Babushka, between which Cape Grandfather is located. Also within walking distance is Balanya Rock - a favorite place for seagulls.
4. Khuzhir. No wonder Baikal is often associated with the sea. You can only realize this by swimming on it. The biggest island on Lake Baikal- Olkhon. Its capital is the village of Khuzhir. Tourists can see traditional dwellings and try local Buryat cuisine.

This is just a small list of what can be seen here. Lake Baikal - it's not just a vacation , but also unforgettable emotions. There are not enough words in the world to describe its beauty. You don't need to write about such sights, you need to see them.

How beautiful Baikal is! Perhaps everyone in the world has heard about this lake at least once. And many residents of the CIS even saw him. Such popularity is justified, because Baikal is not an ordinary place. This is the deepest body of water in the world! There are also a lot of other interesting facts, which we will consider below.

Geography

The lake is located in the south of Eastern Siberia in Russia at the intersection of the Irkutsk region and Buryatia. It has the shape of a crescent, stretching as far as 620 kilometers. And in width it occupies from 25 to 80 km. Baikal is one of the ten largest lakes in the world. The area of ​​its smooth surface is approximately 30 thousand km², and the length of the coastline is approximately 2 thousand km. But the most interesting fact: Baikal is the deepest lake on Earth! Its deepest part is located at a distance of 1642 meters. The depression of the lake is also considered one of the deepest in the world among other continental depressions. The average depth is 745 meters.

Story

It is known that Baikal was formed 25-35 million years ago as one of the remaining reservoirs after the disappearance of the ancient ocean. Surprisingly, most of the lakes of that time have not survived to this day, but have turned into swampy areas. There are several theories for the formation of such a deep depression, but changes are still ongoing. From time to time, small earthquakes occur near the shores of the lake, but they are usually invisible to people.

The first settlers began to live here around 2000 BC. These were Mongolian tribes, and then the Turkic-Siberian culture began to appear here. At the end of the first millennium of our era, the ancestors of modern Buryats began to settle, who live near Lake Baikal to this day.

Animal and plant world

Baikal has incredibly rich flora and fauna. It is home to approximately 2.6 thousand species of plants, animals and fish. Many of them belong to such creatures that live only in this lake (about 1700 species of representatives of flora and fauna). For example, 27 species of fish are definitely nowhere else to be found, except for this reservoir. There are also the so-called Baikal seals (in other words, seals).

Separately, it is worth highlighting the Baikal epishura. This is a species of plankton that makes up 80% of all zooplankton here. These creatures play an incredibly important role for the lake. They purify the water. Since there are a lot of them, this can explain why Baikal is considered an incredibly clean freshwater lake, the water of which can be drunk. But, as you know, there is very weak mineralization, but a large amount of oxygen.

Climate

The lake greatly influences the coastal climate. It has mostly cool summers and mild winters. Spring comes later than in places farther from the water.

Due to its depth, the lake does not have time to warm up in summer. Usually, even on the warmest days, the water temperature does not exceed + 10°C, so people usually do not swim here. And also, despite the fact that this is a lake, not a sea, there are sometimes storms here. It is noteworthy that there are winds here that have been given their names. They operate only on the territory of the lake. For example, sarma, kultuk, verkhovik, etc.

It is known that due to the long autumn, ice begins to appear only in December, and it completely hardens in a month. But everything starts to melt in March.

And other interesting facts about Baikal for children

• Almost 20% of fresh water is contained in this reservoir (approximately 23,000 km³).
• About 300 rivers flow into the lake, but only one flows out - the Angara.
• To determine the exact figure of the deepest point, an incredibly many measurements were made (more than 1 million).
• one more interesting fact about Baikal, one can consider that the water here is incredibly clear and clean, so it is easy to see a depth of up to 40 meters.
• UNESCO in 1996 added the lake to the list of objects world heritage.
• There are many on the coast national parks and reserves.
• Here you can often see long sunshine.
• Baikal used to be called the Holy Sea. And the current name of the lake comes from the Turkic language. There are several assumptions about the translation (mainly from the Buryat or Yakut language), but the exact history of the origin of the name is unknown.
• On the shores, cedars and larches are often found, whose age is more than 200-300 years.
• Unfortunately, Baikal has such a problem as environmental pollution. Every year the water becomes a little dirtier due to the rivers flowing into it, bringing with them a lot of harmful substances from big cities and industrial plants. And also there is poaching, illegal fishing, deforestation and more.

Instead of a conclusion

Perhaps Baikal deserves to be visited by every person. Such a large beautiful clean lake cannot but bewitch. The water is clear, clean, it is noticeable by how deep you can see the stones at the bottom. It is also the deepest lake in the world. Here you can have a great rest, look at the bewitching views, but it will be a little cold for swimming.

Tourism is very developed here, so do not forget that, like any natural object, Baikal needs protection. Do not litter and pollute what is famous for its cleanliness. The lake is very ancient, but it will most likely exist for a very long time.

Lake Baikal - what is it like?

In outline, Baikal looks like a narrow crescent, so easy to remember that it can be easily found on the map of Russia even by those who are not particularly strong in geography. Stretching from the southwest to the northeast for as much as 636 kilometers, Baikal seems to squeeze between mountain ranges, and its water surface is at an altitude of more than 450 meters above sea level, which gives every reason to consider it a mountain lake. From the west, the Baikal and Primorsky ridges adjoin it, from the east and southeast - the massifs of Ulan-Burgasy, Khamar-Daban and Barguzinsky. And this whole natural landscape is so harmonious that it is difficult to imagine one without the other.

More Oleg Kirillovich Gusev (1930-2012), candidate of biological sciences, professional hunter, Chief Editor the oldest magazine in Russia "Hunting and Hunting" and the author of several books on the problems of preserving the unique nature of this lake, wrote: "Baikal gives us great joy and great pleasure." And he added: “It strikes with its monumental style and the beautiful, eternal and powerful that is inherent in its very nature”, emphasizing that the more you get close to it, the more tempting it becomes, and the more clearly you understand that Baikal is unique and charmingly inimitable. Anyone who visits here at least once can be convinced of the veracity of these words.

lake depth

The depth of the lake is truly impressive - 1637 meters. According to this indicator, Baikal surpasses such largest water bodies as Tanganyika (1470 m), the Caspian Sea (1025 m), San Martin (836 m), Nyasa (706 m), Issyk-Kul (702 m) and the Great Slave Lake (614 m). m). The remaining deepest lakes in the world, twenty-two in total, are less than 600 meters deep. A climatic conditions on Baikal, as they say, to match its unique features: here the sun scorches mercilessly and cold winds blow, then storms rage and the quietest weather sets in, conducive to beach holidays.

Features and mysteries of Baikal

The coastline of the Siberian "crescent" is 2100 km long, it has 27 islands, the largest of which is Olkhon. The lake is located in a kind of basin, which, as mentioned above, is surrounded on all sides by mountain ranges and hills. This gives reason to assume that the coastline of the reservoir is the same throughout. In fact, only the western coast of Baikal is rocky and steep. The relief of the eastern one is more gentle: in some places the mountain peaks are at a distance of 10 or more kilometers from the coast.

Lake Baikal water

23,615.39 km³ - such a fantastic figure measures the reserves of Baikal water. According to this indicator, the lake is second only to the Caspian Sea. Considering that in the latter it is salty, it is Baikal that occupies the first line of the world ranking in terms of fresh water reserves, that is, suitable for drinking water. In addition, it is extremely transparent, and all thanks to a very small amount of suspended and dissolved minerals, not to mention organic impurities - they are generally negligible here. At a depth of up to 35-40 meters, you can even distinguish individual stones, especially in spring, when the water turns blue. It also has a huge supply of oxygen. It is not for nothing that Baikal is called the national treasure of Russia for the combination of such unique properties and qualities.

The water in Baikal is very clean. Previously, it could be drunk directly from the lake and not even boiled. But now crowds of tourists have rushed to Lake Baikal, which still pollute this area, so now, before drinking Baikal water, you should ask the locals where this can be done.

Baikal ice

The time of freezing on the lake lasts on average from the beginning of January to the beginning of May. During this period, it freezes almost completely. The only exception is a small 15-20-kilometer section located at the source of the Angara. At the end of winter, the ice thickness can reach 1 meter, and even more in the bays - one and a half to two meters. In severe frosts, huge cracks form on the ice, which are called here “stand cracks”. They are so impressive that they can reach from 10 to 30 km in length. The width, however, is small: only 2-3 m. Such “slits” literally tear the ice cover into separate fields. If it were not for the cracks, the formation of which is accompanied by a loud sound, like a cannon shot, then the lake fish would die en masse from a lack of oxygen.

Baikal ice has a number of other features that are unique to it, and truly mysterious, which scientists have not been able to explain. Back in the middle of the last century, specialists from the local limnological station discovered the so-called "hills" - hollow ice hills in the shape of a cone, reaching a height of 5-6 meters. Being "open" to the side opposite the shore, they even somewhat resemble tents. Sometimes there are "solitary hills", that is, located separately from each other. In some cases, they are grouped, forming "mountain ranges" in miniature.

Dark rings on the lake

Another mystery is the dark rings, the diameter of which is 5-7 km (moreover, the width of the lake itself is 80 km). They have nothing to do with the "belt of Saturn", although they were also discovered through satellite imagery. Satellite photographs of amazing formations, taken back in 2009 in different parts of Lake Baikal, went around the entire Internet. Scientists puzzled for a long time: what could it be? And they came to the conclusion that the rings arise due to the rise of deep waters and an increase in the temperature of the upper layer in the center of the ring structure. And as a result, a clockwise flow arises, reaching in some zones maximum speeds. As a result, vertical water exchange increases, provoking the destruction of the ice cover in an accelerated mode.

Bottom of Baikal

It is impossible not to say about the bottom of the amazing reservoir. It also differs from others, and above all in that it has a very pronounced relief - there are even underwater mountain ranges here. The three main basins of the lake - northern, southern and middle, separated by the Akademichesky and Selenginsky ridges - are distinguished by a pronounced bed. The first ridge (its maximum height above the bottom is 1848 meters) is especially expressive: it stretches for as much as 100 km from Olkhon Island to the Ushkany Islands.

earthquakes

Another feature of these places is high seismic activity. Fluctuations of the earth's crust here occur regularly, but the strength of most earthquakes does not exceed one or two points. But there have been powerful ones in the past. For example, in 1862, when a ten-point “shake” led to the sinking of an entire piece of land in the northern part of the Selenga delta, one of the many tributaries of Baikal, under water. Its area was 200 km, about 1500 people lived in this territory. Later, a bay formed here, which is called the Failure. Strong earthquakes also occurred in 1903, 1950, 1957 and 1959. The epicenter of the latter, 9-point, was at the bottom of the lake in the area rural settlement Dry. The aftershocks were then also felt in Irkutsk and Ulan-Ude - about 5-6 points. In our time, the region was shaking in 2008 and 2010: the strength of the tremors was 9 and 6.1 points, respectively.

Origin of Lake Baikal

Lake Baikal still hides the secret of its origin. Researchers often argue about its age, coming to the conclusion that it is at least 25-35 million years. The indicator is impressive, especially considering that the life cycle of most lakes, and primarily of glacial origin, does not exceed 10-15 thousand years. After this period, they either become swampy or filled with silty sediments. With Baikal, nothing like this has happened and is not happening. And, according to scientists, is unlikely to happen in the future. The lack of signs of aging is explained by the fact that the lake is ... a nascent ocean. The hypothesis did not arise out of the blue: as it turned out, its banks move away from each other by 2 cm every year.

Flora and fauna

An interesting fact: the purity of Baikal water - by the way, very cold (the temperature of the surface layers even in the warm season does not exceed an average of + 8-9 ° C) - is maintained by the microscopic crustacean epishura, one of the most famous local endemics. In the course of its life, this 1.5 mm crustacean consumes organic matter (algae), passing water through its small organism. The role of epishura in the ecosystem of the lake can hardly be overestimated: it forms 90 or more percent of its biomass, serving in turn as food for the Baikal omul and predatory invertebrates. In the processes of self-purification of Lake Baikal, oligochaetes or oligochaetes also play a significant role, 84.5 percent of which are endemic.

Of the 2600 species and subspecies of the local fauna, more than half of the aquatic animals are endemic, that is, living exclusively in this lake. Among the fish, one can also distinguish grayling, Baikal sturgeon, whitefish, taimen, pike, burbot and others. Of particular interest is the golomyanka, which, from a human point of view, “suffers” from obesity: its body contains about 30% fat. She loves to eat so much that in search of food every day she makes a “journey” from the depths to shallow water, which surprises researchers a lot. This underwater inhabitant is also unique in that it belongs to viviparous fish. The distant "neighbors" of golomyankas can be called freshwater sponges growing at great depths. Their presence here is an exclusive phenomenon: they are not found in any other lake.

If the biosphere of the lake is presented in the form of a pyramid, then it will be crowned by the Baikal seal or seal, which is the only mammal in this reservoir. Almost all the time he lives in the water. The only exception is autumn, when seals lie en masse on rocky shores, forming a kind of "settlement". Many other inhabitants of Baikal also explore the coast and islands, for example, gulls, goldeneyes, shelducks, mergansers, white-tailed eagles and other birds. Typical for these places is such a phenomenon as access to the coast, and in en masse, brown bears. And in the mountainous Baikal taiga you can meet musk deer - the smallest deer on Earth.

Attractions of Baikal

Lake Baikal is so majestic that it is often called the Siberian Sea. In 1996, it was included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. But not only due to the unique ecosystem that requires careful treatment - there are also many historical and architectural sights, not to mention natural and cultural monuments.

One of them is located near the lake, at the source of the Angara, a reserved rock called the Shaman-stone. It can be seen in the middle of the river, between capes Rogatka and Ustyansky. If you focus on the line of the Port-Baikal ferry crossing, then the rock will be 800 meters lower. Since ancient times, the Shaman-stone was endowed by the inhabitants of the Angara region with unusual power, they prayed near it and performed various shamanic rites.

Between the mainland and the Svyatoy Nos peninsula is perhaps the most famous bay on Baikal - Chivyrkuisky. Its area is approximately 300 km², it is the second largest on the lake, and it is also shallow (about 10 m deep). Thanks to the latter circumstance, the water in the bay warms up well, on average up to +24 degrees. On the southwestern coast there are such settlements as Kurbulik, Katun and Monakhovo. The main wealth of the bay is fish resources. Here you can find pike, perch, horned catfish, the weight of which can reach tens of kilograms. However, fishing on an industrial scale is prohibited - only amateur. The Chivyrkuisky Bay is also known for its thermal spring, one of the hottest: the temperature of the water used to treat diseases of the musculoskeletal system ranges from 38.5-45.5 ° C. The source is located in the Zmeina Bay, on the western side.

On the northeastern coast of Lake Baikal there is a tract belonging to the natural-geographical region of Podlemorye. It is called Frolikha and includes the river of the same name, which flows into the Baikal Frolikha Bay and flows out of the lake with the same name. In the river valley - its channel, by the way, crosses the well-known tourist route 95 km long - there is the Frolikhinsky nature reserve. Together with the Trans-Baikal National Park and the Barguzinsky Reserve, it is subordinate to the federal budgetary state institution "Reserved Podlemorye".

Other attractions:

• Northern Baikal is the last site on the great lake, the nature of which, due to the remoteness and lack of roads, retains its originality,
• Barguzinsky Bay is the largest and deepest in Baikal,
• Ushkany Islands is a small archipelago with rocky shores in the Barguzinsky district of Buryatia,
• Peschanaya Bay, known for its unique beauty,
• Cape Ryty is the northernmost point of the coast, where there are extensive pastures, and one of the most anomalous places,
• Cape Ludar, located near the old village of Zabaikalskoye,
• Chersky Peak - from its slopes the Slyudanka and Bezymyannaya rivers begin, flowing into Baikal,
• The Circum-Baikal Railway, which has historical significance.

Rest on Baikal

It was along the Circum-Baikal Railway in the 80s of the XX century that the Bureau of International Youth Tourism "Sputnik" (Irkutsk) developed the first ecological tour. Since that time, ecotourism on Baikal has been actively developing, despite the fact that the tourist infrastructure is not well developed here, there are some transport difficulties. There are also problems associated with pollution. environment emissions from the Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill. But all of them are to some extent compensated by the activities for the creation and arrangement of excursion trails, regularly carried out by the tourist organizations of the region.

The most favorable time for relaxing on the lake is from May to October. You can swim in July and August, since these months are the hottest - the air warms up to + 30 ° C, shallow water - up to + 25 ° C. Vacation on Lake Baikal will satisfy the needs of even the most demanding tourists. beach holiday, bike and car tours, hiking along the coast, rafting on catamarans and kayaks, quad biking and even helicopter tours - these are far from complete list what travel agencies offer to their customers. Climbing coastal cliffs and descending into caves are popular.

Fishing

Fishing should be mentioned separately. Many amateurs fish from the rocks adjacent to the lake. The most reckless anglers prefer to settle in specialized bases, of which there are many, and which differ different levels comfort. They go fishing on rented vessels. The most popular places for fishing on Baikal are the already mentioned Chivyrkuisky Bay, Mukhor Bay, the shallow bays of the Small Sea and, of course, the rivers flowing into it. The largest of them (besides the Selenga) are the Upper Angara, Snezhnaya, Barguzin, Kichera, Turka, Buguldeyka and Goloustnaya. And only one river flows out of the lake - the Angara.

Fishing, only now under the ice, finds its fans in the winter season, which here lasts from late December to mid-May. Fans of the "second Russian hunt" are helped by professional instructors: without them, it is difficult for inexperienced fishermen to do in an unusual transparent ice correct hole. They willingly share the secrets of how to organize a comfortable stay in the conditions of 40-degree frosts, which are not uncommon for Baikal. And those who do not want to test their health with extreme cold, go underwater fishing in March and April. At this time, the ice is still strong, and the air temperature begins to reach positive levels.

Winter sports

Of winter entertainment, tourists are also offered dog sledding (the routes are very different both in complexity and length), snowmobile rides (excursion programs are also different and depend on the level of preparedness of the riders), riding skiing, sledges and snowboards (you can rent ski equipment at numerous rental points on the coast). In winter, as, indeed, in summer, helicopter excursions are held in high esteem among vacationers, giving unforgettable impressions for a lifetime.

Children and youth tourism

Sufficiently developed on Baikal and children's tourism involving rest in summer camps. We will immediately please parents: your children will not be bored here. Staying in a children's institution involves a rich excursion and creative program, including the holding of sanatorium and health-improving events at specialized bases. One of the most convenient places on Baikal for recreation with young children is Mandarkhan Bay. It seems as if it was specially created by nature for this purpose: it is very shallow, and in summer there is perhaps the warmest water here and children do not risk catching a cold.

The youth is not left unattended. For her interregional public organization"Great Baikal Trail", created in 2003, various international programs taking into account the specifics and needs of the age of up to 30. For example, the arrangement and reconstruction of ecological paths, the holding of educational lectures on the topic of nature protection. Schoolchildren are also actively involved as listeners of the latter.

Video: The underwater world of Lake Baikal

Hotels and recreation centers on Lake Baikal

Many tourists come to rest on Baikal, as they say, savages, getting on their cars. They choose a place they like on the coast and stop there, spending the night in tents. There are very few campsites specially equipped for motorists on the lake. If you plan to stop at such a site, you should take into account that there may not be firewood and basic amenities (for example, a toilet) in this place. Therefore, think in advance about how you will “survive”.

Such experiences will be spared by those who prefer to travel in comfort, even minimal. At their service are many hotels, recreation centers and guest houses scattered along the entire coast of Lake Baikal. Moreover, each tourist will be able to find the most suitable accommodation option for him - taking into account, of course, individual preferences and financial capabilities. Forced to upset the bohemian public: five-star hotels with the highest level there is no service here. She, like "mere mortals", will have to be content with ordinary rooms with all amenities. Another note: some recreation centers accept tourists only in the summer.

Tourists traveling on their own run the risk of running into unscrupulous intermediaries when booking a hotel room or recreation center. To prevent this from happening, book a hotel room only through proven and reliable services, which will not only save you from scammers, but also allow you to rent a room at the lowest cost, without unnecessary markups. We recommend Booking.com, one of the first and most popular online hotel booking systems.

How to get there

There are various ways to get to Baikal. The starting point, as a rule, is the nearby large cities: Irkutsk, Ulan-Ude, Severobaikalsk. Tourists first come to one of these settlements and plan their further route in detail there. The trip on the section of the Trans-Siberian Railway between Ulan-Ude and Irkutsk is especially memorable: the lake stretches right outside the train windows and you can admire its magical panorama for hours.

One of the most popular tourist destinations on the Siberian Sea is the village of Listvyanka, located at the source of the Angara, 65 km from Irkutsk. From the regional center you can get here by bus or boat, the travel time is a little more than an hour. All water transport routes originate in Irkutsk, plying not only on Baikal, but also on the Angara.

The shores of Lake Baikal diverge annually by 2 centimeters

Lake features

The lake is located in a seismological zone; several hundred earthquakes a year occur in its vicinity. For the most part, the intensity is 1-2 points on the MSK-64 scale. The predominant part of tremors can be determined only by highly sensitive equipment. The transformation of Baikal continues to this day.

Baikal winds give pronounced features to the local climate. They often blow up a storm on the lake and have memorable names: barguzin, sarma, verkhovik and kultuk. The water mass affects the atmosphere of the coastal area. Spring here comes 10-15 days later than in neighboring areas. Autumn drags on for a long time. Summers tend to be cool, and winters are not very frosty.

Two large lakes and many streams create the main stream that flows into Baikal. The Selenga River, which flows from Mongolia, provides most of the inflow from the southeast side. The second large tributary is from the eastern bank, from the Barguzin River. The Angara is the only river flowing from Lake Baikal.

The purest waters of Lake Baikal make up 19% of the world's reserves fresh water

The water contains a minimum amount of mineral salts and is abundantly saturated with oxygen to the very bottom. In winter and spring, it is blue and becomes the most transparent. In summer and autumn, it acquires a blue-green hue and is warmed up by the sun to the maximum. Many plant and animal species form in warm water, so its transparency decreases to 8–10 m.

In winter, the surface of the lake is covered with a layer of ice, dotted with many kilometers of cracks. Explosions occur with a piercing crack, resembling cannon salvos or thunder. They divide the ice surface into separate fields. Cracks help fish not to die due to lack of oxygen under the ice. The sun's rays penetrate through the transparent ice. This contributes to the development of planktonic algae that release oxygen. Baikal freezes almost completely, not counting the area near the upper reaches of the Angara.

Baikal as an ecosystem

More than 3,500 species of animals and plants live in water and on land. Numerous studies often discover new species, the list of inhabitants continues to grow. About 80% of the fauna are endemic, found exclusively in Lake Baikal and nowhere else on earth.

The shores are mountainous, covered with forests; around the game is impenetrable, hopeless. An abundance of bears, sables, wild goats and all kinds of wild stuff ...

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov

Baikal has a large number of valuable fish: sturgeon, burbot, pike, grayling, taimen, whitefish, omul and others. 80% of the zooplankton biomass of the lake is epishura crustacean, which is endemic. It passes through itself and filters water. Living at the bottom of the viviparous golomyanka fish, it looks unusual and contains more than 30% fat. Biologists are surprised by its constant movement from the depths to shallow water. Freshwater sponges grow at the bottom.

According to the stories of local residents, until the 12th-13th centuries, the Baikal region was inhabited by the Mongolian-speaking Barguts. Then, Buryats began to actively settle on the western coast of the lake and in Transbaikalia. Cossack Kurbat Ivanov became the Russian discoverer of Baikal. The first Russian-speaking settlements appeared at the end of the 17th - beginning of the 18th centuries.

Mysteries of Lake Baikal

The crystal waters of Lake Baikal hide many mysteries. Often legends and stories about the lake maneuver on the verge of mysticism and real stories. The researchers found at the bottom of Lake Baikal a lot of meteorite fragments and inexplicable linear arrangements of pitfalls. Some believe that the waters of the lake hold Pandora's casket and the magic crystal of Kali-We. Others claim that the gold reserves of Kolchak and the gold reserves of Genghis Khan are hidden here. There are witnesses who claim that a UFO track passes over the lake.

The ice cover hides many secrets, forcing scientists to draw hypothetical conclusions. Specialists of the Baikal Limnological Station found unique forms of ice cover that are unique to Baikal. Among them: "sokuy", "kolobovnik", "autumn". Ice hills are similar in shape to tents and have a hole with reverse side from the shore. Satellite imagery reveals dark rings. Scientists believe that they are formed due to the rise of deep waters and an increase in the temperature of the water surface.

There are still scientific disputes about the origin of Baikal. According to one version put forward by the doctor of geological and mineralogical sciences A.V. Tatarinov in 2009, after the second stage of the Worlds expedition, the lake is considered young. Scientists have studied the activity of mud volcanoes on the bottom surface. After that, they made an assumption: the age of the deep-water part is 150 thousand years, and the modern coastline is only 8 thousand years. The oldest lake on earth does not show any signs of aging, like other similar reservoirs. According to the results of recent research, some experts are inclined to conclude that Baikal can become a new ocean.

Recreation and tourism on Baikal

Favorable time for recreation on Lake Baikal is from mid-July to mid-August. At other times, it becomes cold in the coastal area, and the conditions are more suitable for fans of extreme recreation. But even in summer, a cyclone sometimes comes with a cold wind, sharp temperature drops day and night. An important condition safe rest is a detailed study of the travel route.

The Circum-Baikal Railway, Sandy Bay, Listvyanka village, the coast of the Small Sea, Sandy Bay, the western coast of Olkhon, the coast near the city of Severobaikalsk are named the most visited vacation spots. Other places that can be reached by SUV are also popular.

Baikal, it would seem, should suppress a person with its grandeur and size - everything in it is large, everything is wide, free and mysterious - on the contrary, it elevates him. You experience a rare feeling of elation and spirituality on Baikal, as if, in view of eternity and perfection, the secret seal of these magical concepts touched you, and you were enveloped in the close breath of an omnipotent presence, and a share entered you. magical secret of all things. You already seem to be marked and distinguished by the fact that you are standing on this shore, breathing this air and drinking this water. Nowhere else will you have the feeling of such a complete and so desired fusion with nature and penetration into it: you will be intoxicated by this air, swirled and carried away over this water so soon that you will not even have time to come to your senses; you will visit such protected areas that we never dreamed of; and you will return with tenfold hope: there, ahead, is the promised life...

Valentin Grigorievich Rasputin