Lake Baikal essentials

Lake Baikal is the world's deepest and oldest freshwater lake, containing 20% of Earth's unfrozen surface water. This collection highlights the region's cultural and natural landmarks, including the 17th-century wooden architecture at Taltsy, the sacred Shaman Rock at the Angara River source, and the unique freshwater seals at the Listvyanka Nerpinarium. Explore the diverse landscapes of Olkhon Island, from the vertical cliffs of Cape Khoboy to the erosion-sculpted stilted trees of Peschanaya Bay.

Lake Baikal Essentials — Map

Suicup / CC BY-SA 3.0

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Lake Baikal

Lake Baikal is a rift lake in Russia. It is situated in southern Siberia, between the federal subjects of Irkutsk Oblast to the northwest…

B

Ostrov Olhon

The largest island on Lake Baikal and a central site for Buryat shamanism. Its terrain includes taiga, steppe, and sand dunes, with the central village of Khuzhir serving as the main settlement.

Аркадий Зарубин / CC BY-SA 3.0

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cape Burkhan

Shaman Rock, Cape Burhan, or Shamanka is a rock, on Olkhon Island, Lake Baikal, Russia.

Alexander Klink / CC BY 4.0

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Irkutskij arhitekturno-etnograficeskij muzej <<Talcy>>

An open-air ethnographic museum featuring over 40 monuments of Siberian wooden architecture. The site includes reconstructed 17th-century farmsteads, a wooden fortress, and traditional dwellings of the indigenous Evenk and Buryat peoples.

Andrei Chugunov / CC BY-SA 4.0

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Baikal National Park

Pribaikalsky National Park covers the southwest coast of Lake Baikal in southeastern Siberia.

Alexander Klink / CC BY 4.0

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Mys Hoboj

The northernmost point of Olkhon Island, known for a distinctive rock formation resembling a woman's profile. It offers views of the lake's widest point and the Barguzin mountain range.

Bogdanov-62 / CC BY-SA 3.0

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Shaman rock

A protected natural monument located at the source of the Angara River. This sacred rock is steeped in local folklore and marks the only point where water flows out of Lake Baikal.

H

Nerpinarij

A specialized aquarium dedicated to the Baikal seal, or nerpa. It provides an opportunity to observe the world's only exclusively freshwater seal species native to the lake.

I

Bukhta Peschanaya

A remote bay accessible only by boat or on foot, famous for its sandy beaches and 'stilted trees'—pines and larches with roots exposed by wind and water erosion.

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Listvanka

A historic settlement on the western shore that serves as the primary gateway to the lake. It is situated at the confluence of the Angara River and Lake Baikal.