Dear Friends:

In the summer of 2008, the Great Baikal Trail Association (GBTA), Earth Island Institute, and Tahoe-Baikal Institute (TBI) will provide a fabulous opportunity for exploring one of the newest World Heritage sites: Lake Baikal. For three weeks late in the summer, GBTA staff will host a trip to this, the fresh-water pearl of the Earth.

Lake Baikal is the oldest and deepest lake in the world - recently recognized as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations. Indigenous people call Baikal the “Sacred Sea” in admiration of its majestic beauty and size. Situated in the southern steppes of Siberia, near the Mongolian border, the lake is surrounded by mountain chains that form sheer walls thousands of feet high.

Lake Baikal is also the most biologically diverse lake in the world. It provides habitat for some 1,500 plant and animal species found nowhere else on earth. This includes the nerpa, the world’s only freshwater species of seal. Our trip will include a unique voyage to Baikal’s remoter islands, where large rocks offer a natural “blind” from which these darkeyed seals can be photographed. One goal of this ecotour is to generate added interest among local peoples at Baikal for protecting these unique marine mammals.

The adventure begins when we gather in the city of Irkutsk - one of the oldest cities in Siberia (founded in 1661). For two days we’ll tour natural and cultural history museums of Irkutsk, as well as the Baikal museum in the shoreline village of Listvyanka, and the Museum of Wooden Architecture, with its original buildings dating back to 17th century.

For the next couple days after that, we’ll visit the village of Bolshoe Goloustnoe, and experience the hospitality and unique culture of western Buryats who live there. Bolshoye Goloustnoye is located in the heart of Pribaikalsky National Park, which runs along Baikal’s western shores.

Then we’ll head back to Irkutsk, and travel by Trans-Siberian railroad to Ulan Ude -the capital of the Buryat Republic. There, in the heart of eastern Siberia, we will spend several days amidst ethnically diverse, Mongolian/ Tibetan cultures. We will visit a Tibetan Buddhist monastery, as well as a traditional Buryat community of yurts.

After Ulan-Ude, we will visit two large and spectacular national parks - the famed Zabaikalski and Baikalski reserves - both located along the shores of Baikal. We will spend some time traveling on a forty-foot boat, exploring the Ushkany Islands, which are inhabited by the nerpa. We will also visit the spectacular Barguzin Valley, described by photographer and tour leader Boyd Norton as “four Jackson Holes rolled into one.” With luck and patience, we may also sight sables, foxes, bears, and wild horses.

Summer is the best time to visit Baikal. This is when the waters are cool and clear, and the hills are colored with native wildflowers and butterflies. Tour participants will be able to spend plenty of time outdoors. In fact, at several points, we will be sleeping on a floating barge or on the beaches of the lake. In the cities and villages, accommodation will be provided in small hotels or in private home-stays (which is a great way to meet new Siberian friends!). Certainly, anyone with a calm and flexible attitude, a love for nature, and a spirit of adventure will enjoy this trip.

Please note: for those who would like to spend several days exploring Moscow prior to this trip to Baikal, we will offer the option of touring Russia’s capital for 3 days starting August 1st, up until the overnight flight to Irkutsk on the evening of the 4th. Special arrangements can be made for tours of the Kremlin and Red Square, as well as Gorky Park and several of the excellent museums in Moscow. One of our trip leaders will be available in Moscow to help with arrangements for those who want to come early and see more of Russia.

The Great Baikal Trail Association and the Tahoe Baikal Institute are sponsoring this trip. Most of the proceeds will go to benefit these non-profit organizations. For more information on these groups, please go to the following web sites: www.tahoebaikal.org and http://greatbaikaltrail.org

Please note that a portion of the proceeds will also go to Pribaikalsky and Zabaikalski National Parks and the Baikalski Nature Reserve, as well as to the fine home-stay hosts in each of the towns surrounding the national parks we visit.

For more information on this ecotour, please see below, or visit our web site at http://www.earthisland.org/ecotours/ecotours/eurasia/baikal/summer.html

Leadership: Boyd Norton, Photographer and author of Baikal: Sacred Sea of Siberia; Elena Agarkova and Ariadna Reida from the Great Baikal Trail. Trip organizer: Gary Cook of Earth Island Inst. (baikalwatch@earthisland.org)

Scheduled Dates: August 4-22, 2008

Cost: $3,980, which does not include international travel from your hometown to Irkutsk; it does cover all on-ground accommodations & transportation at Baikal, as well as food, photographic instruction, naturalists and guides, and interpretation during the period of the ecotour at the lake.

Climate: During August, the weather should be nice enough in the daytime to wear short sleeve shirts. One should count on bringing a warmish jacket, as evenings tend to be cool. Average temperatures are generally in the mid-70s and can range from low 40s to the high 80s.

Trip Difficulty: Anyone in general good health with a calm and flexible attitude can enjoy this expedition. For several days of the trip, participants will have the option of hiking for a distance of 2-3 miles, with a gentle uphill climb of 200 - 300 feet. Altitude should not be a problem since we will not exceed 3,000 feet in elevation above sea-level. Participants should be ready to enjoy camping in rugged conditions (on one of the park boats) for several nights.

We have three main Objectives for the Ecotour:

1-First, we aim to help preserve the unique natural treasures of the Lake Baikal region via the promotion of eco-tourism as an alternative to industrial development in the region. As mentioned above, all the proceeds will go to organizations that were created to protect the environment around the lake. In addition, these ecotours serve as fine examples of how local people can live off their unique environment, sharing it with ecotourists such as the ones on this tour.

2-We also want to bring you, the ecotourist, closer to some of earth’s most pristine forest areas, and also introduce you to the largest lake ecosystem in the world. This tour will give you the chance to view, photograph, and understand the St. Basil’s Cathedral, Red Square significance of some of the most untrammeled natural settings on the planet. This will be Boyd Norton’s, eighth ecotour to Baikal. Boyd will lead us to many scenic spots, and will share the secrets on how to photograph the diverse Siberian landscape, and how to capture the full color of local cultures on film.

3- Finally, we simply want to arrange a fun trip for you all, with the kind of adventures you would expect in this, one of the most remote and most unusual corners of the earth.

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