 |
|
 |
 |
 |
Home page | |||
|
|
Summer volunteer camps | |||
|
|
Tahoe - Baikal Institute | |||
|
|
Educational Programs | |||
|
|
Application online | |||
|
|
 |
|
Monakhovo - Snake Bay - 1
Project dates: July 16 – 29, 2008 Project duration: Two weeks Languages: Russian and English Project Location: Chivyrkuy Gulf, Zabaikalsky National Park (ZNP), Barguzinski Region, Republic of Buryatia, Russia
Chivyrkuy is one of the most beautiful places on Lake Baikal. This remote and peaceful area is framed by the majestic, blue-green Barguzin mountain range to the east and the steep, Holy Nose range to the west. While it is becoming more popular with tourists, it is still fairly remote, inhabited mostly by brown bear, moose, red deer, ermine, sable, muskrat, and alpine hare. Don’t be surprised if feisty Siberian squirrels attack you with pine cones if you disrupt their daily meal of pine nuts while walking through the forest – it’s their home, not ours! ZNP is also an important bird conservation area. Among its rare species are black stork, golden eagle, peregrine falcon, white-tailed sea eagle, and hooded crane. The waters of Chivyrkuy are a fisherman’s paradise - there is omul (a type of salmon endemic to Baikal), whitefish, arctic grayling, burbot, pike and perch, so don’t forget your fishing rod. This project is located near the village of Monakhovo, one of the small fishing villages on the western side of the Chivyrkuy Gulf. There are lots of sunny days, and, by the middle of summer, the water in the bay reaches a comfortable temperature for swimming. About 30 kilometers away at Snake (Zmeievaya) Bay are mineral hot springs, popular among locals and tourists for healing joint problems and simply for soaking. Many Irkutsk and Ulan-Ude families spend their summer vacation here, camping with their children on the shores of Chivyrkuy Gulf. Long-term goals: The overall goal of the project is the construction of a 25 km trail from Monakhovo to the hot springs at Snake Bay. The trail goes along many peaceful bays and steep slopes above precipices. Since tourists with heavy backpacks and families often use the trail, it is especially important to make it safe and suitable to children’s hiking abilities. This trail has been under construction for several years, and a lot of work has been done already. This will actually be the last season of trail construction – in the future the projects here will involve maintenance and upkeep of the trial. However, there is still a lot to do this year! Project work: This season volunteers will build 2 – 3 km of trail to finish the Monakhovo – Snake Bay Trail.
Entertainment and relaxation: For two weeks you will live and work on one of the most beautiful bays on Lake Baikal. The camp location gives you plenty of opportunities to relax and explore the pristine nature of Chivyrkuy Bay. Enjoy fabulous sunrises and sunsets, take walks along the shore, go for a quick dip in Baikal, fish, or simply watch the waves crashing on the shore. End your day by soaking in the hot springs, looking at the grandeur of Lake Baikal and its surrounding mountains. Spend evenings talking and laughing by the camp fire under the unbelievably bright Siberian stars and getting to know a group of people, recently strangers, who will become your new family during the two weeks of unforgettable adventure. At night the smell of Siberian pines will lull you to sleep. If weather and camp schedule permit, your crew leader will organize a day-long hike to the top of the Holy Nose peninsula. Its highest point reaches 1877 meters, and in good weather an incredible view of Lake Baikal opens up from the top plateau. There is also a possibility of a boat ride on the lake. Meals and accommodations: On this project the volunteers will set up a stationary tent camp (two people share a tent) nearby Monakhovo on the shore of Lake Baikal. You will live in primitive, wilderness conditions: pit latrine, tents, cooking over a campfire. Most of the trail work will take place within 2 kilometers of the camp. Note: there are no hot showers at this camp - but you can heat water yourself or take a refreshing swim in Lake Baikal! There will be three hot meals a day, and volunteers will share cooking and cleaning duties during the project. The GBT staff will buy all necessary cooking ingredients in advance of the project. See our MENU for examples.
Contribution Fee: 8900 Rubles (approximately $360 US;
please check the current exchange rate at
http://www.cbr.ru/eng/currency_base/daily.asp.
The contribution fee covers: a visa invitation from the GBT
organization; meeting you at the airport or train station in
Irkutsk and/or Ulan-Ude; helping to arrange your accommodation
in Irkutsk and/or Ulan-Ude; visa registration with the Russian
authorities; arranging transportation to Ust’ –Barguzin , the
project start (note: transportation to Ust’ –Barguzin – 500 –
600 rubles - is not included in the contribution fee.);
transportation within the project; all meals on the project;
services of a crew leader and interpreter during the project;
all administrative expenses; project entertainment costs
including the week-end excursion; tools and other equipment,
including a tent. 100% of the project fee goes for direct
project expenses. Required experience: None Age Range: 18+ years Additional Requirements: Please make sure to carefully read the General Information for Volunteers and the List of Necessary Equipment Fitness: Trail building includes: walking 1-10 kilometers a day through forested areas possibly with no paths; using pick, shovels, and other tools to dig out vegetation to make a path; lifting logs and other debris; hand sawing; and carrying tools. During one of the days off there will be a steep mountain climb. Transportation and meeting location: The project starts in the settlement of Ust’-Barguzin which is on the eastern shore of Lake Baikal, about 5 hours of driving time from Ulan-Ude. Volunteers will meet in Ulan-Ude and travel to Ust’-Barguzin by mini-bus. Once in Ust’-Barguzin, the Zabaikalsky National Park will provide a van and a boat to transport GBT volunteers to the camp site. Note: Volunteers are responsible for the cost of transportation to Ust-Barguzin. You can reach Ulan-Ude, the capital of Buryatia, from Moscow or from Irkutsk either by train (the famous Trans-Siberian railroad) or by airplane. Cost of the mini-bus from Ulan-Ude to Ust’-Barguzin is approximately 500-600 rubles each way (fee subject to change). We will announce the exact meeting time and place in Ulan-Ude on the GBT website at a later date and notify all project participants in advance by email. Ulan-Ude by air: Moscow – Irkutsk (5.5 hours) or Moscow – Ulan-Ude (6 hours). There are regular flights between Irkutsk and Ulan-Ude as well. Ulan-Ude by train: Moscow – Irkutsk (3.5 days), then Irkutsk – Ulan-Ude (9 hours), or Moscow – Ulan-Ude (4 days). There are minibuses that go between Irkutsk and Ulan-Ude; however, the trip takes over 7 hours and is not the most comfortable way to travel. We recommend the 9 hour over-night train ride. Please note that your contribution fee does not include any expenses incurred while getting to the starting point of the project, the town of Ust’-Barguzin. Important visa information: Every foreigner traveling through Russia has to comply with the obligatory visa registration process in any location where you stay for more than three business days. Since this takes at least one day, project participants should arrive in Irkutsk or Ulan-Ude no later than July 15th. If you arrive in Irkutsk on the 15th, you can take an overnight train to Ulan-Ude and arrive early in the morning on July 16th in time to meet the group. This way you don’t have to find a place to sleep in Irkutsk or Ulan-Ude, and others from the project, including the translator, will probably be taking the train with you.
If you are interested in participating, please fill out our GBT volunteer application form Project personnel: Project Manager: Olga Skosirskaya, manager of Zabaikalskiy Nationak Park. Responsibilities: The project manager is responsible for the overall planning, coordination and implementation of the project. However, while the manager will be in frequent contact with the volunteer group throughout the duration of the project, he will not always be present at your project location. Your crew leader will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the project. Crew Leader: TBA. We will send you background information about your crew leader several weeks before the project starts. Responsibilities: The main GBT staff member on the project, the crew leader coordinates the day-to-day trail work and the organization of the camp. Translator: TBA Responsibilities: The translator is responsible for translating for the crew leader (who may or may not speak English) and helping with communication between Russian speaking and English speaking crew members. The translator also plans and conducts the social activities of the group.
|
Setting: This project takes place on the shore of
Chivyrkuiski Gulf, in the protected territory of Zabaikalsky
National Park. The Holy Nose peninsula separates Chivyrkuiski
Gulf from the rest of Lake Baikal. One of the main goals of
Zabaikalsky National Park is the protection and conservation of
nerpa, the only freshwater seal in the world (endemic to
Baikal). There are four islands on the western side of Holy
Nose, called the Ushkanii Islands, where thousands of nerpa play
and sleep during summer months. 
Work schedule: The group will work for 5 days a week, 6
hours a day with rest breaks and a longer break for lunch.
Please read the
You can contact us at