holy nose

Project dates: August 12 – 25, 2008

Project duration: Two weeks

Languages: Russian and English

Project Location: Vicinity of Glinka, Holy Nose Peninsula, Zabaikalskyi National Park (ZNP), Republic of Buryatia, Russia

Setting: This project takes place in the foothills of the Holy Nose peninsula, on the protected territory of Zabaikalskyi National Park.  The Holy Nose separates two biggest bays on Lake Baikal, the Chivyrkuy and Barguzin.  One of the main goals of ZNP is 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 Ushkanii Islands, where thousands of nerpa play and sleep during summer months.  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 hike to the Holy Nose plateau is one of the most popular on Baikal and one of the hardest.  Holy Nose’s highest point reaches 1877 meters; in good weather an incredible view of Lake Baikal opens up from the plateau.  Many tourists try to conquer it, but not all manage to get all the way to the top.  If you are in good shape, the hike will take you 4 or 5 hours, during which you will see how plants and landscape change with elevation from the low mixed forest of Siberian valleys to pigmy pines and to bare mountain rocks.   At the end of the hike you reach a wide plateau covered with pigmy bushes.

Project work: This is the second year that GBT will be working on building a trail up to the Holy Nose plateau.  The camp will be located at the bottom of the mountain, and most work will be on a flat part of the trail about 4-5 kilometers long.

Work schedule: This season the volunteers will be clearing and improving the existing trail from Glinka to Makarov Cape, clearing the trail corridor, widening and marking the trail, and constructing bridges (if necessary).

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 description of a typical day at the camp.  Depending upon weather conditions and the wishes of the group, the crew leader may alter the daily working schedule.

Entertainment and relaxation: For two weeks you will live and work together on the most beautiful places on Lake Baikal. You will have plenty of opportunities to relax, enjoy fabulous sunrises and sunsets, take walks along the shore, go for a quick dip in Baikal in the morning or after a day of satisfying work, fish, or simply watch the waves crashing on the shore.  Don’t forget the evenings you will spend talking and laughing by the camp fire under the unbelievably bright Siberian stars, getting to know a group of recent strangers that will become your new family during the two weeks of unforgettable adventure.

If weather and camp schedule permit, your crew leader will organize a day-long hike to the top of the Holy Nose peninsula. 

Meals and accommodations: On this project the volunteers will set up a stationary tent camp (two people share a tent) nearby Glinka 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 August 11. If you arrive in Irkutsk on the 11, 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.

You can contact us at gbt.volunteers@gmail.com – Tanya Yourchenko

If you are interested in participating, please fill out our GBT volunteer application form

Project personnel:

Project Manager: Project Manager: Mikhail Ivanov, head GBT coordinator for Ulan-Ude. Ivanov is a lecturer at the Cultural Academy in Ulan-Ude on tourism and related subjects.

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.

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