Lake Baunt – the wild north project

Project dates: July 20 – August 2, 2009

Project duration: Two weeks

Languages: Russian and English

Project Location: The Bauntovskii Native Evenk region, in the vicinity of the famous Baunt Sanatorium and Lake Baunt, and part of the Republic of Buryatia, Russia

Setting: The project takes place in a land of old extinct volcanoes, wild Siberian taiga forest, and many majestic rivers. 

The area is one of the northernmost parts of the Buryat Republic, a sparsely-populated region known as Bauntovskii. The area abounds with wild nature, and many picturesque lakes and rapid rivers: such as the Vitim, the Tsipa, and the Tsipikan Rivers.  There are also high mountain ranges, topped off  Big Khapton Mountain, which is 2285.2 meters (7,500 feet) above sea level looming 1,200 meters above Lake Baunt.   This is an old volcanic area, with many thermal vents and hot springs.  Veins of gold can still be discovered, sometimes in one of many amazing cave systems. The largest cave in the region, the Trans-Baikal Caverns, is located in the Dolganski Rift zone. This rift extends some 5 kilometers (or 3 miles) in length.

Rich in history, the land was settled long ago by the Evenki people.  There have been a number of gold rushes here since the middle of the 19th century. The Evenki are among the few people who have preserved their culture and traditions and still practice the religion of their ancestors. Many Evenki artifacts are exhibited in the Museum of Northern Peoples of Buryatia in the village of Bagdarin.

Long-term Goal: Our goal is to make a trail where tourists can enjoy the region without having a heavy impact on the natural environment. The GBT is doing construction and up-keep on a portion of a trail known as the Baunt to Big Kapton Mountain Trail. This trail is part of a larger Gateway to the North trail system that starts next to the Baunt Sanatorium. The portion of the trail we are working on will be about 7.5 kilometers long and will pass along the foot of Big Kapton Mountain near Lake Baunt.

Project Work: We will be clearing a corridor from the Baunt Sanatorium to some river rapids called the Gateway (or Vorota), and then onwards from Big Kapton Mountain Plateau to the Tsipa River. The distance from the trailhead (and our campsite) to the boundaries of a forested area will be about 3 kilometers. Trail work will involve clearing the trail of trees and underbrush, constructing several viewing platforms, putting in switchbacks and rock stairways, building several bridges and creating and installing trail markers and other wooden signs.

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

Entertainment and Relaxation: For two weeks you will live and work as part of an international team. Unforgettable evenings around the campfire await our volunteers, along with new friendships and some fascinating conversations—both with other volunteers and with local residents too. An excursion is planned to the Plombir Cave, which runs some 30 meters into the mountain. Inside this cave are some beautiful ice grottoes. (No special equipment or tackle is needed to explore the cave.) On the same trip you will have a chance to visit the Evenki Center and Museum in Bagdarin, where you will get a tour of exhibits on the northern peoples of Buryatia. Another excursion is planned up to the volcanic Kandiduchka Mountain, and to the gold-mining artel nearby. During the other free day, if time allows, there will be a motor boat ride on Lake Baunt so that we can view some ancient rock paintings and take a Russian hot sauna (or banya).

Meals and Accommodations:

Volunteers will set up a stationary tent camp around a cabin near the Bauntovskii Sanatorium.  Living conditions will be somewhat primitive, because we will be in a wilderness area: there will be pit latrines, tents (one tent for two people), and cooking over a campfire (there may an option to be housed, if so we will let you know about it in advance). The trail starts about 200 meters from the camp site. Note that there are no hot showers at this camp - but you can always heat water from the lake to wash. There will be three hot meals and two snacks a day, and volunteers will share cooking and cleaning duties during the project. GBT staff will buy all the necessary cooking supplies and ingredients in advance of the project.  See our MENU for examples.

Contribution Fee: 10900 Rubles (approximately $420 US or 320 EURO; please check the current exchange rate at http://www.cbr.ru/eng/currency_base/daily.asp. The contribution fee covers: a special invitation from the GBT organization, which you can use to apply for a Russian visa; a GBT staff person meeting you at the airport or train station in Irkutsk and/or Ulan-Ude; GBT help in arranging your accommodation in Irkutsk and/or Ulan-Ude while en route to the project site; visa registration with the Russian authorities; arrangement of transportation to Bogdarin (note: transportation to Bogdarin – some 1200 to 1400 rubles (approximately $50 US or 40 EURO ) in cost - 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 two-person tent. 100% of the project fee goes for direct project expenses.

Required Experience:  None.

Age Range:  18+ years.

Local youth from 15 to 17 years of age will also participate in this project.

Additional Requirements:  Please make sure to carefully read the General Information for Volunteers and the List of Necessary Equipment.

Fitness: Trail building involves: walking up to 5 kilometers a day through forested and sometimes steep areas, possibly with no paths; using picks, shovels, and other tools to dig out vegetation and make a path; lifting logs and other debris; hand sawing; and carrying tools to the construction site. Note: On this project there may be a lot of mosquitoes, and volunteers  are asked to bring mosquito netting and long-sleeved clothing. Mosquito repellant is also advised.

Transportation and Meeting Location: The project starts in the settlement of Bagdarin, some 600 km. north of Ulan-Ude (about 9 hours of driving from Ulan-Ude). Volunteers will meet in Ulan-Ude and we will hire a minibus for them to Bagdarin (Cost: about 1200 to 1400 rubles per person (about $50 US and 34 EURO)). We will announce the exact time and place of the first meeting at a later date, and notify all project participants in advance by email. The Bauntovskii Region Administration will provide car transportation from Bagdarin to the trailhead – which is about 120 kilometers in distance.

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. 

By air:  Moscow – Irkutsk (a 5.5 hours flight) or Moscow – Ulan-Ude (6 hours).  There are regular flights between Irkutsk and Ulan-Ude as well.

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 as well; however, the trip takes over 7 hours and is not the most comfortable way to travel. We recommend the over-night train as the superior way to travel. 

Please note that your contribution fee does not include any expenses incurred while getting to the starting point of the project in the town of Bagdarin.

Important Visa Information:

1. The Great Baikal Trail is registered in the Federal Migration Service as an organization with the permission to provide official invitations to foreign visitors. This process takes between 4 and 6 weeks. However, it may take even longer than this at times, which is why we accept applications for an invitation only until April the 1st. After April 1, you will still be able to obtain your invitation for a fee through other specialized agencies,  like Get Russian  www.getrussian.com/order/forms.php?a_aid=BaikalInfo and Red Star at www.waytworussia.com

2. 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 process takes at least a day, project participants should arrive in Irkutsk or Ulan-Ude no later than July 19th. If you arrive in Irkutsk on the 18th, you can take the overnight train to Ulan-Ude that arrives early in the morning, in time to meet the group. This is relatively convenient, because you don’t have to find a place to sleep in Irkutsk or Ulan-Ude; what is more, others from the project, including the translator, will probably be taking the train with you. You can also fly directly to Ulan-Ude if that is what you’d prefer.

Contact Yulia Misevich, international volunteer coordinator at gbt.volunteers@gmail.com, with any questions.

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

Note:  In the past we have had a few instances of technical difficulties where some information sent to us through the website was lost in transition.  If you do not receive a response within a week of writing us please email us at these addresses: gbt.volunteers@gmail.com and yulia@greatbaikaltrail.org.

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

Project Personnel:

Project Manager: Oleg Morozov, a specialist in caves, is head of the Dolgan geology/spelunking club. Oleg has a degree in geology and has been teaching geology and related subjects for 14 years, while exploring caves for some 30 years.

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.

Assistant Crew Leader: TBA.

Responsibilities: The Assistant Crew Leader will help the crew leader in the management of the project. 

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.

Past volunteer comments about this project:

• Lake Baunt is a beautiful area, the rivers floating through the valley everywhere, the clear blue lake, the rocky mountains and the hot springs hidden in the forest…who wouldn’t want to build a hiking trail here? A great project with many friendly people, great working days and lots of interesting cultural experiences.

• Besides of the useful work (preserving old hiking trails and bringing tourists into remote locations), I was very impressed and touched by the contact with locals.

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