MAKSIMIKHA - 3

Project dates: September 2-15, 2008

Project Duration:  Two weeks

Languages:  Russian & English

Project Location: Barguzinski Bay, Southeastern coast of Lake Baikal, Republic of Buryatia, Russia.

Setting: The GBT volunteer camp will be located on the sandy beach of the picturesque Maksimikha Bay, on the southeastern shore of Lake Baikal. Maksimikha Bay is part of Barguzin Bay, the biggest and one of the most beautiful bays of Baikal. The water in the bay is comfortable for swimming in the summer months, and inland from the beach is a pine, birch forest. The project site is about 1 km from a tourist camp, which was inactive last year, and 12 km from Maksimikha, a village with about 700 mainly Russian and Buryat residents, located on the shore of the lake. 

Long-term Goal: The long-term goal is to construct a 32 km trail from Maksimikha Bay to the Ust-Barguzin settlement.  This trail will become part of a longer, 300 kilometer trail, from Ulan Ude to Ust-Barguzin that follows the historical “Barguzin Highway.” The Barguzin Highway connected Ulan-Ude and the town of Barguzin when Barguzin was first settled 350 years ago. For three hundred years, hunters and merchants traveled this highway, which goes along the shore of Baikal and into the taiga forests and river valleys of the Barguzin region, bringing sable and gold back to the city. In the 1960s, a new road was constructed further inland and the old highway became overgrown with tall grass and trees.

Project Work: This is a mobile project.  The group of volunteers will move with packs, filled not only with their personal items, but also camp equipment (tents, sleeping bags, etc.), tools (axes, saws, shovels, etc.), and extra food for the entire project.  Participants in the project will walk 3-5 kilometers per day, clearing and marking the trail. The group will make stops in some places, in order to build rest areas and bridges and to clear the trail of recent overgrowth.  At the end of the project, the group will end up on the beach, not far from the settlement “Ust-Barguzin.”

The section of the trail we are working on now will be an educational environmental trail and will be used by the many tourists who visit in this area.  One of the main attractions for hikers is the incredible beauty of the shore. 

Work Schedule: The group will work 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 mood of the group, the crew leader has the authority to change the daily working schedule.

Meals and Accommodations: The volunteers will set up mobile tent camps. Two people will share a tent. You will live in primitive, wilderness conditions: pit latrine, tents, cooking over a campfire.

The volunteers will share cooking and cleaning duties during the project.  The GBT staff will buy all the food in advance of the project.  See our MENU for examples.

Entertainment and Relaxation: While the first half of the project will be fairly difficult (you need to be in good physical condition), this will definitely be made up for by the chance to experience the endless expanse of the taiga, breath exceptionally clear air, and perhaps even come across some of the incredible local wildlife of Siberia.  The volunteers will spend two weeks in tents on the shore of the Barguzin Bay, and everyone will have the incredible chance to swim in the clean water of Lake Baikal, observe the incredible sunrises and sunsets, explore the area, fish, or simply relax with a good book.  At the end of the project, the leader will organize a trip into the Zabaikalski National Park, where you can hike to the plateau “Svyatoi Nos” (Holy Nose), from which you will see an incomparable view of Baikal. 

Contribution Fee: 8900 Rubles (approximately $380 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; helping to arrange your accommodation in Irkutsk; visa registration with the Russian authorities; arranging transportation to the settlement “Novo-Snezhnii,” the project start (cost for transportation to the settlement “Novo-Snezhnii” is not included); 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 week-end excursions; 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 - 7 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.

Transportation and Meeting Location: Volunteers travel independently to Ulan-Ude. Once in Ulan-Ude, you will travel as a group by minibus the 230 km to the project starting point near the village of Maksimikha. In general, it takes 7 hours to get from Ulan-Ude to the starting point and costs between 300 and 500 rubles. If you have questions regarding transportation, contact our volunteer coordinator. 

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) or Moscow – Ulan-Ude (4 days).  There are trains going between Irkutsk and Ulan-Ude as well (9 hours).

Ulan Ude by minibus: 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.

Please note that your contribution fee does not include any expenses incurred while getting to the starting point of the project, near the village of Maksimikha.

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. When you arrive in Irkutsk or Ulan Ude, contact the GBT office and we will register your visa. Since this process takes two to three days, project participants should arrive in Irkutsk or Ulan-Ude no later than August 31st.

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

If you are interested in participation, please fill in GBT volunteer application form

Project Personnel:

Project Manager: Mikhail Ivanov, head GBT coordinator in the Republic of Buryatia. Mikhail lectures on tourism at the Eastern Siberian Academy of Culture and Art in Ulan-Ude. He is an experienced outdoorsman and tour guide.

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 crewleader 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- and English-speaking crew members. The translator also plans and conducts the social activities of the group. 

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