the Land of Baikal’s Taiga - 3

Project dates: August 4 -17, 2009

Project Duration:  Two weeks

Languages:  Russian & English

Project Location: The campsite is in the vicinity of Bolshie Koty, a small fishing village on the southwest shores of Lake Baikal. The project itself will be situated some 4 km away from Bolshie Koty.

This trail lies within Pribaikalskiy National Park, one of GBT’s closest partners. Pribaikalskiy is home to a variety of wildlife, including brown bears, moose, and over 250 species of birds. The park comprises a section of coastline, as well as the famous Olkhon Island. Our trail runs mostly along the coast between the villages of Listvyanka and Bolshie Koty and goes all the way to the village of Bolshoe Goloustnoe (60 km north), providing spectacular views of the lake and its opposite shores, as well as a closer look at the plant life that abounds in the forests and cliff tops of the park. The work that GBT has accomplished here in recent years is a testament to the importance of cooperation: GBT has partnered with the administration of the park and Rotary clubs from around the world to provide many kilometers of safe trails to park visitors.

One of the interesting things about this project is that this is a heavily used trail, and hikers who have used it prior to our GBT improvements have been extremely thankful for all of the work done by our volunteers.  These heartfelt words of gratitude affirm our belief in the importance of building environmentally friendly hiking trails.

Long-term Goal: The main goal of this project is the construction of a safe trail between the picturesque villages of Listvyanka, one of the most popular tourist destinations on Baikal, and Bolshoe Goloustnoe, a Buryat village some 60 km to the north. The trail goes through a tiny fishing village about 20 kilometers to the north of Listyanka. The existing hiking trail is in sub-par condition, traversing unsafe cliffs and rocks as well as poorly-maintained bridge structures.  For years it has been the only means of reaching the village of Bolshie Koty by land; the only other way to reach the village is by boat.

Five years ago the GBT made a plan together with the Pribaikalskiy National Park administration to make this trail safer for hikers.  Since then the GBT volunteers have succeeded in building nine kilometers of new trail as an alternative to the old, un-maintained trail. The new section of the trail begins by climbing steep watershed slopes behind Listvyanka.  It then goes along the tops of low mountains, through shady evergreen pine forests, zigzags down into a grassy valley, and comes out onto the shore of Lake Baikal in a safely level area, leaving steeper regions behind. There it meets the old trail, which the GBT has also been recently improving.

Project Work: Establishing and widening the trail bed in areas where such work is necessary, clearing fallen trees, rerouting some sections of the trail, building small bridges and dikes, and reinforcing the trail along the slope, laying gravel on the trail bed in boggy areas, building walkways across streams.

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: Volunteers will set up a stationary tent camp on the shores of Lake Baikal. You will live in primitive wilderness conditions: in two-person tents, cooking over a campfire, with Baikal nearby to swim in, and pit latrines for general use.

There will be three hot meals and two snacks a day, and 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: During the weekend your crew leader will organize a visit to the village of Bolshie Koty to enjoy its local culture and scenic bay-side views.  One can still find open-pit gold mines in the forests around Bolshie Koty.  And Baikal’s waves often wash up smooth pieces of colorful glass, leftovers from the old days when Bolshie Koty had a glass factory. A visit to a local biological museum will be set up  in Bolshie Koty (this village is a research center for regional universities). Another hike is planned to the Sciper Rock, one of the most spectacular places in the southern reaches of Baikal.

On one of the sunny weekend days the group will take a hike on the recently-built trail to one of the sandy beaches near Listvyanka, for a day of swimming and hiking.

On the last day your crew leader will organize a separate visit to Listvyanka, where you will be able to visit the Baikal Museum – the only museum dedicated entirely to Lake Baikal.  It houses a rare collection of numerous flora and fauna endemic to Baikal, and has an aquarium with live nerpas – the only freshwater seal in the world. 

For two weeks you will live and work together near the shoreline of Lake Baikal.  The camp location will give you plenty of opportunities to relax and explore the beautiful natural setting around the lake.  You can 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, go fishing, or simply watch the waves crash on the shore.  And don’t forget the evenings, which you will spend talking and laughing by the camp fire under the starry Siberian sky, getting to know a group of new friends who were recently strangers, your new crew-mate family for the full two weeks of this unforgettable adventure.

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; GBT staff person meeting you at the airport or train station in Irkutsk; help with arranging your accommodations in Irkutsk; visa registration with the Russian authorities; arranging transportation to Bolshie Koty, the project starting point (cost for transportation to Bolshie Koty is not included in this overall fee, but is not a large sum of money); all transportation within the project area; all meals on the project; the 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 for two persons to sleep in. 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 - 4 kilometers a day through forested area on the trail; using pick, shovels, and other tools to dig out vegetation to make a path; lifting logs and other debris; hand sawing; and carrying and using other tools. There will be day hikes on the days off, including a steep climb to the local rock promontories. You will need to carry your personal stuff and project gear and food to the project site, so it may turn out to be physically challenging.

Transportation and Meeting Location: Volunteers travel independently to Bolshie Koty. In Irkutsk the GBT staff will help you by organizing a minibus to Listvyanka and a boat to Bolshie Koty; or, if weather allows, a hydrofoil all the way from Irkutsk to Bolshie Koty. It takes 2-3 hours to get from Irkutsk to Bolshie Koty by hydrofoil, and costs between around 500 and 600 rubles (about $27 US and 16 EURO).  This project starts in the vicinity of Bolshie Koty village. 

  If you have questions regarding transportation, contact our volunteer coordinator.

Irkutsk by air:  Moscow – Irkutsk (5.5 hours)

Irkutsk by train:  Moscow – Irkutsk (3.5 days) 

Please note that your contribution fee does not include any expenses incurred while getting to the starting point of the project, which is the village of Bolshie Koty.

Important Visa Information:

1. The Great Baikal Trail is registered in the Federal Migration Service as an organization with the permission to obtain invitations to foreign visitors. This process takes between 4 and 6 weeks. However, it may take even longer, which is why we accept personal data for invitations only up until April the 1st. After April the 1st you will still be able to obtain an official invitation through 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 no later than August 3th.

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

If you are interested in participation, please fill in 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.

Project Personnel:

Project Manager: Tatiana Klepikova, lead Rotarian for the Irkutsk Rotary Club (called the “Baikal-Eco” club).  Tatiana has been a  GBT project manager each year during the 2004-2008 GBT summer camp seasons.  Tatiana is an associate professor at Irkutsk State Technical University, lecturing on electrical mechanics. 

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, she 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.

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

2008 Volunteers’ comments and quotes about this project:

• Great time in nature and good people!
• Pleasant further travels and many more good friends!
• GBT volunteers are awesome workers who have made nice improvements to the trail which gives all users a wonderful hiking experience and improves the economy of the villages on the lake.

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