Ecotour # 6

with the Great Baikal Trail

 A trip to the heart of the Khamar Daban Mountains

 

This trip is unique because of the diversity of landscapes that we will cover.  We will go through classic Siberian forests, Alpine-like meadows, and northern tundra.  We will pass by waterfalls, rivers, and lakes—all of which forms the natural mosaic that is southern Baikal.  Perhaps most interesting will be the plant life we will encounter in the Khamar Daban Mountains.   The climate here is quite moist, a virtual microclimate so close to the lake that it has given rise to many relict species, many of which date back to pre-ice-age periods of history.  In some ways, you will be taking a trek through history on this trip.

 

The tour lasts for 6 days (or 8 days, if you choose an extension)

The tour starts and finishes in Irkutsk.

The group size for the tour will run from 5-20 people.

 

Day 1. Our guests arrive in Irktusk, and once again, our GBT staff will meet everyone at the airport, and accommodate them at a city hotel.

Irkutsk is one of the oldest Siberian cities; it is more than 360 years old. The city is located on the Angara River, the only river which flows out of Lake Baikal.  Oddly enough, the city is named after the Irkut River, which meets the Angara inside the city limits.  Irkutsk is a crossing point for all the trading routes in this part of Asia. There are many churches here, as well as museums and galleries. Guests will be brought to visit the Museum of Decembrists, as well as the Museum of Nature and other places of interest. 

Our guests are also welcome to visit our headquarters at the Great Baikal Trail Association. This is the group which has been leading the drive to build the first system of trails in all of Russia. These trails are crucial for the development and promotion of ecotourism in the region. At the same time, the GBTA aims to protect the environment by promoting environmental education for a healthy life.  Our ultimate goal at the GBTA is to bring up a new generation of socially responsible citizens.

 

Day 2. On this day we will take the train from Irkutsk to the southernmost town along Baikal, which is called Slyudyanka.  This is an ancient town, and gets its name from the many small mines where mica (slyuda = mica in Russian) is found throughout the valley here.  To this day there are active mines in the region, although most of them extract marble and other stone.  The Slyudyanka train station is actually made completely out of local marble.  While in town, we will visit the Mineral and Rock Museum, with its collection of all the precious materials found to the south of the lake.

From Slyudyanka we will move along the Slyudyanka River Valley.  The trail follows this river upwards; and, with our new system of bridges here, it often crosses from one rivershore to the other.  It won't take long, but a few steps, for you to enter into the untouched natural world of the Khamar Daban Mountains.  Here are poplar forests which have survived through all the ice ages that have hit Siberia.  In a clearing in one of these forested areas, at our new Burning Glade campsite, is where we will overnight in tents.

 

Day 3. This is the day when we will hike along some fairly decent grades, often approaching 40 degrees in ascent .  There will be many switchbacks along the way, so the slope will not be that extreme for our guests.  And along the way, there are many places that will open up into meadows, as well as other places where we can relax and catch our breath.  We will pass by a meteorological station at the foot of Cherskii Peak.  This is one of the oldest weather stations in the region.  It was established some 70 years ago to observe the high mountain climate of southern Baikal.

From this point we will go higher still, along a serpentine trail, to Shoulder Pass along the side of Cherskii Peak.  Then we will descend into the Podkomarnaya River Valley.  In this valley we will set up camp, and then we will go out and explore some of the local waterfalls.  The famous Podkomarnaya Waterfall area is one of the wonders of the Khamar Daban region.  After a good rain, when the river floods, one can find 10 different spectacular cascades along a very short stretch of river.  And each of these waterfalls is quite different.  One of them forms a series of steps, over which the water drops down a few meters at a time.  Several others just disappear into deep, narrow canyons below.  Yet another is a broad waterfall that flows over smooth rocks for several hundred meters.  After visiting these waterfalls, we will return to the camp and overnight in tents.

 

Day 4. This is the day where our guests are given the option of climbing up the famous Cherskii Peak.  As you go up this mountain, at the first pass, you will see the small lake called Heart Lake.  This lake is in the heart of several sheer cliffs that form the mountain here.  It was formed by glaciers, and the snow stays on the ground until the middle of summer.  So, needless to say, the water in the lake is always pretty cold.  There is also a small stream that flows out of the lake, and over another waterfall into the neighbouring (so-called) Nameless River.  Further along the trail, up to Cherskii Peak, there are some beautiful views.  To the north you can see the glassy-like Baikal off in the distance.  And to the south, there are the endless mountain expanses of the Khamar Daban.  After going over the tallest pass (the Chertovy Gates), we will find ourselves above the tree-line, in the midst of clouds in mountain tundra.   From this last pass you can also see the Utulik River, which is where the border between the Irkutsk Region and Buryatia lies.  In the evening, we will once again return to base camp to sleep in tents.

 

Day 5. On this day we will descend along the Slyudyanka River all the way back to Lake Baikal, for our return trip to Irkutsk the next day (on this night we will say in hotel).

 

Day 6. Depart from Irkutsk

Note:  It will be possible to extend your tour by departing from Slyudyanka along the Baikal Shoreline Railroad route---in which case, the extended schedule would look like:

 

Day 6. In the morning, after breakfast in a small country inn, we will get on a local train that will take us along the lake towards the town of Port Baikal.  This local train is quite unique, since it is the old Round-Baikal train that is now like a living, outdoor architectural museum. For 100 kilometers the shoreline of Baikal has been transformed by modern man.  But it remains an area of great natural beauty.  This rail-line, which is now closed to all but one train a day (for tourists),  has dozens of tunnels and galleries, that have been carved into the cliffs facing Baikal.  At some points the train is but a few meters from the lake, tracing along the many small bays in this part of the lake.  The train itself goes rather slowly, and stops at all the most scenic spots.  The train also has a special tour guide who will explain all the natural and man-made wonders along this stretch of railroad.  By evening, we will arrive in Port Baikal, a small town located on the southern shores of the Angara River (where it empties out of the lake).  Here our guests will have the option of staying overnight in a small hotel, or in a wooden home as the guest of local townspeople.

 

Day 7. In the morning we will spend some time exploring Port Baikal.  There is the famous light house at the top of a hill, as well as a Railroad Museum.  From Port Baikal we will take a ferry-boat across the  mouth of the Angara, over to the town of Listvyanka.  This is the closest town on the lake from Irkutsk.  Later that afternoon we will travel the last 70 kilometers up to Irkutsk along a scenic road that follows the Angara River.  But before we leave Listvyanka, we will visit the Baikal Museum there.  This is a museum with huge collections of plants and animals from Baikal.  It is also a scientific research institute, whose staff has, for many years, studied Baikal at its deepest (and it is, after all, the deepest lake in the world).  A visit to this museum will leave you with many vivid impressions.  After the museum, we will head up to Irkutsk, to stay in a local hotel.

 

Day 8. Departure from Irkutsk