The magnificent Lake Baikal

The Trans-Siberian train brings us to Irkutsk, a pleasant stop for the famous Lake Baikal. This lake is located in south eastern Siberia and is the oldest and deepest lake in the world. It is 25 million years old and 1637 meters deep. With a length of 636 km and average width of 40 to 60 km, it has the shape of a banana. Baikal was formed by the shifting of tectonic plates, which also explains the enormous depth. Because of the plates continuously moving apart, this lake will, sometime in the distant future, become the world’s fifth ocean and split the Asian continent of Europe.

The deepest parts lie just off the west coast, our home base. You literally just need to swim a little distance in the crystal clear lake before underneath you, a massive underwater canyon is created.

However, swimming in the lake is a challenge; the water temperature is only 8 to 10 degrees Celsius (in July). About the temperature of the North Sea during the annual New Year’s dip on January 1st, a silly Dutch tradition. Yet we hoist ourselves in our swimsuits and take a dip in the icy water. Watch the 360 video!

According to the guide that takes us back to the train station in Irkutsk a few days later, swimmers are indeed a rarity. The last tourists he saw swimming, were a group of French and a family from America. “The French were a few seconds in the water, so the family was trying to surpass it. This lasted for a while. Eventually the French won by lasting almost 40 seconds in the water of (then) about 3 degrees Celsius”.

Underwater museum

Lake Baikal contains a whopping 20% of the world (not frozen) freshwater. It is surrounded by mountain steppes, coniferous and deciduous forests and many endemic species. Moreover, the lake itself is a living museum of nature; as much as 80% of plant and animal species cannot be found anywhere else on the planet. One of those special species is the Baikal seal, the only freshwater seal on earth.

We spend our days in two beautiful wooden cottages just a stone throw away from the lake. The first is in Bolshie Koty, once a gold mining town but now a peaceful village only accessible by boat in the summer (or a mountain hike of about 24 km) and in the winter only over the ice. Lake Baikal is completely covered with a thick layer of ice n the winter months, making cars just crossing the ice from village to village. In the early twentieth century, an attempt was even made for the Trans-Siberian railway to cross Lake Baikal, but this proved unsuccessful; the train fell through the ice and sank straight into the depths.

In Bolshie Koty time seems to stand still. Horses and cows walk freely around the village. In the winter, only 41 people live here. In the summer a few more because of a handful of summer homes of residents of Irkutsk and some tourists who find their way to the village.

Living of the lake

We enjoy the shores and enjoy a refreshing dip in the cold water. According to insiders, you can see under water for 40 meters at the most brightest spots. Unfortunately we do not get to experience this; after being fully under water for about 5 seconds we sprint right back to shore to warm up. The evening is great to relax in the traditionally Russian banya, a sauna, where you let the steam come to you by waving birch twigs. Furthermore, we live of Lake Baikal; we eat Omul (a salmon-like fish that only can be found here) and drink filtered water from the immense lake.

After Bolshie Koty a stop awaits us in Listvyanka, a tourist village which is often used as a base for short visits. Despite the fact that dozens of people are sunbathing on the pebble beach, we spot no one that dares to jump into the cold lake. We can greatly cross this off our bucket list!