Lake Baikal

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From Irkutsk, we took an excursion to Olkhon Island, on Lake Baikal, the deepest lake in the world. It is not only deep, but also enormous!

The island itself is beautiful with not a lot there, just a fairly small town where we stayed at Nikitas guesthouse which was warm and cosy, and we were treated to home cooked Russian meals, fish being the staple. Nikitas guesthouse also had a banya (sauna) which was a real treat, especially after brisk walking in the snow.

We took a jeep trip up to the northern most point of the Island where we could see both east and west of the lake, it was massive! It stretched to the horizon and looked like a very calm ocean. We could climb up to the edges of paths and cliffs and it was very peaceful. Our driver got a fire going for lunch and we had a scenic picnic by the woods with nothing around.

On our second day on Olkhon island we explored with our own two feet in the falling snow. We walked over rolling hills and through the small town and down to the lake edge. It is said that if you swim in the lake, you gain 25 years on your lifespan....but it was far too cold for that, so I dipped my hand in, perhaps I've gained a year!

It was a lovely few nights on Olkhon, which only received electricity in 2005! Warm Russian meals, fresh brisk walks and the peace of the vast lake - all in all, very pleasant. I'd like to go in the summer when you can hike further and hire bicycles to explore.

J x

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