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Lake Baikal

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Lake Baikal

Lake Baikal is the largest Lake in the world.    Over 400 miles long, and 80 miles wide at the widest point,  the Lake is also over a mile deep,  and stands at the centre of the Baikal National Park,  currently Russia's largest National Park  (it would lose this premier position if plans go ahead to make the whole of the Kamchatka Peninsular a National Park ).

The Lake is home to a
unique ecosystem,  which supports a huge number of wildlife species found nowhere else in the world.      Largest and most notable is Nerpa,  the fresh-water seal.    Baikal was formed, aeons of years ago, by plate techtonic movement - leaving a stretch of what was originally the ocean marooned thousands of miles from the sea, and Nerpa, and other species, have remained here locked-away from cross-breeding, gradually adapting to a fresh-water existence.    Other famous localised species include Omul, the "Baikal Trout",  and Golomyanka, one of the most primitive fish species known, found only in Baikal which lives in the dark depths of Baikal and is completely blind.

Lake Baikal is a sacred place in many
religions.    Buddhists attest to the especial serenity of the area around the Lake,  and it remains the centre of a concentration of important Buryat Buddhist Monasteries.    It is the official centre of the Shamanist universe,  and it is believed that the name comes from a Buryat word "baigal" ("burning eye").    Old Believers - a sect which fled the persecution of C17th Moscow to the hidden depths of Siberia - flourished here, and their villages - which shun the C20th, and do not especially welcome visitors - can still be found in remote locations.

We are delighted to be able to offer trips to Lake Baikal which feature accomodation in the homes of real
Siberian Villagers.    These homes are one-storey houses, usually log-cabins or of wooden construction.    Few have indoor plumbing,  most have a toilet in a shed at the bottom of the garden, and some have a cow, chickens, or goats in the back yard too.    Our charming hosts will give you a real siberian welcome.

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