What is on Lake Baikal. How deep is Lake Baikal? Maximum and average depth of Baikal. Video: The underwater world of Lake Baikal

The etymology of the name of the lake has several versions. According to one of them, the word is Turkic and means "rich lake" - Bai-Kul. According to another, the name of the reservoir was given by the Mongols, and it means either “rich fire” (Baigal), or “big sea” (Baigal Dalai). And the Chinese called it " north sea"(Bei-Hai).

The Baikal basin as an orographic unit is a complex formation of the earth's crust. It began to form 25-30 million years ago, and recent studies show that the formation process of the lake continues. According to geologists, Baikal is the embryo of the future ocean. Its shores "scatter", and after some time (several million years) there will be new ocean. But this is a matter of the distant future. Why is Baikal interesting for us today?

First of all, their geographical characteristics. The maximum depth of Baikal is 1637 meters. This is the highest figure among all the lakes in the world. The African, which is in second place, is lagging behind by as much as one hundred and sixty-seven meters.

The average depth of Baikal is also very great - seven hundred and thirty meters! The area of ​​the lake (more than 31 thousand square kilometers) is approximately equal to the area of ​​a small European country(Belgium or Denmark).

The depth of Baikal is also due to the huge number of large and small streams and streams (336!), Flowing into the lake. Only Angara flows out of it.

Baikal is also the world's largest reservoir of the purest in volume, slightly larger than all five great American Hurons, Erie, Michigan and Ontario)! In numbers, this will be more than 23,600 cubic kilometers. The great depth of Baikal and the impressive area of ​​the water surface became the reason for the fact that locals dubbed this lake lying in the depths of Eurasia the sea. Here, as on a real sea, storms and even tides occur, although they are of small magnitude.

Why is the water of Lake Baikal so transparent that at a depth of up to forty (!) meters the bottom is visible? The channels of the rivers feeding the lake are located in hardly soluble crystalline rocks, as is the bed of the lake itself. Therefore, the mineralization of Baikal is minimal and amounts to 120 milligrams per liter.

Given that the depth of Baikal is 1637 meters, and the coastline is 456 meters above the ocean level, it turns out that the bottom of the lake is the deepest continental depression in the world.

In August 2009 deep-sea vehicle"Mir-1" dived at the deepest point of Baikal, not far from the dive. The dive lasted more than an hour. For five and a half hours, video filming was carried out at the bottom of the lake and samples of bottom rocks and water were taken. During the descent, several new organisms were discovered and a place was discovered where the lake is being polluted with oil.

For ten years, an autonomous deep-sea station has been operating nine kilometers from the coast at a depth of 1370 meters, which houses equipment for monitoring the Earth's electromagnetic field. Scientists expect that the depth of Lake Baikal will affect the accuracy of research, because the equipment is installed almost a kilometer below sea level. And a station for collecting, processing and transmitting information was installed on the shore to process incoming data.

Lake Baikal for the majority is somewhere very far away. The origin of Lake Baikal is shrouded in legends about great catastrophes on a planetary scale, about gods and their deeds. The scientific point of view also exists - there is no mysticism in it, of course.

Lake Baikal is located on the territory of the Irkutsk region and Buryatia. Considered a lake tectonic origin. The age of Baikal is estimated differently. Some scientists put 35 million years. But the doctor of geological and mineralogical sciences A.V. Tatarinov in 2009 put forward a version that the deep-water part of Lake Baikal was formed 150 thousand years ago, and the modern coastline was only 8 thousand years old. Tatarinov substantiated such results with the results of the Mirs expedition to Baikal. So, with the age of Lake Baikal, everything is also very ambiguous.

Lake Baikal is also called the Siberian Sea.

Lake Baikal contains 19% of the world's fresh water. How much water is in Lake Baikal is estimated at 23,615 km³. There is only one lake in the world, the displacement of which is greater than in Baikal - the Caspian Sea (not everyone knows, but there is a lake along this sea).

Despite the fact that Baikal is located in, there is a lot of sun here. Climatic conditions on Baikal have their own unique features: either the sun mercilessly fries, but cold winds blow, then fierce storms fly in, then quiet and hot weather sets in in the summer and tens of thousands of tourists flock to Lake Baikal for a beach holiday. In terms of the number of sunny days, Lake Baikal surpasses many resorts on the Black Sea and Mediterranean coasts.

The maximum depth of Lake Baikal is 1642 m. Many people write that Lake Baikal is shaped like a crescent moon. Rather, sorry if something is wrong - a banana. But very big. The length of Baikal is 620 km (as from Moscow to St. Petersburg approximately), the width reaches 80 km. The length of the coastline is 2100 km.

Lake Baikal has 27 islands, the largest of them. Many islands are sacred to the locals and protected by law. In general, there are many sacred places on Baikal, the history of which is shrouded in mystery and legends. The predominant religion here is rather Buddhism, at least Buddhist symbols and objects of worship are found everywhere.

Lake Baikal water

The water temperature in Baikal is a phenomenon. In summer, only the upper layer of water and shallow coastal bays warm up in the lake. But at a depth the temperature is always constant - about +4 ° C.

The waters of Lake Baikal are a separate mystery. Lakes of this age do not have such crystal clear water, and in Baikal it is very clean. Usually, over time, lakes silt up, and after 10-15 thousand years, swamps are already in their place. Baikal not only does not grow shallow, but also contains clean water, which you can drink directly from the lake without fear. In addition, the water of Lake Baikal is saturated with oxygen to a very high degree in comparison with other freshwater reservoirs.

Lake Baikal owes its purity to a small (1.5 mm long) crustacean called epishura. There are a lot of these crustaceans in the water of the lake. They clean the water and are food for the famous Baikal omul and predatory invertebrates.

The transparency of water in Baikal is also very high. IN good weather through the 40-meter water column you can see the bottom of the lake! In winter, Baikal also has surprisingly transparent ice. You just need to find a place that is not swept up by snow, and so to speak - feel like God - walk on the water. The water above is really frozen, but below it is the same picture - the bottom, fish, and you are walking above them.

Baikal is fed by the waters of more than 300 rivers, and only one river flows out of Baikal -.

Baikal ice

Lake Baikal does not freeze evenly in winter. Bays and bays, as well as Northern part The lake freezes in November-December. And in the south, ice rises only in February, and if the winter is warm, then even at the end of February.

The thickness of the ice on Baikal by the end of winter reaches 1 m, and in the bays - 1.5–2 m. There is a phenomenon on Baikal that the locals call "stanovye cracks". This is when cracks appear in the ice in severe frost. They break the ice into separate large fields. The length of these cracks is amazing - from 10 to 30 km, and the width is only 2-3 m. As you understand, it is better not to be in such a place at the time of the break. Breaks occur every year and in approximately the same places of the lake. The sound effect is similar to gun shots.

Such gaps save the fish in the lake from lack of oxygen. Here is such a mysterious, but necessary natural mechanism for the lake. And due to the transparency of ice, it penetrates through it sunlight, thanks to which planktonic algae that release oxygen in the water develop rapidly even in winter.

Another amazing phenomenon with ice on Baikal is ice hills. These are hollow cone-shaped ice hills that reach a height of 5-6 meters. In some of them you can find the "entrance", and it is usually located in the direction opposite to the shore. Such an ice tent turns out. Sometimes such tents stand alone, but often they are grouped, resembling mountain ranges, only in miniature.

Another one mysterious phenomenon was discovered with the help of space photography - dark rings.

The rings have a diameter of up to 7 km. Scientists came to the conclusion that the rings are formed due to the rise of water from the depths of the lake. Due to the temperature difference, a clockwise flow occurs, reaching different velocities in individual zones. As a result, the ice cover is destroyed, and the shape of the destroyed areas is ring-shaped.

Shores of Lake Baikal

The landscape of the coast is very diverse. The largest part is occupied by the taiga, in some places it is swampy. There are many hard-to-pass places where there are neither roads nor settlements. But there are many such areas that look quite hospitable, sand, pines, cedars, wild rosemary. But from the side of the Tazheran steppe, in the vicinity and on the island, the landscapes of the Baikal region are different - steppes, rocks with forests of Siberian larch.

The terrain on the coast of Lake Baikal is generally mountainous and transport infrastructure because of this, he suffers greatly. In many places, in order to travel by road from one settlement located on the coast to another located, you need to make a long detour of tens of kilometers. A quarter of the coast of Lake Baikal does not have public highways generally and practically uninhabited (there is a place for the Chinese to settle, they think with joy).

Bottom relief

Lake Baikal is unique in terms of bottom topography. It has its own underwater mountain ranges, the largest of which are Akademichesky and Selenginsky. These ridges divide the lake into three basins.

Earthquakes are not excluded on Baikal. More precisely, this is a common thing. But tremors usually do not exceed 2 points. But there were other cases:

• in 1862, an earthquake of 10 points was recorded, as a result of which a land area in the northern part of the Selenga delta went under water
• there were points about 9 points in 1903, 1950, 1957 and 1959
• in 2008 - 9 points
• in 2010 - 6 points

Fauna and flora of Baikal

vegetable and animal world are unique here. The lake serves as a safe haven for almost three thousand species of animals and thousands of plants. Many species are found only here. And this despite the fact that, as scientists suggest, more than 20% of the living organisms living in the lake are still unknown to science. Fishing lovers will be fine on Baikal (if the bite goes, of course). Grayling, taimen, whitefish, sturgeon, omul, lenok, golomyanka are common. There are about sixty species in total.

The top of the biosphere on Lake Baikal is occupied by the Baikal seal. There are no other mammals in this reservoir. Until now, there are heated debates about how the Baikal seal got to Baikal and comfortably settled down here - especially marine mammal. It is assumed that she got here in the distant times of the Ice Age, moving from the Arctic Ocean along the Angara and Yenisei. Now tens of thousands of animals live here.

Many animals and birds also live along the shores of Lake Baikal. Here you will meet gulls, goldeneye, there are shelducks, mergansers, white-tailed eagles, and other birds. You can see the mass bathing of brown bears (just be careful!). Musk deer, the smallest deer on Earth, lives in the mountainous part of the Baikal taiga.

Where does the name Baikal come from?

Researchers are still arguing about the origin of the name of the lake. Several guesses:

• Bai-Kul - translated from Turkic means "rich lake";
• Baigal - from the Mongolian "rich fire";
• Baigal Dalai - in the same Mongolian means "big lake";
• Beihai - in Chinese means "North Sea";
• Baigal-Nuur - Buryat name;
• Lamu - this is what the Evenki called the lake.

It is believed that the first explorers, who appeared here in the seventeenth century, eventually adopted the Buryat name, but softened the letter “g”, giving the name the current sound.

Tourism and recreation on Lake Baikal

There are a lot of beautiful places on Baikal. On my site you will find many stories of our tourists about trips and holidays on Baikal (see the section "Stories"). A feature of tourism on Baikal is that the places you would like to see are often located at great distances from each other. So if you want to see not everything, but many of the beauties of Lake Baikal, you need to work out a competent route. If you feel that you can’t do it yourself, contact private guides or buy a comprehensive tour to Baikal.

In any case, you will not be able to see everything on Baikal at one time. Baikal is large, to go around it all you will need more than one vacation.

The most massive tourist visit to Lake Baikal takes place, of course. in summer. The most popular places are the village of Listvyanka, the Small Sea and Olkhon Island. People with a small budget, and even the most demanding, will find a place for themselves. Lake Baikal is visited not only by Russians, but by many tourists from all over the world. The latter, moreover, sometimes give fabulous money for such a vacation, but they still go.

In general, judging by the reviews, holidays on Lake Baikal are not among the cheapest, especially if you need to travel from other than nearby cities. Nevertheless, Baikal sets attendance records - the number of tourists is estimated at seven figures per year.

In summer, people relax on the beaches, visit bicycle and car tours, go to hiking along the coast. There are rafting on the rivers flowing into Baikal, and much more.

Climbing cliffs, mountains and descents into grottoes and caves are popular in all seasons.

Fishing

There are a lot of fish in Baikal and lovers find a variety of places in the hope of catching omul or other fish on their own. For the most gambling, there are specialized bases with different levels of comfort. Fishing is done on rented boats.

The most popular places for fishing on Baikal are Chivyrkuisky Bay, Mukhor Bay, shallow bays of the Small Sea and, of course, rivers flowing into the lake.

Lake Baikal in winter

Despite the harshness of the Siberian climate, there are people who like to come to Lake Baikal in winter. The fantastic ice world of Baikal is fascinating. Snowmobiling is popular dog sledding.

Most Popular Attractions

Many historical and architectural sights, even more monuments of nature and culture are concentrated on Baikal.

One of the most famous attractions is shaman stone. This is a pair of boulders rising above the water at the source of the Angara. Locals have been worshiping these stones since time immemorial and consider them endowed with special powers.

Another rock, the photo of which is unusually distributed on the Internet at the request of "Baikal" and "Olkhon Island" - Rock Shamanka. Also a sacred place for the Buryats, access here for tourists was not always open.

Also on the island of Olkhon there are many other cult and historical sites. Olkhon is good because in the summer you can sunbathe there, swim, and visit a bunch of excursions or travel around the island on your own.

Holiday seasons on Baikal

Baikal is beautiful in all seasons. Summer, as well as throughout Russia, is the most popular season. The warmest from the second half of July to the beginning of August. Since November, it has become not very hospitable here, until the ice rises. In March and early April, tourists flock to Lake Baikal, especially those who like to take photos. The reason for this is the sparkling, transparent ice of Baikal. There is another one - ice fishing. In spring, Baikal is also very beautiful, severe frosts and there are no more winds. Winter lovers find a combination weather conditions and the beauty of the scenery is very attractive.

Relax on Baikal, enjoy its nature and energy. Take care of Lake Baikal, do not leave dumps behind you, do not arrange logging. This lake is thousands of years old, and after many, many years, it needs to be as beautiful and attractive as it is now.

Baikal is the oldest lake in the world. Its age is about 30 million years. During this period, the formation of Lake Baikal was accompanied by earthquakes, uplifts and subsidence of huge areas of the earth's surface.

Baikal- the deepest of all the lakes of our planet. Its maximum depth is 1637 m. In the literature, you can find various values ​​\u200b\u200bof its maximum depth, for example, 1642 m or even 1647 m. deepest point lakes - 1637 meters. She is located south of the cape Izhimei, Olkhon Island.

In 2008 and 2009, researchers on the Mir submersibles re-examined the most deep places Lake Baikal and came to the conclusion that the maximum depth of the lake, nevertheless, remains the same - 1637 m.

In terms of water volume, Baikal ranks first among freshwater lakes in the world. It contains 23,000 km3 of water. This is about 20% of the surface fresh water Earth, or about 80% of the surface fresh waters of Russia, excluding glaciers. The reserves of surface fresh waters in Russia make up about 30% of the reserves of the surface fresh waters of the Earth. Surface fresh waters are fresh lakes, reservoirs, rivers and swamps. This list does not include underground fresh water, as well as glaciers, both underground and surface.

in the waters Baikal There are more than 2,500 species and subspecies of animals and more than 1,000 species and varieties of plants.

More than 50% of animal species live only in Lake Baikal and are not found anywhere else. Among them are the smallest epishura crustacean, gammarus benthic crustaceans, freshwater sponges, giant bottom worms, fish - omul, sturgeon, golomyanka, yellowfly, longfly, and of course, the Baikal seal - seal.

The Baikal coast is famous throughout the world for its unusually beautiful landscapes, magnificent bays and bays.

The listed characteristics of Baikal are so amazing and unusual that in 1996 the lake was included in the List of World Heritage Sites. natural heritage UNESCO. Inclusion in the list means that the governments of the countries that own these objects and each person individually must treat them with special care and protect them from pollution and destruction.

The size of Lake Baikal can be compared with the size of some European countries. The area of ​​Baikal is comparable to the area European state Belgium.

Are there lakes on Earth similar to Lake Baikal? Yes, I have. Lake Tanganyika in Africa. Tanganyika is also an ancient body of water, and its shape is very similar to Baikal - just as elongated. Square Tanganyika larger than Baikal. The lake is located in the tropical zone, the water in it is warm. And in warm water more bacteria and algae breed than in the cold waters of Lake Baikal. Therefore, the transparency of the water in the lake is low, and the water is less suitable for drinking.

Lake Upper in the USA and Canada. It is also often compared to Baikal. The area of ​​Lake Superior is larger than the area of ​​Lake Baikal, but it is much smaller and younger. Lake Superior is only 10 thousand years old.

More than others, a lake looks like Baikal Khubsugul. It is located in the Baikal rift zone, it is distinguished by the same purest and transparent water, a wide variety of flora and fauna. Khubsugul is several times smaller than Lake Baikal. The volume of Khubsugul's water is 383 km3, which is more than 60 times less than the volume of Baikal's water. Khubsugul and Baikal are connected by a system of rivers.

The Egin-Gol River flows out of Khubsugul, it carries its waters to the Selenga River, and the Selenga flows into Baikal. Therefore, Khubsugul is often called the younger brother of Baikal.

Comparative characteristics of some large lakes of the world

Baikal stretches from southwest to northeast for 636 km. Is it a lot or a little? Compare on the map of Russia: the length of the lake is equal to the distance between the two most famous cities of our Motherland - between Moscow and St. Petersburg.

The maximum width of Lake Baikal is 81 km, it is located opposite the Barguzin Bay, the minimum width is 27 km - at the confluence of the Selenga River.

The length of the coastline of the lake is 2000 km. It will take almost 4.5 months to go around Baikal. It will be a very difficult journey, as in some places impenetrable rocks come close to the shore, and they will have to be bypassed.

The main characteristics of Lake Baikal

cartographic basis. Map of Lake Baikal.

Atlas “Lake Baikal. Past. The present. Future". FSUE "VostSib AGP", 2005.

Baikal is filled with waters of more than 300 rivers, rivers and streams. In the literature, you can find data, for example, that 544 tributaries flow into Baikal, or 1123 tributaries. These results were obtained by counting not the tributaries themselves, but the mountain gaps depicted in geographical maps. And along the ravines flow both permanent and temporary watercourses. In dry years, they can dry up, in years with heavy rains they can be filled with water again. Therefore, the number of tributaries is not constant.

What is Lake Baikal? Where is? Surely many travelers asked this question, trying to refresh their school knowledge. Baikal is considered the largest. It is the largest fresh water reservoir on the planet. By age, depth and reserves drinking water he just has no competition.
So Baikal! There are legends about it as about a formidable and angry lake. The well-known reservoir is awarded with different epithets: “the blue eye of Siberia”, “the sacred gift of nature”, “the world source of drinking water”.

Baikal. Where is the lake?

The lake is in the south Eastern Siberia. This is on the border and Buryatia on the Asian continent. Now remember where Lake Baikal is? A photo of the famous lake will help everyone imagine the Siberian beauty of the reservoir. Scientists have recorded the area of ​​the water surface of Lake Baikal - 31,722 square kilometers. This figure can be equated to the area of ​​Belgium or the Netherlands. The width of the mysterious reservoir reaches 79 kilometers. The length of Baikal is 620 kilometers. From a bird's eye view, the lake looks like a giant crescent. Baikal is the deepest lake. According to research data, its maximum depth is 1642 meters.

No one can exactly answer the question of where the name Baikal itself came from. This topic has been the subject of many scientific papers and literary publications. But not a single scientist was able to provide peremptory evidence in relation to at least one theoretical conjecture.

Where Baikal is located, beliefs and legends live. In the past, the peoples living near Lake Baikal called the lake in their own way: “big reservoir” or “rich water”. If we take into account the age of the reservoir, then, according to research data, Baikal was formed more than 20 million years ago.

Usually ice age lakes live for about 15 thousand years, and then gradually disappear from the face of the earth. However, Baikal does not show any signs of aging. According to research recent years, geophysicists have suggested that Baikal may well be a nascent ocean.

Miscellaneous

The Baikal pit is recognized as the cleanest storage of drinking water on the planet. The lake is incredibly clean and rich in oxygen. Connoisseurs believe that this water is close to distilled water in its properties. Earlier Baikal water was used for treatment. There is a huge variety of living forms in Lake Baikal. This is a fish: the famous omul, whitefish, perch and salmon family. Which of the animal world can still be found in the area where the lake is located. Baikal?

Baikal seals and noisy gulls live on the coast. Sometimes there are brown bears that came out of the forests. Scientists count about 847 species of representatives of the animal world and approximately 133 species of various plants in the nature of Baikal.

Thanks to this diversity large quantity tourists flock to this amazing place to inhale a breath of fresh Baikal oxygen. Every year there is an intensive development of infrastructure on Lake Baikal. This encourages everyone who has been here to visit the proposed recreation area many times.

Where to stay on Baikal? Various hotels, sanatoriums, tour operators are provided to the attention of vacationers. All conditions are created for the traveler to improve his physical and spiritual health. For many years, the thermal and mud springs of Goryachinsky, Zmeevoy, Khakusy have been famous for their healing properties.

All named natural springs- a great help to a person in the treatment of blood circulation, nervous system and skin diseases. The most popular spring is the Snake Bay. Despite the lack of amenities, the number of people coming here is constantly growing.

Baikal is able to tear a person away from the usual civilization, amaze with landscapes and fill with life-giving energy! Of course, having come to Baikal once, it is impossible to study the entire local culture. To begin with, use the services of guides or plan excursions in advance.

Think about what you will travel on: a bicycle, a car or an ATV? And if you are an excellent rider, then a horse is an excellent companion for such journeys. If the question arises about what time of the year is the cheapest time to relax on Lake Baikal, then you should go in September. It was during this period that prices for sanatoriums and services of tour operators were significantly reduced.

Baikal. Where is the place that can cause excitement among the male part of the population? This is a fishing area! Such entertainment delights all fans of an exciting activity. On the territory of Lake Baikal there is a great opportunity to let everyone show their fishing skills. The most popular places for this are the Chivyrkuisky Bay, the Small Sea, the Proval Bay and Lake Baikal itself.

There is indeed an abundance of fish in these water areas, but catching them is not an easy task. Some tourists even have to resort to the services of instructors. But that's okay!

It is worth practicing - and you will be with a catch! Most likely, friends, looking at a photo on this topic, will ask: "Where are you?" After a little silence, you will probably give a proud answer: "How where? Lake Baikal!"

Winter fishing has its advantages. It is no less exciting than in the warm season: fewer people, therefore - peace and a sense of freedom.

Rest on famous lake Baikal is quite diverse. If you dream of swimming, summer fishing and other entertainment in the hot season, then it is better to go on vacation in July-August. At the beginning of summer, it is still cold on Lake Baikal, and the water is not warm enough. And in the northern part of the reservoir there are even floating ice floes. The end of August can overshadow the pastime of travelers with gusty winds. Water during this period is mixed, and its temperature drops. But for those travelers looking for solitude in nature, autumn is a great time of the year. The local coastal vegetation is painted in bright colors, forcing the tourist to capture this beauty in the photo.

Where to relax on Baikal?

If you know what you expect from this trip, it will be easier to decide on a vacation spot. For those who prefer the thick of the masses, the roar of various music and the roar of jet skis, the western coast of Olkhon Island, Peschanaya Bay, the coast of the Small Sea, the coast from the village of Baikalskoye to the city of Severobaikalsk, the Circum-Baikal Railway are suitable.

Cruise along the Circum-Baikal railway- a win-win option for an interesting vacation. Usually the tour lasts 2 days by train. On this trip, the guide will tell travelers about famous places Lake Baikal. There are short stops at notable places. Therefore, you can contemplate nature in these parts to your heart's content.

The places where Baikal is located offer everyone the comfort of tourist bases and sanatoriums of Southern Baikal (Utulik, Elektra, Angara and others). This should save the vacationer from questions about where to live on Baikal. Small Sea is a bit secluded, and accommodation here is possible in a yurt at affordable rates. Olkhon Island is located in an inaccessible place. It can only be reached on foot or by boat. This is a great recreation area for those who are tired of the hustle and bustle of the city.

You can diversify your pastime on the deepest reservoir by taking part in a cruise on a boat or yacht. This way you can visit the wild shores of Lake Baikal. Known group excursion routes. They are notable for the fact that vacationers can visit the most unusual corners of the Baikal region.

If a tourist has a desire to use the rest in order to restore physical health, then he can resort to the services of hot springs in the north of the lake. Active travelers will enjoy hiking and horse riding, as well as exciting rafting on mountain rivers. Winter lovers can organize walks on the Baikal ice rink, ride snowmobiles or dog sleds. For fans of skiing from December to May, the tourist base "Mount Sobolinaya" is actively operating.

Rest on Baikal as a savage

On Baikal? And How? Recreation as a savage is the most freedom-loving. For those who love adventure, Lake Baikal is a real find! Peschanaya Bay is considered the most suitable place for such a pastime. Only here a real tourist feels an absolute separation from civilization - there is no connection, no roads.

Only private yachts and the motor ship "Barguzin" go here, departing from the pier of Irkutsk. Small houses or tents are provided for vacationers. This island has pristine nature. It is so alluring that it literally bewitches tourists, forcing them to return here again and again.

At the service of travelers-savages - tourist centre who can offer interesting excursions. Where to relax on Baikal as a savage? The magnificent island of Olkhon is ready to receive a wanderer! It can charm every person with the harmony of its forests and steppes. Olkhon is an unforgettable fishing trip and a lot of positive emotions.

mysterious rock

This island is interesting as a place for shamans. There are opinions that there is a tomb of Genghis Khan. Some locals still worship spirits today. Old-timers can tell travelers a lot about the mysterious Shaman Rock.

It is the highlight of Lake Baikal. Researchers of this area claim that in ancient times the Buryats brought a huge number of sacrifices to the rock. There are many legends on this subject. One of them says that on Cape Shaman-Rocks lives Ezhin - the owner of the island. Until now, local residents treat this place with due respect.

Among the tourists there are few daredevils who are ready to approach the Shaman Mountain. According to legend, this place is endowed with a special energy power. The photographs leave as a memory for travelers the drawings of shaman tambourines carved on the rock by ancient people. Unfortunately, these images are partly destroyed due to the intervention of the human hand in an attempt to quarry the marble.

Sights of Irkutsk

In those places where Lake Baikal is located, the city of Irkutsk is the most unexplored and underestimated tourist destination in the world. Many Russians have vague ideas about this place of rest. It's a pity!

Foreign tourists visit Irkutsk sights with unconcealed interest. After all, this is a storehouse of natural and man-made works. Connoisseurs of architecture visit the Exaltation of the Cross Church with pleasure.

After all, its structure is unique: the fences of the temple and the crosses are made according to the old model of blacksmithing. Another famous attraction of Irkutsk is the Taltsy architectural and ethnographic museum. It is located in the open air and keeps real masterpieces of architecture!

Tourists who come here can become witnesses Orthodox holidays: in winter - Christmas and Maslenitsa, in summer - Trinity. In the winter season, residents of Irkutsk build snowy towns, ride down ice hills on cow skins! Agree that this forgotten vacation can bring real pleasure to every traveler.

After such festivities, you can heartily enjoy hot dishes of native Russian cuisine: hot pancakes, meat goulash, Siberian dumplings! Along with this, everyone can taste Japanese and Chinese dishes in cafes, bars and restaurants at reasonable prices.

extreme vacation

So, you have come to Baikal! Where is the place that will give a drive to the traveler? What else will conquer this famous territory of a vacationer? Baikal is able to provide the traveler with an extreme type of recreation that can cause him a special surge of emotions and adrenaline. This is especially facilitated by dynamic rafting along the mountain rivers of the territory of Baikal. Such water trips are notable for the fact that after such a trip there is no longer any tourist who is indifferent to this type of recreation.

Worth seeing at least once wildlife Siberian taiga, rafting down a stormy river with a group of comrades. Memories of the euphoria of such a trip will accompany many years. So let's remember that mountain rivers originate in the upper reaches of the mountain. River layers of water from there rush down - to the plateaus and plains. Due to sudden changes in altitude, the speed of the flow of mountain rivers is from 25 to 30 kilometers per hour. The number of obstacles encountered on the path of the current (rocks, waterfalls) determine the complexity category of water rafting.

The first category includes calm water, the sixth - obstacles with waterfalls and rapids reaching up to 15 meters. Tourists can conquer such mountain rivers on rafts. This is the most popular ship for such an extreme type of recreation. It is an inflatable boat. Its bottom contains holes for draining water that has got inside the boat.

The raft differs from ordinary inflatable boats in that its design is reinforced with a durable shell, special attachments for travelers' legs and two-layer balloons. The raft is used when passing water obstacles of 1-5 categories of difficulty.

To get more acute emotions when passing the river rapids, tourists use a catamaran. These are two inflatable balloons made of very durable material, which are interconnected by an aluminum partition. The catamaran on the water is well stable and gives a stronger feeling than a raft.

To control a catamaran, more precise actions are needed. It usually accommodates 2-4 people. On such a device, it is possible to pass water obstacles from 1 to 6 categories of complexity.

If you wonder where to visit Baikal, then you should make a trip to the top of Mount Munku - Sardyk. Such a trip can be unforgettable, as this place is considered the highest point in Eastern Siberia. Tourists who have reached the snow-white peak will have stunning views of the lakes frozen under the ice. At this moment, it will seem simply incredible! The best time to enjoy such beauty is April and May.

Tourists who have been to Baikal more than once note that, most likely, this trip will change a beginner. The mystery of this Siberian place is able to touch the thin spiritual strings of a person, awakening in him a sense of novelty and harmony.

Lake Baikal is located in Russia. It truly is a wonder of the world. In terms of area (31.5 thousand km2), it ranks seventh among other lakes the globe. The length of Lake Baikal is 636 km, the maximum width is 79 km, and the minimum width is 25 km. The total length of the coastline reaches 1995 km.

In terms of depth, Baikal knows no equal among all freshwater lakes peace. The greatest depth of Tanganyika is 1435 m, Issyk-Kul - 702 m, and Baikal - 1637 m. This deepest point is located off the coast of the largest of the Baikal islands, which is called Olkhon. The average depth of Lake Baikal is 1620 m. This figure is 396 m more than that of the second deepest lake Tanganyika (1223 m).

According to scientists, the average life expectancy of lakes is from 25 to 30 thousand years. Gradually they are filled with mud, algae grow thicker in them, an increasing layer of sediments raises the bottom closer to the surface, and, in the end, the shallow lake is overgrown with water-loving herbs and turns into a swamp. However, contrary to all laws, Lake Baikal is in no hurry to grow old. Scientists, having calculated the annual amount of precipitation falling here, predict a long life for Baikal.

Its depression was formed as a result of earthquakes about 25 million years ago. The second oldest lake - Tanganyika, which is located in Africa, is only 2 million years old.

View of Lake Baikal

The first explorer who left the "Drawing of Baikal and the falling rivers to Baikal", as well as information about fish and fur-bearing animals of the coastal taiga, was the explorer Kurbat Ivanov. In 1643, at the head of a group of Cossacks and industrial people, he reached the western shores of the lake and explored the island of Olkhon.

At the end of July 1662, returning from exile to Dauria, Baikal swam across the archpriest Avvakum, who wrote: “When they landed on the shore, a windy storm arose, and the waves found a place on the shore. Near it are high mountains, stone cliffs and so high that I have traveled more than twenty thousand miles, but I have never seen such ones anywhere. There are a lot of birds, geese, swans - they float on the sea like snow. The fish in it are sturgeon and taimen, sterlet, omul, whitefish and many other genera. The water is fresh, and seals and hares are unusually large.”

In the 18th century, long-term expeditions were engaged in the exploration of Siberia and Kamchatka. At the same time, scientists became interested in Baikal. Omul, golomyanka, seal and other animal species have been described. Over time, instrumental surveys of the area were made on Baikal, and several hydrometeorological stations were organized. Scientists began to conduct regular observations of the water level, magnetic surveys and gravitational measurements. In 1918, a permanent research base-station was established on the lake, which was later transformed into the Limnological Institute. The main research center on Baikal is currently the Baikal Ecological Museum.

Lake Baikal has the cleanest air, there is never exhausting heat, although there are more sunny days a year than in the Black Sea resorts. The lake is also famous for its beautiful, unique water, the volume of which in Baikal is 25 thousand km3, i.e. almost the same as in all five Great Lakes of Canada. This amount corresponds to approximately 20% of all surface fresh water in the world.

Baikal water is the highest quality in the world; it, without fear, you can drink without boiling. It is pure, tasty and transparent. IN local restaurants it is even served as a signature dish.

Since the crystalline rocks of the bottom and shores are hardly soluble, the water of streams and rivers flowing into Baikal is not saturated with salts. In addition, organic remains quickly dissolve in the Baikal water, so it is very rare to find animal skeletons in the lake. Thus, the main properties of Baikal water can be briefly described as follows: it contains very few dissolved and suspended mineral substances, negligible organic impurities and a lot of oxygen.

Baikal water is called living water for a reason. From the surface to the bottom, the lake is home to a wide variety of life forms. In other deep lakes of the world, the lower layers are dead because they are poisoned by hydrogen sulfide and other gases. In Baikal, on the contrary, the entire water column is permeated with oxygen. Water is constantly stirred by horizontal sea ​​currents, running around the lake-sea and around each of its three basins, as well as vertical ascending and descending streams.

Modern scientists have discovered that, despite the enormous pressure that is created on the Baikal bottom, thermal springs beat there.

Moreover, a small transparent fish calmly sinks to the bottom of the lake, more than half consisting of fat - golomyanka. This is the only representative of viviparous fish from among those that live in the Siberian regions, as well as in the middle lane. It is known that all deep-seated fish have special bladders that save them from strong water pressure. Surprisingly, the golomyanka does not have such a bubble.

Baikal has the ability not only to store, but also to reproduce water. The lake throws ashore fragments of oars, boats, logs.

The cleanliness and health of Lake Baikal are protected by its inhabitants themselves. The crustacean epishura lives in the lake. Although he himself has a small size, no more than 2 mm in length, but its share in the total mass of zooplankton is 96%. Billions of such crustaceans, continuously passing water through themselves, cleanse it of dirt. Golomyanka also plays an important role in maintaining the cleanliness of the lake. She is the most numerous in the lake. Its total weight is about 150 thousand tons, i.e. 67% of the total number of Baikal fish. Golomyankas never gather in flocks, do not hide in algae. At any time of the day, they move throughout the lake: from the surface to the very bottom. During its endless movement, the fish seems to mix the lake water, due to which the latter is continuously saturated with oxygen. Golomyanka never forms spawning shoals, which makes it impossible to catch it commercially. Therefore, the number of this fish in the lake always remains at a constant level. The fish is also interesting because it has an absolutely transparent body that melts in the sun like ice. Previously, the Buryats rendered fat from golomyanka, which they used in everyday life and as a healing agent.

Anyone who comes to the shore of the lake is struck by its extraordinary transparency. With the naked eye, you can see everything that happens at a depth of 30–40 m. Modern instruments show that the water is clear even at a depth of 100 meters.

Siberians call Baikal water love water. It fascinates, it seems unreal, fabulous. Sailing along the shore in a boat, you just want to reach out with your hand to the gem you like, but, putting your hand into the water, you suddenly realize that this is an optical illusion, and the stone lies at the very bottom of the lake.

Even more admirable are the color metamorphoses that take place on the surface of the water. Due to its transparency, it reflects the slightest changes in the weather, the solstice, incoming clouds, haze coming from the taiga. Also affect its color seasonal changes: snow, delicate greenery of summer and multicolored autumn. The color scheme varies from white-blue, silver-gray to piercing blue or slate-black with white splashes of waves. Artists say that neither with a brush nor with a pencil they manage to capture Baikal as it is.

From time immemorial, Baikal has been called the "sacred sea". For the first time, the Buryat name "Baigal" appeared in the chronicle "Altan Tobchi" by Mergen Gegen, which dates back to 1765, in the part devoted to the genealogy of Genghis Khan. There are many legends, legends and fairy tales about Baikal. So, Buryat myths say that Buryat and Swan swam in the Baikal waters, the Eagle soared over the sacred sea, and on its banks the bull Bukha-noyon roared and the Wolf quenched his thirst. All these animals are considered to be the ancient ancestors of the Buryats.

It is interesting that there are only one of all the main geographical elements on Baikal: one big Island- Olkhon, one archipelago - the Ushkany Islands, one large peninsula - Svyatoy Nos, one large bay - Chivyrkuisky, one strait - the Small Sea, one large tributary - the Selenga River, which carries as much water into Baikal as all the others flowing into the lake rivers, and there are more than three hundred of them. Also, only one river flows out of Baikal - the Angara, which ultimately flows into the Yenisei.

According to the Buryat legend, the gray-haired Baikal had many sons-rivers: Barguzin, Anga, Sarma and others, and only one daughter, beloved by Angara. When the time came to marry her off, suitors hurried to the possessions of Baikal. A fast Irkut galloped on a horse, a calm handsome man Alyat sailed. But none of them pleased the young maiden. One night, Angara ran away from her father's possessions to the mighty batyr Yenisei. Upon learning of this, Baikal became angry and, tearing coastal cliff, threw after the runaway to block her path. But Angara bypassed the barrier and met with the groom.

Almost the westernmost point of the lake is Cape Shaman - one of the monuments of Baikal nature. It can be taken as a symbolic beginning of Baikal.

There are a lot of picturesque bays and capes on Baikal. Peschanaya Bay is one of the most beautiful and cozy corners of the 2000-kilometer Baikal coast. It is located on the western shore of the lake, relatively close to the source of the Angara. Against the background of blue water, the soft outlines of steep banks and rocky capes look very impressive. No wonder A.P. Chekhov compared the coast of Baikal with Crimean Yalta. From the mighty north wind- Verkhovik, or Angara, - Peschanaya Bay is protected by Bolshoy Kolokolny Cape.

Not far from Peschanaya is Babushka Bay. in sunny and warm weather many tourists rest here. In autumn, already at the beginning of October, when the lake looks especially wonderful and unique, Babushka is deserted.

Rocky Islands of Baikal

To the north of Babushka Bay is Cape Arka, or Gate II. No less attractive is the island of Olkhon, although it has a severe appearance. This is a high mountainous island, which is more than 70 km long and 12 km wide. The highest point of the island is Mount Zhima, which has an altitude of about 1300 m above sea level. From West Bank its lakes are separated by the Olkhon Gates Strait and the Small Sea. Olkhon is surrounded by many calm and small bays, which are convenient for fishing.

The name of the island comes from the Buryat word "olkhan", which means "dry" in Russian. This refers to one of the winds blowing on Lake Baikal. The winds on the lake are special. Suddenly escaping from the narrow mountain gorges, they can bring a lot of trouble. Each wind is usually called by the name of the river from whose valley it blows: barguzin, kurtuk, verkhovka, gloss, sarma, shelonik, khiuz, siver, etc.

The most insidious of them are considered the barguzin, sung in an old Buryat song, and the ferocious sarma, which rages in the Small Sea in the autumn and winter seasons, opposite the Olkhon Gates. That is why this small strait poses a considerable danger to navigation.

Escaping from the mountains from the valley of the Sarma River into the narrow space of the Small Sea, the wind reaches hurricane force, forms tornadoes and waves up to 4 m high. At the same time, the howling of the wind and the splashing of the waves become so strong that they drown out the sound of a shot.

Baikal winds they blow sand from under the trees on the coast, exposing their roots. So-called stilted trees appear, mostly pines growing along the edge of the beach. The trees take roots deeper and deeper, trying to withstand the pressure of autumn storms. As a result, bizarrely wind-bent plants appear near the shore, which rise 1.5–2 m above the beach on clumsy “props” legs.

Olkhon is the main sacred place of the lake-sea, where shamans of many clans perform tailagan. It is believed that it is on Olkhon that a shaman can enter into a mysterious relationship with the natural forces of Baikal. Through the rite of sprinkling with milk and vodka and prayer spells, you can beg for good weather, good luck in hunting and fishing. Pass tailagans on the island near the sacred places. One of them is Cape Burkhan, or Shaman, which, with its stone ridges, goes far into Baikal waters. Folk legends say that the lord of the island and surrounding places lives in his cave.

The same sacred place among the Buryats is Mount Zhima. They say that somewhere at the foot of this mountain, an immortal bear is chained. It was through Olkhon on the ice of the lake that the Buryats moved and, thus, settled in the lands on both sides of Lake Baikal. In the epic about Geser, Baikal is referred to only as "Dalai", that is, "borderless", "great", "almighty".

For a long time, the Buryats worship the water element, which, in their opinion, came down from heaven. Each river and lake had its own owners - the kings of the waters of Usan Khan. They were represented in the form of elders, who, together with their servants, live at the bottom of reservoirs. The main one was Usan-Lopson with his wife Usan-Daban. Some kings of the waters patronized fishing and even fishing gear.

In total, there are about 30 indigenous rocky islands on Baikal, 15 of them are located in the Small Sea. Each island is a real miracle of nature. There are also many picturesque peninsulas on the lake. Not only their nature is unique, but also their names: Holy Nose, Kurbulik, Ayaya, Chivyrkuy, Ongokon, Shaggy Kyltygey, Katun, Shargodagan, Kultuk, Tsagan-Morin, Davshe. The smallest island of the Small Sea is called Madote.

On the eastern coast of the lake, the most interesting corner is the Svyatoy Nos peninsula, known for its mysterious singing sands. Such sands are found only in a few corners of the globe. On the peninsula, they form a whole beach 7–10 m wide. The sand here is fine-grained, perfectly sorted, grayish-yellow in color.

Sandy beaches of Lake Baikal

The dry sand at the top of the beach emits a loud creak, like the creak of new leather shoes. If, while walking, raking the sand with your feet, the creaking intensifies and gradually turns into a jerky howl. The same sound appears when sand is raked with a hand or a stick. If you press it vertically or hit it with something from top to bottom, then instead of a creak, only a faint crunch will be heard, as when stirring dry starch. In all likelihood, the "singing" of sand occurs at certain sizes, shape, humidity, roughness and other properties of sand grains. Until the end, the mystery of the appearance of "singing sands" has not been revealed by science.

Lake Baikal not only offers travelers a view magnificent views nature, but also gives shelter to a huge number (more than 2600 species) of animals and plants. Almost all types of flora and fauna of the globe live in the lake. Among them, 50 fish species, about 600 plant species, 300 bird species and over 1200 animal species, with a truly incredible number - 960 animal species and 400 plant species - are endemic.

In terms of the number and variety of unique species, Baikal surpasses all exotic places on earth, such as the Galapagos, New Zealand and the island of Madagascar. However, if relict species survived there, the oldest animals and plants that have long been extinct in other places, then local, relatively young species of flora and fauna arose in Baikal, which appeared here over the past tens of millions of years. More than 50 species of fish are found in the lake, among which there are very common ones, such as pike and perch. But almost half are species of sculpins and other fish that are not found anywhere else. Two exclusively Baikal, unique species belonging to the genus comephorus (golomyankovye) are completely transparent and live at a depth of 503 m in complete darkness.

Most fish species live in the shallow coastal part of the lake. Only five species live at depth: omul (a relative of salmon), Baikal gobies, yellowwing, longwing and two species of golomyanka comephorus. These five species make up three-quarters of the total number of fish in the lake.

Baikal is also often called a living museum because an unusual group of organisms lives in it: amphipods, worms, mollusks, sponges, goby fish.

Among the commercial fish in the lake are grayling, whitefish, sturgeon and, of course, omul. The main food for many fish species are amphipods, which inhabit the entire water column: some of them live in water, others burrow into bottom sediments.

The most famous and very mysterious animal that lives on Lake Baikal is, of course, the Baikal seal, a pinniped mammal belonging to the family of true seals. The seal reaches a length of 1.8 m and a weight of about 70 kg. The main objects of her hunting are gobies and golomyanka. Occasionally, she manages to catch omul if the fish is weakened for some reason. This endemic species has thrived on the lake since time immemorial and currently numbers 70,000 individuals. There are especially many seals near the Ushkany Islands. The legend tells that the ancestors of the Baikal seal came to Baikal from the Northern Arctic Ocean By underground river. Scientists also suggest that the progenitors of the seal sailed from the Arctic Ocean, but not along the underground river, but along the Yenisei and Angara, which in glacial period were covered in ice. In addition, it has been irrefutably proven that both the Baikal seal and the modern ringed seal descended from a common ancestor.

On northeast coast Baikal, the Barguzinsky Reserve is spread out. The flora and fauna of the reserve, its mountains, taiga, lakes and rivers is rich and unique, but the Barguzin sable is considered the most valuable animal of those that live here.

The surroundings of Lake Baikal have been declared a protected area. Here is the Pribaikalsky National Park. In addition to Barguzinsky, there is another reserve - Baikalsky.

In conclusion, it is worth mentioning the assumption of scientists who have carefully studied the territory in the area of ​​Lake Baikal. Some geophysicists have suggested that Baikal is turning into an ocean. In the region of the lake, magnetic anomalies similar to those characteristic of the region of the mid-Atlantic fault were found (from the axis of this fault, the continents of Africa and South America are moving apart in both directions).

Scientists have found that tensile forces also act in the Baikal basin, due to which its banks diverge into opposite sides. Some researchers even cite data obtained by them indirectly, arguing that the rate of such a discrepancy reaches 2 cm per year. However, direct confirmation of such information has not yet been found, although it was they that served as the basis for putting forward a hypothesis about the transformation of Baikal into an ocean. On the other hand, if we assume that the expansion rate of Baikal is really such, then in 50-60 million years the width of the lake-sea will be about 1000 km, and this already looks like an ocean. Nevertheless, any scientific hypothesis requires rigorous proof.