Mysterious rings appeared on the ice of Baikal. Huge rings on ice. Winter sports

Tour itinerary: Irkutsk - Listvyanka - Circum-Baikal Railway - Olkhon - mini cruise to the eastern shore of Lake Baikal - Maksimikha (Barguzinsky Bay) - Ulan-Ude - Ivolginsky datsan - Irkutsk

The program of the 11-day tour, rich in natural and cultural attractions, will allow you to see Baikal in all its diversity from the western, southern and eastern shores! And enjoy unique lake a one-day mini-cruise on a boat from Olkhon Island to the eastern coast of Lake Baikal will help you with the water surface.

Transport: Minibus.

Accommodation

1-, 2-, 3-seater:
In Listvyanka - at the camp site, amenities in the room (1 day)
In Irkutsk - hotel, amenities in the room (1 day)
On about. Olkhon - at the camp site, facilities on the territory (3 days)
In Maksimikha - at the camp site, amenities in the room (3 days)
In Ulan-Ude - hotel, amenities in the room (1 day)
Train Ulan-Ude - Irkutsk, compartment, amenities in the car (1 night)

Tour program

Arrival in Irkutsk. Group gathering(from 08.00 to 08.30 at the airport, from 09.00 to 09.30 at the railway station, with a sign “The Ring of Baikal”), acquaintance with the guide. Breakfast at the bistro. Sightseeing tour around town during which you will get to know the most interesting places Irkutsk. Among them: the Church of the Savior, the Epiphany Cathedral, the Polish Church, the Moscow Gates (the triumphal arch, restored to the 350th anniversary of the city), the Angara embankment and the monument to Alexander III, the White House, the Moorish Castle, the Znamensky Monastery, on the territory of which there are graves of the Decembrists, and also the famous merchant and traveler Grigory Shelikhov.
Transfer to Baikal, to Listvyanka.
Along the way visiting of museum wooden architecture"Taltsy", where more than 30 examples of Siberian architecture are collected, including the Buryat yurt and the Evenki tent.
Further stop at the Shaman stone.
A visit to the souvenir market, the fish market is a good opportunity to purchase souvenirs of Siberian craftsmen made of stone, wood, birch bark and glass, as well as to taste cold and hot smoked Baikal fish.
Picnic lunch (late).
Visit to the Baikal Museum. The museum contains the richest exposition of the flora and fauna of Baikal.
Then a tour of Listvyanka. Accommodation at the hostel (comfort in the room).
Meals: breakfast, picnic lunch (late).
Guide: yes.

Cities: Irkutsk, Listvyanka

Attractions: monument to Alexander III, Church of the Savior, Znamensky Monastery, 130 quarter, Baikal Museum, Architectural and Ethnographic Museum "Taltsy", Moorish Castle (Irkutsk Museum of Local Lore), Triumphal Arch"Moscow gates"

2nd day

Breakfast, transfer by ferry across the Listvyanichny Bay and the source of the Angara to the port of Baikal. Boarding a sightseeing train along the Circum-Baikal Railway(Circum-Baikal Railway). During the trip, we will make several stops at the most picturesque places Circum-Baikal Railway, which is a monument of architecture and engineering art of the early 20th century. On the way we will have a small picnic during one of the stops.
Arrival in Irkutsk (approximately at 22.00), transfer and accommodation in a hotel (rooms with private facilities). Dinner is on your own.
Meals: breakfast, picnic lunch.
Guide: yes.

Cities: Listvyanka, Irkutsk

Attractions: Circum-Baikal Railway (CBR)

3rd day

Breakfast. Transfer to Olkhon. Among the three dozen Baikal islands, Olkhon Island, surrounded by many ancient myths and legends, stands out in particular due to its size, variety of landscapes, grandeur of natural monuments and is deservedly considered one of the most beautiful places Baikal.
On the way to excursion to Ust-Orda, acquaintance with the traditions and life of the indigenous people of the Baikal region - the Buryats. The Buryats are one of the most numerous nationalities inhabiting the territory of Siberia. The Ust-Orda region is interesting in that the foundations of the traditional culture of the Buryats are passed on from generation to generation. During this excursion you will get acquainted with the Buryat folklore, national games and shamanistic rites.
Lunch at a cafe on the way.
Arrival at Olkhon, accommodation at the hotel (facilities on the territory).
Depending on the time of arrival to Olkhon Island - walking tour to Cape Burkhan (Shamanka rock) can be carried out on the day of arrival or the next day. Cape Burkhan - a cape on about. Olkhon, which is on Baikal, ending with the Shaman Rock. At the foot of the cliff, a mysterious rock drawing and an inscription in Sanskrit have been preserved. Shaman rock - one of the nine shrines of Asia (formerly called the "stone-temple"), located near the village of Khuzhir, has become a kind of hallmark of the lake, one of the most famous images of Baikal.
Dinner.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner.
Guide: yes.

Cities: Olkhonsky district, Ust-Orda

Attractions: rock Shamanka (Shaman rock), about. Olkhon

4th day

After breakfast departure to Cape Khoboy. Khoboy got its name for the most prominent part of the cape - a flat stone slab, shaped like a fang of an animal (Khoboy in Buryat means fang). Uniqueness and harsh beauty Khoboy was appreciated by the ancient inhabitants of Olkhon - Khoboy was considered sacred and served as a place for religious ceremonies.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner.
Guide: yes(guide-driver).

Cities: Olkhonsky district, Khuzhir

Attractions: Cape Khoboy, about. Olkhon

5th day

Free time. Rest.
For additional excursions can be booked for a fee
Ogoy Island, water excursion on a boat, 1800–2000 rubles / person. Summer 2005 Buddhist stupa was installed on the island of Ogoy. Buddhists believe that the more often you make a detour of holy places (stupas, Buddhist hills, sacred mountain peaks), the more likely it is that a good wish will be heard by the gods and will soon come true.
Buryat village, mini museum complex- 1100 rub/person This trip will allow you to see the life of the Buryat family, the national struggle, get acquainted with folklore, crafts, economy, lifestyle, beliefs. In the neighboring village you will visit a kind of museum under open sky, your guide will lead interesting excursion and answer questions. Souvenirs are also sold here. You can return back by car or walk along the beach.
On the islands of the Small Sea, water excursion on a boat - 1000 rubles / person.
Sharanur - Tashkinei - Yalga, car tour - 1500 rubles / person. Pad Tashkinei - special place. The decay is on east coast Olkhon islands, enclose its high mountains, the path through which is winding and steep, but, after driving along the Olkhon serpentine, you will find yourself in an amazing lowland, where silence, peace and serenity envelop you from the very first minute of your stay there. You will also visit two unusual lakes - Shara-Nur and Yalga, one of which contains healing hydrogen sulfide mud. In another lake, you can swim to your heart's content - this is one of the few places on Olkhon where the water warms up to a temperature that is comfortable for water fun.
In addition to excursions to free days offered: horseback riding, quad biking, fishing.
Meals: breakfast, dinner.
Guide: local guide.

Cities: Olkhonsky district, Khuzhir

Attractions: O. Olkhon

6th day

After breakfast on the boat, we will go on a one-day mini-cruise to the eastern coast of Lake Baikal towards the Svyatoy Nos peninsula.
The Holy Nose Peninsula is located in the Zabaikalsky National Park. On one side of it is the Barguzinsky Bay (the most large bay lakes), on the other - Chivyrkuisky (one of the most comfortable and picturesque corners Baikal). The boat does not enter Chivyrkuisky Bay in the direction of travel, it is possible to organize an excursion for an additional fee. fee on free days.
Accommodation at the recreation center / in the homestead in the village of Maksimikha (rooms with private facilities).
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner.
Guide: no.

Cities: Maksimikha

Attractions: Svyatoy Nos Peninsula, Barguzinsky Bay, Chivyrkuisky Bay

7th day

Breakfast. Day trip around the Barguzinskaya valley. Barguzin valley, unique in the beauty of landscapes, wealth natural complexes, history, culture is considered one of the most unique tourist destinations of the Baikal region.
Visit to archaeological and natural monuments: on the road from the village. Suvo in the village. Bodon is the shrine of the Barguzin valley - the stone Bukhe-Shulun (Bull-stone), whose spirit is considered the owner of the entire valley.
15 km from the village. Suwo is located landscape monument nature Ininsky rock garden. When crossing the river Inu to the right and left of the river on a flat area, large boulders rise above the ground. Ininsky rock garden is a unique natural phenomenon.
Mount Barkhan-Uula (Baragkhan) is one of the main shrines of the Barguzin valley and the Barguzin ridge. The name of this mountain is equally mentioned both in ancient Buryat myths and in ancient Tibetan texts. We will have lunch on the way. Return to the camp site, dinner.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Guide: local for the duration of the tour.

Cities: Maksimikha

Attractions: Barguzinskaya valley, Ininsky rock garden

8th day

Free time. Rest.
For additional for a fee it is possible to order excursions(prices are indicative and subject to change):
Water excursion "Chivyrkuysky Bay"- 3000 rub/person You will have an unforgettable boat trip along the Chivyrkuisky Bay, swimming in thermal waters bay of the Snake. It can be said about the Chivyrkuisky Bay that this is one of the most beautiful creations of nature, the pride of Baikal. The gentle shores of the bay are densely overgrown with forests and have many bays and picturesque capes. The Serpent Spring is located in the bay of the same name, which is closed from the north by the high mountainous cape Goryachinsky. The water in the spring is close in composition to the Pyatigorsk springs. The source itself consists of two wooden log cabins, each of which can accommodate several people.
Water excursion "Ushkany Islands"- 5000 rub/person endemic nature. Opportunity to see the Baikal seal on the rookery. Strict visiting regime. Applications in advance. On the rocky beaches of the Ushkany Islands, seals rest in their natural habitat. There are hundreds of them here. In addition to this amazing spectacle, Ushkany has many more natural wonders- dwarf birch with black bark, pine with an ornate trunk shape, as well as trees that are over 300 years old!
- on request, ordered in advance.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner.
Guide: no(when ordering excursions - a local guide).

Cities: Maksimikha

Attractions: Barguzinsky Bay

9th day

Breakfast. Free time. Release of rooms until 12 noon.
Dinner.
Meeting with the guide departure to Ulan-Ude, 235 km from the village. Maximikha.
Accommodation in a hotel (rooms with private facilities), rest. Dinner (at own expense). Free time.
Meals: breakfast, lunch.
Guide: local guide for the duration of the transfer.

Cities: Ulan-Ude

10th day

Breakfast at the hotel. Departure to the village Ivolginsky.
Excursion to the Buddhist monastery Gandan Dashi Choihorling, the center of Buddhism in Russia.
At the foot of the Khamar-Daban ridge, in the steppe expanses, in a quiet tract, 30 kilometers from Ulan-Ude, there is the spiritual capital of the Buddhist traditional Sangha of Russia - Ivolginsky datsan.
The Ivolginsky datsan was opened in 1945. Here is the residence of Pandito Khambo Lama, the head of the Buddhists of Russia.
A Buddhist University was opened at the datsan, where novice huvaraks are trained. The altars and interiors of the temples of the complex are decorated with genuine works of art.
In addition, on the territory of the monastery there are educational buildings of the University, sacred stupas-suburgans, a hotel for guests, a museum of Buddhist art monuments, various office premises and houses of lamas. To this day, the Ivolginsky datsan is the center of Buddhism in Russia, visited by many believers, pilgrims and tourists from all over the world.
Return to the city. Dinner.
After lunch city ​​center tour. Free time.
22.00 - transfer to the railway station Ulan-Ude, departure to Irkutsk.
Meals: breakfast, lunch.
Guide: local guide for the duration of the tour.

Cities: Ivolginsky district, Ulan-Ude

Attractions: Buddhist monastery Gandan Dashi Choikhorling

11th day

07.30 Arrival in Irkutsk, the end of the tour.
Possible extra. night in Irkutsk (additional fee).
Food: no.

Tour conditions

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Satellite images of Lake Baikal show ring structures on the ice. On satellite images On the spring ice of Lake Baikal one can sometimes see dark rings 5-7 km in diameter. For the first time such a ring was seen on a satellite image taken in April 1999. The ring was located opposite Cape Krestovsky (not far from the village of Buguldeyka). The next time a similar ice phenomenon was recorded at the same place in April 2003, and then in April 2005. In 2004, 2006 and 2007, there were no ring formations on the Baikal ice. And in 2008, the rings appeared already in two places: again in the area of ​​​​Cape Krestovsky (with some shift to the south-west from the location of the ring in 1999, 2003 and 2005) and, for the first time, in the area of ​​​​the village of Turka. In 2009, two rings were again recorded in new places: to the west of Cape Nizhneye Izgolovye of the Svyatoy Nos Peninsula and in the southern tip of Lake Baikal.
Below is a selection of survey satellite images, which most clearly show the ring ice phenomena on Baikal. April 18, 1999. Area of ​​Cape Krestovsky
April 20, 2003. Area of ​​Cape Krestovsky
April 24, 2005. Area of ​​Cape Krestovsky
April 22, 2008. The area of ​​Cape Krestovsky and the village of Turka
April 24, 2009. Southern tip of Lake Baikal
April 15, 2009
April 20, 2009. Southern tip of Lake Baikal
April 24, 2009
The causes and mechanism of the formation of ring ice phenomena are not currently studied in detail. Presumably, the formation of circles is associated with emissions of natural combustible gas (methane) from many kilometers of sedimentary strata of the bottom of Lake Baikal. It is known that in some parts of the water area natural gas seeps from the bottom occur constantly. In summer, in such places, bubbles rise from the depths to the surface, and in winter, “steams” form from half a meter to hundreds of meters in diameter, where the ice is very thin or completely absent. But gigantic dark rings on the ice of Lake Baikal are formed when natural gas is released in an abnormally large volume. Probably, such emissions are associated with seismic activity and tectonic movements in the Baikal rift system. The formation of dark rings on the ice surface presumably occurs as follows. Rising from the bottom of Lake Baikal, natural gas provokes an ascending water flow, which in the process of ascent is twisted by the Coriolis forces caused by the rotation of the Earth (similarly to how cyclones and anticyclones form in the atmosphere). As a result, a circular relatively warm current is formed in the near-surface layer of water under the ice, which gradually destroys the ice cover from below. Melted ice is saturated with water, and on the surface of the ice appears dark ring. Subsequently, within the circle formed, the ice melts faster than in nearby parts of the water area. Most likely, such anomalous emissions of natural gas have always occurred on Baikal, and such rings on ice are not a new phenomenon for Baikal. But, due to its huge size, it is almost impossible to see the ring from the ice and even from the mountain. Therefore, they began to be noticed only recently, when, by order of the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources, daily space monitoring of the Baikal natural territory began to be carried out. It should be noted that in 2009, in the area of ​​Cape Nizhneye Izgolovye of the Svyatoi Nos Peninsula, the annular ice formation was the most anomalous for the entire ten-year observation period. This is probably due to the activation of geological processes in the area. On April 24, 2009, in the ice cover, which is usually about 1 meter thick in this area in March-April, a round polynya with an area of ​​35 square kilometers was formed (according to satellite imagery by the SPOT satellite, spatial resolution of 10 meters). For comparison, the area of ​​the largest "stationary" polynya from steam, which was recorded at the same time in the Barguzinsky and Chivyrkuisky bays, is no more than 0.1 square kilometers. The study of ring ice phenomena at Baikal is of considerable scientific interest. It is necessary to study in detail the factors and mechanism of formation of rings, as well as the relationship of ongoing processes with seismic and tectonic activity. The scale and intensity of the manifestation of the ongoing processes characterize their high danger for vehicles moving along ice roads, for fishermen and residents of nearby villages. Obviously, anomalously large emissions of combustible gas can occur in these areas in the summer-autumn period and also create a danger for ships and their crews. The formation of ring ice phenomena on Baikal once again confirms that Baikal is a unique geological object. Baikal is still fraught with many mysteries, and it is hoped that the study of circles on the ice will present us with new amazing discoveries.

Lake Baikal - what is it like?

In outline, Baikal looks like a narrow crescent, so easy to remember that it can be easily found on the map of Russia even by those who are not particularly strong in geography. Stretching from the southwest to the northeast for as much as 636 kilometers, Baikal seems to squeeze between mountain ranges, and its water surface is at an altitude of more than 450 meters above sea level, which gives every reason to consider it mountain lake. From the west, the Baikal and Primorsky ridges adjoin it, from the east and southeast - the massifs of Ulan-Burgasy, Khamar-Daban and Barguzinsky. And all this natural landscape so harmonious that one without the other is hard to imagine.

Even Oleg Kirillovich Gusev (1930-2012), candidate of biological sciences, professional hunter, editor-in-chief of the oldest Russian magazine "Hunting and hunting economy" and author of several books on the problems of preserving the unique nature of this lake, wrote: "Baikal gives us great joy and great pleasure." And he added: “It strikes with its monumental style and the beautiful, eternal and powerful that is inherent in its very nature”, emphasizing that the more you get close to it, the more tempting it becomes, and the more clearly you understand that Baikal is unique and charmingly inimitable. Anyone who visits here at least once can be convinced of the veracity of these words.

lake depth

The depth of the lake is truly impressive - 1637 meters. According to this indicator, Baikal surpasses such largest water bodies as Tanganyika (1470 m), the Caspian Sea (1025 m), San Martin (836 m), Nyasa (706 m), Issyk-Kul (702 m) and the Great Slave Lake (614 m). m). The remaining deepest lakes in the world, twenty-two in total, are less than 600 meters deep. A climatic conditions on Baikal, as they say, to match it unique features: here the sun scorches mercilessly and cold winds blow, then storms rage and the quietest weather sets in, conducive to beach holidays.

Features and mysteries of Baikal

The coastline of the Siberian "crescent" is 2100 km long, it has 27 islands, the largest of which is Olkhon. The lake is located in a kind of basin, which, as mentioned above, is surrounded on all sides by mountain ranges and hills. This gives reason to assume that coastline the reservoir is the same throughout. In fact, rocky and steep is only West Coast Baikal. The relief of the eastern one is more gentle: in some places Mountain peaks located at a distance of 10 or more kilometers from the coast.

Lake Baikal water

23,615.39 km³ - such a fantastic figure measures the reserves of Baikal water. According to this indicator, the lake is second only to the Caspian Sea. Considering that in the latter it is salty, it is Baikal that occupies the first line of the world ranking in terms of fresh water reserves, that is, suitable for drinking water. In addition, it is extremely transparent, and all thanks to a very small amount of suspended and dissolved minerals, not to mention organic impurities - they are generally negligible here. At a depth of up to 35-40 meters, you can even distinguish individual stones, especially in spring, when the water turns blue. It also has a huge supply of oxygen. It is not for nothing that Baikal is called the national treasure of Russia for the combination of such unique properties and qualities.

The water in Baikal is very clean. Previously, it could be drunk directly from the lake and not even boiled. But now crowds of tourists have rushed to Lake Baikal, who still pollute this area, so now, before drinking Baikal water, you should ask the locals where this can be done.

Baikal ice

The time of freezing on the lake lasts on average from the beginning of January to the beginning of May. During this period, it freezes almost completely. The only exception is a small 15-20-kilometer section located at the source of the Angara. At the end of winter, the ice thickness can reach 1 meter, and even more in the bays - one and a half to two meters. At severe frosts Huge cracks form on the ice, which are called “stand cracks” here. They are so impressive that they can reach from 10 to 30 km in length. The width, however, is small: only 2-3 m. Such “slits” literally tear the ice cover into separate fields. If it were not for cracks, the formation of which is accompanied by a loud, like a cannon shot, sound, then lake fish would die en masse from a lack of oxygen.

Baikal ice has a number of other features that are unique to it, and truly mysterious, which scientists have not been able to explain. Back in the middle of the last century, specialists from the local limnological station discovered the so-called "hills" - hollow ice hills in the shape of a cone, reaching a height of 5-6 meters. Being "open" to the side opposite the shore, they even somewhat resemble tents. Sometimes there are "solitary hills", that is, located separately from each other. In some cases, they are grouped, forming "mountain ranges" in miniature.

Dark rings on the lake

Another mystery is the dark rings, the diameter of which is 5-7 km (moreover, the width of the lake itself is 80 km). They have nothing to do with the "belt of Saturn", although they were also discovered through satellite imagery. Satellite photographs of amazing formations, taken back in 2009 in different parts of Lake Baikal, went around the entire Internet. Scientists puzzled for a long time: what could it be? And they came to the conclusion that the rings arise due to the rise of deep waters and an increase in the temperature of the upper layer in the center of the ring structure. And as a result, a clockwise flow arises, reaching in some zones maximum speeds. As a result, vertical water exchange increases, provoking the destruction of the ice cover in an accelerated mode.

Bottom of Baikal

It is impossible not to say about the bottom of the amazing reservoir. It also differs from others, and above all in that it has a very pronounced relief - there are even underwater mountain ranges. The three main basins of the lake - northern, southern and middle, separated by the Akademichesky and Selenginsky ridges - are distinguished by a pronounced bed. The first ridge (its maximum height above the bottom is 1848 meters) is especially expressive: it stretches for as much as 100 km from Olkhon Island to the Ushkany Islands.

earthquakes

Another feature of these places is high seismic activity. Fluctuations of the earth's crust here occur regularly, but the strength of most earthquakes does not exceed one or two points. But there have been powerful ones in the past. For example, in 1862, when a ten-point “shake” led to the sinking of an entire piece of land in the northern part of the Selenga delta, one of the many tributaries of Baikal, under water. Its area was 200 km, about 1500 people lived in this territory. Later, a bay formed here, which is called the Failure. Strong earthquakes also occurred in 1903, 1950, 1957 and 1959. The epicenter of the latter, 9-point, was at the bottom of the lake in the area of ​​the rural settlement of Sukhaya. The aftershocks were then also felt in Irkutsk and Ulan-Ude - about 5-6 points. In our time, the region was shaking in 2008 and 2010: the strength of the tremors was 9 and 6.1 points, respectively.

Origin of Lake Baikal

Lake Baikal still hides the secret of its origin. Researchers often argue about its age, coming to the conclusion that it is at least 25-35 million years. The indicator is impressive, especially considering that the life cycle of most lakes, and in the first place glacial origin, does not exceed 10-15 thousand years. After this period, they either become swampy or filled with silty sediments. With Baikal, nothing like this has happened and is not happening. And, according to scientists, is unlikely to happen in the future. The lack of signs of aging is explained by the fact that the lake is ... a nascent ocean. The hypothesis did not arise out of the blue: as it turned out, its banks move away from each other by 2 cm every year.

Flora and fauna

An interesting fact: the purity of Baikal water is, by the way, very cold (temperature surface layers even in the warm season it does not exceed +8-9°C on average) - supported by the microscopic crustacean epishura, one of the most famous local endemics. In the course of its life, this 1.5 mm crustacean consumes organic matter (algae), passing water through its small organism. The role of epishura in the ecosystem of the lake can hardly be overestimated: it forms 90 or more percent of its biomass, serving in turn as food for the Baikal omul and predatory invertebrates. In the processes of self-purification of Lake Baikal, oligochaetes or oligochaetes also play a significant role, 84.5 percent of which are endemic.

Of 2600 species and subspecies local fauna More than half of aquatic animals are endemic, that is, living exclusively in this lake. Among the fish, one can also distinguish grayling, Baikal sturgeon, whitefish, taimen, pike, burbot and others. Of particular interest is the golomyanka, which, from a human point of view, “suffers” from obesity: its body contains about 30% fat. She loves to eat so much that in search of food every day she makes a “journey” from the depths to shallow water, which surprises researchers a lot. This underwater inhabitant is also unique in that it belongs to viviparous fish. The distant "neighbors" of golomyankas can be called freshwater sponges growing on great depth. Their presence here is an exclusive phenomenon: they are not found in any other lake.

If the biosphere of the lake is presented in the form of a pyramid, then it will be crowned by the Baikal seal or seal, which is the only mammal in this reservoir. Almost all the time he lives in the water. The only exception is autumn, when seals lie en masse on rocky shores, forming a kind of "settlement". Many other inhabitants of Baikal also explore the coast and islands, for example, gulls, goldeneyes, shelducks, mergansers, white-tailed eagles and other birds. Characteristic for these places is such a phenomenon as coming to the coast, and in droves, brown bears. And in the mountainous Baikal taiga you can meet musk deer - the smallest deer on Earth.

Attractions of Baikal

Lake Baikal is so majestic that it is often called Siberian Sea. In 1996, it was listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. world heritage. But not only due to the unique ecosystem that requires careful treatment - there are also many historical and architectural sights, not to mention natural and cultural monuments.

One of them is located near the lake, at the source of the Angara, a reserved rock called the Shaman-stone. It can be seen in the middle of the river, between capes Rogatka and Ustyansky. If you focus on the line of the Port-Baikal ferry crossing, then the rock will be 800 meters lower. Since ancient times, the Shaman-stone was endowed by the inhabitants of the Angara region with unusual power, they prayed near it and performed various shamanic rites.

Between the mainland and the Svyatoy Nos peninsula is perhaps the most famous bay on Baikal - Chivyrkuisky. Its area is approximately 300 km², it is the second largest on the lake, and it is also shallow (about 10 m deep). Thanks to the latter circumstance, the water in the bay warms up well, on average up to +24 degrees. On the southwestern coast there are such settlements as Kurbulik, Katun and Monakhovo. The main wealth of the bay is fish resources. Here you can find pike, perch, horned catfish, the weight of which can reach tens of kilograms. However, fishing on an industrial scale is prohibited - only amateur. The Chivyrkuisky Bay is also known for its thermal spring, one of the hottest: the temperature of the water used to treat diseases of the musculoskeletal system ranges from 38.5-45.5 ° C. The source is located in the Zmeina Bay, on the western side.

On the northeastern coast of Lake Baikal there is a tract belonging to the natural-geographical region of Podlemorie. It is called Frolikha and includes the river of the same name, which flows into the Baikal Frolikha Bay and flows out of the lake with the same name. In the river valley - its channel, by the way, crosses the well-known tourist route 95 km long - there is the Frolikhinsky nature reserve. Together with the Trans-Baikal National Park and the Barguzinsky Reserve, it is subordinate to the federal budgetary state institution "Reserved Podlemorie".

Other attractions:

• Northern Baikal is the last site on the great lake, the nature of which, due to its remoteness and lack of highways retains its originality
• Barguzinsky Bay is the largest and deepest in Baikal,
• Ushkany Islands is a small archipelago with rocky shores in the Barguzinsky district of Buryatia,
• Peschanaya Bay, known for its unique beauty,
• Cape Ryty - extreme north point coastline, where there are extensive pastures, and one of the most anomalous places,
• Cape Ludar, located near the old village of Zabaikalskoye,
• Chersky Peak - from its slopes the Slyudanka and Bezymyannaya rivers begin, flowing into Baikal,
• The Circum-Baikal Railway, which has historical significance.

Rest on Baikal

It was along the Circum-Baikal Railway in the 80s of the XX century that the Bureau of International Youth Tourism "Sputnik" (Irkutsk) developed the first ecological tour. Since that time, ecotourism on Baikal has been actively developing, despite the fact that the tourist infrastructure is not well developed here, there are some transport difficulties. There are also problems associated with pollution. environment emissions from the Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill. But all of them are to some extent compensated by the activities for the creation and arrangement of excursion trails, regularly carried out by tourist organizations in the region.

The most favorable time for relaxing on the lake is from May to October. You can swim in July and August, since these months are the hottest - the air warms up to + 30 ° C, shallow water - up to + 25 ° C. Vacation on Lake Baikal will satisfy the needs of even the most demanding tourists. Beach holidays, bicycle and car excursions, hiking along the coast, rafting on catamarans and kayaks, quad biking and even helicopter tours - this is not a complete list of what travel agencies offer their clients. Climbing coastal cliffs and descending into caves are popular.

Fishing

Fishing should be mentioned separately. Many amateurs fish from the rocks adjacent to the lake. The most reckless anglers prefer to settle in specialized bases, of which there are many, and which differ in different levels of comfort. They go fishing on rented vessels. The most popular places for fishing on Baikal are the already mentioned Chivyrkuisky Bay, Mukhor Bay, the shallow bays of the Small Sea and, of course, the rivers flowing into it. The largest of them (besides the Selenga) are the Upper Angara, Snezhnaya, Barguzin, Kichera, Turka, Buguldeyka and Goloustnaya. And only one river flows out of the lake - the Angara.

Fishing, only now under the ice, finds its fans in the winter season, which here lasts from late December to mid-May. Fans of the “second Russian hunt” are helped by professional instructors: without them, it is difficult for inexperienced fishermen to make the right hole in the unusually transparent ice. They willingly share the secrets of how to organize comfortable rest in conditions of 40-degree frosts, which are not uncommon for Baikal. And those who do not want to test their health with extreme cold, go underwater fishing in March and April. At this time, the ice is still strong, and the air temperature begins to reach positive levels.

Winter sports

Of winter entertainment, tourists are also offered dog sledding (the routes are very different both in complexity and length), snowmobile rides ( excursion programs are also different and depend on the level of preparedness of the skiers), skiing, sledding and snowboarding (you can rent ski equipment at numerous rental points on the coast). In winter, as, indeed, in summer, helicopter excursions are held in high esteem among vacationers, giving unforgettable impressions for a lifetime.

Children and youth tourism

Sufficiently developed on Baikal is children's tourism, which involves rest in summer camps. We will immediately please parents: your children will not be bored here. Staying in a children's institution involves a rich excursion and creative program, including the holding of sanatorium and health-improving events at specialized bases. One of the most convenient places on Baikal for recreation with young children is Mandarkhan Bay. It seems as if it was specially created by nature for this purpose: it is very shallow, and in summer there is perhaps the warmest water here and children do not risk catching a cold.

The youth is not left unattended. For her, the interregional public organization "Great Baikal Trail", established in 2003, implements various international programs, taking into account the specifics and needs of the age of up to 30. For example, the arrangement and reconstruction of ecological paths, holding educational lectures on nature conservation. Schoolchildren are also actively involved as listeners of the latter.

Video: The underwater world of Lake Baikal

Hotels and recreation centers on Lake Baikal

Many tourists come to rest on Baikal, as they say, savages, getting on their cars. They choose a place they like on the coast and stop there, spending the night in tents. There are very few campsites specially equipped for motorists on the lake. If you plan to stop at such a site, you should take into account that there may not be firewood and basic amenities (for example, a toilet) in this place. Therefore, think in advance about how you will “survive”.

Such experiences will be spared by those who prefer to travel in comfort, even minimal. At their service are many hotels, recreation centers and guest houses scattered along the entire coast of Lake Baikal. Moreover, each tourist will be able to find the most suitable accommodation option for him - taking into account, of course, individual preferences and financial capabilities. We are forced to upset the bohemian public: there are no five-star hotels with the highest level of service here. She, like "mere mortals", will have to be content with ordinary rooms with all amenities. Another note: some recreation centers accept tourists only in the summer.

Tourists traveling on their own run the risk of running into unscrupulous intermediaries when booking a hotel room or recreation center. To prevent this from happening, book a hotel room only through proven and reliable services, which will not only save you from scammers, but also allow you to rent a room at the lowest cost, without unnecessary markups. We recommend Booking.com, one of the first and most popular online hotel booking systems.

How to get there

There are various ways to get to Baikal. The starting point, as a rule, is the nearby large cities: Irkutsk, Ulan-Ude, Severobaikalsk. Tourists first come to one of these settlements and already there they are planning in detail their further route. The trip on the section of the Trans-Siberian Railway between Ulan-Ude and Irkutsk is especially memorable: the lake stretches right outside the train windows and you can admire its magical panorama for hours.

One of the most popular tourist destinations on the Siberian Sea is the village of Listvyanka, located at the source of the Angara, 65 km from Irkutsk. From the regional center you can get here by bus or boat, the travel time is a little more than an hour. All routes originate in Irkutsk water transport, plying not only on Baikal, but also on the Angara.

"Top Secret": Residents of the Baikal villages on the eve began to massively post posts in in social networks with pictures of giant rings "drawn" directly on the ice of Lake Baikal. Scientists have studied the mysterious circles in satellite images and put forward versions of why ring structures appeared on the lake in an interview with a Top Secret correspondent.

The locals themselves, posting pictures unique phenomenon, most often suggest a version of the intervention of an "extraterrestrial civilization", while recalling strange circles in wheat fields in the UK and other similar mysteries loved by ufologists.

“In our case, this riddle cannot be explained by the tricks of hoaxers: you won’t go far on the Baikal ice at this time of the year. It’s dangerous - all the crossings are already closed, and in this place, in principle, there was no crossing. It's problematic to get there, not to mention "concocting" something like that, - Semyon Ogorodnikov, a resident of the Baikal Slyudyanka, argues in an interview with the Sovershenno Sekretno correspondent. - The second question is how, in principle, a person can make such circles on the ice? After all, the surface of the ice is not damaged. When examining the place, one gets the impression that the circle was drawn from inside Baikal, from the water, on the other side of the ice."

At the mention of the "natural" version of scientists, the locals only brush aside. Researchers' initial suggestion that ice rings "draw" natural gas emissions of methane from precipitation tectonic depression on Baikal, it seems to them not convincing due to the fact that the regularity of the occurrence of circles "has gone astray": they appear with chaotic periodicity. Scientists admit that methane emissions would not have provided the phenomenon with such strange time frames. For the first time, circular formations on the ice of Lake Baikal were noticed at the end of the 90s of the last century, then there was a short break, and distinct rings on the lake reappeared only in 2003, continuing to appear annually until 2014. After the rings again "disappeared", but in the spring of this year they reappeared.

"The pictures from above have already been taken by the spectroradiometers of the two Aqua and Terra satellites, as well as from the International Space Station (ISS). It is thanks to the images from space that we have more or less viable versions about the causes and processes of the formation of rings on ice, - confessed in an interview with a Sovershenno Sekretno correspondent, ecologist, Candidate of Biological Sciences Mikhail Sergeenko. - An analysis of all the available images showed that these unusual structures appear at irregular intervals in approximately the same places. Most often in the northeast of Lake Baikal, near the Svyatoy Nos peninsula. " .

It was this detail that allowed scientists to put forward the next, more plausible version of the origin of the mysterious circles.

“Today, among hydrologists and other researchers of Baikal, the hypothesis prevails that the cause of the mysterious rings is anticyclonic whirlwinds, they are quite capable of appearing right under the ice of the lake,” hydrologist Ivan Pereverzev explains to Sovershenno Sekretno. these circles. They, apparently, were the result of the rise of the warm waters of Lake Baikal, which in turn made these places focal points for the destruction of the ice cover. It is the thinning of the ice that explains the dark color of the circles. If we draw analogies with the circles of previous years, this year these dark spots can last on Baikal until the beginning of summer."

To the questions of residents about why circles appear on the ice and why they are so symmetrical, the researchers have already found the answer.

"It's simple - the outlines of the Baikal shores, as well as some features of the circulation of the lake and its topography at the bottom provided the melting strips of ice with exactly the shape of a ring," retorts Ivan Pereverzev. warm waters is not unusual even for the deepest lake in the world. Still, a number of regions of Lake Baikal are relatively shallow, and it was there, by the way, that this, at first glance, extraterrestrial, but in fact simply hydrothermal, activity was noted.

Nevertheless, the interlocutors of Sovershenno Sekretno admit that they still have not found an explanation for the fact that one of the recent circles was recorded near the southern tip of Lake Baikal. There, the depth of the lake is relatively large, and the water itself is very cold.

Maria CHERNOVA, especially for "Top Secret"

Last week, Russian scientist Alexei Kuraev made a presentation at an international scientific and practical conference on environmental safety. During his report, Kuraev put forward a hypothesis about the origin of the mysterious circles on the surface of Lake Baikal, which were first seen on satellite images at the end of the last century and whose origin is still unknown to scientists.

Alexey Kuraev works at the University of Toulouse in France, and within the framework of the international research program ERA.Net RUS plus, this year he and his colleagues are completing a study on Baikal's "well-being" in the face of abrupt climate change. “We use satellite data, radar satellite antimetry is a rather complex technology, very sensitive,” says the scientist in an interview with the Siberian Power Engineer magazine. “In addition to satellite data, we used data obtained directly on the lake in the field.”

What is this phenomenon that causes so much talk and controversy? Mysterious rings on the ice of Lake Baikal began to be noticed relatively recently - the first was discovered by satellite in 1999. They are too big to see them standing on the ice, so they can only be seen from the height of a satellite or aircraft. Most often, rings can be seen on spring ice. They look like dark circles with a diameter of 5-7 km and a width of about 1 km. The ice in the center and outside the ring is thicker and whiter, while in the most perfectly even circle it is darker and thinner. Rings appear quite unpredictably in different places and in different years.

Possible explanations for the origin of the ice rings include a wide variety of hypotheses, from atmospheric action and biological activity in the upper water layer to UFOs and hoaxes. locals most often they talk about the intervention of an “extraterrestrial civilization”, while recalling the strange circles in wheat fields in the UK and other similar mysteries that ufologists love, referring to the landing of alien vehicles.

Nevertheless, among the scientific explanations, the hydrothermal activity of Lake Baikal is most often mentioned, in other words, the extremely high intensity of the release of methane gases from bottom sediments. Rising from the bottom of the lake, natural gas provokes an upward flow of water, which twists as it rises. A circular thermal current destroys the ice cover from below. The melted ice is saturated with water, and a dark ring appears on the surface of the ice.

However, the question remains: why do the circles appear randomly, and not constantly, because methane gases are formed at the bottom of the lake all year round? Scientists admit that methane emissions would not have provided the phenomenon with such strange time frames.

To answer these and other questions, scientists have processed archives of satellite images and photographs in order to obtain as much information as possible. complete list ice rings and their parameters, as well as conducted field hydrological studies in the areas of their formation.

“We analyzed the archives of satellite stations, examined the visible thermal microwave range, looked at images from the space station. As a result, red circles were found where rings were found in different years, - says Alexey Kaurov. - In total, 45 rings were discovered on Baikal (previously 13 were known), and, what is most interesting, we found four rings on Khubsugul in Mongolia. Which no one knew about.

The results of studies under the ice in the region of the rings on Baikal and Khubsugul show that before and during the appearance of ice rings, warm vortices in the form of biconvex lenses form exactly under them. These eddies are the reason for the formation of ice rings in lakes, Kuraev said.

The eddies under the ice rings are characterized by a weak or moderate current in the central part and a strong current in the area of ​​the ring, oriented to the left relative to the tangent to the eddy boundary. An increase in heat exchange between ice and water at the vortex boundary leads to a noticeable decrease in the thickness of ice compared to the center of the ring or areas outside it. Areas of thin and, consequently, darker ice are identified on satellite images like giant ice rings.

Thus, those same ice rings are a manifestation of the effect of lenticular vortices on the ice surface.

However, this raises new questions for scientists about the origin of these very vortices. It is not yet clear whether these eddies occur before the appearance of ice or during a stable freeze-up. Scientists continue to search for answers to these questions.