Lake Baikal

Sunset over the Baikal. View from Listvyanka.

My first stop on my trans-siberian journey was around the lake Baikal. I first went to Ulan-Ude and hiked the east shore of the lake. Then I went to Irkutsk and hiked the west side of the lake.
The Baikal is impressive. It's so huge that when you look at the longest side you can't see the end. My first impression when seeing it, was that it looked like an ocean. It's a beautiful place with nice hikes. The east side is more flat and sandy whereas the west side is more steep and has a Mediterranean vibe.
If you are there don't miss the Omul. It's a fish found only in the Baikal and it's delicious. You can eat it smoked, baked or fried, but my favorite dish was the Omul Sugudai. Raw fish with onions and lemon (it's similar to ceviche).

The water of the Baikal is so pure you can drink it without filtering.


Snowy mountains on the east side of the lake.


Autumn colors were starting to paint the siberian forest.


Turka, a sleepy village on the east shore of the lake. 3 hours of bus from Ulan-Ude. You can hike to the next village, Goryachinsk and catch the bus to come back there. You should ask for the bus schedule at the Ulan-Ude bus terminal.

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