A to Z of Must-Do Travel Experiences – L for ‘Lake Baikal’
{ Tags: Lake Baikal, Russia, Siberia \ Jun15 }
Lake Baikal in Eastern Siberia is the world’s largest freshwater lake, and contains approximately 20% of the world’s fresh water supply. Also known as the “Pearl of Siberia”, the lake is the deepest in the world, reaching depths of 1,642 metres, and yet one of the clearest. In summer, the crystalline blue waters of the lake are transparent up to a depth of 40 metres.
Lake Baikal is also the world’s oldest lake, dating back some 25 million years. Its age, combined with its isolated location, has resulted in one of the richest and most diverse sources of biodiversity in the world. Home to over 1,700 species of plants and animals, two-thirds of which can only be found here. Two such animals peculiar to the region, include nerpas – one of only three populations of fresh-water seals in the world, and Omul salmon, which is the region’s trademark delicacy, as well as an important commercial fishing product.
The beauty of Lake Baikal can be attributed to its sheer magnitude as well as its surroundings. Forests surround the shores of the lake, while snow-clad peaks of the Barguzin mountains set the backdrop. Equally stunning in all seasons, summer brings beautiful wildflowers, while the intense Siberian winter freezes Lake Baikal, with ice so thick, that the Trans-Siberian Railway was once briefly run over its surface.