Any journey requires preparation. And if your visit is not limited to urban sightseeing and a short trip on the lake, if you're going to win the Siberian taiga, mountain river, or take a cruise on Lake Baikal, it is extremely serious about the choice of route, time travel, and to their outfit. First of all you have to remember large parts of Siberia, and if something happens away from the settlements will have to rely solely on their strength and that you have in your luggage. Everything you need to be with you. Fill the lack of film, light bulbs for flashlight or drugs will sometimes simply nowhere. You must be prepared to protect against moisture and rain, know about the dangers of tick-borne encephalitis, and have a reserve of time in case you get lost, or because of bad weather for the time you do not fly a helicopter or a delayed launch.

It is safer, if your trip will be to organize some local travel agency. You will avoid wasting time searching for transport, supplies, and guaranteed to see the best of the beauties of Lake Baikal. If you decide to travel independently, without a guide, you should consult on the route. A number of conservation areas preserves are closed to tourists. Visit national parks pay, and a route must have permission from the administration of the park. If necessary (long stay in the forest) in advance of supply vaccinated against tick-borne encephalitis and supplies for protection against mosquitoes and midges.

Especially seriously need to prepare for the winter trip, when temperatures often drop to minus 40 ° C. You must be warm shoes handy thermos and shoe covers for ski trips. Photographers must remember that the cold batteries run out quickly, so it is removed from the camera and stored in an internal pocket, closer to the warmth of the body. When traveling on the ice of Lake Baikal learn about the ice conditions, but when you travel by car to stick to the established winter roads or invite ice conductors.

In a campaign can not do without a fire. Always remember the danger of forest fire. Be sure to watch the fire and do not leave it nezatushennym. There are limitations to make fires in flammable period when the grass is dry, especially in high winds. Extinguish the fire started suddenly fell in windy conditions is almost impossible. Try to make fire on the site of an old fire, a burnt spot on the fire remains long. If possible, use a portable gas stove or stoves. They are especially useful in areas of traditional clusters of tourists, where to collect wood for a fire every year becomes more difficult.

Travelling by boat on Lake Baikal is recommended to have warm clothes (sweater, windbreaker), even in summer, sunglasses and useful sun block. Must need a shoe with a sole type of "vibration" for hiking, so well kept on the rocks and damp ground.

Sleeper should not leave the car in an unfamiliar place without supervision. Do not keep valuables in plain sight and not leave them on the night in the car, unless they themselves spending the night in the hotel. In most cases you can find a safe parking place or a car at night in the yard. We should not leave your car for an extended period without protection and in the field nicely.
Most of the coast of Lake Baikal separated from the housing, has the status of conservation areas. While in most places there is the path and you can easily walk along the coast, in the depths of the coast, especially in the northern Lake Baikal, remains a wild taiga without human settlements and trails. When choosing a route, we must take into account the possibility of complete absence of roads, and consequently, a significant reduction in the rate of movement to 0,5-1 km per hour. Animal tracks, as a rule, there are along the rivers. Move the azimuth breaking through the taiga is always harder and slower than a detour, but the trail. Movement of the dense taiga without trails associated with the problem of orientation and the risk of meetings with wild animals, especially bears. Need to worry about the detailed topographic maps, compass or satellite navigator GPS.
Elfin cedar grows on rocky slopes in the highlands. Especially prevalent in the northern part of the lake, where his thick undergrowth descend from 1700 m to the shore of Lake Baikal and the forest zone. To move outside the path of this creeping extremely difficult, incredibly thick cedar bushes, bowls, taller than a man, to 2-4 m M6, the branches form a complex obstacle course for tourists with backpacks. Fooling a continuous cover cedar impossible, and often have to slowly wade through the dense undergrowth and balance on the thick branches above the ground. But such a climbing-movement in all four limbs with a backpack is extremely cumbersome and extremely slow, so always better to avoid traffic through creeping cedar, following trails and rocky river beds. On the beaches of Lake Baikal and on Olkhon virtually no mosquitoes and midges. But if you delve into the taiga, or, for example, inside the Selenga River delta, or on the lake Barguzin Valley, fierce large mosquitoes and midges can be multiple strong to spoil the mood of the trip. People have different endure this test, and, going the route of the forest, it is best to take care of pre-protective drugs (ointments, aerosol repellents, mosquito nets). There are places where the air swirling dark clouds of midges, which rammed into the nose, eyes and ears - no mosquito net has very hard. tall, stelyut from the center of the circle.

Tourists conductors, are planning to swim the canoe, not superfluous to read the description of a stern temper of the lake and the real risk of unexpected winds from the shore. In the history of shipping Baikal known tragic examples, when a sudden wind - mountain overturned in a few seconds boat class Yaroslavets.

When planning travel should be considered severe Siberian climate with cold winters, unpopulated areas and lack of roads in several places, the possibility of sudden storms and prolonged rain on the route. Imprudent and risky decision will be, for example, a trip to Lake Baikal in the autumn light kayak or without windproof gear in the winter on the ice of the lake. Those who can not bear's sea water is better not to plan a trip to the beginning of spring and late autumn, when the most likely of great excitement on the lake. Before I go on a route ask the long-term weather forecast, locate the electronic maps, if necessary, purchase a high-resolution satellite photos on the most complex parts of the path. Consult with people who were in those places, which receives your group. To compare the complexity of the route with the physical training of participants.
The greater part of the coast of Lake Baikal, there are no roads and maintained the reserved mode, the tourist potential of the territory is vast, and travel options are endless. Tourist attraction places of wild nature, not preserved in the human exploration of other areas. Most come to Baikal ask how to see the seals and get to the big island (Olkhon). A trained interested sacred places on the shores of the lake and look for meetings with practitioners Siberian shamans. The range of travel interests truly are limitless: from the relic herbs and minerals to diving and flying in helicopters. Despite the diversity of interests of the majority tend to view the historical center of Irkutsk, visit the Museum of the Decembrists and photograph the three major monument Irkutsk - Tsar Alexander III, Admiral Kolchak and leader Vladimir Lenin. On the way to Lake Baikal sure to visit the architectural-ethnographic museum "Talzy and the Baikal Museum of SB RAS in Listvyanka, climb on the lift to the observation site" stone Chersky, to see the panorama of the source of the Angara River.
If you have a few free days, feel free to take a ticket on a bus or ferry "Sunrise" to the village. Listvyanka, where it's easy to find accommodation in the private sector or in one of the many hotels. From Listvyanka can make a water excursion on the Circum-Baikal railway, or Bay of Sand, and the trail to walk along the beach toward the village. Big Cats. In Circum-Baikal railway can make a day trip by train from Irkutsk.

At Sand Bay you can go directly from Irkutsk (district Sunny, pier "Rocket") on the ship Barguzin "(journey time - 2 h 20 min). In the bay you can spend the night on camp "Baikal Dunes" or "Sandy.

Tours Circum-Baikal railway organizes Center for Economic Development of East-Siberian railway, which offers tours on camp "Conifers", "Silver Key".

To travel to the island of Olkhon take 2-3 days. There can be accessed on the rented car, on a scheduled minibus or steamer. Ship "Barguzin performs several times a week flights from Irkutsk to the village. Khuzhir (Olhon) (journey time - 7 hours). Stay for the night can Nikita Vladimirovich Bencharova in the estate "Olkhon Island" or at the tourist center "Sunny". Near Khuzhir is one of the sanctuaries of Asia - a stone cliff promontory Burhan. If time permits, make a car trip to the northern tip of the island and visit the picturesque headlands Sagan Hushun and Khoboy. On the island of Olkhon interesting to travel by bike or on horseback.

Lovers of solitary recreation on the coast of Lake Baikal can recommend placement on the basis of individual leisure "Enhok, comfortable, modern base" Zama "(Small Sea) or cordon Baikal National Park" incense ".

Warm water with a sandy beach and a developed tourist infrastructure with hire gliders, paragliders and water-skiing each year are attracted to the coast Ambassadors litter more vacationers (tourism company "Kultushnaya").

To see the seal in natural conditions, it is necessary to rent a boat type "Yaroslavets for 4-6 days for water to travel Ushkaniye islands. The route is recommended to inspect the rock carvings of ancient man on the cliff Sagan-Zaba, in the Bay of Aya, the remnants kurykan-tion of defensive walls at Cape Horgoi.

For automobile travel is better to choose a route along the coast of the Small Sea to the village. Onguren and the island of Olkhon. By Tunka valley an asphalt road, and one day you can get from Irkutsk to Arshan, Nil desert or to the Mongol camp sites at Lake Hovsgol.

From Ulan-Ude, the most fun to go to Lake Baikal in the tourist center Enkhaluk. It is situated north of the delta. Selenga River, 170 km from Ulan-Ude. It is popular for holidays on the shores of the warm Gulf Chivyrkuy, which also can be reached by car from Ulan-Ude.

Travel to the northern part of the lake, where there are Barguzinsky and Baikal-Lena reserves, require 7 days from Irkutsk and from 3 days of Seerobaykalska. Among the natural objects of the Northern Baikal are popular routes in the upper river Shumilikha (Barguzinsky Reserve) on Frolikha, to the origins of the Lena River. The nature of these places very well preserved its natural state. Cedars in several scopes, thick creeping cedar, numerous waterfalls and mountain lakes on the routes of the Northern Baikal annually attract hundreds of fans of mountain tourism.

Among the unique natural sites in southern East Siberia is leading the valley hundred sources in the Eastern Sayan - River valley. Shumakov, which can be reached on foot for 2 days from Tunka Valley or 1 hour by helicopter from Irkutsk.

For cavers interest Botovskaya cave on river. Lena, a distance of moves (based on 2007 - 60 817 m) occupies first place in Russia, or open in 2006, Cave Hunting (5 km studied moves) - the most beautiful cave in the Baikal region.

In winter on the frozen lake, you can make travel by car, hovercraft "Hivus-10, snowmobile or dog sled.