Listvyanka, the village on the Baikal Lake

While Irkutsk is one of the most important Russian cities in western Siberia, it is a popular destination mostly because it offers easy access to the famous Baikal Lake, the oldest, deepest and largest freshwater lake by volume in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Baikal is a rift lake in Russia that contains 22% of the world’s fresh surface water and it is home to diverse fauna and flora.

It is not just the beautiful nature that makes the Baikal Lake such an interesting destination, but also its history and importance in the Russian culture and traditions. Referred to also as the sacred lake, The Baikal is part of the Russian folklore and plays an important role in many local creation myths.

How to get to Baikal Lake

We took the bus in our second day in Irkutsk towards Listvyanka, the closest point to reach the lake, a popular winter and summer tourist village. We happened to be some of the very few tourists in the area, so we got to enjoy the deep silence of the place. We found houses covered in snow and we were offered to see the breathtaking view of this gigantic and, at that time, frozen lake.

The cold temperatures produce a layer of surface ice as thick as one and a half meters, making the lake a playground for people and, in some areas, even for cars. We found out that in winter the Baikal Lake connects the settlements at its northern and southern ends, making it possible for cars to drive on its frozen surface. Driving on the ice road, that links Listvyanka to Bolshoie Koty, can be a beautiful experience but also a frightening one. Not to mention that it is also against the law. Actually, it is legal to drive on the lake only on the route to Olkhon Island, the road being prepared by specialists every year and it opens when the ice conditions allow it. This road through the lake is 12 kilometers long and it goes from the village Kurkut on the mainland to Irkutskaya Guba on Olkhon island. But we saw car tracks in many places, which made us understand that people are not afraid to enjoy a spectacular ride on the frozen lake, elsewhere than where they are admitted.

The magical village of Listvyanka

Listvyanka is a beautiful place that offers a spectacular view of the lake and refreshing hikes when the weather makes it possible. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the opportunity to go hiking, but the surroundings clearly convinced us that it is worth coming back a second time. We tried walking on ice, together with many other people that came to enjoy ice sculptures on the lake and a rink, surrounded by colorful lights that made the frozen landscape look less frightening. These frozen waters are home to the famous Omul, a fish that is endemic to Lake Baikal and also the object of one of the largest commercial fisheries on Lake Baikal.

We said goodbye to the Baikal the next morning, after enjoying good coffee and tasty Russian pancakes at the Sval restaurant, where, the previous evening we were served grilled Omul and Omul soup, which is part of the unique cuisine of the settlements that surround the Baikal.

We arrived back in Irkutsk in the afternoon, where we packed again our backpacks and continued our trip to Vladivostok, the last city on the Trans-Siberian line and our departure point towards Japan.

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