Lake Baikal is not just one of the oldest, most profound, and biggest lakes on the planet. It is without a doubt Siberia’s most stunning natural landmark. It contains 1/fifth of the world’s stock of freshwater and is home to a plenitude of widely varied vegetation, numerous remarkable to the locale including the well-known Omul fish, like a trout and fished commercially in the zone and the acclaimed Baikal Seal (Nerpa) the main freshwater seal on the planet and can be discovered uniquely in Lake Baikal.
Included in the UNESCO World Heritage list, Baikal keeps on drawing in a great many guests to its shores throughout the entire year. Winter is when Lake Baikal truly wakes up. The lake’s surface changes into a winter sports play area and the taiga wood surroundings are shrouded in a delicate cover of snow, a really captivated scene.
Since the lake turns into the world’s biggest ice-skating arena in the winter, you can play winter sports on its solidified surface: from tube riding to ice skating to winter putt-putt, there is something for everybody. You can also enjoy an air cushion vehicle ride over the ice to Peschanaya Bay, celebrated for its pyramid-formed precipices and fabulous views on the lake.
However, before getting into the hands-on experience, make sure you consider these 5 tips to go to Lake Baikal on winter season. What should be prepared? Let us find out the answer down below.
1. Mobile Coverage
You will locate a mobile sign in all settlements in the territory. However, you might be without coverage on long travels. All federal Russian administrators work around Baikal such as Megafon, MTS, and Beeline. Inside the national parks, there is no coverage; only satellite telephones will work.
2. Clothings
- Warm clothing
- Warm pants (which have a film or wool layer, for example, ski-pants)
- A warm sweater or downy
- Warm socks, for example, thick climbing socks (and an extra pair on the off chance that they get wet)
- A warm scarf, snood or balaclava (downy ones are ideal)
- A comfortable coat with a manufactured covering, for example, one for skiing
- A warm cap (downy or woolen)
- Gloves (downy or woolen); it may be worth wearing a slenderer pair underneath on the off chance that you will be taking loads of photographs
- Warm climbing boots with a thick sole and lined inside with fur, downy or Gore-Tex
- Ice holds for strolling on the ice — these are studded spikes which you wear over your shoes which will prevent you from slipping on the ice
- Personal hygiene items
- Camera — it is additionally best to bring an extra battery as the frigid temperatures channel batteries faster than usual. You may likewise need to bring an additional memory card as you will most likely be taking bunches of photographs and there will not be anyplace to get one if necessary.
3. Personal Safety
The area around Baikal is generally protected, yet you should recall that you are to some degree helpless before nature and you should be cautious when strolling around bluffs, rocks or on the ice of Lake Baikal. There are no obstructions or admonitions on the ice, so you ought to consistently adhere to the directions of your guide.
4. Where to Stay
Staying in Irkutsk implies that you have a lot of decision when it comes down to lodgings. They go from up-scale and lavish Marriot Hotel to the most basic lodgings where you can find the energetic appeal of the city. All things considered, once deciding to investigate the lakeside, you have less choices; and the further you stay from big urban areas, the less convenience you get.
5. ATMs
Before setting out on your Baikal venture, remember to consider the absence of infrastructure, for example, ATMs. On the off chance that heading to the hinterland takes as a lot of money as you require for outside big urban communities, there may not be ATMs.
So, those are 5 tips to go to Lake Baikal on winter season. As you may have known, Baikal is a fortune trove of cultural and natural landmarks, yet to value it in the entirety of its excellence, you should be appropriately dressed, prepared, and educated.