Are there mosquitoes on Lake Baikal in July? Is there cashless payment on Baikal? How to protect yourself from a tick bite

Unfortunately, when mentioning the possibility tourist trip not only to Baikal, but also to Siberia in general, many residents of our country have associations that immediately make the desire to get acquainted with a vacation on Lake Baikal disappear.

Let's try to figure out whether it's really worth making plans for a vacation on Lake Baikal and what costs it might cost you. What is the truth and where are the misconceptions?

I again took the Internet as a source of information. Tourists planning to spend their holidays on the shores of Lake Baikal share their thoughts and plans on website pages.

Here is a list of doubts and questions that are asked most often

It's a very long way to go.
There is almost nothing to see on Lake Baikal and it is not worth wasting time.
A trip to Baikal is a very expensive pleasure.
There is almost no tourist infrastructure there.
At Lake Baikal you will be eaten by insects, and if not, then bears will attack you.
It only makes sense to go on vacation to Lake Baikal in the summer
The water is cold, you can’t swim even in summer.
It’s scary to go to Baikal on your own! It is not known how to get to the sights, where to get there, where to stay, how many days to plan the trip for.

So, on these points in order.

Yes, Baikal is far away, but not the end of geography

How else to watch. For some, Crimea is very far away, for some, Moscow, for others. Our country is great. If you look at a map of Russia, you will see that Lake Baikal is actually located almost in the middle between Moscow and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

The distance from Moscow to Baikal is about 5000 km, which is equal to a 5-hour flight on a salomet. This is more than the distance to the most popular Antalya (3.5 hours), but the difference is not colossal. Moreover, departure from Moscow is late in the evening, and arrival in Irkutsk is correspondingly early in the morning, local time. Comfortable.

By plane to Irkutsk, which is the most popular starting point directly to the lake, you can fly direct from Moscow, from St. Petersburg and from other cities: Ekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Rostov-on-Don, Samara, Perm, Tyumen, Surgut, Omsk , Krasnoyarsk, Mirny, Tomsk, Barnaul, Blagoveshchensk, Vladivostok, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and Yakutsk.

There are also flights from Moscow and St. Petersburg to Ulan-Ude, which is also located not far from Lake Baikal, but on the other side of Irkutsk.

But many people travel by train. The Trans-Siberian Railway runs along the lake. People travel to Irkutsk, Ulan-Ude, Baikalsk or Severobaikalsk. From Moscow, the journey will take up to 4 days one way. But for many it is not convenient to fly through Moscow; they still need to get there. Railway transport remains a more developed species and cheaper.

There are also plenty of autotourists. These are primarily residents of the adjacent regions of Russia, of course.

More than a million people choose to holiday on Lake Baikal every year. Not many tourist destinations can boast of such a figure and it says a lot!

What to see on Baikal

You'll get tired of watching! You won’t even have time to see everything at once. Baikal is very diverse in terms of options and places to relax. It is impossible to explore its beauty and all kinds of corners even over several vacations! There are both summer and winter types of recreation here. And some people also highlight the spring period! Only autumn turns out to be somehow out of favor with tourists - the winds blow and it’s cold.

I'll start with beach holiday on Baikal. He exists! The most popular bays (this is a strait) and East Coast from the side of Ulad-Ude. The water there is warm and especially clean, the sand is white, there is a lot of sun and stunning scenery around.

Active recreation on Lake Baikal

For lovers of active or even extreme recreation, Baikal offers various possibilities. Many rivers and streams flow into the lake. In general, the lake is located among the mountains. So for lovers of mountain river rafting, kayakers, divers and cyclists there is a place to flex their muscles.

Offers jeeping services, ATV rides and snowmobile rides. In winter there is a place to slide down the mountain, the most famous place Mount Sobolinaya near Baikalsk.

Wellness holiday on Lake Baikal

There are also water clinics on Lake Baikal, if you wild places, For example, .

And anyway, this is Siberia. There are many protected areas around Lake Baikal where the state of nature is monitored. Therefore, a holiday on Lake Baikal promises not only clean water, but also clean air, as well as many positive emotions from contemplating the majestic landscapes of the Baikal region.

In all resort areas ah, existing around Baikal, you can find a route for an active search for adventure, or you can stop in one place and calmly enjoy nature, absorbing the special energy of these places.

And there are so many natural, cultural and historical attractions on Baikal that no one probably knows all the secrets that the shores of the lake and its waters keep. There are many places of worship here, several of them are located on the island, others along the land coast. Archaeologists have found many ancient human sites and will probably find more. Shamans and Buddhists on Lake Baikal are here and there. In short, there are enough attractions for you.

And I remind you once again that the mountain slopes themselves around the lake with their vegetation are already a tourist attraction.

Is it expensive to go to Baikal?

Most of those who come to rest on Baikaal are low-budget, as they say, category of citizens - students and retirees. The very fact that they come here speaks about the accessibility of the resort areas of Lake Baikal in terms of the cost of recreation.

Holidays on Lake Baikal, like holidays in other places, are expensive in terms of travel. Many travelers have long noticed that the most expensive part of any trip is the road there and back.

If you take it for starting point Moscow is getting tighter, then a round trip flight will cost about 25 thousand per person. From our Omsk to Sochi during the season - for comparison, the same 25 thousand, but if you buy a ticket in advance, it’s 2-3-4 months. Otherwise it will be 30-35 thousand. And this despite the fact that the flights are non-stop, and the distance from Omsk to Sochi is less than from Moscow to Irkustok.

The plane is your guide to the maximum program. By train, by car, and even more so by hitchhiking, it is cheaper, but it takes a long time to get there.

The vast majority of tourists get to Baikal through Irkutsk. Then some in, some on, some on the Small Sea, and some just in the forest.

You can even get from Irkutsk to Baikal by minibus, or by boat or regular bus. Here you need to clarify depending on the place where you are going.

About accommodation

The most budget tourists or simply lovers of communicating with nature go on vacation to Lake Baikal in the summer and with tents. There are many paid campsites, and there are places where they won’t charge you money at all (but you have to look for it).

If a tent is not your choice. If you want more comfort, then rent a room in the private sector or a room at a recreation center or guest house. Private sector The prices are cheaper, but even here it is preferable to book in advance. A million tourists a year is no joke. The demand for accommodation is great, local ones are being built, of course, but in high season It’s better to take care of housing in advance.

Options for going on vacation on Lake Baikal

If you are full of doubts and uncertainty, then the best option for you is to go through a travel agency. Now, probably, such tours are offered in all corners of Russia. But there are two points here:

Don’t forget that you are in Russia, where the “all inclusive” system has not yet taken root. Find out in detail what you are paying for and what you will need to pay extra for
More often than not, a round trip trip does not include the trip. They meet you in Irkutsk or Ulan-Ude, and only from there they lead you by the hand, tell you everything and show you everything.

The advantages of such a holiday on Lake Baikal, as elsewhere, are that all organizational issues of the holiday are decided for you by the tour operator. You can choose a route in advance, see a lot, but as always in these cases, run.

And the prices on travel agency websites really look scary - 50,60,70 thousand per person, and that’s without a road. Perhaps this is why many people have associations with the high cost of holidays on Lake Baikal. The first thing people do now is go to the Internet and see price tags like this - and that’s it, the desire is gone! In any case, a holiday on Lake Baikal is not the cheapest of all possible options, but read on...

Independent holiday on Lake Baikal

Anyone who decides to take on all the difficulties of organizing a trip can save a lot. And according to statistics, more than 70% of tourists coming to Baikal choose an independent holiday.

Obvious advantages: you choose your own route and level of expenses. At the same time, you can spend prices on accommodation from 500 rubles per day without meals (at camp sites). And in a tent on any site of the Baikal coast that you like - even less. You don't have to bring a bunch of groceries with you. There are shops in all localities.

Average cost option - around Lake Baikal with a guide

An option for the rational. There are also private guides on Lake Baikal. It’s true that no one has registered on my site yet (at the time of writing this article). But suddenly! - check by . This option is good because you will be under supervision and private guide you can't take as much as an agency. Although of course it all depends on your interests.....

The guide will work out the route for you, making it as informative and interesting as possible. He will reserve the seats, call a helicopter and negotiate with the shaman so that he will take you from the very secret place(this is my fantasy, just kidding).

Volunteering at Baikal

This option is more for young people. But this way it is possible not only to see Baikal in all its grandeur, but at the same time not only not to spend money, but even to earn money. The volunteer movement on Lake Baikal is actively developing. There are many protected areas, for example. Helpers are needed there at any time of the year.

Since 2003, the international project “” has emerged and is being implemented on Lake Baikal. Within its framework, a path is laid for hiking. And there is no end to the work there. After all, who doesn’t know most of The coast of Lake Baikal has not yet been developed; there are no roads or villages there - only taiga and rocks.

In short, volunteers have something to do. And in the evening, relax on Lake Baikal or near it.

About the tourist infrastructure on Lake Baikal

Well, of course, not Greece, or even Turkey, and perhaps this topic on Lake Baikal does not reach Sochi. But that's more of a plus! If you only need comfort, a bathrobe in the room, and a sun lounger on the beach, you are not in Baikal.

The more active the introduction of tourism industry technologies into the organization of resorts on Lake Baikal, the stronger the human influence on this unique natural complex will be. And people go to Baikal precisely to nature, which is still pure and full of bright energy and strength.

As for the tourist infrastructure, on the coast of Baikal itself there is no less of it than in Altai or Kamchatka. As in any tourist place There will always be recreation centers, cafes, tour guides, ATMs and transport.

Well, if you go to Lake Baikal just to see its wild and pristine nature- Why do you need infrastructure at all? Somewhere in the depths of your mind, harbor the thought that according to the compass there is a village to the southwest and that’s it! Live like a savage among nature for these few days (but take care of provisions and don’t forget your tent!).

About mosquitoes and bears

There are no mosquitoes at all on the coast of Lake Baikal! The climate here is not good for them. In the winter-spring period, the water in the lake is cold, and mosquitoes do not have the opportunity to reproduce here, because these insects reproduce precisely through warm water.

There are bears, yes, but they don’t hang around the villages. And they are actually found only in the northern part of the territory. So the bear is not a fool, he really needs you! If only when you are awake, after hibernation (April-May) something will confuse you. Behind last years There are only a few cases of tourists encountering a bear, and not a single one has resulted in major troubles for a person (most likely the bear will be unlucky).

Is it only possible to come to Baikal in summer?

No! Holidays on Lake Baikal have become year-round! At any time of the year there is something to see and do on Lake Baikal. As I already wrote, there are fewer tourists in the fall, but this does not mean that there are none at all.

The most popular months are of course summer - July and August. The winter season is in February-March, when the lake is covered with the strongest ice, and the sights of these ice floes excite the mind.

About cold water on Lake Baikal and beach holidays

Baikal is certainly not the Gulf of Thailand in Thailand. The lake is deep. One of its mysteries is that at depth Baikal has constant water temperature + 4 degrees. So swimming in the middle of the lake is probably very cold even on the hottest days.

And along the entire coast of Lake Baikal there are many bays and bays, where the depth is acceptable for swimming and the temperature in the summer season is higher. From mid-July to the end of August average temperature The water reaches +20 degrees, and in some places, especially popular with tourists, up to 25 degrees.

As for tanning, it’s even easier. Baikal is one of the most sunny places in Russia.

Beach holidays on Lake Baikal, as already mentioned, are developed on the shores of the Maloye More Bay (including on the Olkhon side) and on the East Coast.

Is it scary to go to Baikal on your own?

For the first time, probably yes! Where is it not scary? These are only experienced travelers who have been to different countries and situations, they take the new trip calmly. For the vast majority of people, this is perhaps the most pressing question.

Now it’s easier to travel anywhere, because there are many information resources on the Internet. One such resource is the site “ My geography". A lot has already been written about Baikal here. Read, get acquainted, look for travel companions. In short, prepare yourself mentally and technically.

Good luck to everyone in choosing a vacation option!

Independent travel is freedom. But to make the trip to the very deep lake world was unforgettable, it is worth planning well. Especially if you eat Baikal as savages and don’t take package tour and you don’t plan to live in one of the tourist villages on the shores of Lake Baikal all the time.

There are many nuances regarding choosing a place to stay, necessary things and routes, which we will try to talk about in this article.

Tip: To plan your trip more thoughtfully, you can study ready-made tours along Lake Baikal, in which all points of the route are described (for example,) and borrow interesting ideas.

If you are traveling to Baikal with children, you will find it useful.

detailed instructions, how to get by plane or train to the settlements closest to Lake Baikal. The further journey depends on the specific place you have chosen to visit.

And, as well as (if you are traveling through Ulan-Ude), which are worth going to, and, from which the journey usually begins.

The lake greatly influences the climate around it due to the fact that large bodies of water in different time They either absorb or give off heat. In spring, when the ice melts, the coast is cool until the very end of June.

But until October there is a beautiful, warm autumn here - in July and August, Baikal gets enough of the sun and slowly shares it.

Winters here are mild, but the winds constantly blow, and the temperature feels lower than it is.

The golden months for a trip are the tourist season on Lake Baikal - July and August (September is also warm, but at the height of the storm season). At this time, you can sunbathe and swim on the lake without fear of catching a cold; the temperature is usually between 20 and 30 degrees Celsius.

How to look for a deserted place

On the lake every year everything more tourists, so many places are crowded. Especially in places like Olkhon Island or Slyudyanka.

If anyone wants to relax alone, the solution is to take a tent, get to any tourist spot, and from there make one or two hikes along the shore.

For example, from Maksimikha along the bank to the right you can walk in four hours to the wonderful deserted beach and settle down there. It’s not far from civilization, but there are few people. Here you can swim in the warm Barguzin Bay or lie on the sand. If living in a tent is not interesting, then you can go up from the shore and rent a room from local residents, 500-600 rubles per day.

The most wild places of Baikal- this is the taiga northeast, the vicinity of Severobaikalsk: Dzelinda, Khakusy, Lake Frolikha. Dense forests, mountains, lakes preserved from the last ice age... Those for whom vacation is an adventure go here. You can stop at the Khakusa recreation center, and from there explore the surrounding area by boat.

If you get to Severobaikalsk by train, then it’s easy to get to Khakusa: a couple of hours by boat and you’re there. From Irkutsk either by plane or on a scheduled ship, you will have to pay from 5 thousand for travel.

Main tourist places

Even a savage with a tent may sooner or later need civilization or want to visit the remarkable places of Lake Baikal. We have described the attractions in detail, use it to plan your route. Below are the main points where infrastructure is developed, where you can easily rent a house, go to a cafe or shop, or find an ATM.

Where to look for housing

The tourism infrastructure on Lake Baikal is developed - you can rent accommodation in virtually any locality, prices range from 450 to 20,000 per day, depending on the level of comfort.

There are sites on the Internet dedicated to the topic:

http://baikalov.ru/ - there you can book a room, a house, a hotel room anywhere on the Baikal coast, and a room for 300 rubles, and luxury apartments for a couple of tens of thousands of rubles;
http://tvil.ru/ offers rentals not only on Lake Baikal, but all over the world, so here you can rent a house or cottage only in the most popular places, the cost is quite high, from 8,000 per day;
http://na-ozero.ru/, prices here are low, from 500 rubles per day;
baikal-raduga.ru - guest house in Maksimikha - a proven place. It only accommodates 12 people and must be booked in advance. But the holiday will be wonderful - in the forest, not far from wild beach, with a bathhouse. Accommodation without meals 850 rubles per day, meals 1100 (excellently prepared dishes of Buryat cuisine in a cozy dining room).

Although real savages prefer tents.

Useful online resources about Baikal for independent travelers

http://baikaler.ru/ - detailed guide along Baikal.
http://www.magicbaikal.ru/ - virtual tour along the lake and shores.
http://www.skitalets.ru, http://forum.awd.ru/, http://www.bpclub.ru/ are forums independent travelers and there are a lot of tourists here useful information specifically for trip planning.

What you need to take with you to Baikal

1. Set of warm clothes- a must even in hot July and August. At any moment, a cold wind can blow in from the mountains or from the lake; at night the temperature drops sharply, and at dawn it drops even lower.
2. Mosquito and tick repellents- taiga forests mainly grow along the shores of Lake Baikal, so you need to protect yourself from blood-sucking insects.
3. Ointment for burns the first aid kit should have sunburn frequent. The first aid kit must be fully stocked - the necessary medications are not always available even in hotels. You can read about how to collect it on any travel forum.
4. Compulsory medical insurance policy And tick insurance.
5. Comfortable shoes- on Baikal, most of the routes are pedestrian, so as not to kill your legs on the very first day, you need to take a pair in which you can definitely walk several kilometers in a row.

Cash. In many places, of course, they pay by card, but there are no ATMs in the taiga yet. If you want to go further away, take cash and do not take large bills - there is nowhere to change them.
If you get motion sickness, take medicine; you will have to travel a lot by bus or car, and to Olkhon and distant lakes - by ferry.

Things to know and remember

Protect yourself and your companions by doing this before your trip. special insurance for travelers (it is issued by any major insurance company).
Find out about everything in advance, buy tickets in advance, book accommodation - there are a lot of tourists, it’s even better to find a place to camp in a tent before the trip, at least approximately.
Don't eat at all unfamiliar food(unless you are an extreme gourmet) and do not get carried away with Buryat cuisine - one of its main components is lamb fat; if you are not used to it, you can seriously upset your stomach and liver.
Parking area near the water Don’t do it at night - there is a tide on Lake Baikal!

Who is still thinking about whether to go to Baikal or not, watch this educational film about the nature of the lake, the geography and culture of the peoples living around it:

The past 2016 forced many residents of our country to pay attention to vacations within Russia, which is not surprising if we remember that in 2016 it was impossible to vacation, for example, in Egypt.

But few people consider vacationing on Lake Baikal. More familiar holiday destinations are the Caucasus and Black Sea coast. However, recently there have been so many tourists in both the Caucasus and the Black Sea that prices have begun to rapidly increase, which is not conducive to choosing these two holiday destinations.

Why do people not pay attention to such a beautiful work of nature as Baikal? What stops people from choosing this holiday destination?

The thing is that many tourists before visiting sacred lake Some sad thoughts arise:

These are the myths that circulate about the Pearl of Siberia, so let’s debunk them.

Myth 1. Baikal is too far away.

Few people think that Baikal is in any case closer than Egypt, but still. If you look at geographical map our country, then you can find that geographically Baikal is located almost in the heart of Russia. In the capital of Eastern Siberia - Irkutsk, between Vladivostok and Kaliningrad. The flight from Moscow to Baikal is only 5 hours. Compared to a flight to Hurghada, the difference is one hour.

Baikal can also be reached from St. Petersburg thanks to direct flight to Irkutsk. You can also come to Baikal by train, for example, from Moscow directly to Irkutsk and Severobaikalsk. From St. Petersburg you can only get to Irkutsk by train. The travel time is about 4 hours.

Absolutely untrue. Baikal is under the protection of the UN, they wanted to include it in the list of wonders of the world, it is the capital of the ancient Kurykan people, the capital of Baikal shamanism. On Baikal great amount places of power, about which even Hindus say, “You yourself have such a place of power, why do you go to other places.” Not to mention the fact that on Baikal there are up to several thousand endemic living organisms, such as golomyanka, epishura, seal, and Astragalus Olkhon.

Myth 3. Baikal is an expensive vacation.

Holidays on Lake Baikal are designed for different wallets. The most expensive thing is the flight. And on the shores of the lake you can find housing for 400-500 rubles per day. And here highest point is not limited, there are VIP places on Baikal where accommodation per day is more than 10 thousand.

Myth 4. There is no tourism on Baikal.

The entire territory of Lake Baikal is protected by nature reserves and national parks. Tourism here is not as developed as in Turkey, but “wild tourism” is thriving. This means that anyone can come and relax, either with a guide or on their own. Walk along dangerous routes, go into gorges.

Every year tourism is developing more and more actively in the Baikal environs, which may not be good for it. After all, some tourists really like to leave behind “traces” in the form of pollution.

Myth 5. There are clouds of mosquitoes on Lake Baikal, and bears also roam the streets.

There are almost no mosquitoes on Lake Baikal - they are found only in the taiga forests of the lake. The temperature of the lake would not allow mosquito larvae to develop. And bears come to the Baikal shores when they come out of hibernation to feast on caddis flies. But they don’t look into residential areas where there are a lot of people, because these predators are very smart and careful.

A more likely danger on Lake Baikal is snakes, which are very common in gorges, but not in residential areas.

Despite this fact, you should not neglect precautions, since there are indeed ticks in all regions of Siberia. If you want to walk along the coastal Baikal hills or through the forest, you may encounter this unpleasant insect. But if you take basic precautions, your trip will not be marred by an encounter with a tick. In addition, our tours are not conducted in places where the likelihood of tick bites is high. The tick is moisture-loving, does not like direct sunlight and prefers to live in shaded and moist deciduous and mixed forests with tall grass, littered with windbreaks. Ticks concentrate on grass, branches of bushes along forest paths and paths. Contrary to widespread misconception, ticks do not jump onto people from birch trees. The tick lies in wait for its victim by climbing onto the grass up to 1 meter high, clinging to the clothing or fur of the animal and crawling upward, looking for a place to bite. Most often it is found on the head, neck, and shoulders. This gives the false impression that the ticks fell from above.

How to protect yourself from a tick bite?

Dress correctly!
When going to mountainous forest areas, it is preferable to wear light-colored clothing (as ticks are more visible on them). Clothes must have long sleeves and a hood; if there is no hood, wear a hat or cap and tie your hair in a ponytail or braid. It is better to tuck your trouser legs into your socks.
Use protective equipment (repellents)
All repellents can be divided into 3 groups:
1. Tick repellents
For example, “Biban”, “DEFI-Taiga”, “Off! Extreme", "Gall-RET", "Gal-RET-cl", "Deta-VOKKO", "Reftamid maximum"
They are applied to clothing and exposed areas of the body in the form of circular stripes around the knees, ankles and chest. It must be applied before each trip to the forest. These products can also be used to protect against midges. It can be applied not only to clothes, but also to the skin.

2. Repellents that kill ticks, for example, “Reftamid taiga”, “Piknik-Antiklesch”, “Gardex aerosol extreme”, “Tornado-Antiklesch”, “Fumitox-anti-ticks”, “Gardex-anti-ticks”, “Permanon”. These drugs are applied only to clothing. Before treatment, clothing should be removed, the repellent should be thoroughly sprayed, special attention should be paid to the treatment of trouser legs (it is advisable to also treat the underside of the trouser leg to a height of 10-15 cm), trouser waistband, cuffs, and collar. After treatment, the clothes should dry a little, then they can be worn again. Shoes also need to be treated with repellent. A killer repellent usually lasts 15 days, but wet weather can shorten its duration.

3. Combined repellents (killing and repelling ticks), their effectiveness when used correctly is close to 100 percent. These are “Kra-rep” and “Mosquito-anti-mite” aerosols.

It is most preferable to use drugs of the second and third groups. Laboratory tests have proven that with proper use of repellents, 95-99% of attached ticks are repelled.
Every 30 minutes you need to inspect your clothes, conduct a thorough check every 2-3 hours, pay special attention to the following parts of the body: neck, armpits, groin area, ears - in these places the skin is especially delicate and thin, and the tick is most often attached there . If you find a tick on your clothing, you need to carefully remove it and burn it (or put it in a hermetically sealed container and destroy it when possible).
If a tick does bite you, do not try to remove it yourself; seek help from a guide or the nearest emergency room.

If you follow basic precautions, self-defense and hygiene, you will not encounter a tick!

Tour to Baikal without ticks!