For many years, Russian environmentalists and outdoor enthusiasts had dreamed of a continuous trail encircling Siberia‘s Lake Baikal, the deepest and oldest lake on earth. With the energy of various local and international agencies and NGOs working together, in the 21st century the dream began to be realized.

In 2003, the first team of volunteers began work cutting the Great Baikal Trail and building bridges over the creeks and gullies. 2012 marked the 10th year of work on the trail and in 2015, volunteers and pros will work on at least seven sites up and down the lakeshore.

Blazing Baikal TrailsSince 2003, some 5,000 volunteers from more than 30 countries have built or improved some 110 miles of trails during hundreds of two-week work projects. Volunteers sleep in tents, cooking their meals over a campfire – and paying for the privilege. They must get to and from the pick-up site in Siberia on their own, bringing around $500 to offset food and equipment costs. Most of them leave sunburned and weary, but full of satisfaction that they have made a physical contribution to the planet.

Hiking Baikal TrailsThe longest section of the trail, and the easiest to get to, runs from Listvyanka to Bolshoye Goloustnoye, a small town about 34 miles north along the lake. The hike usually takes three days, and is characterized by swift transitions between steep coastal bluffs, sandy beach and deep forest. There are guesthouses or homestays available at little villages in the evenings, and you can even get back to Irkutsk by boat or bus from trail’s end in Bolshoye Goloustnoye.

For more information, visit the official web site,

Travel to Lake Baikal with MIRYou can visit Lake Baikal on many of MIR’s scheduled tours to Siberia, seeing for yourself the beauty of this area and the efforts to preserve its landscape. You can also book a custom private journey, selecting your own hiking, kayaking, or driving routes.

(Top photo: Siberia’s Great Baikal Trail is a hiking lesson in ecology, the environment. Photo credit: Vladimir Kvashnin)

PUBLISHED: February 5, 2015

Tags: camping | eco-tourism | environment | environmentalists | Great Baikal Trail | hiking | Lake Baikal | Mariana Noble | Russia | Siberia | volunteer | voluntourism

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