The Great Baikal Trail (GBT)

According to the description put forward by Valentin Petrovich Bryanskiy----who himself, like Oleg Kirillovich, also walked around the lake----the trail will consist of 15 separate segments. (See map.).

The first segment is to start in Kultuk, on Cape Shamanka, which many consider as the best starting point. Traditionally one has to start by walking clockwise, as local shamans always do. This first segment of the GBT is also called the RBRR (short for Round-Baikal Rail Road). As part of this project, informational materials about the RBRR will be distributed not only in Slyudyanka, but also in the trains that travel along the Trans-Siberian Railway (at least in the non-local trains). The same materials will be sold in Listvyanka. Local people also will be able to sell souvenirs to travelers along the RBRR. Another good place for selling souvenirs is the ferry-boat that carries passengers from Port Baikal across the mouth of the Angara to Listvyanka. Tourists probably would love to buy scads T-shirts with pictures of tunnels and trains at Baikal.

This trail segment # 1, as one of the most accessible areas of Baikal, would be amply maintained. 
Visitors would be asked to pay a reasonable fee to use the trail (10 rubles per day, for example, or approximately $0.33). This money would go for creating and maintaining trail infrastructure, and pay for clean-up of the trails. Informational materials would include data on places where campers could buy firewood and propane canisters. 

Trail segment # 2 would start in Listvyanka. Here the setting is quite different. There are even plans to build a popular skiing resort here. Even now, this village is the most visited place on Baikal. (Note: There's a rumor that there will be comfortable restrooms soon along this trail.) 

This segment has a lot of sightseeing potential. In contrast to the RBBR, which runs along an old railroad, the Listvyanka trail is more natural; it will still require very good management and service, because of the large amount of people who are wanting to visit the site. The distance form Listvyanka to Bolshoye Goloustnoye is 60 km (38 miles). On the way to Bolshoye Goloustnoye there is the village of Bolshie Koty (or Big Cats). At Kadilnaya one comes again on the border of Pribaikalskiy National Park, and soon thereafter, there is Skriper Mountain. Those who want to work and earn money by serving tourists on this segment of the trail can easily choose an attractive site to "symbolize" this trail segment, such as the famous Shaman Rock at the mouth of the Angara riverhead, or Devil's Bridge further north.

The distance north between Goloustnoye and Buguldeika is some 86 km (53 miles). One of the major tourist attractions on this part of the trail is Peschannaya Bay, which lies in the middle of this trail segment. This site actually gives its name to trail segment # 3 - "Peschankinskaya". This beautiful bay is a very popular visiting site, esp. among Irkutsk city-folk. Because of its easy accessibility to city dwellers, this site has become significantly degraded during last 25-30 years. Creating a manageable trail should help to preserve this, one of the most beautiful parts of Baikal's shores.

Trail segment # 4, the "Tazheranskaya", is a 112 km (70 mile) segment north of Buguldeika. Here the Aya Bay is famous for its ancient rock paintings (which, for the business-minded, could be copied for T-shirts and other souvenirs). The Tazheran Steppe, and the many caves on the shore, as well as Erdo Mountain where traditional Buryat Games are now being conducted again, are all waiting to be rediscovered by tourists. This segment, then, is a real "depository" of legendary sites and Buryat myths.

Trail segment # 5 is called "Malomorskaya" (or "Small Sea" trail), and is a 128 km (80 mile) stretch leading to Onguren. The Small Sea is a wonderful place for fishing---tourists would never starve along this segment of the trail. The famed Omul-fish could easily become the symbolic attraction for this segment (but then again, so could the famous Sarma winds here).

Trail segment # 6 has the beautiful name of "Brown Bear Shore", and runs for 141 km (90 miles) from Onguren to Cape Yelokhin. This name once was going to be used for the Baikal-Lenskiy Nature Preserve, which is located along this shore. It seems obvious that Brown Bear should symbolize this segment. No one can go here without the special permission from the administration of the Baikal-Lenskiy Nature Preserve.

(Note: Administrations of Baikal's 3 nature preserves will decide for themselves how many (if any) tourists they want to allow on the trail at any one time. Obviously, in June, during the bear season on Baikal's shores, all visits must be curtailed. The only exception will be for those who do work for the nature preserve. In any case, all tourists will have to note that this segment is restricted in access. The Reserves also have the option of setting up relatively higher fees for passing along this segment, which could also help to restrict amount of visitors. In any case, the precautionary principle of not harming nature should be the priority for this trail.)

Besides the image of Brown Bear, souvenirs could have images of the Lena River. The Lena River is the largest Siberian river, and has its headwaters behind the mountains here, near the weather station. There is already a good trail leading to the Lena's source. (Note for international visitors: the first leader of the Soviet Union, V.I. Lenin, adopted his last name from the years that he spent in exile during tsarist times along the Lena River.)

Next is the "Goryachiy Bereg" (or Hot Springs Shoreline), which is a 124 km (77 mile) trail segment. It is situated between Cape Yelokhin and Cape Ludar. Along the way there is also Cape Kotelnikovskiy, many hot springs, and renowned Cherskiy Mountain (some 2,588 meters in elevation).

Trail segment # 8 - the "Severobaikalskaya" (or Northern Baikal) route, is 118 km (73 miles) long. Here one comes across the BAM (Baikal-Amur Rail Road), as well as the Ornithological Game Reserve named "Verkhniy Angarskiy". Also there is the 15 km long island called "Yarki", along with the town of Severobaikalsk. The symbols for this trail segment could be the numerous bird species found in the game reserve, or the archeological monuments dating to the Kurykan era.

Trail segment # 9 starts at the Dagarskaya Inlet. This is one of the most interesting and inaccessible parts of the GBT. Here are Frolikha Lake, with its endemic fish Davatchan, along with the distinctive rocks at Cape Khaman-Kit, and the hot springs at Khakusy. The length of this part of the trail is 91 km (55 miles).

Trail segment # 10 is called "The Trail of the Old Evenk", and it seems that no other name could be assigned to this segment.

This 112 km (69-mile) segment starts at the Tompuda River, next to the weather station there. (Note: the household of the Evenk family Rogovy could easily become an informational center for this part of the trail, because they already host many tourists to these parts.) It is not difficult to find any number of symbols for this trail. It could be the native Evenk in his or her national costume, or the Northern deer, or the traditional Evenks ornaments. Here, by the way, is the highest mountain at Baikal (Baikal Peak - some 2,841 meters high), although it is quite far from the shore.

The next 79 km (50 mile) portion of the trail, now # 11, is called "Sobolinaya "(or Sable). It starts is Davsha and ends in Bolshoi Chivyrkuy. The trail travels through part of a nature preserve, and thus, visiting this site requires permission from the Barguzin Preserve administration in Nizhniy Angarsk or Ulan-Ude. (In other words, similar to the Brown Bear shore, this part also has restricted access. Those who are planning to pass along this trail should note that they would have to negotiate their visit with the administration of the nature preserve. Not everyone will have the privilege to wear the T-shirt with a picture of sable, claiming to have traversed this part of the GBT.)

It would be unfair to overlook the word "Barguzin"; that is why 206 km (125 mile) trail from Bolshoi Chivyrkuy to the village of Maximikha is called "Barguzinskaya". So much is named the same here: there are the Barguzinskiy Mountains , Barguzinskiy Bay, not to mention the Barguzin wind that blows from the Barguzin River basin here. It should not be forgotten that Bargudjin-Toku was the homeland of Oilun-Ehe, Genghis-Khan's mother. It is also the site of such attractive landscapes at the Svyatoi Nos (or Holy Nose) Peninsula, which juts out into the center of Baikal.

Trail segment # 13 has two names, "Tropa Davidova" (Davidoff trail) or the "Enchanted Shore"; it is 216 km (130 miles) long, ending in the village of Dubinino. The highest point on this segment is Davidoff Mountain (1,717m). There are many large caves here, some of which may not have been explored yet. In the beginning of June, a yellow carpet of water lilies covers the Selenga River Delta here.

The longest and the most populated segment of the GBT is called the "Khamar-Dabanskiy", and is 289 km (177 miles) long, starting in the Selenga Delta. Here there is the Posolskiy Monastery, built in the middle of the 16th century. The Trans Siberian Railroad, the longest railroad in the world, stretches along this segment. Those who travel from Moscow to Vladivostok know that this part of the trail is the most popular among travelers. Some of them pass by Baikal once in their lifetime, and likely would want to buy a souvenir that would remind them about the place. There is the Baikal Nature Preserve here. Also there is a very beautiful natural system of warm lakes near the Snezhnaya River (or Snowy River). The symmetrical image of the "Shapka Monomakha" Mountain could be placed on T-shirts as well. The money gained from selling souvenirs could be used for maintenance and restoration of these beautiful places, which are now damaged by too many tourists. 

The trail circuit around all of Baikal is completed now; but our travel on the GBT is not yet finished.