The world of animals and plants at Baikal

Visitors to Baikal will often be overheard saying things like:
«The air is so pure and fresh, you can almost taste it!»
«It almost feels like you can touch the stars they're so close!»
«It's hard to believe, but that village you can see on the horizon is 40km away!»

For many tourists, it's as if they just can't get enough of drinking in the air, and enjoying the views around Baikal. Tour guides are lucky as well—they only need to sit back and point to the stunning landscapes, our beautiful forests and steppe-lands. For us Russians it's easy to forget how fortunate we are to live here. But at the same time we also really don't want to see any harm done to this incredibly rich environment.

How rich is it? Well, we know that there are over 2,700 species of plants and animals living at Baikal. And more than half of these are endemic: they can be found nowhere else on earth!

Interesting:

Our Siberian taiga forests are mostly coniferous, surrounding the lake on all sides. If you hike along the shoreline on a spring day you can take it all in. You might start by taking a hike through one of our Siberian cedar pine forests, or an ancient grove of poplar trees. Then, when you step out of the forest, you might walk barefoot through some alpine meadows, with primroses and globeflowers at your feet, with snow-clad mountains towering above.

The next open field might offer a wide vista of local lilac-pink flowers that belong to the rhododendron family—and just beyond that, you might come across fields of edelweiss and wild iris. Sometimes you'll stumble across a landscape that resembles a carpet of flowers, a true dreamscape for photographers and other lovers of nature. Whatever you do, when you plan a hike at Baikal, be sure to give yourself several hours of extra time, so that you can stop and gawk at all the flowers. You might find it impossible to tear yourself away from all those curly yellow lilies and drooping columbines.

By the time August rolls around you should get ready to go out berry-hunting — the best kind of hunting in our forests. Russians will spend entire weekends in the late summer and early fall, picking wild lingonberries, currants, strawberries, cranberries, blueberries, etc. Or the fruit of the honeysuckle, which is edible here in Siberia. Don't be surprised on a Sunday afternoon if you spot lots of local Russians with blue lips and hands, stained almost black with berry juice! Also don't be surprised if you are served a bonanza of berries for breakfast every morning (as well as for lunch and dinner!). No need to take vitamin C supplement pills here!

Russians also love picking wild mushrooms around Baikal. Every mushroom here has its own flavour with a special name, ranging from the "saffron milk cap" and "boletus" mushrooms, to the stubby "aspen" mushrooms. If your tour guide is a local Russian, they likely will have extra butter and potatoes in their backpack, along with a frying pan—always ready to cook up a wonderful mix of mushrooms over a campfire.

*If you are traveling on your own, and you don't know the name of all the plants and mushrooms by sight, you can always use the following apps to determine what you are looking at: PictureThis; PlantNet; PlantSnap; iNaturalist
*As you might guess, it's not always a great idea to taste anything that you might find in nature, unless you are 100% sure that its edible and non-poisonous.
*Although it's always tempting, it's really better if you don't pick the local flowers. Some of them might be rare or endangered plants, and under special protection. Plus…....a meadow full of flowers is always more attractive and memorable than one where the flowers have been picked or trampled on!

National parks and nature reserves

National parks and nature reserves

Please remember that the forests here at Baikal are more than just trees and plants; they are also a natural home to all our wonderful animals and birds around the lake.

«Is there any chance that you might run across a bear here in the Baikal wilderness?» - We hear this question all the time from visitors to the area. And we can't say that the chances are always slim.

Of course, bears never try to hunt or chase human beings. They prefer a more laid-back approach to life, snacking on wild nuts or berries or other plants, or making an easy meal of animal carrion that was left behind by other predators. Every once in a while, a bear will hunt down a deer or other wild animal.

Spring will find whole troupes of bears on the shores, feasting on the clouds of caddis flies that always congregate en-masse after the snows melt. It may be hard to believe, but these small flies are actually one of the main sources of protein for our bears!

In the end, it's always better to give Siberian brown bears plenty of room. They are excellent runners, and can also swim at a good clip if they are provoked. Still, if you don't confront a bear, or otherwise corner or threaten the animal, he would just as soon leave you alone! Best to beware of mothers that are protecting their young, or bears who might be injured in any way. These will always be on the defensive if you come anywhere close.

*Please note: All of our national parks and nature reserves have special rules on how to deal with wild animals. Park staff will put out warnings if any bears have been sighted on the more popular trails or camp sites.

Please remember that the forests here at Baikal are more than just trees and plants; they are also a natural home to all our wonderful animals and birds around the lake.

«Is there any chance that you might run across a bear here in the Baikal wilderness?» - We hear this question all the time from visitors to the area. And we can't say that the chances are always slim.

Of course, bears never try to hunt or chase human beings. They prefer a more laid-back approach to life, snacking on wild nuts or berries or other plants, or making an easy meal of animal carrion that was left behind by other predators. Every once in a while, a bear will hunt down a deer or other wild animal.

Spring will find whole troupes of bears on the shores, feasting on the clouds of caddis flies that always congregate en-masse after the snows melt. It may be hard to believe, but these small flies are actually one of the main sources of protein for our bears!

In the end, it's always better to give Siberian brown bears plenty of room. They are excellent runners, and can also swim at a good clip if they are provoked. Still, if you don't confront a bear, or otherwise corner or threaten the animal, he would just as soon leave you alone! Best to beware of mothers that are protecting their young, or bears who might be injured in any way. These will always be on the defensive if you come anywhere close.

*Please note: All of our national parks and nature reserves have special rules on how to deal with wild animals. Park staff will put out warnings if any bears have been sighted on the more popular trails or camp sites.

Interesting:

The Baikal seal (or nerpa) is the only seal in the world that spends all of its time in or around fresh water. (There are two other species of seals in the world who sometimes will roam out of the sea from time to time, into freshwater lakes or rivers.). The Baikal nerpa is one of our most amazing local inhabitants, capable of spending hours and hours each day under the water.
This seal also likes to spend warmer days sunning themselves out on the shoreline rocks. One of the favourite haul-out zones has been along the smaller Ushkani Islands, a specially protected area in the middle of the lake. In recent times, Russians have stopped hunting the seals almost completely. So they now tend to be more fearless, and can appear anywhere on the lake!

If you want to see a nerpa in the wild it's best to visit one of the rocky shoreline areas that face the sun here at Baikal. These rocks heat up quickly during the day, and provide the seals with a spa-like experience when they come ashore.

It is rather fortunate for the seal that their favourite foods are fish species that humans don't like to eat, such as the fatty golomyanka fish, or the Baikal goby. The nerpa has been wrongly accused of depleting the omul fish at Baikal. The nerpa rarely touches these omul — it has been us humans who have been overfishing this fish species for way too long!

The taiga forest is also home to many fur-bearing animals. Most famous is the luxurious Barguzin sable, once the most prized fur on earth. But we also have lots of ermine and mink, and well as fox and squirrels and other delightfully furry animals.

You can often stumble across wild reindeer here in the thick forests of the Khamar-Daban mountains. Of course, it is not only the male reindeer that has long horns. The female and even juvenile cubs can also have a full rack of horns. And if you are lucky and are able to explore that nearby Eastern Sayan mountains, you might cross tracks with our famous Snow Leopard, now the largest cat in the region. (The Siberian or Amur Tiger once roamed as far west as Lake Baikal, but now is limited to the Chinese/Russian border area in the far east.)

There are also many other species of fish beyond the popular omul. There are whitefish, grayling, pike, burbot—and taimen trout that can grow to amazing lengths. And then there is the odd little creature known as the golomyanka. It's body weight is 40% fat; and it does not lay eggs like other fish, but gives birth to live babies. As a result of this abundance of fish, Baikal has become a favourite destination for fishermen from all over the world. And the scientists who study fish (ichthyologists) also find the lake a most fascinating place to do their research.

Local fish markets are famous for their smoked, salted, or dried fish, served hot or cold. You won't find omul in the markets any more, since it is now illegal to catch this depleted fish species here at Baikal. So please don't be too upset that you won't be able to taste the famous omul soup. We also make some very delicious soups out of grayling and whitefish. In the end, we totally agree with the ban on omul fishing: it really will take years to restore this species back to its normal population.

The Baikal seal (or nerpa) is the only seal in the world that spends all of its time in or around fresh water. (There are two other species of seals in the world who sometimes will roam out of the sea from time to time, into freshwater lakes or rivers.). The Baikal nerpa is one of our most amazing local inhabitants, capable of spending hours and hours each day under the water.
This seal also likes to spend warmer days sunning themselves out on the shoreline rocks. One of the favourite haul-out zones has been along the smaller Ushkani Islands, a specially protected area in the middle of the lake. In recent times, Russians have stopped hunting the seals almost completely. So they now tend to be more fearless, and can appear anywhere on the lake!

If you want to see a nerpa in the wild it's best to visit one of the rocky shoreline areas that face the sun here at Baikal. These rocks heat up quickly during the day, and provide the seals with a spa-like experience when they come ashore.

It is rather fortunate for the seal that their favourite foods are fish species that humans don't like to eat, such as the fatty golomyanka fish, or the Baikal goby. The nerpa has been wrongly accused of depleting the omul fish at Baikal. The nerpa rarely touches these omul — it has been us humans who have been overfishing this fish species for way too long!

The taiga forest is also home to many fur-bearing animals. Most famous is the luxurious Barguzin sable, once the most prized fur on earth. But we also have lots of ermine and mink, and well as fox and squirrels and other delightfully furry animals.

You can often stumble across wild reindeer here in the thick forests of the Khamar-Daban mountains. Of course, it is not only the male reindeer that has long horns. The female and even juvenile cubs can also have a full rack of horns. And if you are lucky and are able to explore that nearby Eastern Sayan mountains, you might cross tracks with our famous Snow Leopard, now the largest cat in the region. (The Siberian or Amur Tiger once roamed as far west as Lake Baikal, but now is limited to the Chinese/Russian border area in the far east.)

There are also many other species of fish beyond the popular omul. There are whitefish, grayling, pike, burbot—and taimen trout that can grow to amazing lengths. And then there is the odd little creature known as the golomyanka. It's body weight is 40% fat; and it does not lay eggs like other fish, but gives birth to live babies. As a result of this abundance of fish, Baikal has become a favourite destination for fishermen from all over the world. And the scientists who study fish (ichthyologists) also find the lake a most fascinating place to do their research.

Local fish markets are famous for their smoked, salted, or dried fish, served hot or cold. You won't find omul in the markets any more, since it is now illegal to catch this depleted fish species here at Baikal. So please don't be too upset that you won't be able to taste the famous omul soup. We also make some very delicious soups out of grayling and whitefish. In the end, we totally agree with the ban on omul fishing: it really will take years to restore this species back to its normal population.

Finally, a mythological figure at Baikal called the «Babr»

Finally, we should note that there is a mythological figure at Baikal called the "Babr." This should not be confused with the "Bobr"—which is the Russian word for a beaver. Ironically it is considered good luck to see a babr out in the wild—even though your chances of seeing one there are slim to none. It is, after all, a mythological figure. Still, you can always catch a glimpse of this animal in the form of the statue that adorns the central square here in the city of Irkutsk.