(Source: http://mishka.travel/blog/index/node)

Lake Baikal has several conservation areas: three reserves, two national parks and several wildlife sanctuaries. This article will cover three Baikal reserves.

Baikal Nature Reserve

Location: the northern boundary of the reserved area runs along the southern shore of Lake Baikal, in the Kabansky district of the Republic of Buryatia. The main objective of this reserve is to preserve undisturbed cedar forests, as well as natural  complexes along the southern shore of the lake and on the watershed of the Khamar-Daban range.

What to see: the staff of the reserve arranges special ornithological tours. Groups move by boat along the channels of the Selenga delta and walk along the paths starting from the central manor of the reserve. Observation of birds and animals can be carried out from five-meter tall towers, installed near cordons. From the first decade of May, after the opening of the reservoirs, and until the end of August, there is a migration and nesting of waterfowl birds: waders, ducks, gulls, terns, swan-swans and greyhounds. Sometimes on the routes you can meet muskrat and Siberian roe deer. In addition, pedestrian routes along the spurs of Khabar-Daban with sightseeing of beautiful natural sights, gorges and waterfalls are organized. They also start from the central manor of the reserve in the village of Tankhoy. An application for a visit can be sent in electronic form on the official site of the Baikal Nature Reserve.

How to get there: from Irkutsk or Ulan-Ude by rail to the central manor of the reserve - Tankhoi station.

Barguzinsky nature reserve

Location: the protected area is  included by UNESCO in the World Heritage sites. The land of the   zone covers the north-eastern coast of the lake, part of its water area and the western spurs of the high Barguzinsky range.

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What to see: it is interesting to visit the valley of the southernmost river of the reserve - Shumilikhi. There is a 14-kilometer ecological path, leading through unique sand dunes, lakes, ancient glacial moraines and picturesque waterfall. Amazingly beautiful natural objects on the territory of the reserve are also a huge meander on the Bolshaya river, the hanging valley of the Zhigun key, the Zagorodnoye Plateau, the Karasyovs, the Harius and Losiny lakes, the Chayachy Islands, the Valukan Cape and the Valley of the Seven Glacial Lakes. In addition, in the taiga foothills there are geothermal springs: Davshinsky, Bolsherechenskie and Yezovskie. The most easily accessible of them - Davshinsky, it is located 70 meters from the lake, on the northern outskirts of the village of Davsha. The water here is hot (+ 42 + 43 ° C) and has a nitrogenous sulphate-sodium composition.

How to get there: because there are no overland roads to the Barguzinsky ridge, the reserve can only be reached via the lake, in the summer time - by water. And in the cold months there is  the winter road, laid on the ice of Lake Baikal. In the summer it is convenient to take the train to Nizhgeangarsk, then - by a rented boat to the village of Davsha. It is also possible to rent boats in the village.

Baikal-Lensky Nature Reserve

Location: on the north-west coast of the lake on the lands of two districts of the Irkutsk region. The  zone occupies the southern third of the spurs of the Baikal Range and is stretched along the shore of the lake for about 110 km   and is deepened from Baikal to the taiga for 65 km. Since 1996, this protected area has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

What to see: near the reserve you can often find the Baikal seal. Besides, there are 52 species of mammals and more than 230 species of birds. Particularly valuable natural objects of the reserve are the "Coast of brown bears", which lies between the capes of the Pokojniki and Elokhin, the sources of one of the largest Siberian rivers of Lena, Cape Ryty, as well as the surviving craters of ancient volcanoes. To visit the territory in advance, you need to issue a permit in the central office, which is located in Irkutsk, on Baikalskaya street, 291B. Since 2014, the management of the Baikal-Lensky Reserve and the Pribaikalsky National Park has been merged into FGBU "Reserve Pribaikalye".

How to get there: you can get to the reserved land only by water. In winter, by car on ice, and in summer - by boat. The central cordon of the reserve is located in the Bay of the Debris.

 

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