The Guardian recently included Lake Baikal in the list of must-see places for tourists. In total, the list compiled by a well-known publication includes 10 Russian directions. Travelers are invited to lakes and resorts, to historical sites and mountains.
The list includes the Ruskeala mountain park in Karelia, which, according to the British newspaper, is one of the most beautiful places in Russia, as well as the Stolby reserve on the northwestern spurs of the Eastern Sayan Mountains, Veliky Novgorod and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, where “ecotourism became a new trend”and Kazan, where Orthodoxy and Islam“balance”.
The Guardian mentions Baikal as the deepest lake in the world. The authors of the article note that you can swim in the lake, despite the fact that the water in it is cold.
- Baikal is the deepest lake in the world. Many Russians say that a trip to the vast "Siberian Sea" is a unique experience. Others talk about the "Baikal monster", repeating the tale of the Loch Ness monster. There are a number of hiking trails on Lake Baikal, and in summer you can swim in the lake, although the water is cold even in August, - emphasizes The Guardian.
At the same time, the British newspaper advises tourists to go to Olkhon Island and Maloye More, where they can find accommodation. The article also provides information on the cost of living and how to get to Lake Baikal.
Apparently, the "monster" that The Guardian talks about is a monster from the Mukhor Bay (which, by the way, is considered one of the warmest places on Lake Baikal). The first mentions of the "underwater inhabitant" appeared at the beginning of the 20th century.
According to legend, in 1905, the merchant of the first guild, Danila Ukhvatov, transported cattle along the Mukhorsky Bay on a ship to Olkhon Island. One of the horses, due to strong rolling, fell overboard. They tried to pull the animal out of the water, but an unknown force pulled the horse to the bottom.
A few minutes later, pieces of meat and a horse's head floated to the surface of the water. Since then, the closest cape of the island from this place has been called the Mare's Head.
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- After the Second World War, Japanese prisoners of war working near the village of Chernorud (Irkutsk Oblast, Olkhonsky District) began to notice the disappearance of people. The prisoners carried water to the mine, the bodies of some of them were found literally torn in half on the shore of the bay. These incidents remained a mystery for a long time, notes BaikalCarTour.
The indigenous inhabitants of Baikal consider the Mukhor Bay sacred: this place cannot be mentioned in conversation, and during the day it is forbidden even to look in its direction.