Baikalthe world's deepest lake with transparent ice and turquoise water

The twin-peaked rock near the village of Khuzhir stands right in the water. Buryats believe it is the dwelling of the spirit-master of Baikal — they come with offerings, tie ribbons to wooden serge posts. Approaching the base was forbidden for centuries. Best time: an hour before sunset: gold in the water, quiet, almost no one around.

Baikal ice is one of the few in the world where you can see the bottom through 30–40 cm of crystal-clear ice. Methane bubbles, frozen at different depths, form stacks of white coins. Cracks boom like thunder. On a khivus — a hovercraft — you reach Olkhon Island in an hour. Season: late February to early April.

The Circum-Baikal Railway — called the 'golden buckle of the Trans-Siberian' — was laid along the shore in the early 20th century. 39 tunnels, 470 bridges and viaducts over 84 km. The retro train departs from Slyudyanka and runs all day along the water: cliffs hang over the carriage roof, the lake laps a metre from the track.

In Buryat, 'khoboy' means fang. The pointed rock juts into Baikal, surrounded by turquoise water at 360°. The only way to get there is by GAZ-66 or 'bukhanka' — three hours over steppe ruts past shamanic sites. Nerpa seals bask on coastal rocks, ignoring tourists. In winter Khoboy becomes the entrance to a grotto with sky-blue ice.

Omul is endemic to Baikal, found nowhere else. The fish market in Listvyanka stands right by the pier: fisherwomen trade from wooden stalls, smokers smoulder. Get cold-smoked — the inside is tender, melts. You can open it right there, wash it down with local dark beer, gaze at the lake. This is the real Baikal.

The Baikal nerpa is a scientific mystery: the only freshwater seal in the world, living 3,000 km from the nearest sea. How it got here is still debated. At the Listvyanka nerpinarium you can watch a show, feed and photograph them. Wild nerpa seals often lie on rocks at the Ushkany Islands — special excursions go there.

On the shore of Northern Baikal, where there is no road, thermal springs gush from the ground at +42°. You bathe in hot water gazing at the icy lake — sometimes in the same frame. You can only get there by boat from Severobaikalsk (4–6 hours) or by plane. There are no shops, cellular service or coach tourists. Only taiga, water and silence.

30 km from Ulan-Ude — Russia's main Buddhist monastery. Seven temples with gilded roofs, 300 monks, prayer wheels and live cranes in the courtyard. The main mystery is Lama Dashi-Dorzho Itigelov. In 1927 he sat in the lotus position, announced his death and ordered to be exhumed after 75 years. The opened sarcophagus revealed an incorrupt body — scientists still cannot explain this phenomenon.

A volunteer project, analogous to the Appalachian Trail — only along the world's deepest lake. 650 km of marked paths with campsites, springs and views found nowhere else. Popular start: Listvyanka to Bolshiye Koty — 21 km through cedar forest above a cliff, with an overnight stay in a wooden camp right by the water. In spring the trail is covered with Siberian flowers, in autumn with larch gold.