Listvyanka

Listvyanka stands at the point where the Angara flows out of Baikal, the lake's only outlet, and it is the default day trip from Irkutsk - which means it is developed, busy and not representative of Baikal as a whole. What it does have is useful: the Baikal Museum, a research institute museum covering the lake's geology and biology with tanks holding nerpa seals and specimens of the endemic fauna; a chairlift up Chersky Stone to a viewpoint over the lake and the Shaman Rock at the Angara mouth; boat trips in summer; and a market of stalls selling hot-smoked omul, the endemic whitefish. In February and March the lake freezes to a metre or more and hovercraft and vehicles run on it, with clear black ice and pressure ridges near the shore. The Circum-Baikal railway, an abandoned engineering stretch of tunnels and viaducts, is reached by ferry from here.

What you'll find

• The Baikal Museum - an institute collection with nerpa seals and the lake's endemic species.
• The Angara mouth - the lake's only outlet, with the Shaman Rock in the channel.
• The chairlift viewpoint - Chersky Stone above the village.
• The smoked omul - stalls selling the hot-smoked endemic whitefish.

When to go

June to September for boats; February and March for the ice. A day, or stay overnight for the Circum-Baikal railway.

Practical notes

It is the most touristed point on the lake and prices reflect that. Omul stocks have been under fishing restrictions and what is sold varies in legality and freshness. The village is a strip of hotels and stalls without much charm. Real Baikal wilderness starts much further north.

Nearby

Port Baikal and the Circum-Baikal railway are across the Angara; Taltsy museum is on the road back to Irkutsk.