Ushkany Islands

The Ushkany islands are four outcrops of marble in the middle of Baikal - Bolshoy Ushkany and three smaller ones - rising steeply from water that reaches great depth immediately around them, and they matter for one reason: they hold the largest haul-out of Baikal nerpa, the only exclusively freshwater seal in the world. How the species got into a lake two thousand kilometres from any sea is not settled; the usual explanation is arrival from the Arctic up river systems during a glacial period, and it has been isolated long enough to be its own species. Several thousand animals use the rookery on the Tonkiy island stones in summer. Visits are strictly controlled: permits from Zabaykalsky national park, landings only at set points, and viewing of the rookery from a screened hide at distance, because disturbance pushes the seals off the stones. Boats go from Ust-Barguzin, weather permitting.

What you actually see

• The nerpa rookery - the largest haul-out of the world's only freshwater seal.
• The four islands - marble outcrops rising from deep water mid-lake.
• The screened hide - viewing at distance, because disturbance clears the stones.
• The isolation question - how a seal reached a lake two thousand kilometres inland.

When to go

June to September, when seals haul out and boats run. A day within a longer Baikal trip. Permits and a licensed operator are required.

Honest expectations

Landings are limited and permits are compulsory - this is not a place to turn up. Viewing is from a hide at distance, not close encounters. Baikal weather cancels crossings regularly. Operators that promise close approach are breaking the rules that keep the rookery there.

Nearby

Svyatoy Nos and Ust-Barguzin are east; Olkhon is far to the south-west.