One of the most popular tourist attractions in the whole of Russia is Lake Baikal in Siberia in the south east. Accommodation varies from single rooms and back-packers lodges to luxurious villas and hotels. Most prices for Baikal Lake lodging are quoted in US dollars. Hotels and Villas are not cheap, although some of the back-packers lodges and hostels are very reasonable. The main centers such as Listvyanka and Irkutsk have numerous luxury hotels. The outlying areas are rather sparse when it comes to up-market lodgings, however budget accommodation provides for a more personal touch. Lake Baikal was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1996. It contains about 20% of the worlds unfrozen fresh water and is also the world’s most voluminous freshwater lake. The massive lake is totally surrounded by mountains, contains 27 islands and has as many as three hundred and thirty rivers flowing into it. The lake has an extremely... read more