Lake Baikal

Located in Russia, more precisely in Siberia, is the largest fresh water lake in the world.

Lake Baikal, Siberia, Russia: Calm blue water under a clear blue sky with distant snow-capped mountains on the horizon.

The surface of Lake Baikal stretches over 31,500 square kilometres, which corresponds approximately to the area of Belgium. It contains 23,600 cubic kilometers of water, 0.0017 percent of the total volume of water on Earth.

For comparison, the total water volume of the estimated 180,000 Finnish lakes, which is the reason for the nickname "Land of Thousand Lakes", is just a total of 235 cubic kilometers.

Black and white photo of three people relaxing by Lake Baikal; two lying down and one sitting.

Lake Baikal is not only the largest freshwater lake, it is also the deepest with 1642 meters and with over 25 million years the oldest lake in the world. Since 1996 the Baikal region has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Lake view with a small boat and distant mountains under a clear blue sky, seen over a low concrete wall.

In winter, the surface freezes for 4-5 months, so it is possible to walk and drive a car over it.

Panoramic view of a vast blue lake and snow-capped mountains from a forested hillside with ski lift infrastructure

Chairlift line on a green mountainside with a vast lake and snow-capped mountains in the distance

Lake Baikal, Siberia, viewed from a height, showing mountains in the distance and a shoreline with trees.

Three people sitting on a rocky shore overlooking Lake Baikal.

Wooden pavilion with picnic tables overlooking a vast lake and distant snow-capped mountains

Diver down flag on a stone pier overlooking Lake Baikal.

Corner of a weathered building overlooking a lake and distant mountains.

Blue lake with snow-capped mountains in the distance, viewed from a wooden dock with a teal railing.

Passenger boats docked at a wooden pier on a calm blue lake with mountains in the distance under a clear sky

Two passenger boats docked on a calm blue lake with distant mountains under a clear sky

Black and white photo of a weathered wooden house near Lake Baikal.

On the shore of Lake Baikal are several small villages and settlements. However, a large part of the shore of the lake is neither populated nor easily accessible. The largest city Irkutsk is situated 60 km away one the Angara River, which flows from Lake Baikal.