A couple of social events will be organised during the VarSITI-2017 Symposium in order to facilitate informal discussion and connecting the people. Participants can choose this events on site during Registration and Payment.
Planned events include:- Welcome Party on Monday July 10, 2017, (19:00-late) at the Marriott Hotel Restaurant.
- City Tour on Friday July 14, 2017 (09:00-12:30).
- Meeting dinner at the Marriott Hotel Restaurant on Friday July 14, 2017 (19:00-late, 50 Euro, optionally).
- Boat trip at Lake Baikal on Saturday July 15, 2017 (09:00:18:00, 130 Euro, optionally).
Boat excursion at Lake Baikal
- Date: 15 Jul 2017 (whole day)
- The price is 130 EURO/person
| Time Schedule: | |
| Meeting Point: Courtyard Irkutsk City Center (near the main entrance) | |
| 09:15 | Boarding buses |
| 10:00 | Boarding the ship at the Raketa Port |
| 10:00 – 12:00 | Journey to Lake Baikal |
| 12:00 – 15:30 | Lunch and Walk at Serebryany Klyuch (Silver Spring) Bay (please have warm clothes) |
| 15:30 – 18:30 | Way back to the Courtyard Irkutsk City Center |
Lake Baikal is the deepest and oldest lake in the world. Known as "the Pearl of Siberia", it is the greatest reservoir of unfrozen fresh water and makes up 20% of world reserves. The lake is located 456 m above the sea level, and is surrounded by the ridges of the Eastern Sayan Mountains. Lake Baikal is well known for the unique and diverse flora and freshwater fauna and it is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The boat excursion will take place at the southern Baikal and allow the participants to observe the Circum-Baikal Railway, which is believed to be the most picturesque part of the Trans-Siberian Railway.
BOAT TRIP DESCRIPTION
The route runs via the central part of Irkutsk. Cossacks founded the city in 1661. Some scientists believe the name “Irkutsk” originates from the Mongolian word “Erkheu” or “Erku” and could mean the area with fast flowing rivers and river whirlpools. “Erkheu” has been kept in the name of the Angara-river tributary Irkut.
We will leave Irkutsk for Lake Baikal and the Circum-Baikal railway. The Angara River is one of the largest navigable rivers in the Irkutsk Region. It runs for 1800 km. The river is the only one that flows out the Baikal. The part of the Angara between Lake Baikal and Irkutsk is called locally the Sea of Irkutsk. It appeared after the construction of the Irkutsk power station.
On both sides of the waterway, the famous Siberian taiga can be seen. The word ‘taiga’ is translated as ‘a mountainous dense forest’; it is commonly used to denote a coniferous forest where pines, larches, spruces and cedars are predominant.
Passing by legendary Shaman Rock we will enter Lake Baikal. Lake Baikal is known as ‘holy or sacred’, which is quite reasonable: its magic water rejuvenates our body, mind, and soul. Various natives call Baikal differently. Yakuts name it ‘Baikyol’ (a rich lake); Mongols and Buryats call the lake ‘Baaigal’ (a great flame); Evenks- ‘Lamu’ (a sea).
336 rivers flow into Lake Baikal. There are 27 islands on Baikal; Olkhon is the largest. Baikal flora and fauna are highly diversified, which makes the lake unique among freshwater lakes. 2500 animal species (60% endemic) and 1000 plant species (10 % endemic) inhabit the lake. Its total volume is 23,000 cubic km, which equals to 20% of the world’s surface water storages and 80% of the Russian water surface resources.
Baikal Port or Baikal Station is the beginning of the Circum-Baikal railway, a popular tourist attraction and a unique open-air museum. The road and the territory adjacent to it include not only numerous monuments of engineering art (tunnels and galleries, bridges and viaducts, retaining walls, monuments) and a variety of monuments of nature - geology, mineralogy, zoology and biology.The number of engineering structures can be judged from the following data: tunnels - 39 tunnels; stone galleries - 16, concrete galleries - 3, bridges and viaducts - 248, retaining walls - 268.
Serebryany Klyuch (Silver Spring) is a popular picnic area located on the picturesque shore of Lake Baikal.
See also links: