F.A.C.T. - a joint project of Baikalplan and GBT

100km-Trekking Adventure in Siberia

The beauty of Northern Lake Baikal is vast and unique: snow- covered, jagged mountain ranges, the huge, yet shallow delta of the Verkhne Angara river and the sheer infinity of Siberian taiga seaming the coastline of the oldest and deepest lake of the world. Almost the entire North-East of Lake Baikal is a nature reserve, beginning from the most northern Verkhne Angara Nature Reserve to the Frolinski Nature Reserve down to Bargusinski Nature Reserve. There are no roads, no railway and no villages. To discover this wilderness means to leave civilization behind you and cross Lake Baikal by boat.

Both aspects, nature conservation and the operose travel conditions are the main reasons to explore, develop and organise our first long distance hiking trail project as part of our Great Baikal Trail activities. Now, in summer 2009, we are ready to head off for F.A.C.T - the Frolikha Adventure Coastline Track. We have aimed high from the very beginning to tie up all experience and to propose a catalogue of measures either to the Russian administration, and our partner organisation GBT assoc. Here are our major guidelines:

• We want to leave as little footprints as necessary, use natural surroundings for any of our construction works and avoid excavations.
• The trail must be "ready to walk" within the shortest time possible. This point remains one of the most important ones to us, because everyone always underestimates how long it usually takes to promote a new tourist highlight. Whether a trail or anything else - the hardest work is not the construction or to put markers the right way, but the marketing itself!
• F.A.C.T.'s beginning and end must be clearly defined in advance.
• F.A.C.T. is designed as a long distance trail to attract people who want to spend more time than the usual three days in Siberia (Trans-Siberian Railway - Irkutsk - Listvyanka - tourists). Therefore the effort must be worth it.
• The project must be coordinated with local organisations and administration structures from the very beginning on. F.A.C.T. must become part of the existing Nature Reserves.
• F.A.C.T. is designed to empower local tourist concepts and structures.

After three years of intense exploration, discussion and coordination about 20 volunteers of the German Baikalplan assoc. and the Russian GBT assoc. did blaze the trail in July 2009.

F.A.C.T. - The first long distance trail of Northern Lake Baikal - a description from North to South:

Starting point - the ranger station

The long distance trail is about 100km long and starts from the ranger station of the Verkhne Angara Nature Reserve, follows endless sandy beaches, rests in real bay paradises, climbs steep cliff lines, makes a loop to the Frolikha lake from its deepest bay called Ayaya (the "very, very beautiful bay") and ends in the relaxing atmosphere of the hot springs in Khakussy. Mostly the trail exactly follows the coastline, but some parts also lead deep into the Taiga forests or test your bouldering qualities.

Frolikha - the river which gave the name to the trail

Halfway through and after crossing some smaller creeks now and then, you will soon face the (deep) delta of the Frolikha river, which stretches about 65m from one to the other end. Embedded in huge marshes, your only choice will be to cross the river. The easiest way to do that is surely by a small (inflatable) boat you carry with you, even more thrilling - and moreover a "weight watcher's" delight - is to built a raft. However you manage this part, don't forget a rope to get back your means of transport - currency is not very strong, but also nothing to be sneezed at.

Ayaya Bay (the "very, very beautiful bay")

Next of the highlights is the deepest and coldest bay at Lake Baikal. To get there, you must cope with the most difficult part of the entire trail. Bouldering across huge ragged rocks directly above, sometimes almost in the lake, you will need sure footedness, concentration, time and patience. In exchange you will soon get to one of the most beautiful places at Lake Baikal with a most impressive panorama, a wonderful sandy beach and the chance to make a detour to Lake Frolikha, which is (at least) a 5km-hike into the mountains. This lake is not only renowned for its unique position amidst beautiful scenery, but also for its endemic biodiversity. Some species to be found have not changed since the ice age, e.g. the Davatshan fish.

The hot springs of Khakussy

The last stage of the tour will not only lead you to the most beautiful and cosy camping-site of the trail, but first of all to the hot springs of Khakussy, which is a place with some small huts and lodges. Is there some better place to rest after 100km hiking adventure, but in hot springs? Even beer is served to cool down after an exhausting hike. Not yet tired from hiking? No problem: You will either have the chance to visit the caves of Cape Khaman Kit, or the "singing dunes" of Cape Turali, or the small Evenk settlement even further in the South. Getting back to Severobaikalsk is no problem during summer season: You will simply take the regular boat between Khakussy and Nishne-Angarsk.

F.A.C.T. - What can I do to join the project?

Although working without "heavy material", markers and marketing for a 100km trail need some money. Three trips of exploration have been privately financed already. But all things considered we still need for construction and marketing - Baikalplan's budget is very limited... Not at least as a consequence of the world wide financial crisis we have failed to raise public funds or find bigger sponsors for the project so far. Therefore we would be very grateful for your support, whether it is of financial or "muscular" nature. Now here are the two ways to support the project:

Project Measures

At the moment we calculate with overall expenses of 15,000 EUR, which is due to the following measures:

Preparatory program:
We met and meet with the Russian administration of all levels (Irkutsk administration, Nature Reserve administration) as well with supporters here in Germany. For these talks we usually use several A0-plots of a self-made map of the region, project steps, photographs etc.

Construction- respectively trail blazing program:
This part gobbles up any amount of money. First of all the ship charters cost a fortune, not to forget the transport zodiac and the radio which are both supposed to connect the four teams which are working on their respective parts at the same time. Furthermore: safety material for the dangerous parts, signs as trail markers and information signs about the nature reserves, colours for blazing the trail, light hand saws, chain saw...etc.

Advertising- and marketing program
Expenses are here mostly incurred for advertising material, e.g. flyers about the trail. At the same time we advertise the new hiking trail via the www and in the most current travel guides available on Siberia and/or Lake Baikal.

F.A.C.T. - supported by:

Hewlett-Packard GmbH Link	Intercomp Global Services Link
Satrent Satrent - Vermietung & Verkauf von Iridium-Satellitentelefonen Link	Reiseservice Nagel Ihr Reisespezialist für GUS - Länder Link

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