How much to pay?
The participation fee varies year by year. As an example, in 2008 the participation fee was 8900 roubles (approx. 255 euros or £195).
What is the money spent on?
The participation fee covers, among other things, the costs for:
- the camps including tents, tools, cookware
- the invitation for the visa application as well as the visa registration in Russia
- food and drink for the camps
- the pick-up service at the airport/train station as long as we receive the arrival time (including flight/train number) in advance by e-mail
- the team project manager and the interpreter, necessary authorizations, the transport from the meeting points, the materials unless they won't be provided by the national park administration and all administration costs for the single projects
And not forgetting, the fees cover in general the costs for organising the projects in Russia, for coordinating and supervising the camps. Considering that there are more than 100 volunteers from Russia and all over the world per year, administrating it is not that easy. We get almost no subsidy but, nevertheless, the administration costs have to be paid. Since there's not enough money for running an office the organisers of the GBT project in Irkutsk and Ulan-Ude mostly work in flats. This means that they often have to move, 2 or 3 times a year.
Baikalplan e.V. doesn't retain the fees. It finances itself through membership fees, donations or the income made from the online shop sales. So if you want to buy a map, please have a look at our online shop.
All in all, the most expensive thing is the journey to Siberia. A good opportunity would be going by rail or air. For this you have to take into account between 500 and 700 euros (approx. £400-550). Please take in consideration that in summer the flight costs are much more expensive than usual. It's therefore recommended to book a flight as soon as possible. Also note that you have to pay for the visa as well as for usual things like room and board before or after the camp, souvenirs or additional trips that you want to do. Russia isn't as cheap as you might think. For example, food and drink (except for bread and cabbage) isn't that cheap. However, Russia's public transport system is comparatively reasonable. An inner zone bus ticket costs about 22 eurocents (approx. 17p), a train ticket for Irkutsk to Ulan-Ude about 10 euros (approx. £8) or 17 euros (approx. £13) in a sleeper cabin.
