I just came back from a winter trip with the Trans-Siberian Railway and of course I visited the beautiful Lake Baikal in Siberia (Russia) again. The whole lake (30,000km²) is covered with a huge ice layer. We took a ride with a hovercraft and walked a bit on the ice, it was a strange feeling, because the deepest part of the lake is over 1,600 meters.

Hovering and walking across the world's biggest and deepest frozen lake was super exciting. Beeing on the incredibly transparent, crystal clear ice felt like I was standing on the water or walking on a very fragile glass. I also saw frozen bubbles. There are methane gas being released from the organic matter at the bottom of the lake or pond. As the gas rises to the top it freezes as it comes in contact with the frozen water.

All of this made me feel like I was looking into a fairyland, which never existed anywhere apart from dreams. Such a miracle. Iced Baikal is something really extraordinary and mesmerizing.

I edited a short video of this amazing experience what I want to share with you today. Fun fact: The sound at the beginning of the video is the real atmosphere, it sounds like Star Wars, but it’s the natural sound of the lake. How do you like the video? Let me know in the comments.

Thanks to Lernidee Erlebnisreisen for making this trip possible.


© Dennis Schmelz | 2019