Lake Baikal, the Pearl of siberia, is the world's largest and oldest lake, holding 20% of the world's fresh water, and is home to many diverse fauna including the freshwater nerpa seal. It's in southern Siberia just 75 miles north of Mongolia and is near Irkutsk. Lake Baikal is estimated to be 25 million years old and is well oxygenated throughout its water column. An endemic species of omul or arctic cisco (Coregonus autumnalis migratorius), a tasty fish, exists here and buying smoked omul is one of the highlights of the Trans Siberian RR trip.
Lake Baikal boasts crystal clear water and is surrounded by mountains. Now a World Heritage site, Lake Baikal's beauty and ever changing cloud, sky, and water makes it impossible to truly capture the beauty of this body of water on digital or film.