Great Baikal Trail

The Great Baikal Trail is an international volunteer-driven, non-profit organization promoting the sustainable development of Lake Baikal through low-impact ecotourism. Baikal is the oldest, deepest and largest lake in the world, located in southeast Siberia.

We are currently building a 2000 kilometer-long (more than 1,300 miles) hiking trail around Baikal, by operating two-week summer camps for volunteers from all over the world. Our goal is to create more opportunities for ecotourism, support local businesses by giving locals a viable alternative to lumber and fossil fuel industries, and provide new incentives for preserving Baikal's fragile beauty. All project labor is provided by GBT staff and our many wonderful volunteers.

We run every project in cooperation with local residents, national park rangers, trail-building experts, and local flora and fauna specialists. Our partners include local administrations, Russian and international NGOs, and humanitarian organizations such as Rotary. In addition to building the GBT, we also organize unique eco-tours of the Baikal region, develop and conduct educational programs for local children, and construct wheelchair-accessible city trails. Full descriptions of our projects are online at www.greatbaikaltrail.org.

Spending your vacation in a GBT summer camp is an incredible opportunity to see pristine areas of Baikal while helping preserve it for future generations!