It took Stas Tolstnev over two years to film this beautiful video of Lake Baikal – a tectonic lake located on the border of Irkutsk Oblast and the Republic of Buryatia in the southern part of Eastern Siberia, covering an area of ​​31,722 square kilometers.

It is the deepest lake on the planet, the largest natural reservoir of fresh water, and the largest freshwater lake in Eurasia by area. The lake’s width ranges from 24 to 79 km. The bottom of Lake Baikal at its deepest point is 1,187 meters below sea level.

The origin of the name is usually explained by the Turkic “Baiköl”, meaning “rich lake,” as it is particularly rich in the rare salmon species caught here. Another theory says that the name derives from the Chinese “Běihǎi”, meaning “northern sea.” Baikal is especially beautiful in winter.

Tags: Buryat Republic · Irkutsk oblast

Atlasov Island, located 70 km south of Kamchatka, is the northernmost island of the Kuril Islands of Sakhalin Oblast. It is the surface portion of the Alaid volcano, whose eruptions led to the formation of the highest island in Russia and the 50th highest in the world.

The island is nearly round, with a diameter in the range of 13-17 km. The volcano is located exactly in the center, and the cone rises to over 2,300 meters. Rain clouds form lower down, so the summit is often hidden by clouds. Atlasov Island on Google Maps. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

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Tags: Sakhalin oblast · Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk city

“Malye Korely” is an open-air museum-reserve of traditional Russian wooden buildings of Arkhangelsk Oblast located in a forested area near the village of Malye Karely in the Primorsky District of Arkhangelsk Oblast, 25 km south of central Arkhangelsk, near the right bank of the Northern Dvina River.

This museum covering an area of ​​139.8 hectares is a popular tourist destination in the region. It is one of the largest landscape exhibitions in Russia.

snow covered wooden architecture

Tags: Arkhangelsk oblast · museum

The Sofia Waterfalls are waterfalls of glacial origin flowing from the Sofia Glacier of Mount Sofia (3,637 meters) – one of the main natural attractions of the Arkhyz ski resort, located in the southern part of the Republic of Karachay-Cherkessia in the Western Caucasus.

These picturesque waterfalls are located approximately 15 km south of the village of Arkhyz. The Sofia Waterfalls reach their fullest flow in the height of summer (July and August), when the glacier is actively melting. The following photos were taken at the end of July by Fedor Lashkov. The Sofia Waterfalls on Google Maps.

fly over the Sofia Waterfalls

Tags: Cherkessk city · Karachay-Cherkessia Republic · landscapes · Stavropol krai

On the outskirts of Krasnoyarsk, you can find the longest stairway in Russia. It leads to the summit of the Torgashinsky Ridge. The stairway is 1.2 km long and consists of 1,683 steps.

The climb to the top of the ridge takes about 40 minutes, offering panoramic views of the city, the taiga, and the Krasnoyarsk Pillars. The Krasnoyarsk Stairway on Google Maps. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

The Longest Stairway in Russia

Tags: Krasnoyarsk city

A lot of people know about the picturesque remnant cliffs on the Manpupuner Plateau in the Northern Urals in the Republic of Komi.

However, in Russia, there is a number of similar places and one of them is the mountain range of the Ulakhan-Sis – a geological complex located in the polar part of Yakutia between the Indigirka and Alazeya rivers. The Ulakhan-Sis on Google Maps. Photos by: Sergei Karpukhin.

unique monument of nature

Tags: Sakha Republic · Yakutsk city

The federal highway R256 “Chuysky Trakt” (963 km), the oldest route from Siberia to Asia, starts in Novosibirsk and ends at the Russian border with Mongolia, passing through the territory of Novosibirsk Oblast, Altai Krai and the Altai Republic.

In 2014, National Geographic magazine included the Chuya Highway in its list of the 10 most beautiful highways in the world. Photos by: Alexey Zhirukhin.

take a ride

Tags: Altai krai · Altay Republic · Biysk city · Novosibirsk oblast

Gorely Volcano is an active volcano located about 70 km from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in southern Kamchatka. This volcanic complex consists of 11 cones and 30 craters, some filled with lakes of acidic or fresh water. The volcano formed approximately 38-40 thousand years ago.

About 6,000 years ago, explosive eruptions with violent lava flows occurred here, but since the 15th century, the eruptions have become more moderate. The last recorded volcanic activity was in the summer of 2010. Gorely Volcano on Google Maps. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

majestic volcanic landscapes

Tags: Kamchatka krai · Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky city

Taymyr, the largest peninsula in Russia and the northernmost continental landmass of the Eurasian continent, is located between the Kara Sea and the Laptev Sea, on the coast of the Arctic Ocean, in the very north of Krasnoyarsk Krai.

The total area of ​​Taymyr is about 400 thousand square kilometers, which is larger than the area of ​​such countries as Japan (373) and Germany (357). There are no cities on the peninsula, the nearest ones are Dudinka and Norilsk located to the south of the peninsula.

The Taymyr Peninsula is located in the Arctic and subarctic zones, which determines the extreme severity of its climate. Taymyr is characterized by long cold winters with temperatures down to -62 °C and short cool summers. Snowstorms are common, sometimes lasting up to several weeks. The local population is made up of peoples of the North who roam the territory. The Taymyr Peninsula on Google Maps. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

amazing landscapes

Tags: Krasnoyarsk krai

In Yakutia there is a giant thermokarst depression in the Verkhoyansk ulus (district), 10 km southeast of the village of Batagai and about 660 km north-northeast of Yakutsk. The crater is named after the nearby Batagai River.

Batagaika is about 2 km long, 1 km wide, and about 100 meters deep. Inside, remains of ancient plants, bones and tusks of mammoths, frozen bison and horses are found. This layer of ice is twice as old as the ice of Antarctica. The Batagaika Crater on Google Maps. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

very picturesque crater

Tags: Sakha Republic · Yakutsk city