From Irkutsk, We had to take a minibus to the shore, then a boat, then a bus again.
An interesting road, were you could feel the proximity with Mongolia. Same trucks, horse riders, never-ending land and sky, it reminded me Arkhangaï very much
(see http://www.stephanienedjar.com/html/Violons.htm)

Called Dalaï-Nor by the Mongols – meaning « Holy Sea » – called Baï-Khaï by the Yakoutes – which stands for « Wealthy Sea » because of fishes – the Baikal is more than a sea to all the Siberian populations. It is unique and sacred.
More prosaically, it is the biggest unsalted water tank of the world, 23 000km3, 1/5 of the planet’s reserve. 1737 meters deep, it is like a reversed mountain. And the water is sometimes so transparent that you can get vertigo, as you never see the end of it.
At least but not last, it is now part of the “Unesco heritage” – People who have already travelled with me know how impressed I am by that label 😉