Located in Siberia, Lake Baikal is the largest, deepest, and richest freshwater lake in terms of biodiversity in the world. The annual Baikal Ice Marathon offers competitors from around the globe the opportunity to race across the frozen surface with the goal to help keep the water clean. One of the top 25 adventure marathons in the world, the Baikal Ice Marathon is both psychologically and physically demanding. The event is held at the start of March, when practically the entire lake is covered in ice. It is a long, cold, lonely 42.2-kilometre trail across the barren white landscape where progress is marked only by checkpoints positioned at 5 kilometre intervals. The vast open spaces, the bright rays of the sun, and the incredible, breathtaking beauty of the landscape help the hundred...
Read MoreTag: Russia
CRUCEMUNDO CRUCEROS FLUVIALES has announced a new ship to join its fleet on Volga river in 2015. A 212 passenger five-star MS Mstislav Rostropovich is one of the best ships on Volga. Totally refurbished in 2011 it offers deluxe accommodation in spacious staterooms up to 30 square meters, where most of them have private balconies. As one of the most luxurious ships ever to cruise Russian waterways the 5 star MS Rostropovich is the perfect showcase for the legendary and historic rivers of Russia. Originally built in 1980 the ship was completely rebuilt in 2010. The result is one of the most modern and elegant vessels to travel Volga river. She is 443 feet long, 52 feet wide, and can carry 212 guests in 106 staterooms. She is now known by her Russian name, MS Mstislav Rostropovich, after the ...
Read MoreThe population of the Amur tigers in the Khabarovsk Region National Park has reached 10. This is approximately three times more than it was three years ago, when the "North Tiger" project was first implemented, the Amur branch of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) of Russia reports. The Amur tiger is the strongest felid and the only one managed to adapt oneself to life in the taiga snows. In the early 2000-ies, the population of the Amur tiger was notably decreasing in the Far East. Creation of a special Fund for Protection of the Amur Tiger in Russia helped to solve the problem of preserving and increasing the population of these rare animals. According to the results, it was decided to extend the project. Earlier, the Russian government approved the "Strategy for the preservation of rar...
Read MoreThe World Wildlife Fund said recently that at least 19 Siberian (Amur) tigers were killed by poachers in Russia since 2012. Body parts and skeletons of 19 dead tigers were discovered during seven criminal investigations by Russian authorities.There are only several hundred Amur tigers remaining in the wild, and most live in Russia’s Far East. Habitat destruction from logging and some development has reduced their historic range. Additionally, human activities such as poaching have contributed to their status as critically endangered. Poaching is driven by demand for tiger bones and other body parts for use in Chinese ‘medicine’ which is sometimes nothing more than superstition. In other words, consuming tiger parts has never been scientifically proven to have any medical benefits whatsoev
Read More