The Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM)
The Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM)
Why Go?
Most people know the Trans-Siberian Railway, but how many can say they’ve heard of the ‘other’ Trans-Sib, its poor country cousin, the BAM (Baikal-Amur Mainline or Baikalo-Amurskaya Magistral)? The branch line to end all branch lines, the BAM begins as a set of points at Tayshet and ends more than 4200 lonely kilometres further east at Sovetskaya Gavan, passing through some jaw-slackeningly off-the-map places en route. As great railway journeys go, this is a Soviet epic, a rail-clanging odyssey you’ll never forget.
But it’s a miracle the BAM was ever built at all. Costing billions of dollars and declared a ‘Hero Project of the Century’, construction was fraught with seemingly insurmountable difficulties. The line opened fully in 1991, just as the USSR collapsed. Today only a handful of trains ply the route.
Riding the BAM’s snail-paced trains takes you to some very out-of-the-way places. Only Severobaikalsk on Lake Baikal is geared for visitors.
When to Go
AMar Ponder the weird shapes into which Lake Baikal freezes from the shore at Severobaikalsk
ASep–Nov Avoid summer crowds and ticket shortages with an autumn trip along the BAM
ASep & Oct Larch trees around Lake Baikal’s north fill the landscape with autumnal gold
Route Info
ADistance: 4287km
ADuration: Four days one hour
ATime zones: Moscow +5 to Moscow +7
Best Places to Stay
Best Places to Eat
A Amrita
A Rialto
BAM Highlights
1 Khakusy Spa Crossing Lake Baikal for a dip in this isolated hot spring.
2 Frolikha Adventure Coastline Trail Pulling on your boots for this long-distance Siberian hiking route.
3 Komsomolsk-na-Amure Touring the classical architecture and Soviet monuments of the BAM’s nicest town.
4 BAM Museum Soaking up all things BAM at this varied and welcoming museum in Tynda.
5 Bratsk Dam Looking out across the Bratsk Sea from a BAM train window as you trundle across the top of the dam.
6 Great Baikal Trail Trekking the rugged section between Baikalskoe and Echo Turbaza.
8The Route
BAM ROUTE PLANNER
Here’s a suggested itinerary for the BAM:
Day 1 Take train from Krasnoyarsk to Tayshet, stay overnight at Igor's Homestay.
Day 2 Overnight hop to Severobaikalsk; keep an eye out for the Bratsk ‘Sea’ as you cross the top of the dam.
Day 3 Take a dip in Lake Baikal or a boat trip; chill out in Severobaikalsk.
Day 4 Excursion from Severobaikalsk to Baikalskoe, Nizhneangarsk or the hot spring at Khakusy. Catch the overnight train to Tynda.
Day 5 After spending most of the day on the train, stretch your legs with a walk to Tynda's BAM Builders Monument.
Day 6 Visit Tynda’s BAM Museum before catching a sleeper to Komsomolsk-na-Amure.
Day 7 Arrive Komsomolsk-na-Amure; spend the day exploring. Overnight train to Sovetskaya Gavan.
Day 8 Arrive at BAM’s end on the Tatar Strait.
Tayshet to Severobaikalsk
0km from Tayshet
The junction with the Trans-Sib at Tayshet is the official start of the BAM (there's a monument recognising the fact). If you're a BAM purist you can start from here, but most pass directly through on daily services from Krasnoyarsk.
293km to 339km
The first major stops along the BAM are for Bratsk, a sprawling city of almost 250,000 people on the edge of the Bratsk ‘Sea’, an artificial lake created in the 1960s by the building of the Bratsk Hydroelectric Station. The railway line actually crosses the top of the gigantic 1km-long dam at the 330km mark, presenting wide views on both sides.
552km
The taiga closes in on the line as you travel the next 600km towards the jagged mountains hemming in the northern end of Lake Baikal. Korshunikha-Angarskaya is the train station for the claustrophobic 1960s iron-ore processing town of Zheleznogorsk-Ilimsky.
573km
One of the few branch lines off the BAM veers north from Khrebtovaya to Ust-Ilimsk, a town of almost 100,000 people on the Angara River 215km away. The historic town of Ilimsk lies drowned at the bottom of the reservoir created by the Ust-Ilimsk Dam.
720km
A few kilometres after Lena the line swings across the Lena River on a single-track bridge with views down onto a large timber port to the north.
930km
At Ulkan station, a small but eye-catching metallic Lenin relief stands against a bright red ‘flag’ on the east end of the platform, but you’ll only have three minutes to admire it.
982km
After Kunerma the track performs a full 180-degree loop. Hurry for the camera before you disappear into the 6km-long Daban tunnel.
1028km
Around half an hour before reaching Lake Baikal, some trains make a brief stop at picturesque Goudzhekit, once a village but now home only to a basic turbaza (no-frills holiday camp).
1063km
Severobaikalsk is by far the most interesting stop on the entire route. The surrounding area, which takes in the northern part of Lake Baikal, is beautiful and offers lots of opportunities for outdoor adventure. The Thunderbirds–style station, inspired, it is said, by the mayor’s love of ski jumping, is one of the most striking along the line. Outside there’s a steam train and a statue commemorating the workers from across the USSR who toiled on the BAM.
Severobaikalsk to Tynda
1090km
This is where the BAM gets serious. From Severobaikalsk to the fishing village of Nizhneangarsk, 30km north, the line skirts Lake Baikal, though views are often better from the road (unencumbered by tunnels). At Nizhneangarsk 2 station, look out for the small airport, from where there are flights to Ulan-Ude and Irkutsk.
1105km
Only local elektrichki (suburban trains) stop at the Evenk village of Kholodnaya by the Verkhnyaya Angara River delta.
1142km
The tiny hot-springs resort at Dzelinda is also served by local slow trains.
1150km to 2500km
The next 1300km or so give you ample time to appreciate the truly massive engineering achievement of the BAM. Many consider this the most interesting section of the line, as it climbs over densely forested, mountainous terrain along switchbacks and through several tunnels. But despite the region’s remoteness, the train stops at least once an hour at communities established by BAM construction workers and their families in the 1970s and 1980s.
1242km
The first major halt on this section of the line is the low-rise ferroconcrete station belonging to Novy Uoyan, though there’s no reason to get off here save to stretch your legs. Trains then snake across the flood plain of the Verkhnyaya Angara River until the line slams into the mountains again.
1385km
The 15.3km-long Severomuysky Tunnel is the longest in Russia and was only completed in 2004 after years of severe technical difficulties with the permafrost. The tunnel replaced more than 50km of track, which had steep gradients and was prone to avalanches.
1469km
The born-of-the-BAM town of Taksimo provides the next opportunity to escape the muggy air of platskart and take on a few provisions at the station kiosks. Get some much-needed exercise during the long stop (up to 50 minutes) by running to see the BAM Pioneer Monument. There are wilderness hiking possibilities in the surrounding mountains and along the River Muya.
1535km
Local time becomes Moscow time plus six hours.
1561km
At Kuanda look out for the Golden Link Monument commemorating the uniting of the two sections of the BAM in 1984.
1850km to 1950km
Shortly before Khani (1864km) you enter the Sakha Republic and continue along its border with the Zabaikalsky Territory and the Amur Region. Shortly beyond Olyokma (1918km) the train veers southeast and follows the Olyokma River into Tynda Region.
2000km to 2210km
The train leaves the Olyokma River, veers due east and rumbles into Yuktali (2013km), where there’s a 35-minute stop. The next four hours are very scenic as you follow the Nyukzha River southeast until just before Larba (2216km).
2348km
Finally you roll into Tynda, the unofficial BAM ‘capital,’ with a ‘70s train station that looks like a science-fiction film set. The main BAM trains all terminate in Tynda, so you’ll have a layover if you are continuing east to Komsomolsk or west to Severobaikalsk or Moscow.
Tynda to Sovetskaya Gavan
2348km to 2690km
Settle down for 36½ hours on train 364 heading east on the BAM to Komsomolsk. The route crosses the mighty Gilyuy River twice (at 2364km and 2409km). Night will fall as you cross several more rivers and enter the swamps leading into Verkhnezeysk (2690km) on the Zeysk Reservoir.
2779km to 2894km
The stretch from Ogoron to Dugda is about the prettiest the eastern BAM has to offer, with a range of snow-capped mountains to the northeast and patches of thick taiga near the tracks, but eastbound travellers will need to get up early. The best stretch is 10km either side of Tungala (2846km).
3015km
In Fevralsk (3014km) on the Byssa River, you get 35 minutes to contemplate the permafrost below, or gold mines and pulp mills outside town. It’s a two-minute walk south to the little town centre, with food shops and a post office with internet access. The train station has an ATM.
3155km
You leave Amurskaya Region and enter Khabarovsky Territory between the station stops of Ulma (3149km) and Etryken (3162km).
3298km
After crossing the Bureya River (3292km), the train stops for 35 minutes in Novy Urgal, a coal-mining town near green hills and the white waters of the Akisma River. You can switch to train 663 here for a short cut to the Trans-Siberian line and Khabarovsk.
3382km
A couple of hours later, the train passes through the 2km Dusse-Alin Tunnel. Gulag camp labourers toiled (and died) over this during Stalin’s watch, but it was only completed and put into use in 1982.
3615km
In Postyshevo, locals sell the town’s famous red ikra (caviar) on the platform in late summer and autumn. The interesting station has socialist-realist bas-reliefs over both entrances, and a psychedelic, copper-toned, honeycombed ceiling inside.
3819km
Five hours east of Postyshevo, the 364 terminates in the BAM’s loveliest city, Komsomolsk-na-Amure. There are direct links here to Khabarovsk, on the main Trans-Siberian line.
3819km to 4253km
While most people get off in Komsomolsk, the BAM still has another 468km to go. Two night trains tackle this final 12-hour stretch. Some train mates may joke you’re on an ‘international route’ as the train clanks through a couple of ho-hum villages passed on the way – Kenada (4080km) and Toki (4243km); they liken them phonetically with ‘Canada’ and ‘Tokyo’ (it’s OK to fake a chuckle).
The BAM then pulls into view of a snaking Pacific bay lined with shipyards at Vanino (4253km; population 18,500), where boats leave for Sakhalin Island. Vanino’s often foggy bay, looked over by two lighthouses, sees million tonnes of goods shipped in and out each year (including coal, lumber and gas).
4287km
The BAM terminates at Sovetskaya Gavan-Sortirovochny (‘SovGavan’ on train timetables; not to be confused with the city of Sovetskaya Gavan, about 25km further south).
HERO PROJECT OF THE CENTURY
The BAM is an astonishing victory of belief over adversity (and economic reason). This ‘other’ trans-Siberian line runs from Tayshet (417km east of Krasnoyarsk) around the top of Lake Baikal to Sovetskaya Gavan on the Pacific coast. It was begun in the 1930s to access the timber and minerals of the Lena Basin, and work stopped during WWII. Indeed, the tracks were stripped altogether and reused to lay a relief line to the besieged city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd).
Work effectively started all over again in 1974 when the existing Trans-Siberian Railway was felt to be vulnerable to attack by a potentially hostile China. The route, cut through nameless landscapes of virgin taiga and blasted through anonymous mountains, was built by patriotic volunteers and the BAM was labelled ‘Hero Project of the Century’ to encourage young people from across the Soviet Union to come and do their bit. But as cynicism began replacing enthusiasm in the late Brezhnev years, 'project of the century' turned into an ironic expression meaning a project that takes eternity to be completed. Building on permafrost pushed the cost of the project to US$25 billion, some 50 times more than the original Trans-Siberian Railway.
New ‘BAM towns’ grew with the railway, often populated by builders who decided to stay on. However, the line’s opening in 1991 coincided with the collapse of the centrally planned USSR and the region’s bright Soviet future never materialised. While Bratsk and Severobaikalsk survived, many other smaller, lonely settlements became virtual ghost towns. Today only a handful of passenger trains a day use the line.
Tayshet Тайшет
%39563 / Pop 35,500 / Time Moscow +5hr
All Siberian roads, or railway lines at least, lead to Tayshet, a major rail junction where the Trans-Siberian, BAM and Tayshet–Abakan line collide. A child of the Trans-Sib, Tayshet had a difficult upbringing as the Gulag capital of Eastern Siberia. Between the late 1930s and the mid-1960s, numerous camps and prison colonies occupied bits of town, with everyone from 39,000 Japanese prisoners of war to well-known Moscow intellectuals passing through at various points. Not much remains of the camps today except for a few rows of prisoner-built wooden houses.
Tayshet is now becoming known as the gateway to fascinating Tofalaria – an excruciatingly remote land inhabited by Tofy, Russia’s smallest ethnic group.
1Sights
To learn more about the town’s (dark) past visit the Regional Museum (
GOOGLE MAP
; ul Lenina 115; R20; 
h10am-6pm Tue-Sat), where local historians are desperate to tell foreigners their story. There are also some exhibits belonging to Tofalaria.
Tayshet’s other main sight is its modernised railway station, where a huge L-series loco stands beached to the right of the building and an Italian-built water tower rises in architectural incongruity behind. Kofeynya Paris (
GOOGLE MAP
; Taishet railway station; h9am-1am), a surprisingly metropolitan cafe inside the train station, serves good coffee and snacks till the last night train is gone.
A pretty macabre Lenin monument next to the station features the communist leader's gold-painted head placed on a podium made of reflective black stone.
4Sleeping
Igor ShalyginHOMESTAY$$
(%8-924-716 4004; www.facebook.com/pg/Transsib-baikal-transit-319120791457041; per person R1000)
The best reason to get off at Tayshet is Igor Shalygin, an English- and German-speaking travel enthusiast who runs a cosy homestay in the old town, particularly popular with motorcycle overlanders. He can take you out to various beauty spots, romantically lost bits of the Trans-Sib and the old trakt, and give you a taste of authentic rural Siberian life.
The latter includes a superb banya (bathhouse), where the host performs the role of steam and twig master. In summer, Shalygin runs boat trips on the placid Biryusa River. In winter, when the river turns into an ice road, he can set up a trip to the reindeer herders and hunters of Tofalaria.
8Getting There & Away
You may end up spending a whole day at the station waiting for connections. There are more services heading west towards Krasnoyarsk (platskartny/kupe R816/1845, 7½ hrs), than east towards Severobaikalsk (platskartny/kupe R1097/2112, 18 hrs).
Bratsk Братск
%3953 / Pop 234,150 / Time Moscow +5hr
Bratsk is perhaps not worth leaving the ‘comfort’ of your carriage bunk, though it does neatly break up the journey from both Irkutsk and Krasnoyarsk to Severobaikalsk. The city’s raison d’être is a gigantic dam which drowned the original historic town in the 1960s. Slung between high cliffs and somehow holding back the mammoth Bratsk Sea, it’s a striking spectacle, especially from the window of BAM trains that pass right across the top.
New Bratsk is a heavily polluted necklace of disconnected concrete ‘subcities’ and belching industrial zones, with the spirit-crushingly dull Tsentralny area at its heart.
Some 12km from Tsentralny is Angara Village (
GOOGLE MAP
; www.bratskmuseum.ru; ul Komsomolskaya; R150; h10am-4.30pm Wed-Sun), an impressive open-air ethnographic museum containing a rare 17th-century wooden watchtower and buildings rescued from submerged old Bratsk. A series of shaman sites and Evenki chumy (tepee-shaped conical dwellings) lie in the woods behind. Take a taxi or arrange a visit through Taiga Tours (
GOOGLE MAP
; %3953-416 513; www.taiga-tours.ru; 2nd fl, Hotel Taiga; h10am-6pm Mon-Fri) who can also arrange permits and guides to visit Bratsk dam’s turbine rooms.
4Sleeping
Hotel ShvedkaHOTEL$
(Гостиница Шведка
GOOGLE MAP
; %8-902-179 0580; www.hotel-shvedka.ru; ul Mira 25; s/d from R1050/1400; 
W)
Rooms here range from battered and cheap to almost design standard. Ask to see which you’re getting before you commit. Breakfast is extra and is taken in the hotel's own cafe.
Vremena GodaHOTEL$$
(Времена года
GOOGLE MAP
; %3953-414 777; www.hotelbratsk.ru; ul Podbelskogo 12; d from R3500)
The city's most elegant hotel occupies an Alpine-styled wooden chalet with tastefully designed rooms, where the smell of natural wood all but suppresses the industrial odours that prevail outside. Paper-thin walls mean you can eavesdrop on neighbours' Skype calls and stay informed about the rest of their activities.
Hotel TaigaHOTEL$$
(Гостиница Тайга
GOOGLE MAP
; %3953-414 710; www.hotel-taiga.ru; ul Mira 35; s/d from R2350/2900; W)
This renovated Soviet hulk contains cramped rooms packed with tasteless furniture, but bathrooms are clean and modern. Some staff speak English, guest visas are registered and there’s a decent hotel restaurant. Breakfast is extra.
5Eating
AmritaVEGETARIAN$
(
GOOGLE MAP
; %3953-454 097; www.amritacentr.ru; ul Pionerskaya 5; mains R80-120; hnoon-7pm; 
v)
In a gloomy macho town like Bratsk, this tidy vegetarian cafeteria comes as a pleasant surprise. Admittedly the lentil soup and samosas have lost any signs of their Indian roots, but perhaps it is the beginning of Siberia's own vegetarian cooking style.
Rock GarretEASTERN EUROPEAN$$
(Рок Гаррет
GOOGLE MAP
; %3953-411 417; www.cherdak-bratsk.ru; ul Mira 43; mains R300-400; h10am-2am)
A restaurant, a pub and a rock-music venue – this all-in-one place is about the best option for an evening out in Bratsk. The menu is a carnivore's delight with a few Siberian elements, such as moose cutlets. Home-brewed lager, as well as English and Belgian ales, are on tap.
8Getting There & Away
For Tsentralny, get off BAM trains at the Anzyobi (Анзеби) station and transfer by bus or elektrichka (suburban train). Bratsk has the following rail connections:
AIrkutsk platskart/kupe R2500/2650, 16½ to 18½ hours, daily
AKrasnoyarsk platskart/kupe R2000/2100, 12½ hours, up to four daily
AMoscow platskart/kupe R8350/10,000, three days and three hours, one or two daily
ASeverobaikalsk platskart/kupe R2100/2300, 14 to 17 hours, up to four daily
Irkutsk can also be reached by Western-standard coach (R1100, 10½ hours) from the Tsentralny bus station (ul Yuzhnaya) and summer hydrofoil from a river station in southeast Tsentralny. Check VSRP for details of the latter.
Severobaikalsk Северобайкальск
%30130, 30139 / Pop 23,900 / Time Moscow +5hr
Founded as a shack camp for railway workers in the mid-1970s, Severobaikalsk has grown into the most engaging halt on the BAM, where travellers vacate stuffy railway compartments to stretch legs in the taiga or cool off in Lake Baikal. The town itself is a grid of soulless, earthquake-proof apartment blocks with little in between, but the mountainscape and nameless wildernesses backing the lake quickly lure hikers and adventurers away from the concrete. They discover a land more remote, less peopled and generally more spectacular than Baikal’s south, a place where lazy bears and reindeer-herding Evenki still rule in timeless peace, despite the best efforts of Homo sovieticus.
1Sights
Railway StationNOTABLE BUILDING
(
GOOGLE MAP
; pr 60 let SSSR; h5am-midnight)
The epicentre of SB’s world is a striking construction with a nostalgically stranded steam locomotive standing guard to the right. The sweeping architectural design of the brave-new-world station resembles a ski jump, but it's really meant to look like a ship. As with the rest of Severobaikalsk, it was designed by architects from Leningrad, who tried to convey the sense of both places being united by the nautical theme.
An overhead bridge to the right of the station leads across the tracks towards a scenic clifftop trail that skirts the coast.
BAM MuseumMUSEUM
(Музей БАМа
GOOGLE MAP
; per Proletarsky 5; R50; h10am-1pm & 2-6pm Tue-Sat)
Having moved into larger premises, the town’s friendly museum has exhibits on BAM railway history (workers’ medals, grainy black-and-white photos, ‘old’ BAM tickets), some Buryat artefacts and a few mammoth bones. An adjacent room houses an art gallery where local artists display their works. There is also a souvenir shop that peddles shaman drums amid kitschy bric-a-brac.
God's Mother of Kazan CathedralCHURCH
( GOOGLE MAP ; ul Mira 10)
A strange sight in a town built by Komsomol (Youth Communist League) enthusiasts, the town's new Orthodox church sports two impressive onion domes in gleaming gold and a monster chandelier inside. It stands just beyond the town’s grey-concrete war memorial.
WORTH A TRIP
KHAKUSY SPA
Seismic activity in the northern Baikal area shakes free lots of thermal springs, around which tiny spas have sprouted. These are great places to soothe aching muscles after days of contortion in your BAM carriage bunk, though facilities are pretty basic. Costs are low for accommodation, food and bathing.
Khakusy SpaSPA
( GOOGLE MAP ; www.hakusy.com)
To land at this idyllically isolated hot-spring turbaza (holiday camp) requires permits in summer (available through Severobaikalsk tour companies and hotels), but these are waived in February and March, when it takes about an hour to drive across the ice from Severobaikalsk. Bathing is fun in the snow and frozen steam creates curious ice patterns on the wooden spa buildings.
In summer, make sure you book the ferry well in advance as it’s a popular trip among Russian holidaymakers. An alternative way to reach Khakusy is along the 100km Frolikha Adventure Coastline Trail.
2Activities
Severobaikalsk is the base for trekking expeditions along the Great Baikal Trail on the ice in winter. These, along with visits to Evenki reindeer herders, can be organised with the help of local tourist agencies and hotel owners.
Frolikha Adventure Coastline TrailTREKKING
( GOOGLE MAP )
Part of the Great Baikal Trail, this incredible, relatively demanding 100km adventure trekking route runs between the delta of the Verkhnyaya Angara River and the spa hamlet of Khakusy on Baikal’s eastern shore. You’ll need a boat to find the start of the trail at the mouth of the river, from where it takes eight days to reach Khakusy via countless lonely capes and bays, wild camping by the lake all the way.
Exhilarating river crossings (including a biggie – the River Frolikha), deserted beaches and show-stopping Baikal vistas punctuate the trail, and from Ayaya Bay a there-back hike to remote Lake Frolikha beckons.
For more information and trail maps, contact Severobaikalsk tour agencies, the Baikal Trail Hostel or Dresden-based Baikalplan (www.baikalplan.de).
TTours
Rashit Yakhin/BAM TourTOURS
(
GOOGLE MAP
; %8-914-833 1646, 30139-21 560; www.gobaikal.com; ul Oktyabrya 16/2)
This experienced full-time travel-fixer, guide and ex-BAM worker suffered an immobilising stroke in the mid-1990s, rendering his spoken English somewhat hard to follow. Nonetheless, Rashit is quick to reply to emails and able to set ice-cycling and skiing trips on Baikal in winter as well as catamaran trips in summer. Dacha (private summer cottage) visits are also on offer.
Maryasov FamilyTOURS
(%8-924-391 4514, 8-908-597 5988; www.baikaltrail.ru)
The English-speaking family of Yevgeny Maryasov, a cofounder of the Great Baikal Trail, runs a homestay, information centre and tourism association, and also organises guided treks to Baikalskoe and Lake Frolikha, seal-spotting trips to Ayaya Bay and fascinating trips to the camps of Evenki reindeer herders.
EcolandTOURS
(%8-902-162 1623, 30130-36 191; www.ecoland-tour.ru)
This award-winning tour agency specialises in horse-riding trips, Baikal boat excursions and trekking.
4Sleeping
Baikal Trail HostelHOMESTAY$
(
GOOGLE MAP
; %30130-23 860, 8-924-391 4514, 8-924-779 2805; www.baikaltrailhostel.com; ul Studencheskaya 12, apt 16; tr per person R900; 
iW)
Run by the younger generation of the Maryasov family in their own flat, SB's original hostel is now reduced to a three-bed homestay. Kitchen, washing machine and a communal climbing wall are at visitors' disposal. It’s one of the best places in town to arrange back-country treks and trips into the wilds around the northern end of Lake Baikal.
Dad's HouseHOSTEL$
(Папин дом
GOOGLE MAP
; %8-983-430 9817, 8-950-060 7343; azubina@mail.ru; ul Promyshlennaya 17; dm R750)
A pretty little cottage in an unpretty industrial neighbourhood, not far from the centre, this new hostel has eight bunk beds and offers sumptuous breakfasts for an extra R250.
oZolotaya RybkaGUESTHOUSE$$
(Золотая Рыбка
GOOGLE MAP
; %30130-21 134; www.baikalgoldenfish.ru; ul Sibirskaya 14; d from R2300; W)
Well signposted from ul Olkhonskaya, SB’s best guesthouse maintains immaculate and imaginatively designed rooms in three buildings, providing glimpses of Lake Baikal through the trees. There are spotless toilets and showers throughout, guests have access to kitchens and a cook prepares a restaurant-standard breakfast on request (R300 extra). Owner offers trips to Evenki reindeer herders.
Dom u BaikalaGUESTHOUSE$$
(Дом у Байкала
GOOGLE MAP
; %30130-239 50, 8-950-119 7380; www.baikal-kruiz.narod.ru; pr Neptunsky 3; d with/without bathroom R2600/2200; W)
Located in the pleasant lakeside residential area of Severobaikalsk, this cottage contains several clean and well-equipped if uninspiring rooms. The English-speaking owner runs tours of main northern Baikal attractions.
Hotel OlympHOTEL$$
(Гостиница Олимп
GOOGLE MAP
; %30130-23 980; www.hotelolymp.ru; ul Poligrafistov 2b; s/d from R2200/2600, with shared bathroom from R1200/1500; W)
Severobaikalsk’s smartest sleep has spotless, cool, airy rooms, though the plumbing could be more professionally screwed down. For this price you might expect breakfast and free wi-fi – you get neither.
5Eating
For quick and cheap eats – pozi (dumplings), shashlyk, plov and beer – try makeshift Buryat and Kyrgyz eateries in the shop row east of the station on pr 60 let SSSR.
Bar BisonGRILL$$
(
GOOGLE MAP
; %8-950-399 9359; www.vk.com/bizonsbk; Leningradsky pr 8; mains R200-600; h11am-1am)
There are all kinds of shashlyk and other grilled meat in this little restaurant-bar located in what looks like a construction-site cabin by the town's market. Local Tikhonov & Sons beer is on tap. Gets a little rowdy on weekends.
RialtoITALIAN$$
(
GOOGLE MAP
; %8-924-652 4151; ul Studencheskaya 8; mains R200-600; h9am-9pm Mon-Thu, 10am-10pm Fri-Sun)
Pizzas, pastas and really good coffee served in pleasant Italianesque premises, decorated with pictures of Venice and Rome. Sometimes closes for banquets on the weekend.
7Shopping
MarketMARKET
( GOOGLE MAP ; Gorodskoy Rynok)
Baikal fish, smoked and sun-dried, cedar pine nuts, sagaan-dalya and other local herbs – you'll find all of this in the small but bustling market located in the heart of town.
8Information
There are ATMs at the railway station, in the Zheleznodorozhnik Culture Centre and at the Leningradsky pr branch of the VIST Supermarket.
Post Office (Почта Leningradsky pr 6; h9am-2pm & 3-7pm Mon-Fri, 9am-2pm Sat)
Warm North of Baikal (www.privet-baikal.ru; Leningradsky pr 5; h10am-6pm) The local tourism association has turned the town's library into an informal hospitality centre, where – in theory – someone should always be available to help travellers with accommodation and local tours. It also runs an English-language website with tons of information and listings.
8Getting There & Away
Train
Severobaikalsk has the following rail connections:
ABratsk platskart/kupe R2100/3700, 14 to 16 hours, three daily
AIrkutsk platskart/kupe R3800/7000, 38 hours, daily
AKrasnoyarsk platskart/kupe R3300/5600, 28 hours, three daily
AMoscow platskart/kupe R9300/10,080, three days 18 hours, one or two daily
ATynda platskart/kupe R3000/3200, 26 hours, daily
Air
With hydrofoil services from Irkutsk and Olkhon suspended, two weekly flights from Irkutsk (R3750) and Ulan-Ude (R6500) operated by Angara airline provide the only fast option of getting into and out of Severobaikalsk.
Bus
Marshrutky cluster outside Severobaikalsk’s train station and run to the following destinations:
ABaikalskoe R70, 45 minutes, two daily
AGoudzhekit R120, 45 minutes, three daily
ANizhneangarsk Airport R50, 50 minutes, half-hourly
8Getting Around
Taxi drivers charge a standard fare of R80 before 10pm and R100 during the night for trips anywhere around town. Taxi Milent (%30130-255 33) is a very reliable service.
Around Severobaikalsk
Nizhneangarsk Нижнеангарск
Until the BAM clunked into town, Nizhneangarsk had led an isolated existence for over 300 years, cobbling together its long streets of wooden houses and harvesting Baikal’s rich omul (a type of fish) stocks. If truth be told, not much changed when the railway arrived, but despite the appearance of now larger Severobaikalsk 30km away, the 5km-long village remains the administrative centre of northern Baikal.
The Regional Museum (
GOOGLE MAP
; ul Pobedy 37, Nizhneangarsk; R100; h10am-6pm Mon-Fri) chases the history of the region back to the 17th century and includes several Evenki exhibits. The museum often hosts performances by the local Evenki folklore collective Sinilga, which can be arranged through the Maryasov family in Severobaikalsk.
To the east of the town, a long spit of land known as Yarki Island caps the most northerly point of Lake Baikal and keeps powerful currents and waves out of the fragile habitat of the Verkhnyaya Angara delta. You can walk along its length.
Scenic low-altitude flights cross Lake Baikal to Irkutsk and Ulan-Ude when weather conditions allow.
Marshrutky (R70, 50 minutes) from Severobaikalsk run every 30 minutes along ul Pobedy then continue along the coast road (ul Rabochaya) to the airport.
Baikalskoe Байкальское
This timeless little fishing village of log-built houses 45km south of Severobaikalsk has a jaw-droppingly picturesque lakeside location backed by wooded hills and snow-dusted peaks. Your first stop should be the small, informal school museum (Baikalskoe; R100; h10am-4pm). The only other sight is the wooden Church of St Inokent, which strikes a scenic lakeside pose.
Most visitors come to Baikalskoe on a day trip from Severobaikalsk, but if you do want to stay the night, arrange a homestay through tour agencies and fixers in Severobaikalsk. The Maryasov family in Severobaikalsk can put you up in the house of Gertrude Freimane, a Latvian deportee, who cooks excellent wild-berry cakes. There’s no cafe in the village, just a couple of shops selling basic foodstuffs.
Marshrutky (R100, 45 minutes) leave from outside Severobaikalsk train station every day early in the morning and in the early evening, returning an hour or so later.
A section of the Great Baikal Trail heads north from the fishing port 20 minutes up a cliff-side path towards the radio mast atop cape Ludar, from which there are particularly superb views looking back towards the village. Beyond that, Baikalskoe’s shamanic petroglyphs hide in awkward-to-reach cliff-side locations and can only be found with the help of a knowledgeable local. The well-maintained trail continues another 18 scenic kilometres through beautiful cedar and spruce forests and past photogenic Boguchan Island to chilly Lake Slyudyanskoe, next to which stands the small Echo turbaza (holiday camp) – book through the Maryasov family.
The hike makes for a rewarding day trip and, with the path hugging the lake most of the way, there’s little chance of getting lost. From the Echo turbaza head along a dirt track through the forest to the Severobaikalsk–Baikalskoe road to hitch a lift, or prearrange transport back to Severobaikalsk. Alternatively, some hikers tackle the day the other way round, catching the morning marshrutka to Echo turbaza, then timing the hike to make the evening marshrutka back to Severobaikalsk.
Tynda Тында
%41656 / Pop 35,500 / Time Moscow +6hr
The king of the BAM, Tynda is a nondescript town flanked by low-lying pine-covered hills. Many stop here, as it’s a hub for trains between Severobaikalsk, Komsomolsk-na-Amure and, on the Little BAM, Blagoveshchensk to the south, or, on the in-progress AYaM (Amuro-Yakutskaya Mainline), Neryungri and Tommot to the north.
Don’t expect quaint. Tynda’s fully Soviet – there was nothing but a few shacks before BAM centralised its efforts here in 1974. Liven up your visit by arriving during a festival. The Bakaldin Festival rotates between several nearby Evenki villages in late May or early June, with traditional song, dance, reindeer rides and plenty of reindeer shashlyki and other native delicacies. March sees the Reindeer Hunter and Herder Festival.
1Sights
BAM MuseumMUSEUM
(Музей истории Байкало-Амурской магистрали
GOOGLE MAP
; http://muzbam.amur.muzkult.ru; ul Sportivnaya 22; R150; h10am-2pm & 3-6pm Tue-Fri, to 7pm Sat)
Tynda’s pride and joy has four rooms of BAM relics and photos – sadly all devoid of English labelling – as well as exhibits on native Evenki culture, WWII, local art and regional wildlife. Don't miss the 9m-long 'barrel of Diogenes' parked in the yard, where many BAM workers lived during the railroad's construction. After crossing the pedestrian bridge from the train station, take the first left, continue 200m and turn right up Sportivnaya, where you'll soon see it on your left.
One section covers the Little BAM and the Gulag prisoners who built it in the 1930s. They lived (and died) in 24 BAM labour camps between Tynda and Bamovskaya, and some moving photos chronicle the extreme hardships these prisoners endured. Two rooms are dedicated to the big BAM, sections of which were built in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s before Stalin died and the project was mothballed. A final display covers the period between its relaunch in 1974 and final completion in 1984.
BAM Builders MonumentSTATUE
(Памятник строителям БАМа GOOGLE MAP ; ul Mokhortova)
This iconic and rather aggressive looking statue is Tynda's most obvious sight. It's dedicated to the massive human effort (both voluntary and not) needed to build the extraordinary Baikal-Amur Magistral (BAM) railway line. Locals know the statue colloquially as muzhchina s molotkom – the guy with the hammer.
TTours
Alexey PodpruginTOURS
(%8-985-205 0365; bamland@mail.ru)
Feisty adventurer Alexey Podprugin knows the wilderness surrounding Tynda well and can arrange kayaking, hiking and cross-country skiing trips. He doesn't speak English, so email him if you don't speak Russian.
4Sleeping & Eating
Resting RoomsHOSTEL$
(Комнаты отдыха
GOOGLE MAP
; %41656-73 297; train station, Zarechnaya ul; bed per 6/12/24hr from R650/990/1650)
Comfy and clean dorm rooms in the train station. Shower available for nonguests (R150).
Hotel YunostHOTEL$$
(Гостиница Юность
GOOGLE MAP
; %41656-43 534; ul Krasnaya Presnaya 49; s/d from R3500/4000, s/d with shared bathroom R2000/3000; W)
Faded but fine option in centre; Dervla Murphy recuperated here while writing Through Siberia by Accident. You can get wi-fi literally on one sofa in the lobby: it's free, but you might need a while to do anything. Staff don't speak English and regard foreigners with a pleasing amount of suspicion, which seems correct after such a long journey.
Piv Bar TeremokPIZZA$$
(Пив Бар Теремок
GOOGLE MAP
; ul Krasnaya Presnaya 59a; mains R300-600; hnoon-midnight; W)
Serves up palatable pizzas, Drakon draft beer (from Khabarovsk) and has seating on an open-sided veranda. To find it, turn left at the eastern end of Krasnaya Presnaya, and walk up 50m.
8Information
The train station has an ATM and left-luggage office (R140).
8Getting There & Away
The train station (ЖД вокзал GOOGLE MAP ; Zarechnaya ul) – the city’s most striking landmark – is across the Tynda River. A pedestrian bridge leads 1km north to ul Krasnaya Presnaya.
Train 75 heads via the BAM to Moscow (kupe/platskartny R20,800/10,000, five days) on even-numbered days, stopping in Severobaikalsk (kupe/platskartny R4600/2900, 27 hours), while trains 77, 97 and the 75 travelling in the other direction head to Novosibirsk (kupe/platskartny R11,600/6700, 67 hours), taking the Little BAM south on odd-numbered days to connect with the Trans-Siberian line at Skovorodino.
There are several daily departures to Neryungri, including the 325 (from R576, 5½ hours). Train 364 trundles to Komsomolsk daily (kupe/platskartny R5800/3000, 36 hours), and 325 heads daily to Khabarovsk at 2am via Skovorodino (kupe/platskartny R5500/3000, 28 hours).
Komsomolsk-na-Amure Комсомольск-на-Амуре
%4217 / Pop 251,000 / Time Moscow +7hr
After days of taiga and grey Soviet towns, Komsomolsk-na-Amure comes as a charming surprise with its attractive Stalin-era centre and pleasant Amur River setting. Built virtually from scratch in the 1930s as a vital cog in the Soviet Union’s military industrial complex, Komsomolsk's name comes from the thousands of Communist Youth League volunteers who built the town alongside Gulag labourers.
Imitating the tsars, Stalin erected elaborate neoclassical buildings in the city centre and then festooned them with stars and statues of model Soviet citizens. Around town, factories sprouted up to produce ships, weapons, electricity and, most famously, Sukhoi (Su) fighter jets in a factory that still works today. Set along a few grand boulevards, the city is worth a night or more if you are getting on or off the BAM.
Komsomolsk-na-Amure
1Sights
1Sights
Just east of the river terminal is a beach, which is well attended on warm summer days.
Komsomolsk has a wealth of wonderful murals adorning the sides of apartment blocks and factories. Most were the creation of Khabarovsk-based artist Nikolai Dolbilkin, who lived here in the 1950s and ’60s. Among the best are the double-triptych WWII mosaic ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; cnr pr Mira & alleya Truda) in the central grey dom kultura building near Sudostroitel Park (now inside a children's play space) and the nauka (science) mosaic ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; pr Lenina) at the Polytechnical Institute, a block east of Hotel Voskhod.
Municipal Museum of Regional StudiesMUSEUM
(Городской краеведческий музей
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; www.kmsgkm.ru; cnr alleya Truda & ul Kirova; R250; h9.30am-5pm Tue-Fri, 10am-5pm Sat & Sun)
This proud town museum has several rooms of photos and artefacts showing how Komsomolsk rose from a pioneer camp in 1932 to an industrial Soviet city. It also contains some old fish-skin jackets and other Nanai artefacts. It's expensive for the sure-to-be-quick visit, even more so as there's no labelling in English.
WWII MemorialMEMORIAL
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; ul Dzherzhinskogo)
Just northwest of the river terminal is the impressive WWII memorial, which features stoic faces chipped from stone, with nearby pillars marking the years of WWII.
Japanese POW MemorialMONUMENT
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; ul Ordzhonikidze)
This small monument is dedicated to the memory of the Japanese prisoners of war who were forced to work building the BAM after WWII.
2Activities
Nata TourTOURS
(Ната-Тур
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %Mikhail 8-914-189 1784, Vladimir 8-914-177 3724; komsomolsknata@mail.ru; office 110, ul Vasyanina 12; h10am-6pm Mon-Fri)
These local experts arrange three- to five-hour ‘Stalin tours’ of the city's communist sites (including a Gulag camp) from R1300 per person; adventure tours involving fishing, rafting or skiing; and day trips and/or homestays at Verkhnyaya Ekon. Mikhail speaks English.
River CruisesBOATING
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; River Terminal; R300)
On summer weekends, you can hop aboard 90-minute cruises along the Amur River. Boats depart at 3pm Saturday and Sunday as well as 7pm Thursday and Saturday. Buy tickets on board.
4Sleeping
Resting RoomsHOSTEL$
(Комнаты отдыха
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %4217-284 193; train station, pr Pervostroiteley; 12/24hr dm from R720/1100, s 12/24hr without bathroom R1040/1830)
A clean and basic option inside the train station if you need a break from sleeping on trains.
oBiznestsentrHOTEL$$
(Гостиничный комплекс Бизнес-центр
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %4217-521 522; bc@etc.kna.ru; ul Dzerzhinskogo 3; s/d incl breakfast from R2000/2500; 
aW)
Komsomolsk’s most modern business-oriented hotel has bright, comfortably furnished rooms with modern bathrooms (including space-shuttle-like shower capsules). English-speaking receptionists are on hand too.
Hotel VoskhodHOTEL$$
(Гостиница Восход
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %4217-535 131; www.hotel-voskhod.com; pr Pervostroiteley 31; s/d from R2200/2700; W)
A 10-minute walk from the train station, this eight-storey Soviet-era beast has decently renovated rooms and surprisingly friendly staff.
5Eating
In the summer, you can feast on shashlyk (R200) and cold drinks along the riverfront overlooking the beach.
KafemaCAFE$
(Кафема
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; www.kafema.ru; Okyabrsky pr 39; pastries from R100; h10am-8pm; W)
This place does the best coffee in town, and the passionate, well-trained baristas will even sell you some of their delicious fresh beans to take with you on your travels. Cakes, pastries and other snacks are available.
BistroRUSSIAN$
(Бистро
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; ul Lenina 19; mains R80-160; h9am-10pm)
Beside pl Lenina, this clean modern stolovaya serves tasty, affordable staples: baked dishes, roast meats and the usual beet or potato salads are all on offer.
Shinok PervachUKRAINIAN$$
(Шинок Первач
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; www.shinok-pervach.ru; ul Dzherzhinskogo 34; mains R300-900; hnoon-3am; W)
A local institution, Shinok Pervach is considered by locals to be the best restaurant in town. It serves up tasty grilled fish, roast meats and zingy salads (try the beetroot, walnut and prune for its subtle spice). The chunky wooden tables and circular dining room festooned maypole-style with ribbons bestow a certain peasant chic to the place.
Despite its address, it's actually located just off pr Internatsionalny.
8Getting There & Away
Train
From Komsomolsk’s pink train station (ЖД вокзал GOOGLE MAP ; pr Pervostroiteley), the excruciatingly slow 351 leaves daily for Vladivostok (kupe/platskartny R5500/2600, 25 hours). There are also two daily services (trains 351 and 667) to Khabarovsk (kupe/platskartny from R2300/1300, 10 hours).
On the BAM, the daily 363 heads west to Tynda (kupe/platskartny R5800/3000, 38 hours); to reach Severobaikalsk, change in Tynda. The daily train 351 heads east to Vanino (kupe/platskartny R2200/1400, 13 hours). The BAM’s first/last stop, ‘Sovetskaya Gavan-Sortirovka’, 15 minutes east of Vanino, is not to be confused with the city of Sovetsakaya Gavan, an hour away from Vanino by bus.
Air
Komsomolsk-na-Amur's small airport (Аэропорт Хурба GOOGLE MAP ) has flights on Aurora to Vladivostok each Wednesday and Friday (R3600, two hours).
Boat
For a DIY adventure, head down the Amur River by hydrofoil to Nikolayevsk-na-Amure (from R4350, 11 hours). The boat departs three days a week from the river terminal (Речной вокзал GOOGLE MAP ) (currently on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings).
Bus
Local and long-distance buses leave from the bus station (автостанция
GOOGLE MAP
; %4217-542 554; h6am-10.30pm) near the river. Buses bound for Khabarovsk (from R640, six hours) leave every 90 minutes or so from 7am.
8Getting Around
Within the city, handy tram 2 runs from the train station along ul Lenina and pr Mira to the river terminal (R20).
BAM ENDS, SAKHALIN BECKONS
BAM completists will end up in the grey Soviet port town of Vanino (actually the BAM ends 15 minutes beyond Vanino, in Sovetskaya Gavan-Sortirovka). From Vanino, there is a Sakhalin Shipping Company (SASCO;
GOOGLE MAP
; %42433-66 133, 42433-66 208; www.sasco.ru; ul Pobedy 18a, Kholmsk) ferry around three times a week leaving at varying times of day to Kholmsk on Sakhalin Island (tickets R1950 to R4200 depending on class, 18 hours). Do be aware that the two ferries working this route are very old, cramped and break down frequently. Despite this, your biggest obstacle is the unpredictable and fast-changing weather in the Strait of Tartary. Call the ticket office (SASCO;
GOOGLE MAP
; %42137-74 088; www.sasco.ru; Vanino) in Vanino the day before to reserve a seat and to check if the next day’s ship is likely to sail, as it's far nicer to be stuck in Komsomolsk-na-Amure than Vanino.