Southern Shore
The southern part of Lake Baikal became important since the Transsiberian railway was opened, leading along the valleys of the rivers Irkut and Olcha. The construction of this track was extremely cost- and work intensive. However, it had become necessary after the Irkutsk hydroelectric power station had been completed and the old railway track via Port Baikal had become flooded by its water reservoir.
The Transsib railway track connects several important towns. Baikalsk is a well known place among them because of its infamous cellulose power station and also the small miners town Slyudyanka. The big marble quarries are not far away and can be seen already from a long distance.
However, more worth visiting are the smaller towns, such as Kultuk or Angasolka. Kultuk is situated at the junction of the road that leads to the Eastern Sayan whereas Angasolka lies next to the old Transsib railway track.
