April 22, 2001

Travel Q & A

By RAY CORMIER

Heading for Siberia

Q. I am interested in visiting the area in Siberia described in an article in The Times in December about sable hunters. How can I get there, and are there tourist amenities? — Marjorie Scilken, New York, N.Y.

A. Patrick E. Tyler, chief of the Moscow bureau of The Times, went to Zima and the wilds of the Barguzin region for the article. Zima means winter in Russian, and Mr. Tyler found this city of 42,000 a "pretty grim place." Its most notable products are plastics and the poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko.

Mr. Tyler arranged his trip through the mayor of Zima and the local game warden, and does not know of any tours to the area. He and his translator stayed in a simple apartment over a small restaurant. The mayor, Pavel Dmitriyevich Krendelyov, says there are three or four such places to stay, costing $50 to $100 a night, that his office can book; call (7-39514) 31152 or 31354, but expect periodic problems with the phones and no English speakers.

Zima has a local history and culture museum, and Sayansk, 11 miles away, has a historical museum, art gallery, and a museum about the local chemical industry. Local officials can arrange angling and hunting expeditions, which can cost $200 to $500 a day per person.

The easiest way to get to Zima is by flying to Irkutsk, 155 miles to the southwest, on the southern shore of Lake Baikal, probably Siberia's main tourist destination. There are two to three flights daily from Moscow, with tickets starting at about $175, at 28 rubles to the dollar.

From Irkutsk, one can hire a car and driver or take a train. There are three to four trains a day, taking about four hours, with a ticket in a four-berth compartment costing $17, and in a two-bed compartment $28.

A more exotic way to get to Zima (or Irkutsk, for that matter) is on the Trans-Siberian Railroad. From Moscow, it is 70 to 83 hours to Zima, with tickets costing $61 in a four-bed compartment, $253 in first class.

Lake Baikal is the world's deepest lake (5,715 feet), and at 395 by 50 miles, larger than Lake Erie. There are numerous cruises that tour its beautifully rugged shores. An English-speaking guide in Irkutsk, Jack Sheremetoff, arranges a variety of trips (but not to Zima, which is 230 miles west of the lake). See www.baikaler.com, or call (7-3952) 336 240.

Tour International, 3105 East Lake Avenue, Seattle, Wash. 98102, offers scheduled tours of Lake Baikal, with four days in Irkutsk and eight days of cruising. The price, $1,750, includes all meals, hotels and excursions, but not air fare. The company also books a Trans-Siberian Railroad journey, from Moscow to Vladivostok, that allows a two-day stopover in Irkutsk. It costs $1,500, including all meals, but not hotels and air fare. Information: (877) 394-0572, fax (206) 709- 4475, www.tourinternational.com.