In mid-February 2022, I spent a few days on the island of Olkhon, on Lake Baikal. In winter, when the surface of the world’s largest freshwater reserve – Lake Baikal is 1642 meters deep – freezes over, Olkhon finds itself in the middle of a gigantic sea of ice. It is then possible to move around this vast ice rink on foot or by vehicle, and to reach the smaller neighboring islands to discover their splendid ice caves.

Olkhon has become a major tourist destination, transforming the local economy and bringing ecological concerns to the fore. Many locals have turned to the tourist industry to take advantage of the two main tourist seasons – the ice season and summer – while some of the population still live from fishing and small-scale livestock farming.