Khakusy Hot Springs

You reach Khakusy by boat across northern Lake Baikal, about 45 km from Severobaikalsk, and walk 700 m from the pier through pine forest to the baths. The main spring emerges at about 47°C with a flow near 55 liters a second, and it feeds a bathhouse plus flow-through outdoor pools that cool from the mid 40s down to around 30°C. The water is soft and slightly alkaline, low in total minerals but rich in silica, with bicarbonate, sulfate and sodium.

A day of bathing costs 400 rubles, cabins include bathing, and you can pitch a tent for a fee. In winter, operators drive guests across the frozen lake, and people soak outdoors in snow. Organizers suggest short dips and keeping warm afterward.

There is no road, so plan transfers in advance with the operator, whose contact is on the official site. The downside: the season breaks twice a year when storms or melting ice stop all boats, and with no road you can be stuck if weather turns.