Siberia may not be the first destination that springs to mind when contemplating a winter getaway, but the UNESCO World Heritage site of Lake Baikal is worth considering. Home to the planet’s only freshwater seal, the deep lake and surrounding taiga forest are transformed during the winter snows into a glitteringly breathtaking landscape. Adventure operator and Russian experts 56th Parallel offer a guided Lake Baikal Walk on Water Tour to Siberia’s beautiful wilderness that includes excursions to awe-inspiring ice caves, a journey to the lake’s Olkhon Island, and visits to the village of Ust-Orda to meet the Buryat people who are indigenous to the lake district.

Other highlights include ice rafting on an enormous slab of ice, scenic tours by dogsled pulled by actual Siberian Huskies, snowmobiling, an evening cooking class of traditional Siberian cuisine, and a crossing to Peschanaya Bay and its pyramid-shaped cliffs via hovercraft. The eight-night trip begins in Irkutsk with departures on Feb. 24, March 3 and March 10. Groups are limited to four and eight people.

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