Tunkinsky National Park
Tunkinsky National Park (Russian: Тункинский) (also called Tunka National Park) is a national park located in south central Siberia, covers a mountainous region centered on the Irkut River valley (also referred to as the Tunka Valley) that continues from the rift valley of Lake Baikal southwest to the border of Mongolia. To the north and west of the valley is the eastern edge of the Sayan Mountains. To the east are the lower Khamar-Daban mountains. About in size, the park occupies the entirety of the Tunkinsky District of the Republic of Buryatia. It is about 200  km southwest of the city of Irkutsk. Topography. The geography of the Tunkinsky region includes dramatic scenery (the "Tunka Alps") of rift and glacial valleys and mountains, hot springs, mountain meadows, waterfalls, and many associated habitats. The park is found at a meeting point of taiga, steppe, alpine forest and lake ecosystems. Tunkinsky, and the Tunka Valley it encompasses, lies between the two great lakes of Siberia - Lake Baikal and Lake Hovsgol. Heights of the mountains range from to . The central valley of the Irkut is flat with fertile soil well suited to agriculture. There are a number of small  settlements in the valley, mostly inhabited by the indigenous Siberian Buryat people. Climate. The climate is continental (Koeppen Classification Dwc Subarctic climate: Snow climate with dry winter, cool summer and cold winter). 595 mm of precipitation per year (maximum in summer). Animals. As a bio-diverse and isolated park, Tunkinsky is home to a wide variety of animals: over 305 vertebrates have been identified, of which 62 have been characterized as rare or endangered. The endangered species include the snow leopard (with confirmed presence at the northern edge of its range), and the Asiatic wild dog (dhole, or "Cuon alpinus