Kamchatka

Welcome to Kamchatka, the land of bears and volcanoes. The peninsula is a part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, that’s why there are so many volcanos here. Some of them like Avachinsky volcano are available for visiting during a one day trip. But the most scenic mountains like Mutnovsky volcano or Klyuchevskaya Sopka need a several day journey with a lot of hiking and overnights in camps.

There are also a lot of thermal springs here, some of them with proved healing effect. But the true treasure of Kamchatka is the worldwide known Valley of Geysers included in the UNESCO Heritage List.

If you are not into volcanos you can relax on the black sandy beach of Petropavlovsk Kamchatsky or enjoy a speedboat trip along Avachinskaya Bay taking pictures of its enigmatic rocks and watching numerous birds and sea mammals.

In late summer a lot of tourists come to Kamchatka to take pictures of bears hunting for salmons that move in huge amounts upstream of local rivers to spawn. It is possible to observe this magnificent natural show only in few lodges in the center of the peninsula, so make sure to book in advance!

There are two ways to visit Kamchatka. Most people arrive to the airport of Petropavlovsk Kamchatsky and stay in a hotel in the city or at the thermal resort Paratunka. The second way is to book one of scenic cruises along the coast of the Russian Far East and see the peninsula from water. Some programs finish in the port of Petropavlovsk Kamchatsky and in this case you can combine you cruise with land adventure.

The best season to visit Kamchatka is summer and early autumn though winter tours with visiting thermal springs, skiing and full day excursions are also very popular.