Unique Kamchatka

Kamchatka is a place of breathtaking beauty and unique wildlife, mixing a striking scenery of mountains, tundra, forests and rugged coastline to create a wonderland for the adventurous traveler. The volcanoes not only contribute to the area's great scenery(the peninsula has 160 volcanoes, 29 of them active), but are also responsible for the numerous thermal pools found in the area. Here one can ski down snow covered mountain slopes to bathe in volcanic hot springs, go river rafting and rock climbing, see salmon spawning, watch geysers erupt and photograph sea lions in their natural environment. Fishing, hunting and photo safaris are also popular tourist activities. The weather is wet and cool, and although snow stays on the ground until May, the winters are not harsh. There is a saying in Kamchatka which loosely translates as, "In the winter it's not too cold, but in the summer it's not very warm!"

Kamchatka is also known for the amazing diversity and abundance of its wildlife. Sable, ermine, Siberian bighorn (or snow) sheep, the Kamchatka brown bear, crab and, of course, salmon are all found in large quantities, although some species have become endangered due to over-fishing and hunting. In the northern half of the peninsula, reindeer herds are kept by the Koryaks, one of the indigenous peoples of the area.

They say that Kamchatka's industries can be divided into two categories: fishing and those that support fishing. Seafood is plentiful, with crab, salmon and caviar being the main exports. During the spawning season, smoked salmon and red caviar can be found in every market and store.

A land unique not only in its scenery and wildlife, Kamchatka differs from the rest of Russia in its people and attitudes. Perhaps due to its distance from Moscow (11,000 km) or to the effect of living under the shadow of active volcanoes (volcanoes have erupted here as recently as 1994), one finds in Kamchatka a sense of the frontier and an independent spirit, fierce even by Far Eastern standards.

 ▲  Top