Kamchatka Peninsula
What do you think about when you hear the word Kamchatka?
Some people imagine volcanoes, geothermal hot mineral springs, geysers, giant bears, other people think of fishing, sea crabs, red salmon and red caviar. And all of them are right. Kamchatka is a unique place on Earth and is rich in every thing.
Kamchatka is a peninsula in the Far East of Russia, surrounded by the Pacific Ocean in the east, the Sea of Okhotsk in the west, and the Bering Sea in the north-east. So the only ways to get there are by plane or by ship. Whatever way you go the first view you will see is Avacha Bay and Three Brothers rocks there – a symbol of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the town that lies on the coast of the bay. One of the legends says that these are the three brothers who wanted to defend the town from a tsunami and turned to stone. But Avacha Bay is also famous for its sea inhabitants and birds. On Starichkov Island, you will be impressed by numerous colonies of birds like Ancient Murrelets, gulls, Pacific and Red-faced Cormorants, and other ones that nest on huge cliffs that rise from the ocean.
This is a land of volcanoes that many courageous people dream to conquer. There is a great number of volcanoes on the peninsula and 29 of them are active! Kluchevskaya Sopka is the highest one.
The peninsula attracts nature lovers as it is a land of virgin nature. Kronotsky Reserve is a place really worth visiting. Mountains, valleys glaciers, active and extinct volcanoes, rivers, lakes – you will enjoy every kind of landscape here. It’s flora is rich and here you will see many plants you have never seen your life The animal world is formed of representatives of taiga and tundra fauna with some steppe species
At the sea shore sea birds and sea animal live and waterfowl nest. Some of them are rare such as sea beaver, Steller's sea eagle, fish hawk, Artic falcon, and Aleutian tern are found in the Red List. The reserve belongs to the World Natural Heritage.
The Reserve has a unique natural jewel, that is now included in Seven Wonders of Russia - the Valley of Geysers, one of the largest concentration of geysers in the world. Being in Kronotsky Reserve you feel like if you watch the God creating the world.
Mountain rivers! So clear that you can see every fish there and wonder if they really feel good in such icy cold water? But don’t worry, cold water is not a problem for them, the real problem is … bears. Brown bear is a host on the peninsula and even in people’s settlements he feels himself at home. But he is not alone. In the forests of Kamchatka you can meet sables, foxes, lynx, moose.
The indigenous peoples of Kamchatka are Itelmen, Koryak, Chukchi and Eveni. They live in the remote parts of the peninsula but despite this fact many people from all over the world visit Kamchatka to learn more about their customs and traditions which they still keep.
The climate on the peninsula is moderate on the coasts, continental in the central part and arctic in the north. The winters are warm and snowy. The snow is 2-3 meters deep. It’s a paradise for skiers and snowboarders and real fun for children. Even in summer you can do winter sports.
It’s impossible to describe this land in short, there are lot’s of exciting unusual things here. If you wonder how the paradise looks like come here and you see it with your own eyes. Come here, explore the history and culture of Kamchatka, enjoy any kind of sport –diving, hiking, mountaineering, go fishing, have an unforgettable helicopter tour over the land, admire fields of flowers, taste the famous giant crab, don’t forget to take beautiful pictures, beautiful land.
It’s the best place ever!