Arctic Dreams: The Polar Bears of Churchill. PART I Dec 1, 2011
Arctic Dreams: The Polar Bears of Churchill. PART II Dec 8, 2011
Long-Haul Travel: A Frequent Flyer’s Survival Guide. PART I Feb 19, 2012
The Road Less Travelled Jan 27, 2012
Is this it? Discovering Yellowstone National Park Oct 8, 2011
Most people have probably not even heard of Kamchatka. And it’s not surprising. This volcanic wilderness is a 1250 km long peninsula on the far eastern coast of Russia and is almost as remote as it gets.
Until 20 years ago tourists were not able to visit the area and even now parts of it are only accessible by helicopter. Kamchatka is very difficult to explore independently and, unless you happen to have your chopper license handy, often impossible.
There are of course companies that offer organised trekking tours. For a price.
Photo credit: Gile Breton
To attempt the 130km and 10 day trek into the Valley of the Geysers you fly by helicopter from the main town of Petropavlovsk to the million hectare Kronotsky Reserve on the eastern edge of the peninsula.
The trek explores the reserve’s mountains, Siberian pine forrests, glaciers, lakes, hot springs, open highlands and several of the 29 active volcanoes before finally descending into the Valley of the Geysers.
This is the only geyser field in Eurasia and has over 20 main geysers, some belching and exploding every 10 minutes or so.
Goreli Crater. Photo credit: Archangem
Often referred to as the ‘land of fire and ice’, Kamchatka is adventure travel at it’s finest.
As well as the trek there are plenty of volcanoes to climb – a few hundred apparently. Because of the need for helicopters and guides, this trip is pretty pricey. There is also a ridiculously large population of bears.
I’m terrified of bears and helicopters, but I have to say there’s no way that’s going to stop me heading to this incredible corner of our earth one day.
Mutnovsky Volcano. Photo credit: Robert Nunn
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Quiet Wanderings Cherina Hadley is the founder of the travel blog Quiet Wanderings and has been travelling the world off and on since 1998. She is a freelance travel writer and professional photographer who loves exploring new places and hopes to inspire others to travel through her writing and photography. Photography portfolio can be seen at: www.cherinahadley.com
Arctic Dreams: The Polar Bears of Churchill. PART I Dec 1, 2011
Arctic Dreams: The Polar Bears of Churchill. PART II Dec 8, 2011
Long-Haul Travel: A Frequent Flyer’s Survival Guide. PART I Feb 19, 2012
The Road Less Travelled Jan 27, 2012
Jake Aufderheide Dec 14 2011 - 4:25 am
Well. You’ve sold it to me that’s for sure. How much is this going to hurt my future wallet???
Jake Aufderheide recently posted..The Mandatory Pitstop Before Alice – Bitter Springs in Mataranka
quietwanderings Dec 14 2011 - 9:25 pm
It’s pretty easy to sell
The cost would depend on exactly how much you want to see/how long you spend there…start saving!
Tamara Jan 14 2012 - 1:52 pm
We have documentaries about Kamchatka and other remote and unique corners of Russia for free download or online watching, so feel free to visit our website http://rtd.rt.com/ and find more reasons to travel to Russia one day!
Tamara,
RT Documentary website editor
Tamara recently posted..The last day of the Soviet Union