| | The most exotic place of Russia, preserved virgin wild nature called Kamchatka. It is a magic name, tempting and heating your imagination. If on hearing this word for the first time you started to look through many pages in the internet, looking for the information, found it and now you are drowned in the descriptions and charming pictures so that now you cannot choose where in this place to put your tripod and a camera…Just start with conquering three best-known volcanoes of Kamchatka. Avachinsky volcano (2,751 m.) – is one of the most active volcanoes, tenderly called “domestic” by the residents of Kamchatka. You’ll see it sitting in a plane making turn and giving you a sight of a big steaming volcano. An ideally-shaped snow-white cone, steaming fumarole and Koryaksky volcano in the background, which by the way, activated in 2008 and three big fumaroles started to steam. While ascending Avachinsky volcano, you’ll realize the meaning of “walking over clouds”… Have you ever imagined getting into a mouth of an active volcano?! Besides very active, with burning hot steam going out from the crack, with boiling small mud volcanoes under your feet, with acid pools, acrid sulphur smell and with a huge awesome glacier overhanging all this beauty… No? ... So we invite you to step into a crater of an active Mutnovsky volcano (2,323 m.). Performing such a weird ascend, surely you’ll recollect the description of the circles of Dante… In the neighborhood, there is Gorely volcano (1,829 m). In spite it is relatively low, it keeps from strangers its real treasure – multicolored lakes in its craters. One of lake is always trying to boil…Herewith this “babe” totally has eleven caters…Indeed it’s worth seeing! After dizzy ups and downs take a dip into healing thermal water springs or chilly mountain river during a rafting, have some fishing and watch brown bear fishing… If you still want something more – a helicopter trip to The Valley of Geysers is to your service! Believe, after this trip you are to come back…
Itinenary
Day 1 - Arrival on Kamchatka
Arrival at the airport of Elizovo town. Transfer to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Accommodation in a hotel. Acclimatization rest. Bathing in a swimming-pool with thermal water in the open air.
The territory of Paratunka hot geothermal springs – is a health and resort zone of Kamchatka. Several health resorts and a great number of recreation bases function nowadays. Here one has a good possibility to relax as well as to recover thanks to curative virtues of thermal water.
Day 2 - The Valley of Geysers and Avachinsky volcano
Breakfast. Extra charged excursion to The Valley of Geysers with landing in the Caldera of Uzon volcano. Transfer to a heliport. A two hour’s walking tour in The Valley of Geysers with landing in the Caldera of Uzon volcano (6 hours); an hour’s walking tour in Vostochny thermal field, flights around Karymsky and Maly Semyachik volcanoes. Helicopter flight to Zhupanova river, dinner in a tourist lodge.
Return to the heliport. In the evening (about 6 p.m.) departure to the foot of Koryaksky and Avachinsky volcanoes (approximately 2 hours). Accommodation at the base-camp. If time allows, a walk to the nature site – an extrusion “Camel”, 5 km (3 hours). Dinner. Rest.
The Valley of Geysers is a unique natural site located in The Kronotsky Reserve in a vast gorge and Geysernaya river flowing along it. All forms of geothermal activity can be found here within 6 kilometers, including active and pulsing boiling springs, hot lakes, mud pots, and small volcanoes, steam jets, hot fields, and, of course, geysers. The dimension of gryphon of the biggest geyser Velikan (“Giant”) is 3 to 1.5 meters; the blast of water while eruption reaches 30 meters high. The Valley of Geysers is very picturesque, an incredible mosaics is created by multicolored clay, weird in structure and in hue geyserites structures, thermophilic algae, and profuse greenery of grasses.
Karymsky volcano is located in the central part of the Eastern volcanic belt of Kamchatka. It is a 1,536 meters height typical stratovolcano with a regular cone. Nowadays it is one of the most active volcanoes in the world with 20 eruptions for the last 215 years. Now it is in process of activation of its new volcanic cycle. The latest eruption started on 2nd January 1996 and is still going on. Each 5-15 minutes it throws out gas and ash 300-1,000 meters above its crater.
Maly Semyachik volcano is in Karymsky group of volcanoes and located 15 km. to the north-east of Karymsky volcano and 20 km. to the west of The Kronotsky gulf. Currently Maly Semyachik volcano excites interest by its acid lake in the active crater of Troitsky. The lake is 500-600 m. in diameter, its maximum depth varied from 117 to 140 meters. There is a gryphon in its centre, connected with gas flow from its bottom.
The Uzon Caldera. Caldera in Spanish means “a pot”. About 300,000 years ago a cone-shaped stratovolcano of 3,000 meters was on the place of the caldera. After series of great eruptions, ceased 40,000 years ago, the volcano was destroyed and soil gave under, transforming into the caldera. More than eight thousand years ago a colossal explosion resulted in a crater about 1 km. in diameter. Sever since Uzon has never erupted. Surely, Uzon is very old, but its maturity is adorned in an unusual way. For the last thousand of years, fumaroles, solphatares (hot volcanic gas flow) and thermal springs have been changing the landscape, saturating it with a number of thermal springs. Still alive nature hasn’t given up, forming a unique symbiosis with volcanism. Being on the territory of The Kronotsky Preserve, The Uson is taken over a special protection – in 1996 it was included into the List of the World-Wide Cultural and Natural Heritage by WWF in the nomination “Volcanoes of Kamchatka”. In the central part of the caldera there is the main thermal zone, heated by an underground and still hot magma hearth. There are more than a thousand hot springs there (which sources are able to supply a small geothermal station). Numerous lakes are supplied by springs; the biggest one is Hloridnoye, 150 m. in diameter. Mud pots and small mud volcanoes are small miracles of Uzon.
Day 3 - Ascent to the crater of Avachinsky Volcano
Breakfast. Briefing with the guide. Ascent to the crater of Avachinsky Volcano (about 8-12 hours). A light lunch while ascending (at the altitude of 2,000 m.). An overview excursion round the crater to the fumaroles fields and lava dome. Descent to the camp. Dinner. Transfer to Paratunka village. Accommodation at a recreation base. Bathing in a thermal water swimming pool in the open air.
On the twilight, after a full breakfast, a group starts ascent. Going higher and higher up along a volcanic ridge one can enjoy the kamchatkan sights from the bird’s flight view. At 2,000 m., at the foot of a young cone the group has a small break for lunch. Then, collecting strength in 1.5-2 hours the group will be on the top. A majestic view opens from the edge of the crater. To the south there are towns of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatski and Elizovo, the valley of Avacha river and the Avacha Bay, Viluchinsky, Gorely and Mutnovsky volcanoes, the weather permitting, a view of snow-white cone of Opala volcano opens; to the north there is the valley of Nalychevo river, Zhupanovsky and Dzendzur volcanoes. Besides, the weather permitting, while ascending a view of a massive cone of Koryaksky volcano opens. It activated in 2008 and a dense white-grey cloud of fumaroles gas rises very high! The total time of the ascent depends on physical fit of the group and on the weather conditions, on average it takes about 8 hours. The most difficult part of the route is the cone of the volcano, it is 300 m. high. It’s covered by slag which devolves and makes trekking more difficult. At the top, there is a special rope pulled down along the slope which substantially helps to overcome the latest meters of ascent. Descend takes twice as less as ascent.
Day 4 - The Bystraya (Malkinskaya) river.
Breakfast. Departure to Bystraya (Malkinskaya) river, 160 km (about 3 hours). Preparing the rafts. Briefing with the guide on the safety rules. Start of the rafting. Fishing (Arctic Char, Rainbow Trout, Salmon, Grayling). Lunch on the way. In the evening, set up a base-camp on the bank of the river. Dinner. Relax.
Bystraya is a mountain river with two rapids of the 2nd category of difficulty. You’ll enjoy the view of surrounding majestic mountains of The Sredinny Ridge, the islands right in the middle of the river, drowned in bushy grasses, and of course wild nature untouched by the civilization. The river itself is full of deep pits, the places where schools of salmon going to the spawning grounds have some rest. These are good places for fishing.
Day 5 - Rafting and Fishing
Breakfast. Packing the camp. Rafting. Passing rapids. The most interesting part of rafting starts today with a number of rapids there. Technically, they are not difficult; the speed of current on the rapids is 2-4 meters per second and varies depending on the water level. Lunch on the way. Set up a base-camp on the bank of the river in the evening. Dinner. Relax.
The first rapid represents a group of large water waves of 1.5-2 meters high. The second rapid is 2 hours after the first one. The water stream of river is parted into two by a large wave. The right stream goes under a rocky bank and turns sharply to the left, further on, rolls off the 0.5 meters high underwater plate, forming so called “bochka”. The third one is in a half of an hour. There the river turns to the right, forming several overflows and slanting water rollers. The longevity of the fourth rapid is not more than 50 meters.
Day 6 - Continue Rafting
Breakfast. Packing the camp. Rafting. Fishing. Lunch on the way. The end of rafting. Return to Paratunka recreation base. Accommodation. Swimming in a swimming-pool with thermal water.
Day 7 - Departure to the volcanic plateau at the foot of Mutnovsky volcano
Breakfast. Departure to the volcanic plateau at the foot of Mutnovsky volcano (approximately 3 hours). Visiting Viluchisky waterfall on the way (a walk lasts about 2 hours). Lunch. Rest at the foot of Viluchinsky volcano. Further on departure to the foot of Mutnovsky volcano. Set up a tent base-camp. Dinner. Relaxation.
Viluchisky volcano is situated to the south-west of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatski. The volcano is extinct. It elevates 2,175 m. above the sea-level. In winter it is a good place for alpine skiing and snowboarding. In the south-east part of the foot there are hot springs. In summer there is a beautiful forty meters waterfall at the foot. The top of the volcano is cut on the western part and on its top the huge rocks elevate, separated by accumulation of ice and granular snow. Lava and pyroclastics which make these rocks are changed in variegate colors, possibly, by the fumaroles activity not so long ago. Slopes of the volcano are cut by deep barrancoses (ravines), descending radially from the top or from the middle of the slope. The space of the upper ones is filled with ice and granular snow.
Day 8 - Radial trekking – ascent to the crater of active Mutnovsky volcano
Breakfast. Radial trekking – ascent to the crater of active Mutnovsky volcano (4-7 hours - ascent depends on the snowfields). The path goes across vast perennial snowfields and a narrow canyon - breach in the crater of volcano. Lunch on the way. Excursion in the crater of volcano. Return to the base-camp. Dinner. Relax.
Mutnovsky volcano is one of the biggest volcanoes in the south of Kamchatka. It has a complex structure and a long history of development. The volcano (2,323 m.) is made up of four merged cones with top calderas. The most astonishing thing that differs the ascent on Mutnovsky volcano from other ones is that the path goes in the break inside the volcano itself! While trekking you feel as if you are in the center of the Earth, it seems, one moment and hot lava breaks out from the ground! A majestic picture of an active crater opens to a traveler from the top of Mutnovsky volcano. Inside a deep hollow there are big hissing fumaroles, which collars are the bright yellow color builds of sulphur crystals, hot boiling mud pots, boiling small lakes and geysers. The whole this exotic is surrounded by rocks with overhanging blue glacier; everything bubbles, hisses, spits hot splashes and steams. After the latest earthquake of 2000, a huge glacier in the crater of Mutnovsky volcano partially melted, forming a crater lake of deep-turquoise color. It freezes in winter and melts late in July, stripping its surface from the shield ice. A small river Vulcannaya, springs from the crater of volcano, streams along the lava field and falls into a deep Opasny (“Dangerous”) canyon, forming a waterfall of 80 meters height. This place is awesome in its beauty!
Day 9 - Ascent and an observational excursion of Gorely volcano
Breakfast. Ascent and an observational excursion of Gorely volcano (5-8 hours). Lunch on the way. Descent to the camp. Supper. Packing the camp. Departure to Paratunka village. Accommodation at a recreation base. Bathing in a thermal water swimming pool. Relaxation.
The body of an active Gorely volcano gives a truly breathtaking sight! In the past, the upper part of a big ancient shield volcano lowered, forming a 13 kilometers caldera, from its bottom by chain of craters intensive eruptions started. Some craters merged with one another while these eruptions. As a result, an unusual ridge-shaped massif of complex strata-volcano now elevates from the top of a vast caldera. On the upper part of the volcano there are 11 craters of various size and form! Besides, inside and outside the caldera more than 10 smaller side slag craters and lava cupolas appeared. The volcano is unique in its beautiful collection of different craters on its upper part. Some of them are filled with multicolor lakes, some with snow and ice, and in crater Active fumaroles are permanently steaming!
Day 10 - Boat-trip in Avacha Bay and fishing
Breakfast. Transfer to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatski. Boat-trip in Avacha Bay to Starichkov Island (approximately 6 hours). Watching marine birds, sea fishing. Lunch on the boat. Return to the port. Return to the recreation base. Bathing in an open swimming-pool with thermal water under the open sky. Rest.
Avacha Bay is known as the biggest and one of the most beautiful bays in the world. Surrounded by hills and snow-white mountain tops it is capable to hold the world fleet! Boat-trip is a good possibility to observe eared seals, kalans (sea otters), fur seals, and perhaps beauty killer-whales cleaving endless space of the Pacific Ocean. A great number of birds are nesting on the island, such as red-faced cormorant, glaucous-winged gull, fulmar, tufted puffin, pigeon guillemot and many others. These islands are also the place of habitat for a rare Sea-eagle –it’s the biggest eagle in the world. Smaller bays have their own unique outlines and rocks have their own legends. For instance at the entrance to the ocean you can take a picture of “Gates of the town” – these are three rocks, elevating above water. Also the rocks are called “Three brothers” They say, ones brothers rose to defend Petropavlovsk and turned into stone protecting the coastline from tsunami. All this and a majestic panorama of Avacha Bay with a crown of Viluchinsky volcano top will leave in your hearth an incredible impression!
Day 11 - Departure
Breakfast. A visit to a fish market. Transfer to the airport. Departure.
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