|
 |
 |
|
| |
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
 
  |
   Wild life Activities Places Zones Getting to and around Seasons Tours The IslandGeographers call it a "peninsula", but the residents know they are islanders, living on the biggest and most distant island of Russia. The only way to reach Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky from the mainland is by plane or ship. And the only direction in which you can leave Kamchatka by land is northwards, through the wild and desolate Koryaksky Mountains towards Chukotka, a region even more difficult to access than Kamchatka itself. The one and only road going north from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky reaches as far as the middle of the territory. This makes it possible to reach the heart of Kamchatka by land, although it takes from 8 to 12 hours. The southernmost parts are only accessible with the help of helicopter. So, only a relatively small area around Petropavlovsk and Elizovo is left for shortish approaches and cozy treks, plus the fast climbs of the "backyard" volcanoes: Avachinsky, Koryaksky and Vilyuchinsky. The SceneThere are a countless number of mountains on earth. All the volcanoes are known to scientists and counted. Very few of them erupt from time to time and you can go and take in that formidable sight. The names of the beautiful few, high and snow-clad are well known to the lay public – Fujiyama, Ararat, Kilimanjaro, plus one or two less known. Still, with all the irresistible aesthetic appeal of those cones, each of them is the one and only feature of the landscape. In this respect Kamchatka is a truly unique place. Its volcanoes, high, snow-clad and now and then erupting, are set within exceptionally beautiful surroundings: lower mountain groups and ranges divided by spacious green valleys, light birch and larch forests, fast-running, clear rivers, ocean coasts. The famous Uzon Crater and Geyser Valley which, taken apart, could easily account for the entire tourist industry of a small country, are just two of many places of interest here. With a population of about 400,000 in this large territory (1200 km long, 450 km wide), 260,000 of them living in the town of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, practically the whole region is a true wilderness. An Adventurer's ParadiseKamchatka is good for a lot of outdoor activities: trekking, rafting, climbing volcanoes, thrill-packed hunting and fishing, ski-touring and heli-skiing – the latter is absolutely fantastic here! Yet first and foremost it is a trekking land. Robert Louis Stevenson once created his Treasure Island as the perfect scene for his characters' adventures. Making Kamchatka, Mother Nature seemed to be preoccupied with creating an ideal terrain for dramatic, varied, picturesque treks...  |
 |
