Introduction
Russia travel: Keep your camera steady as you cruise the northern waters along the rugged coastline of the Kamchatka Peninsula, where humpback whales surface and splash. Board Zodiac rafts to search for fur seals, sea otters, walruses, and sea lions. Survey expansive horizons for arctic foxes and Kamchatka brown bears. Watch reindeer and caribou graze arctic pastures. Scout for the oriental cuckoo, the Siberian rubythroat and other Asian rarities. Enjoy the performances of Koryak dancers dressed in full regalia of reindeer skins trimmed with fur and beadwork. Spot Siberian bighorn (snow) sheep and scan the cliffs for the Earth’s largest bird of prey, the Steller’s sea eagle.

From Japan’s Kuril Islands running 700 nautical miles north to the Kamchatka Peninsula, the Russian Far East presents the features of a vast and diverse landscape—grassy knolls, jagged cliffs, fire-spitting volcanoes, bubbling calderas, coastal forests, and snow-capped peaks. The Kuril Islands’ Ring of Fire captures the imagination and refreshes the spirit. On Iturup Island, eight active volcanoes spew white smoke, gray ash, and, occasionally, red-orange lava rocks. Come to where indigenous Chukchis play dance music on walrus-skin drums. Travel to Russia and join us on a journey to the Russian Far East.
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Natural History
From the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido through the Kurils and Bering Island and up along the jagged coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula, the Russian Far East remains one of Earth’s most unspoiled places. Inland, accessible by helicopter, lies the Valley of the Geysers—a garden of geysers that roar skyward shooting water and steam. Along Kamchatka’s coast and cliffs and throughout the First Kuril Strait, the Steller’s sea eagle, the world’s largest eagle, soars over the ocean in search of fish. Its wing span extends more than seven and a half feet. The sea eagle’s oversized beak and talons catch mainly salmon, but the birds have been known to prey occasionally on deer or sheep as well. They build huge nests; some, like one encountered in Kronotski Park, measure nearly six feet deep. Each year sea eagles lay two eggs, though only one hatchling survives. Over 4,000 sea eagles live around the Kamchatka Peninsula.

Golden eagles, peregrine falcons, long-tailed hawks, and rock and willow ptarmigans reside on the peninsula all year long. Many migratory species pass through. Keep an eye out for strange-named birds like rhinoceros auklets, red-throated pipits, and orange-flanked blue-tails as well as the more common puffins, cormorants, and sea gulls. Brown bear, red fox, arctic fox, hare, sable, wolf, elk, reindeer, lynx, mink, snow sheep, otter, and caribou all carve out niches in the rugged wilds of the peninsula. In the water, fur seals, sea lions, and sea otters feast on fish and other organisms. Dolphins and whales swim in the oceans throughout the region.

Kamchatka brown bears feed almost exclusively on salmon. During the winter, they live on fat reserves stored up during the summer. Even after hibernation they don’t eat many mammals, save the occasional ground squirrel. Sometimes a whole family of bear can be seen browsing berry fields. Don’t be misled; bears are powerful animals of strength and endurance. The same jaws that nibble berries can crush bones. They can climb up near-vertical slopes with tremendous speed. Over short distances they can run as fast as horses. They can swim and, of course, they catch fish.

And there are plenty of fish to catch. Over thirty species of fish swim in Kamchatka’s rivers, lakes, and seas. Some of the most abundant are cod, sea perch, salmon, herring, halibut, and flounder. Orca whales also swim in the oceans around the peninsula and the archipelago. Weighing more than eight tons and spanning over 22 feet long, these whales symbolize the deep waters of the Far East and the Great North. They travel in large pods of forty or more. The males display a pronounced dorsal fin like that of shark that can reach six feet tall.

Walruses, which resemble seals with bulkier bodies and long tusks, gather on the rocks of sheltered coves. Males grow to 12 feet long and may weigh over two tons. They feed on mollusks and other bottom-dwelling organisms. They use their tusks to haul themselves up onto ice or land, to break ice, to get at food, to defend themselves from polar bears and killer whales, to fight, and to establish dominance. A few walruses are carnivorous; grease stains their ivory tusks.

For more information on Russian natural history, see book selections below.
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History
The Kamchatka Peninsula remained concealed in a cloak of mystery, a military zone closed to foreigners and most Russians, until the early 1990s. In 1991, the Communist Party fell and the U.S.S.R. splintered. After nearly 70 years of military prohibition, Russia opened the peninsula’s volcanic hot springs, calderas, thermal pools, crater lakes, geysers, and natural stone “sculptures” to outsiders. Studded by 160 volcanoes—29 of them active—the Kamchatka Peninsula gives spark to the great Pacific “Ring of Fire.” The tallest volcano, snow-covered Klyuchevskaya, towers 15,584 feet above sea level.

Russia claimed the Kamchatka Peninsula in the 17th century. Ivan Kamchatiy, Simon Dezhnev, the Cossack Ivan Rubetz, and other Russian explorers journeyed to the area in the mid-1600s. They reported a “land of fire” full of fish and fur-bearing creatures. In 1697 Vladimir Atlasov, founder of the Anadyr settlement, led a group of 65 Cossacks and 60 Yukaghir natives to investigate the peninsula. He built two forts along the Kamchatka River which became trading posts for Russian fur trappers. From 1704-1706 they settled the Cossack colonies of Verkhne (upper) and Nizhne (lower) Kamchatsky. Far away from the eye of their masters, the Cossacks mercilessly ruled the indigenous peoples. They even defeated the authorities sent in to restore order in 1711. From then on the Kamchatka Peninsula operated as a free-for-all. The local people staged uprisings and revolts against the oppressive Cossacks. By the 1750s, the estimated population of 20,000 natives of the early 1700s had dwindled to just 8,000.

In the quest to find out whether Asia and America were connected, in 1725 Peter the Great commissioned Vitus Bering to make an exploratory voyage to Kamchatka. After two years of sailing up and down the eastern Siberian coast, Bering returned to St. Petersburg on account of bad weather. He left St. Petersburg again in 1733 on the Great Northern Expedition. It took him seven years to build his ships in Okhotsk. In 1740 he settled the town of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, named after his boats, St. Peter and St. Paul.

The Russian government encouraged settlement by granting land to newcomers on the peninsula. By 1812 the indigenous population had fallen to fewer than 3,200, while the Russian population had risen to 2,500. In 1854, the French and British, who were battling Russian forces on the Crimean Peninsula, attacked Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy. Much to the invaders’ surprise, 988 men with a mere 68 guns managed successfully to defend the outpost against 6 ships with 206 guns and 2,540 French and English soldiers. The next year a larger force attacked Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy and this time, the Russians abandoned it.

In 1905 during the Russo-Japanese War, two Japanese battleships entered Avachinskaya Bay and shelled Petropavlovsk. The town was once again abandoned. In 1927 the Japanese left the peninsula, and Kamchatka was completely Soviet. World War II hardly affected Kamchatka except for its service as a launch site for the “liberation of the Kurils” in late 1945. After the war, Kamchatka was declared a military zone. Kamchatka remained closed to Russians until 1989 and to foreigners until 1990. Today, Kamchatka embraces tourism, trade, and fishing as its path to the future.

For more information on Russian history, see book selections below.
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Culture
The Koryaks believe in animal spirits. An ancient maritime Siberian people, the Koryaks traditionally hunted for survival along the unforgiving coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula. After the Koryaks killed and butchered a bear, they donned the bear’s skin and danced around its severed head. As they danced, they uttered a chant blaming the animal’s death on others, frequently a nearby group of people. In the same vein, when they hauled in a whale, they would hold a feast in honor of the beast’s severed spirit, just as they would the spirit of a deceased dignitary. These ancient ceremonies ensured the success of future hunts. The Koryaks believed that if they did not demonstrate spiritual respect, their prey would vanish and the Koryaks would die of starvation.

On the Eurasia side of the Arctic, along the Koryakskiy and Kamchatka peninsulas, the Amur River’s Chinese-influenced cultures gave rise to the indigenous peoples of the Russian Far East. The Koryaks populated the Kamchatka and nearby coastlines, and the Itelmens lived along the Kamchatka River. The Evens herded reindeer and lived west of the Okhotsk Sea. The Chukchis also lived in the region and, like the Koryaks, fell into two camps—reindeer breeders on the tundra and sea mammal hunters on the coast. In 1697, when Vladimir Atlasov, a Cossack leader, encountered Kamchatka he built two forts on the banks of the Kamchatka River. The forts mark the beginning of the demise of the native peoples. The posts became Russian fur trading camps. The traders brought new viruses and diseases to the Kamchatka Peninsula. The indigenous peoples who endured are the Chukchis in the northeast, the Evens in the peninsula’s central region, and the Koryaks on the west coast. The Koryaks continue to herd reindeer and harvest fish and marine animals from the sea. During the spawning season, smoked salmon and red caviar fill Kamchatka’s stores and markets.

Its great distance from the former Soviet Union’s central hub left the Russian Far East more culturally isolated than other parts of the U.S.S.R. As a result, the people retain their self-reliance. The Even still herd caribou, fish, hunt, and sew traditional garments made from caribou skins and decorated with fur and beads. They carve wood, ivory, and bone. In traditional garb the Even dance to ancient rhythms played on walrus-skin drums. One lyrical dance celebrates the early dawn: Deer herders greet the sun. Young women appear on the horizon and invite the young men to dance. The sun shines over the couples and brings warmth and light to everyone.

In the old Cossack settlement of Milkovo, a museum features artifacts from the life of the Cossacks who dominated the peninsula in the 18th century. Nowadays, Milkovo’s inhabitants are called Kamchdals, a mixed race from the intermingling of Cossacks and the indigenous Itelmens. Across cultures on the Kamchatka Peninsula reindeer and fish dishes are found on the table. In the remote fringes of the Chukchi Peninsula, small Chukchi villages subsist on traditional walrus and seal hunting and fox farming. The Chukchi craft elaborate walrus-skin drums for ceremonies and dances.

For more information on Russian culture, see book selections below.
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Dos and Don'ts
Russia Travel Tips:

The people of the Russian Far East are incredibly warm hosts. If you should have the honor of being invited to one of their homes, it is customary to bring a gift, such as wine or sweets. Be prepared to leave your shoes inside the door.

You are likely to see remnants of the Russian Far East's military past (bases, nuclear subs, etc.); before taking photos, check with your guide or a guard.

Don’t head out alone. Let expert guides introduce you to the marvels of the Russian Far East—the indigenous flowers, the hot springs, and the small coves scoured deep into the shorelines of the Kamchatka Peninsula’s unpolished edges.

Some Zodiac landings will be “wet,” so wear waterproof, knee-high boots; rubber boots are best. Don’t forget extra pairs of warm socks. Don’t underestimate the forces of nature. Bring rain gear to cover you from head to toe and layers of clothes to put on when the wind blows and peel off when the sun shines.

The region’s varied terrain has some of the Far East’s most outstanding scenery. To best view wildlife, tote powerful binoculars and remember to ask your guides if they carry spotting scopes.

Watch your step and don’t crush tiny plants under foot; with the short summer season, they take a long time to grow.

Plan to take moderate walks over rugged landscapes. Sturdy, water-resistant, thick-soled walking shoes or hiking boots are advised.

Don’t feed any wild animals; the Arctic is not an animal park.

Educate yourself about the stories and history of Far East Russia and Japan’s Kuril Islands. Be courteous; quiet villages are local communities. Listen to the fishermen, the reindeer herders, artisans, bush pilots, indigenous dancers, guides, and merchants. Relax, observe, and reflect. Take pictures. Open a trap door to a once-forbidden haven for wildlife. Drop though it and immerse yourself in the wild splendor of Russia’s Far East.

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Weather
In the summer expect brisk and windy weather ranging between 30° and 50°F.
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Best Time to Go
June, July, and August
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Temperature Range
30°F - 50°F.
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Books
The Russian Far East, A History, by John J. Stephan
History
A readable, comprehensive and scholarly history of the Russian Far East from prehistory to the break-up of the Soviet Union.

Journal of a Voyage with Bering, 1741-1742, by George Wilhelm Steller & O. W. Frost
History
The original account of the European discovery of Alaska, including a vivid description of the harrowing return voyage.

Tigers in the Snow, by Peter Matthiessen
Exploration
A lyrical tribute to the Siberian Tiger.

North to the Orient , by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Exploration
Adventures and aviation in Petropavlovsk and the Russian Far East, Japan and the Yangtze.

A History of the Peoples of Siberia, Russia’s North Colony 1581-1990, by James Forsyth
Culture
A wonderful introduction of the native peoples of Siberia and their history.

Siberia on Fire: Stories and Essays, by Valentin Rasputin
Culture
Stories and essays on Siberia’s land, spirit, and people.

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