Extreme vacation in Kamchatka: volcanoes, bears and mountains of red caviar. Travel to Kamchatka - prices, plan

I suggest doing it yourself trip to Kamchatka on a visit to the volcanoes in the Kronotsky Biosphere Reserve. We will see the Valley of Geysers, the caldera of the Uzon volcano, and the Valley of Death. Here are approximate prices and travel plans.

Conditions and prices of travel to Kamchatka

• TIME DIFFERENCE +8 hours.
• WHEN is better (my opinion)
• HOW TO GET THERE - From Moscow itself directly to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky: by plane (9 hours) - from 21,000 RUR. Tour along the described route - from 2500-3000.
• TRANSPORTATION - Helicopter rental - from 32,000 RUR/hour.
• WEATHER - The climate is quite harsh and harsh. The average temperature in winter is approximately -16... -21°C. It snows a lot during the winter. Along the coast the climate is usually milder than in the center of the peninsula.
• DURATION – 10 days
• ACCOMMODATION - price of a room in hotels in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky - 3900—5500 RUR/cyr. Accommodation in a camp site - from 2700 RUR/day.

Kamchatka - Kronotsky Biosphere Reserve

Kamchatka is a land of geysers and volcanoes. Surely, there is not a person in our country who has not expected to see live the most volcanically active peninsula at least once in his life. Kamchatka Territory is a natural nursery of volcanoes. There are young, ancient and destroyed volcanoes here. In this region, various processes associated with volcanic activity are studied, such as numerous mud volcanoes, gas-emitting fumaroles and, of course, billowing columns of hot water - geysers.

One of the best and most beautiful areas in Kamchatsk is the Kronotsky Biosphere Reserve. It is located on the east coast, here on an area of ​​more than a million hectares you can find all the landscapes of the Kamchatka Territory - from tundra coastal lowlands to volcanic highlands. The Kronotsky Biosphere Reserve has objects that make it truly unique: a beautiful ridge of sixteen volcanoes, the famous Valley of Geysers, the beautiful and large Kronotsky Lake (the second largest in Kamchatka), a caldera bubbling with acid and gas. Uzon and glaciers stretching for many kilometers.

Uzon Volcano Caldera

Caldera c. Uzon is a volcanic bowl 10-12 km in diameter and the height of the sides is 210-850 m. Inside the caldera there are thousands of thermal springs, many mud caverns and acid lakes. The caldera was formed more than 40 thousand years ago, after the complete destruction of the Uzon volcano, but volcanic activity continues here to this day. Active gas emission processes have created places such as Death Valley, Lake Bannoye with a reservoir of molten sulfur, and yellow fumarole fields. 65 hydrothermal minerals were found in the volcano's caldera. One of them is uzonite, which is found nowhere else in the world.

Valley of Geysers of Kamchatka

- an amazing corner of our planet. This place is full of swirling steam and rain of colorful spray all year round. In a small area of ​​2 square kilometers. There are more than twenty large geysers capable of raising tons of hot water to a height of several tens of meters. In addition to geysers, the valley has many pulsating thermal springs, fumaroles, and cascades of small waterfalls. The surface of the valley is covered with bacteria and rainbow thermophilic algae that live wherever there is even a small trickle of hot water. All this is a global phenomenon.

Death Valley

Death Valley is a natural phenomenon that is observed only in a few corners of the planet near volcanoes. In such places there is usually no vegetation and dead animals are found. For humans, an explosive cocktail of gases also poses a danger. It causes severe headache, weakness, dizziness, and if you spend a lot of time in the valley, it can end tragically. But as soon as you go out into an open, well-ventilated area, all the symptoms quickly pass and the body recovers. Caution should be exercised when visiting Death Valley. The composition of toxic gases in the Kamchatka Death Valley is considered the most caustic and dangerous compared to gases in other similar places.

Travel to Kamchatka volcanoes

Days 1-2

In Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky we check into one of the hotels. We will walk around the city, visit the Museum and the Museum of Modern Volcanism. We bathe in thermal springs, stocking up on our health. Let's go to local restaurants and try fish dishes.

Day 3-4

We fly by helicopter to the Valley of Geysers. On the road we look at the current one. Karymsky, an acid lake in the very crater of the Maly Semyachik volcano. We will explore the unique area and watch the hot water fountains. We go to the “Glukhaya” camp site, where we occupy one of the houses.

Day 5-6

After breakfast, walk along the caldera of the long-awaited Uzon volcano to Lake Dalneye.
We look at the volcanic cones on the horizon and admire the beauty of this region. We go to the lake located in the crater of a dormant volcano. We arrange a short break on the shore of the lake. Continue along the stream. Spend the night in a tent on the bank of a stream a few kilometers from the lake.

Days 7-8

After camp breakfast we continue our journey. We examine manifestations of early volcanism, study miniature mud volcanoes, mud pots and volcanic sediments. We are moving to the Valley of Death. Having visited its deserted area, we carefully explore this dangerous area. We set up our camp a few kilometers from the valley, rest while we spend the night in tents.

Day 9-10

In the morning we pack up our belongings and tent and head straight along the Geysernaya River to the camp site, located not far from the already seen Valley of Geysers. We take a walk and visit the valley again. In the evening we go to take a steam bath. The main part of the journey is over. In the morning we make the final flight by helicopter to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. You can go to the local market and buy a few souvenirs.

Our exciting journey to Kamchatka has ended. I hope the travel plan will help you find your way around, and the prices listed here (probably they have already changed) will help you decide on your budget. Have a good travel!

And then share your impressions.

Kamchatka - the land of bears, volcanoes and red caviar can be useful to everyone who loves wild nature, but for some reason has not yet been to Kamchatka. We were lucky enough to visit here in the summer. The choice may seem unusual - as a rule, it is customary to go on vacation to the sea, abroad, to Europe; it is rare that young people prefer the harsh peninsula to them. But we took a risk and never regretted it.

Why Kamchatka? Since my husband did not have a passport at that time, there was little choice for his long-awaited vacation. We started planning it in advance, but lost our minds thinking about where to go. We wanted to have a truly unforgettable vacation. Chance itself helped here: my colleague, a former flight attendant, for several days in a row recalled with nostalgia her flights to Kamchatka, the beauty of this wild region. And I gave up, looked at the photo on the Internet and was stunned. In addition, the vacation fell in August, the most favorable month for visiting Kamchatka. How can such beauty leave one indifferent?

The choice has been made! At first I couldn’t believe that we would fly there! After all, Kamchatka is so far away, and I rarely see tours to Kamchatka on the Internet. It soon became clear why: traveling around Russia is not cheap, but to Kamchatka it’s not like that at all... I looked at the offers of travel agencies and was dissatisfied: a week-long tour without air travel cost 50 thousand, and the second day of the tour was “free” - a flight to the Valley of Geysers was supposed to cost 32 thousand for one (which, as you understand, was also not included in the price). Based on all this, I decided to do the tour myself.

Since we began preparing for our long-awaited trip back in March, we had to buy tickets right away, which were selling like hot cakes. The prices were impressive: a direct flight cost 40 thousand rubles per person, and with a multi-hour transfer - 33 thousand. The difference is small, so we took two direct ones. After reading reviews from experienced Kamchatka explorers, I realized that independent “wild” tourism is not an option. Still, bears, glaciers (despite summer)... somehow uneasy. I found a travel agency in Petropavlovsk itself that organized excursions around Kamchatka. What struck me was the attitude of the manager Olga, who gave purely human advice on how to get there and where to stay with less loss on your wallet.

So, on August 5, our long-awaited trip finally arrived: we flew from Sheremetyevo to the airport in Yelizovo. We flew for 7 hours, the flight was quite difficult, we didn’t manage to sleep. Upon arrival, we found a bus near the exit from the airport that goes to the center of Petropavlovsk, as Olga advised. 40 rubles and you're in the city! (instead of 3 thousand that taxi drivers will ask you for and 7 thousand for an airport-hotel-airport transfer from a travel agency). Things are also not easy with hotels in the city: the prices are astronomical! Therefore, for the entire period of accommodation, we rented a 1-room apartment not far from the travel agency - the starting point of all excursions.

On the very first day, we decided not to waste time and went on an individual sightseeing tour of Petropavlovsk, one of the oldest cities in the Far East. The city was named after two ships of the Second Kamchatka Expedition, “St. Apostle Peter” and “St. Apostle Paul.” (Since we really love history, especially Russia, historical facts will periodically appear in posts).

The city has many historical places and monuments (the monument to the dead sailors, the monument to La Perouse, Clark, the founder of the city - Vitus Bering... you can’t count it all). Most of all, our attention was attracted by the Maksutov Battery, which defended the city during the Crimean War of 1853-56. Not many people know that the Crimean War was fought not only in Crimea, but also in Kamchatka, and almost no one in continental Russia knows about the hero of Petropavlovsk, Prince Dmitry Maksutov. And for local residents, the name Maksutov personifies the glory and valor of Russian weapons. Maksutov led the battery on the slope of Nikolskaya Hill, which heroically resisted the artillery of the Anglo-French squadron. In memory of this, a memorial to Maksutov’s battery was erected on the slope of Nikolskaya Sopka and the shore of Avachinskaya Bay.

Having got an idea of ​​the city, we went to Khalaktyrsky beach, almost to the shore of the Pacific Ocean. The beach is unique for its black sand, which received this color due to volcanic eruptions. The next morning we went to Paratunka - a resort village famous for its thermal waters, 70 km from Petropavlovsk. There are many recreation centers and sanatoriums in the village, we chose one and thoroughly enjoyed the hot thermal waters coming from the depths of the earth. This was especially true in cloudy, cool weather.

I would like to especially note the prices in Kamchatka. They are quite different from continental ones: quite high, especially for food. As for the population, in my opinion, the residents of Kamchata are quite responsive and friendly: they will tell you everything, show you everything, give you advice. They at least drive crossovers, since the harsh climate does not allow otherwise. Having bought local delicacies - red caviar and fish - after an exciting independent walk around the city, we went to our temporary “home” to prepare for the next day, which promised a lot of interesting things.

On the third day we planned to visit Kamchatka waterfalls and natural thermal springs. The morning started early, my husband and I arrived at the collection point and saw our transport. It was a real SUV, “pumped up” to the harsh reality of Kamchata. Our guide for this day was a young, energetic Pasha, who truly loved his small homeland. Our companions turned out to be two mature women who found time to see their native land in between sitting with their grandchildren. So, having received huge bags of provisions from Olga, we took our places and hit the road. The weather was quite cool, and knowing that we would go to the mountains, we warmed up to the fullest. Having left the city and turning off the highway, Pasha stopped near a small mountain stream. While we were admiring the beauty of Kamchatka, he began to lower the wheels of the car. We understood: now we will see all the charm of the region with our own eyes! Volcanoes!!!

But due to the dense fog, the volcanoes were not visible. But Pasha immediately warned about the danger of the heather bushes, in which not only could there be bears, but also in which many people could get lost. After several hours of driving, the fog allowed us to see the volcano, at the foot of which we decided to take a break and have a snack.Amazingly, the ground below us was very warm: the heat came from the volcano, so there were a lot of blueberries and incredibly beautiful flowers growing on the slope (unfortunately, I don’t know their names). A stunning picture: below everything is blooming and fragrant, and above there is snow!

On the way to the waterfall we got stuck. It turns out that such cars also get stuck! A very fresh trace of a bear. I felt somehow uneasy. Fortunately, having dealt with the car very quickly, we moved further and saw the “Veronica’s Braids” waterfall. Indeed, it’s as if you are seeing the girl’s profile carved into the rock by water. Next, natural thermal springs awaited us. Yes, we have already been to Paratunka, but there everything is equipped by humans, special pools have been made, and here there is a natural “bath” with hot water. Unusual, of course. So many impressions.

But still, after reading various forums, one thing was missing: to see bears! Real live bears, about which everyone writes so much. Somewhere on the hill we met a group of tourists who simply rushed past us and reported an approaching bear. But he never showed up. And now the day was coming to an end, we were driving back, and the animal still did not appear. And now, we are finally lucky! On the way home, we finally saw a mother bear and a bear cub going to a watering hole.

Night was coming, we were already sleeping in the car, because tomorrow there were still a lot of interesting things waiting for us! Namely, rafting on the Avacha River! This was our first experience of such an extreme holiday, but when, if not now? It took us about three hours to get to the base - a transit point, where we had to drink tea, have a snack, and listen to instructions. Everything was very serious, and our instructors didn’t smile much. Eh, it was there, it wasn’t, there’s nowhere to retreat.

We were provided with high rubber boots, life jackets, rubber suits and we swam. There were 8 of us, the men rowed, and we - women and children - admired the beauty of the "Aquarium" - a natural area along Avacha. The descent was not difficult, but from time to time it was breathtaking, we were jumping on the waves, but I still managed to take pictures.

It seemed that the rafting flew by in an instant: now we are already cooking fish soup and setting the table. It’s strange, a company of complete strangers living in different parts of Russia, and some in another country (among us there was a Pole who worked at Castorama, who brought his son to our country to show off the beauty), but we sat and talked so heartily . It is unlikely that life will bring us together again, but at that moment we were like one friendly family.

How can you imagine Kamchatka without the Pacific Ocean? That's right, no way. So, our next route ran precisely to the Pacific Ocean, Starichkov Island and the Three Brothers. And again we caught fish, fried it immediately on the yacht and admired the beauty of the ocean. The most famous are the three rocks protruding from the water, called the “Three Brothers”. According to legend, three brothers protected the peninsula from a huge wave and turned to stone. Since then, they have stood guard over the city for centuries. Three brothers are a kind of symbol of Petropavlovsk and Avachinskaya Bay. We sat on the deck and enjoyed the sea air, while volcanoes and hills “floated” past us. At that moment we felt some kind of unity with the nature around us!

For the last two days we planned to climb the Mutnovsky and Gorely volcanoes. Also a new experience for us. There was quite a large group of us climbing Mutnovsky. We met Pasha again and met his colleague Dima. The guys are experienced, you can see right away. While we were driving to the volcanoes, they demonstrated this more than once. Glaciers are very dangerous and should not be trifled with. On the way, we came across a bus that was half submerged under water. I hope no one was hurt. Therefore, we moved slowly, trail after trail.

When we arrived at the foot of Mutnovsky, we were again instructed. Despite their sense of humor and smiles, the guys spoke without any jokes about the necessary safety measures. And for good reason. At one time, a group of researchers came here and one young guy came too close to the crater and was boiled alive in the fumaroles. It’s hard to believe this when you don’t see or hear the smell and seething of fumaroles, when you don’t realize that they are there, under you, and can break out to the surface at any moment. The fumaroles smell of sulfur, the smell is so strong that it hurts the eyes. To somehow alleviate our plight, we were given medical bandages.

Meanwhile, we split up: some stayed, while others went higher, to another crater. Despite the fatigue, we decided not to lag behind. It was not easy: the sneakers slid on the snow, the path went higher and higher, and at the last stage of the route we had to climb a rope ladder. But what we saw later was worth it! The long-awaited dinner was already waiting for us below, and the next day there was a volcano again! oh, it’s not easy to climb volcanoes for two days. Moreover, we were warned that today’s Mutnovsky is not as difficult as Gorely, which we are going to tomorrow!

Mentally, I dreamed that this excursion would not take place))) Unprepared and inexperienced, two volcanoes are not an easy test. The next morning a miracle happened: Olga called us and said that the group had not met. Apparently, these were those who climbed Mutnovsky and were unable to scrape themselves out of bed in the morning. So, it was our last day in Kamchatka. We went with Dima, whom we already knew, to the foot of the Avachinsky volcano, to feed the famous eurasians and finally admire the landscape from a bird's eye view! This is the tour we had around the marvelous Kamchatka region. Of course, we brought a lot of goodies: red caviar and fish, because there they are 2 times cheaper and five times tastier.

These were unforgettable days, full of impressions and emotions. Kamchatka is very different! In addition to the amazing nature, there are many historical places here. We know so little about this peninsula, yet it is our important strategic outpost. Travel around our country, it is magnificent and rich in attractions. I won’t hide that our tour was not economical, as a friend said, for this money you can have a good rest at an expensive resort. As they say, taste and color! Some people enjoy lying in the sun all day long, while others come back from such a trip with sparkling eyes!

Route: St. Petersburg - Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky - St. Petersburg

Hey, in Kamchatka!

Overture

The first day,
or
The adventure begins

The flight Khabarovsk - Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky turned out to be the shortest and took about three hours. As soon as we dived under the clouds during landing, a landscape of unprecedented beauty opened up in front of me. Directly in front of the porthole stood the snow-covered cone of a volcano. The snow shimmered in the rays of the blinding sun, and the picture turned out to be completely unearthly.
- Mom, look, there’s Avachinsky! - a boy sitting nearby said to his mother, and that’s how the name of this volcano was revealed to me.
Hearing a fuss behind me, I turned around and saw how foreigners, disregarding all safety rules during landing, climbed on top of each other and pressed their mouths open to the window, looking at this beauty. This part of the Motherland was still foreign to me, but at that moment I felt a strong surge of pride!
I was met by Kirill, who arrived here a day earlier. While we were waiting for my luggage to arrive, he unfolded in front of me a map of the Kamchatka region that he had already purchased here and introduced me to our immediate plans. It turns out that his grandmother, who had acquaintances all over Russia, also had connections in Kamchatka. Having established contacts, she agreed that we would be received at some fishing base, where there was no visible fish. They allegedly even promised to put us on allowances.
“The shift is already waiting,” Kirill winked. - Get your luggage and let's go.
The shift was waiting for us in Petropavlovsk. So, after receiving my backpack, we went to the bus stop. The fact is that the Petropavlovsk airport is administratively located on the territory of another city - Elizovo - and it is separated from Petropavlovsk itself by 20 kilometers.
At the Petropavlovsk bus station, where the bus brought us, the first thing I did was buy “Kamchatsky” beer - the only beer produced in Kamchatka. I read a lot of positive reviews about it on the Internet and couldn't help but try it. In fact, the beer turned out to be of quite high quality.

...Another half hour later we were driving a ZIL-131 towards the fishing base. The driver turned out to be a sullen grandfather whom we could not get into conversation. He answered all questions in monosyllables, and to some he gave incomprehensible answers. When we asked his name, he unexpectedly replied:
- So how should it be?
“Well, like in the passport,” we were confused.
“The passport says Stanislav Artemovich,” said the grandfather and fell silent again.
However, we managed to get out of him that the base is 300 kilometers away, that it is located on the Opala River (we immediately found the place on the map - really, not close), that the road there is completely dead and that there is a ferry crossing 60 kilometers from the base across the Bolshaya River, which does not operate at night. The crossing opens at 7 o'clock, and we, according to my grandfather, should get there at 2 o'clock in the morning.
I looked at my watch - it was 18.30. Hmmm!

Another hour later we entered the village of Sokoch, where Stanislav Artemovich went to have dinner at a dumpling shop. We snacked on sandwiches with pate, after which I couldn’t resist and bought half a liter of Kamchatsky on tap for dessert.
While I was savoring the beer, my grandfather returned, but did not turn on the ignition.
“Finish your drink,” he told me. - Then we’ll go.
I waved my hand, saying, let’s go, I’ll finish my drink on the way.
“Well, look, it’s up to you,” the grandfather grinned slyly, and we drove on.
Behind Sokoch was the village of Dalniy, and behind it the asphalt broke off and soil began, and it was far from the best quality. It shook so much that I even lost my breathing. Only now I understood the meaning of my grandfather’s grin! Of the remaining 300 grams of beer, I spilled about 250 on myself. It was running down my mustache, as they say... It’s a good thing I didn’t take a bottle bottle, otherwise I would have snapped all my teeth out!
Another hour and a half later we passed the fork to Milkovo and left the so-called Trans-Kamchatka highway. Around this time it began to rain and did not stop all night.
The further we moved and the more it got dark, the more I wanted to sleep. Still, flying across nine time zones could not but affect the body’s performance. But I couldn’t fall asleep. As soon as I started to pass out, my relaxed head began to swing from side to side like a scatterball and regularly hit the back wall of the cabin. Of course, there was no smell of shock absorbers on the ZIL.

...After another considerable number of hours we reached Ust-Bolsheretsk - the administrative center of the Ust-Bolsheretsk district.

Second day,
or
Something about the caviar business

We arrived at the crossing at the beginning of six in the morning. By this time the rain had already stopped, but it was damp and cold outside. We climbed into the kung to sleep, but there was no way to find a comfortable position there, since the entire kung was filled with plastic containers (for caviar, as we found out later). Having nothing else to do, I pulled out the player from my backpack and turned on my favorite song, which accompanies me on all my travels. I can guess its melody from one note, in any condition. This is "Voyage, Voyage" by Desireless.
The crossing was a motor barge that delivered passengers to the other side of the Bolshoy River in about five minutes. What struck me most about this whole crossing was the price for transporting a vehicle, which was 4,000 rubles one way! And there was no other possibility of ending up on the other side. So, if you need to cross, whether you like it or not, pay.
Then we moved strictly south, still along the Sea of ​​Okhotsk. It was beginning to get light, and a majestic seascape gradually opened up on our right. To the left lies a yellow-green ocean of fields.

At some point, Stanislav Artemovich sharply slammed on the brakes and, pointing his hand into the field, calmly said:
- There he is!
We looked where he was pointing, and the dream disappeared in an instant! About a hundred meters away from us, parallel to the road, a bear was walking gracefully. His brown carcass stood out against the yellow background, like a fly in milk. In a split second, I put my video camera on alert and captured unique footage. Yes, that’s what we need! It was the first time I saw a bear in the wild. We shouted together, but the clubfoot decided not to deign to pay attention to us.
Stanislav Artemovich said that this year it was forbidden to shoot bears, and there was a proliferation of them here, apparently and invisibly. To confirm his words, a few kilometers later we spotted another clubfoot. True, he was a bit far away, and with my myopic vision I could barely distinguish him.

...At about 9 o'clock in the morning we arrived at our final destination, having spent more than 14 hours covering three hundred kilometers of Kamchatka. The base was located on a spit 300 meters wide, occupying the space between the Opala River and the sea coast. It consisted of about ten residential barracks, several adjacent barracks-workshops for the preparation of caviar, a dining room, a bathhouse and two single-point wooden toilets located on different sides of this mini-town.
We were met by Sergei Petrovich, the general director of this caviar procurement company, who was an acquaintance of Kirill’s grandmother. Correctly assuming that we were tired from the journey, he took us to the dining room, where we, quite hungry, had a hearty and tasty breakfast. What was especially unusual among the dishes of local cuisine was a huge bowl standing in the middle of the table, heaped with the freshest red caviar. Not only have I never eaten so much caviar, but I’ve never even seen it! After we had breakfast, Sergei Petrovich placed us in one of the residential barracks and suggested we rest. I passed out immediately as soon as I assumed a horizontal position...

Waking up about six hours later, the first thing we did was go back to the dining room, where again, in the literal sense of the word, we gorged ourselves on red caviar.
Then Sergei Petrovich (“Petrovich” - as he was respectfully called at the base) took us for a ride in his jeep about three kilometers downstream of the Opala, where the river flowed into the Sea of ​​Okhotsk. At the mouth, we took photographs and filmed the heads of seals sticking out of the water. Petrovich explained that despite the fact that seal skin is highly valued, no one hunts it here - there is no time, since all efforts are devoted to catching fish.
Returning to the base, we went to see its sights. The first of these that we discovered was an iron container approximately 5x5 meters in size and 1 meter deep, which was almost completely filled with freshly caught fish. Chum salmon, pink salmon, salmon, char... Having taken various pictures against the backdrop of this pile of fish, we went to the cutting shop. The fish was served here from a container through two chutes. Six people, three per chute, ripped open the belly of each fish, removed the eggs, and sent the fish further, where another six people stored it and sent it to the refrigerator to freeze.
Having admired the operations of opening fish carcasses, we went to the adjacent workshop where we were preparing caviar. In the most general terms, this caviar procurement process looks like this. First, the caviar is manually rubbed on a special wooden unit through two layers of sieve, where its grains are separated from the slimy film and completely cleaned. Then the caviar is served for salting, after which its preparation, in fact, ends. A shift of five people works in this workshop. One of them, a pickling master, a guy named Dima, surprised us with the story of his appearance in Kamchatka. Eight years ago he flew here from Perm to go skiing for a week, and since then he has never left Kamchatka...
We asked the guys if there were bears in the area, and they told us that there are plenty of them here. They said that often at night, attracted by the fishy smell, they enter the base, wander between the barracks, scare people and dogs, after which they go home in peace. A couple of days ago, fishermen went fishing in the sea. They had barely returned and unloaded the catch ashore when they saw a bear approaching. People, of course, fled, and the clubfoot, growling with pleasure, gobbled up all the fish... And, according to stories, many such incidents happened here.

Day three
or
Catch a fish, big and... even bigger!

...As soon as the fishermen nailed the beach to the shore, the water along it literally boiled!

Looking at my wet pants and listening to the water squelching in my boots, seasoned Kamchatka fisherman Yura said:
- You should get some vodka.
Said - done. Before we had time to reach our barracks, he had already brought an aluminum mug, one-third filled with clear liquid. I actually can’t even stand vodka, but now, since my health was at risk, I decided to drink it. As soon as I gathered my strength and drained the mug in two gulps, it immediately became clear that something was wrong with the vodka. The liquid burned my throat badly and seemed to be stuck somewhere in the chest area. Tears flowed from my eyes.
- Well, how? – Yura smiled.
-What the hell kind of vodka do you have? – I mumbled, gasping for air and straining my will so as not to turn inside out.
“And this is not vodka,” Yura smiled even wider. – This is pure alcohol, eighty-seven degrees. Well done! Hit it beautifully!
We saw everything that could be seen at this base in these two days, so we made a firm decision not to waste any more time here and to leave from here tomorrow. Our evening plans for tomorrow already included swimming in the Malkin hot springs. Sergei Petrovich was just getting ready to go to Petropavlovsk and promised to let us down.

Day four,
or
Sannikov Land exists!

About two hours later we reached a fork. To the left, the road went north, to such large settlements of Kamchatka as Milkovo, Esso, Klyuchi, Kozyrevo and Ust-Kamchatsk. On that side, about twenty kilometers from the fork, was the village of Malki. In the opposite direction, the road led to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and Elizovo. Petrovich was going to Petropavlovsk, we were not on the same path, and we offered to drop us off at a fork.
- Are you going to walk? – asked Petrovich.
“No,” we answered. - Let's stop someone.
“It’s hard to catch a ride here.” It's unlikely that anyone will stop. We need to go to Sokoč, where I will put you in prison.
But Sokoch looked exactly the same during the day as he did at night: a dumpling shop, stalls with beer on tap, several shops... While we were stocking up on food in the stores, Petrovich went straight to the police shift and talked about something with three policemen standing nearby . Seeing us, he waved his hand, saying, come here.
“The guys are going to Malki on duty, so they’ll drop you off right there,” Petrovich said and shook our hands goodbye. We thanked him from the bottom of our hearts for the excellent time spent at the base, after which we loaded our massive backpacks into the kung of the “sixty-sixth”. This kung turned out to be equipped according to all the rules of escort: two spacious cells and even a punishment cell. There are no handles on the doors, only holes for the tetrahedral handle. There was only one window, on the front door, although with half the glass missing. We remembered, not without a smile, Petrovich’s words: “We need to go to Sokoč, where I will put you in prison.” Damn, I planted it!
As soon as the door slammed behind us, the car set off. On the road we saw nothing except trees flashing very close. Soon my eyes even began to sparkle.
At first the car was moving smoothly, then it started shaking. It became clear that the asphalt was over. After about half an hour, the GAZ-66 stopped. The door handle turned and we were free.

The resort area in Malki occupies, in fact, not a very large territory and consists of a couple of dozen natural puddles, shrouded in clouds of steam. There, nearby, in a clearing, there is a tent camp and a parking lot (the fee for daily parking a car on the territory of the recreation center is 140 rubles). The air above the tents is also foggy. But this is not steam, but smoke emanating from barbecues grilling everywhere. All this (except for the kebabs) was very much like the fantastic land of Sannikov.
Having chosen a place for the tent (away from the other tents, but right among the puddles) and setting it up, we took off our extra clothes and hastened to plunge into the atmosphere of excitement and relaxation reigning around us.

Day five
or
Snow in midsummer

Our further plans for today included lunch in the city of Elizovo and dinner with an overnight stay at a tourist base at the foot of the Avachinsky volcano. Having unloaded on the Trans-Kamchatka highway, we began to stop the transport to Yelizovo. The road was a fairly rough dirt road, on which, at best, one car passed every three minutes. Several cars loaded with passengers drove by without stopping. The driver in each of them threw up his hands: they say, sorry guys, I would like to give you a lift, but I can’t.
About 10 minutes later, a minibus pulled out from a side road, turned in the opposite direction from Yelizovo, but slowed down next to us. Easily recognizing us as tourists, the man sitting behind the wheel advised us, instead of being bored here on the side of the road, to take a walk to the plant where they produce the Malkinskaya mineral water, known throughout Kamchatka.
“It’s not far from here,” he pointed with his hand towards the road from which he came, “about three hundred meters.” Soda comes out of the ground there. Go and have a drink. When will you see something like this again?
Having agreed that not drinking the sparkling mineral water coming out of the ground is a mortal sin, we set off in the indicated direction. After 300 meters, modern factory buildings actually began, among which we found, with some difficulty, a hose sticking out of the ground. Sparkling water actually flowed from it. Having drunk much more of this water than we wanted, we headed back to the highway. About 15 minutes later we managed to stop the Land Cruiser, whose driver immediately agreed to take us to Yelizovo. He turned out to be a fisherman returning from a night fishing trip, so he was sympathetic to our bulky backpacks.
- From Saint-Petersburg? Traveling with a tent? - he was surprised when we, having talked on the road, told him the story of our appearance in Kamchatka. - Well done! And where have you already been?
After listening to the story of our adventures, he once again shook his head in admiration.
- You guys are desperate! I have never met such travelers here before. Do you have anything against bears?
“Only legs,” we admitted honestly.
At this the man, very simple and pleasant to talk to, laughed and gave us a whole lecture, which in general terms boiled down to the following.
– Legs are not a remedy. Running away from a bear is the last thing you need to do. If he ran, it means he shit his pants. As soon as the bear senses your fear, you are no longer an opponent to be feared, but a victim. You can’t run away from him anyway - he’ll catch up with you. In general, you should give a damn only in one case: when you see bear cubs. They are still stupid creatures, they don’t sense danger, they will jump around you and play. And next to the bear cub there is always a bear. She won’t figure out who’s playing with whom – she’ll tear it all apart.
– Are there any rules on how to behave when meeting a bear? – Kirill asked.
– Of course, there are no universal rules. For example, I always have about seven flares lying around in my trunk. They are usually afraid of fire. But a beast is a beast. You never know what's on his mind. One will get scared and run away, but the other, on the contrary, will become interested in who you are and why you are walking around his property with torches. If there are no special means, then the easiest way is to raise your hand up. The bear has a primitive mind. He evaluates strength by height - the taller you are, the stronger you are. And one more thing: you should never get close to a bear. It’s better to slowly, looking into his eyes, walk around him. In recent years, the forest has been full of food, so they, as a rule, do not attack people. Only if you come across someone who is mad or wounded. And the most dangerous thing is a bear whose cub has been killed. Until she takes revenge, she will not calm down.
Having slowed down at our request near the market, he helped us unload our things from the trunk.
– There is a hunting store nearby, but today is Sunday, they have a day off. So, hold it,” and handed us each a flare. - It will be calmer this way.
I knew that each such thing costs no less than 150 rubles, but this man did not want to hear anything about money. At the mere mention of them, he waved his hand so casually that we did not dare to insist, so as not to offend him.
- Rest, guys! - He shook our hands and left to go about his business.
All this happened so unexpectedly on the one hand and so casually on the other hand that my heart was filled with some special warmth. We only talked for an hour with a complete stranger, but I was left with the feeling that he was an old and very good acquaintance. I realized (and subsequently became convinced of this more than once) that in Kamchatka everyone is one big and friendly family. The wolf laws of the large metropolises of central Russia do not apply here; they have their own norms and customs - human ones.

Having bought food that did not require cooking at the market and in stores, we had a nice lunch on a bench in some park and began asking passers-by how we could get to the Avachinsky volcano. Despite the fact that, judging by the map, it was not that far from Elizovo to the volcano, none of the local residents could give us any intelligible explanation. It got to the point that some advice was mutually exclusive and people were pointing in opposite directions. Somehow we figured out that we needed to go to some dacha villages, where the bed of the Sukhaya River begins, which leads directly to the Avachinsky volcano.
Now, after the passage of time, it’s not even so easy for me to recall in my memory our path to this Dry River. I remember that first we traveled a couple of stops by bus from the Elizovo bus station. Then we walked about one and a half kilometers, crossed bridges over the Mutnaya and Mutnaya II rivers, and then stopped a minibus (locally called mikrik). While we were driving on this mikrik, a fabulous view of three volcanoes - Avachinsky, Koryaksky and Kozelsky - opened up to the right of the road. It seemed that they were just a stone's throw away, but we understood that this was far from the case.
“After driving us about 10 kilometers, the mikrik stopped in some village, where they explained to us that we needed to continue on by minibus. After waiting for the minibus, we reached another village. Here, where, it would seem, very close to the volcano, no one was able to say anything concrete to us either. The saleswoman at the roadside shop insisted that we needed to go in one direction, while the driver of the minibus that brought us convinced us that we needed to go in the opposite direction. Both of them, by the way, were sincerely horrified when they learned that we had come to them from St. Petersburg (St. Petersburg) and were going to go to the volcano on foot through the forest, and alone.
As a result, we moved in the direction where the minibus driver was pointing. His arguments looked more convincing: he assured that he had taken tourists to the volcano more than once and therefore knew the way for sure.
About a kilometer later, we came across a cyclist, who was also interrogated by us regarding the location of the Sukhaya River bed.
“You’re going the right way,” said the cyclist, looking at our massive backpacks. “But it’s a long way to get there, another five kilometers.” There you will see posts and a sharp turn to the left. Turn there. Are you guys going to the volcano?
- On him.
The cyclist chuckled mysteriously (just like Comrade Sukhov) and, wishing us good luck, pedaled in the direction from which we came.
Five kilometers on foot to the riverbed, plus who knows how long along the riverbed to the volcano – this prospect did not appeal to us, so, settling down on the side of the road, we began to walk.
Lucky! Almost immediately a mini-truck stopped, the driver of which told us that it would take us to the Sukhaya River without any problems, and nodded towards the back.
- Get in!

Having rushed with the breeze to the desired turn to the left, we met there a whole group of tourists, apparently waiting for transport here. From their tired appearance one could easily guess that they came from the direction of the volcano.
The group's guide told us that the walk to the volcano is not close, but, in general, not far - about 15 kilometers. His group reached it in four and a half hours, making stops along the way. At the foot of the volcano there is actually a camp site where you can spend the night. Shift boats often run along the riverbed to the base, but they are usually crowded with tourists, so they don’t always take them on board. He also said that there are no bears there and never exist, because in those places they have absolutely nothing to eat.
We looked at our watches - the time had barely passed seventeen, and therefore it was quite possible to reach the base by sunset. The first kilometers were easy to conquer. Several times we came across tourists. We asked all of them the same question: how far is it still from the base? And they all gave the same answer – it’s still a long way off.

About five kilometers later we stopped, throwing our backpacks under a branchy bush. During these five kilometers, not a single car overtook us. But as soon as we sat down to rest, a motor began to rustle from the opposite side and a ZIL shift vehicle appeared. Having passed by, it stopped about thirty meters from us, and tourists poured out of it to crush their bones and relieve themselves. After watching them for a bit, Kirill came up with a way to have fun. We crouched lower to the ground, hiding behind a bush, and Kirill let out a growl that was very similar to a bear. It was quite funny to watch how tourists immediately huddled around the car, called the driver and began to say something to him, pointing in our direction. He, apparently, was a local resident and, knowing that there were no bears here, did not want to believe them. Having laughed a lot, to the relief of the tourists, we stood up to our full height and waved to them. They also laughed good-naturedly, showed us a thumbs up, loaded into the ZIL and drove off.
After four hours of travel, we came to a place where the riverbed was especially wide. To the left, about a hundred meters away, there was snow, although it was so dirty that it was difficult to immediately believe that it was snow and not some kind of moss. There, desperately skidding, the shift crew that had overtaken us stormed the barrier of wet snow.
It was August 7th, and I saw snow for the first time at this time of year.

Then I walked on autopilot... It’s hard to remember when I’ve ever had to be so cold and tired! The thought that, apparently, it was already close to the base was not reassuring either. It was scary to think that there would be nowhere to stay warm, and that I would have to spend the night in a tent that had not yet dried out from the rain that had been pouring on it all last night in Malki... The only thing I dreamed about during these hours was that my sleeping bag and spare sweatpants would not get wet through and through with a T-shirt. Otherwise everything is a mess! Even pneumonia then, most likely, would not have escaped...
After some time, the long-awaited lights loomed far ahead. There were still two kilometers to the base, and without going into details, I will say that these were the most difficult kilometers...
I also imagined the base, like the bed of the Sukhaya River, in a completely different way.

Day six
or
Over the white ocean

At the very foot of the volcano in a clearing we found three monuments. The inscription on the memorial plaque next to them said that these monuments were erected to three tourists who, in different years, left this place to the top and did not return. There was also a warning about the need to be extremely careful and careful. The sight of the monuments and the thought that, it turns out, we may not come back did not add optimism to us. But, however, they didn’t reduce it.
What made it less so was that from the first meters of the climb yesterday’s fatigue immediately began to take its toll. I barely had time to take a few steps up before my back began to ache, and I had to sit down on the rocks to rest. After suffering for half an hour, I realized that today would not be any easier than yesterday. But the day was just beginning... It was necessary to climb 2741 meters - this is exactly how much vertically separated the sea level and the top of the Avachinsky volcano.
Kirill, who endured yesterday’s cataclysms much easier, encouraged me, saying, let’s go quickly and rest at the top. But if my legs were ready to drag my mortal body forward, then after a hundred steps my back began to hurt unbearably. As a result, Kirill waved his hand - “You’ll catch up!” – and went upstairs on his own. Soon he disappeared from view behind one of the bends of the ridge.
Gritting my teeth, I walked forward...

Coming out to the next section of the trail, I saw a group of eight people resting among the stones. Kirill was also there. This group turned out to be the one that left half an hour before us. Even though I sat more than walked, we managed to catch up with her. This made me happy! The tourists in this group were equipped from head to toe - in special shoes, overalls, goggles, and some even had ski poles in their hands. From certain phrases I was able to understand that the group was led by a guide named Vladimir. When I got to them, they were just finishing their rest. As a result, they moved on almost immediately, and I sat in their place. However, Kirill forced me to get up. He said that the group was walking very slowly, at a calm pace, so you need to get close to it.
Then we climbed with this group. It was felt that the guide was quite experienced. The group, lined up in a chain, one after another, really walked very measuredly. I, bringing up the rear of this column, caught the pace set by the conductor, and fatigue receded. Walking became unusually easy.
For three hours we walked through the clouds, slowly but surely moving along the Avacha ridges higher and higher. All this time nothing was visible around. Only occasionally did a magnificent view of the peak of the neighboring Koryaksky volcano open up on the right. At the end of the fourth hour of ascent, we reached the seismologists’ hut surrounded by stones, and the guide Vladimir announced a big halt. Kirill, who had gotten here much earlier, was already walking around the hut, naked to the waist, and sunbathing.

The landscape of the surrounding area that opened from this place was truly unique! Directly below us and around us, a white ocean of clouds stretched as far as the eye could see. Above us, where there was no longer a single cloud, the sun was scorching hot. In some places, above the snowy sheet of clouds, like islands above the depths of the sea, the distant peaks of the Kamchatka volcanoes - Zhupanovsky and Gorely - hung in triangular spurs. And very close, next door, lies the Koryaksky volcano. The snow on its top shimmered fabulously in the golden rays of the sun. Here and there, through the milky blanket, dark brown spots could be seen on the earth that remained deep below.
On the other side of the seismologists’ stone hut is the cone of the Avachinsky volcano. From here I first saw its peak - the goal of our ascent. The top was smoking profusely, since the volcano (and we knew it) was active. Among the snowfields, a dark thread ran a path along which we had to climb further.
“Another three hours and we’ll be there,” Vladimir said cheerfully. – The hardest part is already behind us.
The brightly shining sun and the peak of the volcano lying in full view made my mood rise, and only later did I realize that the guide was, to put it mildly, lying about the difficulties left behind. But now, looking at the final goal of the journey, which seemed almost achieved, I wanted to go forward and I certainly didn’t want to remember the words of the base director, who warned that it was at the cone that we would have the hardest time.

And so we got to the cone... It was a slope rising immeasurably upward at an angle of 50 degrees. Before this, the trail alternately led uphill, then passed in a plane parallel to the ground, and thus it was possible to catch our breath. Now we had to move steadily upward. After resting at the base of the cone, we lined up one after another again and began the final leg of the climb.
...The path along the cone meandered like a snake, therefore, despite the long distance, our movement relative to the starting and ending points increased much more slowly. The rocky surface of the cone made movement incredibly difficult. I took a step in my city sneakers, and my foot slipped back through the slag half a step, or even a whole step. My feet slipped so much that I often had to make contact with the surface at four points, putting my hands forward so as not to fall. I tore my palms pretty badly. The guys from the group were wearing boots with special soles, so they didn’t experience such problems. Realizing that with my clumsy gait I was throwing those behind me out of rhythm, I let everyone go ahead and went last.
The guide warned us to be especially careful in this section, since all the accidents happened here.
- Be careful! Did you see three monuments below? People stumbled along this path, rolled down, and then crashed, hitting their heads on the stones.
I assessed the situation and came to the conclusion that even if I fell off the path, I had a better chance of staying alive than crashing. The slope is not that steep, so once you start sliding down, you can stop if you want, even if you get badly scratched in the process. Those three, apparently, were very unlucky...

At the very end of the climb, almost at the top, about fifty meters before it, there was a rope stretching along the path, holding on to which made it much easier to climb. Moreover, it was easier, rather, not physically, but mentally, since it became clear that the finish line was already very close.
And now, finally, we have reached the top! The fog there was so thick that visibility was limited to seven to ten meters. The guide said that we were unlucky today. When he climbed here a few days ago, the weather was clear and from this place almost half of Kamchatka was visible.

In about an hour we covered the 17 kilometers that the day before we had covered in five and a half hours on foot. And about 40 minutes later the shift stopped at the gates of the Lesnaya recreation center in Paratunka. Here the group had cabins booked for the night.
And then an inexplicable discord occurred in our previously friendly team... Quite unexpectedly, Kirill expressed confidence that he must definitely visit some Verkhne-Paratunsky springs, the way to which he, naturally, did not know, but assumed that, judging by the name, this somewhere nearby. I, having lived for a day and a half dreaming of a warm pool and sweet sleep in a dry tent, told Kirill that I categorically disagreed with his idea.
“Well, as you wish,” he said, “and I’ll go.” – And he headed towards the road to stop the car in the direction of the springs.
I mentally swore and followed him, not giving up hope of dissuading him from this, in my opinion, unreasonable idea.
Coming out onto the road, we stood under the “Solnechnaya” sign and began to stop. As before, soon enough a car with two cheerful men stopped, who explained that they were in a hurry and were even late for an important meeting in Paratunka and therefore they were not on the way with us, since the turnout to the Verkhne-Paratunskie springs was located further, in the village Thermal. But, after consulting with each other for about ten seconds, they decided that for the sake of two brave travelers from St. Petersburg, the meeting could wait (they were already late anyway), and they drove a few kilometers further, to Termalny, where they stopped at the exit to a remote side road.
- We've arrived! Then you're on your own. You will walk about twelve kilometers along this road, without turning anywhere, and there will be springs. Happy Stay!
As soon as I heard about the number of kilometers, I immediately realized that I would definitely not go to the springs, which I told Kirill. To this he replied that in this case he would go alone, even without a tent. Desperate to convince him, I spat and waved my hand:
- Go! - and he turned around and walked in the direction from which we had just arrived. I decided to go back to Paratunka, find a comfortable place for a tent, sleep, swim in the pool in the morning and go to explore the Kamchatka capital - Petropavlovsk.
I looked at my watch. It was 23.40 - in 20 minutes the last full day of our stay in Kamchatka was supposed to begin...
Having set up a tent in a clearing among the bushes about 30 meters from the checkpoint, I wrapped myself in a sleeping bag, and I don’t remember anything else about that day...

We tell you when is the best time to organize an independent trip to the Kamchatka Peninsula. How to get there and what you must see.

Kamchatka is a land of contrasts. When going to the peninsula, tourists read reviews from experienced travelers, watch educational films and videos, but when they arrive at their destination they realize that they know nothing about it. In the east of Russia there are many museums, historical and architectural monuments, but the main attraction is the natural beauty. Fire-breathing volcanoes, snow caps on the peaks, steppes with lush greenery and flowers, an abundance of mushrooms and berries - all this is to be discovered by inquisitive tourists.

NOTE:

• What to see
• What to try

When is the best time to go?

The peninsula is attractive in summer, autumn and winter. In spring it is usually wet and cloudy, and the only entertainment is visiting museums. From to, and sometimes winter activities predominate. At this time, you can ski in the mountains, through the steppes on dog sleds, and also swim in thermal springs. Clean frosty air, breathtaking landscapes, fun entertainment will not leave any traveler indifferent.

Another picture in Kamchatka opens up in the warm season. Summer here is short and cool, although sometimes the air warms up to +35° C. To experience warm weather, it is recommended to plan your trip for the second half - August. Comfortable autumn weather on the peninsula sets in from the end of August and lasts until. In summer and autumn, hiking tours are popular, including mushroom picking, berry picking, and fishing.

How to get to the peninsula

Although Kamchatka is a peninsula, there is no route connecting it with the mainland of the Russian Federation (with the exception of winter roads). You can get there by air or sea. Of course, for tourists who are planning an independent trip to Kamchatka, the first option is more comfortable, since air service allows you to get here without transfers on a direct flight. Planes arrive at the airport in Yelizovo, located 30 km from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the capital of the peninsula. From here you can fly small aircraft to the settlements that are most popular among tourists.

Planning a trip? That way!

We have prepared some useful gifts for you. They will help you save money while preparing for your trip.

Sights to see

At any time of the year you can find interesting sights in this region. But nature is most beautiful in summer and autumn. During this period, miracles are found at every step. The proximity of snow and wildly blooming greenery here does not surprise anyone, as does hiking on snow cover under the scorching sun.

Since Kamchatka is called the land of volcanoes, the fire-breathing mountains are considered the main attraction. There are about three hundred of them on the peninsula, 30 of them are active. To hear the Earth's breath, you just need to climb to the top of the volcano. And at the foot you can stock up on blueberries, admire the flora and take pictures against the backdrop of a luxurious snow cap.

Thermal springs are the children of volcanoes. There are about two hundred of them in Kamchatka. Some springs flow calmly, others bubble, others gush out like a fountain, releasing steam. Near them you can usually find mud pots in which vacationers take mud baths. Mud and water are healing. Don't miss the opportunity to swim in the springs.

There are places in the world where you envy yourself when you are there. One of these places is Kamchatka, an amazing land of volcanoes! It always seemed to me something very distant, difficult and expensive, so I once again went to conquer new continents, leaving the far eastern corner of my country for some time later.

Then it came unexpectedly. At the beginning of April, Aeroflot and Transaero simultaneously had summer tickets from Moscow to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and back for 18,000 rubles, which was unprecedented generosity considering the flight range, and we didn’t think twice about it. Within a day, a group of people had gathered, we bought tickets and began planning the trip. Actually, at that moment, all the planning came down to the fact that I found an interesting route called the Pacific Ring from Kamchatka travel agencies, read a couple of reports from people who had walked it on their own, believed in our strength and took this route as a basis. I didn’t know then that the weather and nature would make significant adjustments to our plan, and half of our plans would not come true. But this did not make the trip any less interesting and eventful.

When to go to Kamchatka? Weather

Buying tickets at the beginning of April, we, of course, could not imagine that in addition to a very snowy winter there would be a very late spring, which, it seems, came to Kamchatka along with our arrival on July 24th. On the first day, blooming lilacs greeted us on the streets of the City. And we spent the next three days among two-meter snowdrifts of dense July snow, of which there was so much around that it seemed as if we were in the Kingdom of White with rare islands of thawed patches covered with bright spring flowers.

The snow was wet, and along with it, the feet in “waterproof” boots were constantly wet. It is no coincidence that local guides only wear rubber boots! Periodically squeezing water out of socks became a common practice, but thanks to the sunny weather and +20 degrees of heat, no one ended up getting sick.

Local residents told us that it rained continuously throughout June, the weather in July was also not pleasant, and the only six sunny days in July fell just at the beginning of our trip to Kamchatka.

One day I talked to a girl from Moscow, who said that she was in Kamchatka at the same time three years ago, and then the nature resembled the sun-scorched steppes of the Crimea, and it was so hot that the group did some transitions and ascents in swimsuits/ swimming trunks So it doesn't change from year to year. But we saw an incredible combination of snow, bright greenery and amazing Kamchatka flowers - contrasts were everywhere!

Unfortunately, a week after our arrival the weather deteriorated, it rained continuously for two days, and the remaining three days were cloudy. So we never saw any volcanoes from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, and the Pacific coast was cloudy and drizzly.

Next time, I’ll probably try to come to Kamchatka at the end of August, and sometime in mid-late September, in order to catch both the berries and the colors of autumn, so as not to walk in the snow and easily ford the shallow mountain rivers, as well as try to see how the fish goes to spawn. And the bears will already be full))

Features of Kamchatka

The first thing that catches your eye upon arrival is the right-hand drive cars. There are probably more than 90 percent of them in Kamchatka. At the entrance/exit of the airport around the parking ticket terminal there are even two lanes - for left-hand drive cars and for right-hand drive cars. The few left-hand drive cars are either rare domestic ones or completely new cars from the showroom. Among the cars, Japanese ones predominate. And among the left-hand drive buses there are Korean ones.

There are few roads in Kamchatka, and even fewer asphalt roads, so the vast majority of cars are SUVs. Delica, mounted on tall and wide wheels, is very popular - on such units people manage to drive almost to the very top of the Gorely volcano, as much as 1500 meters.

Organized tourists are transported on shift vehicles made on the basis of Kamaz, GAZ and ZIL.

There are only one or two cities in Kamchatka. But for local residents of Kamchatka, only Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky deserves the name City. That’s what they usually say: “I’m going to the City, I can give you a ride to the City.”

The self-name of the local residents is Kamchadal.

Although Kamchatka is not an island, but a peninsula, the rest of Russia is called the “mainland”, and visiting Russians are called “from the mainland”. There are no roads connecting Kamchatka with “mainland” Russia through Chukotka or the Magadan region (except for winter roads), and you can only get to the mainland by plane or sea.

If you want to pass as one of your own, put the emphasis on the first syllable in the names of the settlements Elizovo, Pinachevo and Nalychevo))

Prices in Kamchatka for food, transport and housing

We knew that everything in Kamchatka is very expensive, so we brought all the food with us for an autonomous trip for 10 days from Moscow.

In our last days in Kamchatka, we went on an “excursion” to the largest supermarket on the peninsula, called Shamsa, and were horrified by the local prices. A kilogram of apples at the beginning of August cost 200 rubles, a kilogram of bananas 180 rubles. There's a problem with dairy products! It is difficult for a resident of “mainland” Russia, accustomed to the variety of milk and kefir, to look without tears at a small shelf in a huge supermarket, where a couple of dozen packages of gourmet kefir are laid out in 3 piles. 73 rubles per 400 grams. That's 182 rubles for the usual liter/kilo of kefir!!!

Since we had plenty of food with us, we only bought caviar on the spot (1,600 rubles per kilo of chum salmon caviar, 1,800 rubles per kilo of sockeye salmon or pink salmon caviar, 2,500 rubles per kilo of Chinook salmon caviar), cold-smoked fish (700 rubles . per kilo of sockeye salmon or chinook salmon), potatoes (30 rubles/kilo), bread and expensive “delicacy” butter. We were pleased with the prices for fresh fish - from 80 rubles per kilogram of salmon fish.

The prices in the restaurants turned out to be surprisingly no higher than in Moscow, while the portions were large and the food was very, very tasty. I really liked the Boulevard restaurant in the Shamsa shopping center on Pobeda Avenue - I have never eaten such delicious sushi and miso soups in Moscow! We had a good lunch at the Ugli restaurant on KP (that’s what everyone calls Komsomolskaya Square): the moose cutlet with honeysuckle, as well as the fried fern, were incomparable!

Intercity public transport turned out to be very expensive! The bus from Yelizovo to Termalny for 75 rubles did not really surprise us, but the bus from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky to Malka for 525 rubles for 130 kilometers made us think... However, on the first day we found out for ourselves that in Kamchatka there is excellent hitchhiking on the roads of any quality, and communication with local residents greatly enriches the Kamchatka experience, so the idea of ​​traveling by bus was abandoned for a combination of reasons. Thanks to hitchhiking, we met very interesting people, both simple Kamchadal residents who are afraid of bears and do not go beyond the boundaries of their locality or vehicle, and lovers of outdoor activities who race around the peninsula on snowmobiles, motorcycles and even trikes. And, of course, each of them had their own bear story!

We had accommodation in Kamchatka with us, and we spent the first 9 nights comfortably in our tents.

Hotel prices in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky are inhumane, but it is very easy to rent a daily apartment - we have our studio apartment with a fresh renovation, modern interior, ideal cleanliness and a set of absolutely everything you might need for a normal life, at a price of 1800 rubles per day ( easily and comfortably accommodates four) we were very pleased!

Independent travel around Kamchatka

Traveling around Kamchatka on your own with some preparation at home turned out to be incredibly easy. Reports and GPS tracks of independent tourists are posted on the Internet, which are good to have for reference on the ground. Once again, the free offline MapsWithMe map turned out to be very useful, on which most of the trails, hot springs, and waterfalls were marked. Near Gorely, Mutnovsky, at the Dachny and Nizhne-Vilyuchinsky springs, we set up tents in places clearly intended for these purposes - somewhere nearby there were groups of organized tourists, in other places we were alone, but there were fireplaces and even benches.

Wherever there is something going on, you can hitch a ride, and even shift workers with organized tourists give rides.

In terms of information, the Modern Guide to Kamchatka, published by the local visitor center, turned out to be valuable - you can ask for this book at the visitor center in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky on Lenin Street and get it for free! It’s a pity that I only acquired this book at the end of my trip, but it will clearly prove extremely useful in preparing for the next one.

What to take with you on a hike in Kamchatka?

In summer in Kamchatka, anything can come in handy - from a light down jacket to a swimsuit! So you need to take clothes for any weather: a swimsuit/swimming trunks for hot springs, thermal underwear (at least a top) for comfortable transitions in weather conditions changing from cold to warm, synthetic sweaters with long sleeves so as not to get burned under the scorching sun, a raincoat and rain pants, lightweight warm fleece, windbreaker.

A rain cover for a backpack or a waterproof bag inside a backpack - it will be very useful during fords, so as not to be afraid of getting things inside the backpack wet.

Large sunglasses are essential as long treks in the snow under the scorching sun can turn any beautiful day into hell. Sunscreen and lip balm with a high sun protection factor, as you get sunburned very easily in the mountains. Panama.

Trekking poles make the ascents and descents very easy, as well as fording rivers.

In addition to comfortable, worn-in shoes (preferably waterproof, but this will not help if you constantly walk in wet snow), sandals for wading rivers will not hurt.

We took down sleeping bags, so we slept softly and warmly everywhere. The guys came with thermal rests, I got by with foam just fine.

A mosquito net was very important - there were a lot of mosquitoes almost everywhere!

Flashlight. Seat.

Bear protection! You can use horns (we bought them at Sportmaster), fan pipes (they are inconvenient because you have to blow them, which is difficult during long marches, it is better to buy horns in the shape of a pear, which you can easily crush in your hand), whistles. On site in Yelizovo you need to buy flares - a pulled pin produces a green or red flame 20 cm long for 30 seconds, which will help when meeting a bear face to face.

I read somewhere that vinegar helps against animals, including bears, so we took 0.3 liters with us and sprinkled the area around the tent in particularly bear-prone areas.

Fleece gloves and a hat were not useful - there was no cold anywhere, although near Gorely and Mutnovsky immediately after sunset it became noticeably colder, and the hood of a windbreaker was in demand.

Travel layout. Nutrition

We brought all the food with us to Kamchatka from Moscow.

At first there was an idea to buy freeze-dried ready-made meals from the Gala-Gala company, well-known in hiking circles, but the tasting did not impress us - one dish was too salty, the second smelled like chicken droppings. So we took cereals (buckwheat, rice, lentils, millet, oatmeal), pasta, dry mashed potatoes, biscuits, sausage, lard, dried pork and chicken (freeze-dried meat) in the oven, took dry Podtravka soups, to which we added dried carrots and onions from Auchan. For sweets and snacks, we had hazelnuts, raisins, dried apricots, halva, sherbet, kozinaki and Alenka chocolate. Plus green and black tea, sugar. We ate deliciously, no one went hungry, and in the end I didn’t lose a single kilo, although the increased nutrition in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky during the last three days of the trip may have had an effect.

Most of the food items were packed in plastic bottles for milk and Shishkin Les water and in liter paper bags for milk and kefir.

The layout was based on 700 grams of dry product per person per day. As a result, at the start everyone had 8 kg. food. Seryoga and I’s backpacks in Sheremetyevo weighed 20 kilos each, our two traveling companions weighed 25 kilos each, but it all also depends on how much extra unnecessary crap someone took as personal belongings))

Since immediately after arrival we wanted to go to the Gorely volcano, and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky was slightly out of the way, I was tormented by the question of whether it was possible to buy gas and flares in Yelizovo. I have not found the answer to this simple question on the Internet. Elizovo, where the airport is located, seemed like a village to me, but it turned out that it is one of three full-fledged and self-sufficient cities in Kamchatka, where there is absolutely everything. Right next to the bus station there are many tourist, hunting and fishing shops where you can buy gas and flares. Plus, there is a market with red caviar and fish nearby)) So, going to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky to purchase what you need to buy in Kamchatka, since you can’t bring it from Moscow, is completely unnecessary - you can buy everything you need in Yelizovo and immediately move out at least near Gorely, or near Avachinsky, or even to the north, which is much more convenient to do from Yelizovo!