Day 1. Meeting in the airport. Transfer and accommodation in the hotel in Paratunka recreation zone.
Free time. Bathing in the swimming-pool. Rest.
Day 2. Sea trip to Russian bay. Tour program: 6:30 transfer on the comfortable bus to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatksky to the harbor. 08:00 – start of the sea trip which lasts 10-12 hours.
Russian Bay is situated in south-western part of the Avachinsky gulf.
Narrow, intruded into the shore Russian bay with falling slopes of the hills is one of the most beautiful sea places in Kamchatka. The bay is famous for beautiful seascapes, wonderful fishing . On the way to the bay the tourists may observe sea-l ions.
Also it is possible to see a big variety of birds : sea- puffins, ducks, gulls, etc. And to observe how the fly and suddenly fall down to catch a fish. A sea trip to Russian bay is especially attractive for whose who like sea fishing. During excursion there are several stops for fishing. Tourist enjoy a wonderful sea fishing for flounder, sea-bass, halibut, cod.
Tour program:
Sea trip starts from the Bogordskoye lake to the rocks “Three brothers” , the boat leaves the Avacha bay and goes in t he direction of Russian bay. The diver who is on the board of the vessel will catch from the bottom sea-urchins and tells about good qualities of the sea urchins caviar and treat everybody with this delicious food.
The trip will last 10-12 hours and starts early in the morning to admire the sunrise over the Avacha bay.
It is necessary to take with you wind proof clothing, warm things (sweaters, hats, pants, rain proof covering, caps).
It is recommended to have personal medicine, sun-glasses, video and photo cameras.
The price includes:
vessel renting , food, fishing gear, services of the diver, insurance.
Day 3. Helicopter excursion to the Valley of Geysers
Breakfast. Transfer to helicopter site. Flight to the Valley of Geysers. Excursion in the valley. Observation of the activity of geysers , pulsing springs, mud boilers, Flight to caldera Uzon. Excursion. Flight to Nalychevsksya valley. Bathing in thermal springs. Lunch. Return to the helicopter site. Transfer to the hotel.
The Valley of Geysers, about 170km away from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatksy, capital city of the peninsula, belongs to Kronotsky National Biosphere Reserve on the eastern range. It is located in a volcanic canyon 4km wide, 8km long and 400 meters deep.
In the heart of the valley, flows Geyzernaya River. Six kilometers from its mouth are gathered about twenty small and big geysers including “Bolshoi” (big), “Velikan” (giant), “Krepost” (fortress), “Bastion”, “Fontane”, “Banna” (bath), “Jemchuzhny” (perly), “Plashchanitsa” (Holy Shroud), and more. They are concentrated on the left bank of the river.
The Valley of Geysers was discovered on April 14, 1941 by Tatiana Ivanovna Ustinova (1913-2009) and Anisifor Pavlovich Krupenin (1912-1990). On that day they discovered a first geyser that they called “Perveniets” (first-born). They came back to the valley on July 25, 1941 and they drew up the complete inventory. They valley still has hot boiling and steaming springs as well as mud pools, waterfalls, rivers and lakes.
On June 3, 2007 a massive landslide or mud-flow of 22.7 million m3 took place. It created a 60 meters high barrier that had increased the water level of Geyzernaya River and gave birth to the lake “Ozero Geyzernoye”. No one was hurt or killed in the catastrophe. However, the valley was deeply damaged. Quickly nature showed its strength of regeneration. Now the valley looks almost the same as before.
Day 4. Helicopter excursion to the Kuril lake.
Breakfast. Transfer to helicopter site. Flight to Kurilskoye lake. Bear observation. Boat trip on Kurilskoye lake. Flight to volcano Ksudach. Excursion. Flight to Khodutka hot springs. Bathing in thermal springs. Lunch. Return to the helicopter site. Transfer to the hotel.
Kuril Lake is among the unique natural sites of South Kamchatka Federal Reserve. Covering an area of 76.2sq-km, it is the largest lake of the peninsula after Kronotsky Lake. Kuril is set in a volcanic depression 12.5km long and 8km wide which was formed 8,300/8,400 years ago. Located at an altitude of a 104m, its maximum depth reaches 306m for an average of 176m. The lake has several islands made up of lava cones with heights going from 200 to 300 meters: Chayachi, Nizki, Serdtse Alaida and Samang archipelago. On the north-eastern shore of the lake stands Ilyinsky volcano that towers at 1,578m. Bays were created in the lake after the last lava flow. Tioploy Bay is well-known for its thermal springs that can reach 45°c.
Kuril Lake is known as the largest spawning place in Asia for sockeye salmons.
Indeed, between 3 and 5 million salmons come spawn in this lake between July and March.
Of course, this attracts many brown bears. About 200 of them live on the lake’s shore.
The salmons are also best-choice food for river otters and foxes. They also attract birds of prey such as Steller’s sea eagles (it is estimated that between 300 and 700 hundred of them populate the surroundings of the lake), white-tailed eagles (150-200) as well as Golden eagles (50). The lake is a wintering place for whopper swans and ducks (1,500-2,000). One of the particularities of Kuril Lake is that even though salmon is not necessarily a part of the food chain of all the birds and mammals populating the area, one way or another sockeye salmon with its flesh or eggs participates in it. Kuril Lake, discovered by the Cossacks in 1703, is on the program of helicopter excursions.
Day 5. Jeep tour to the mountain massive Vachkazhets.
Breakfast. Departure on the jeeps from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky to Vachkazhets volcano. Trekking to the camping. Radial exit to the circus of Vachkazhets volcano. Snacks. Return to the camping. Picnic. Return to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatky.
Vachkazhets volcano is located in 80 km to the west of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and includes west slopes of the stretched massif which is included into the system of the Uzhno-Bystrinsky massif.
Earlier the Vachkazhets was a single volcano, but after a great eruption it exploded, and it caused the separation into three main parts: the Letnyaya Poperechnaya mountain (1417 m), the Vachkazhtsy mountain (1500 m) and the Vachkazhets mountain (1556).
The Vachkazhets massif is declared the national monument and includes picturesque landscapes, geological complex of sediments with rare minerals and ancient fauna remnants extremely rare in these sediments.
Steep rock slopes of the massif descend to the ridges of the Nachikinsky lake shore. There are different minerals (quartz, opal, etc.) in the rock outcrops, and different forms of ice age relief.
Day 6. Museum Vulcanarium. City tour . Pacific ocean (Khalaktyrka beach).
Departure from the hotel on a comfortable bus to the museum Vulcanarium. Excursion in the museum (1-1,5 hours).
City tour of the historic part of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Transfer to Khalaktyrka beach. Walking on the black sand of volcanic origin. Return ti the city.
Museum Vulcanarium Музей is a unique museum of volcanoes in which yoy can enjoy any kind on information about these phenomena.
Modern Petropavlovsk –Kamchatsky is a city of fishermen, seamen, military people, the city of youth and students.
You’ll learn shortly about geography and history of the city, on of the oldest city in the Russian Far East. From the panorama site on Petrovskaya hill you’ll see the city, famous Avacha bay surrounded by active and extinct volcanoes – one of the best havens in the world!
In the historic part there are monuments to the great sea-explorers – V. Bering. Zh. Laperous, Ch. Clerk. At the bottom of Nikholskaya hill there is a memorial devoted to the heroic defend of Petropavlovsk from English-French squadron in 1854. It is possible to visit a historic museum. The exposition consists of 2 parts: nature of Kamchatka and history before 1917. There are modern picture exhibitions all the time.
Khalaktyrka beach is famous for its black sand of volcanic origin and for the opportunity to enjoy an open view on the Pacific ocean.
