Kamchatka is without doubt one of the most wild lands of Russia. Northeast from the Japan, This volcanic peninsula is not connected by road to the rest of the world. Can be reached only by plane (Moscow is to 9 flight hours, Vladivostok to 3 hours…) or by boat…
The economy is mainly focused on fishing, with the famous caviar and meat of Kamchatka crab. There are also gold panning North peninsula.
First day : the guide waiting for me at the airport (small and dilapidated but ongoing renovation), and I realize that the climate is much less mild than I thought ! Where a detour to disaster in the sport next to the hotel shop… The evening, I meet other participants arrived the same day (two Muscovites families).
Day 2 : We leave for the volcano Avatchinsky in truck 6×6 Soviet. And it was justified, because after a game on a real road, the track passes in the bed of a seasonal River and on a glacier !
We leave for a short trek to leg, but unfortunately the visibility is bad.
Day 3 : Sunrise at 0600 to take forces for the ascent of the volcano ! It culminates at 2740 m, is 1900 m to climb from camp ! As the paths in the caillasse or the volcanic sand add a level of difficulty. After 8 h of ascension, We reach the Summit, but the visibility is so poor that without the smell of sulphur, We don't in have nothing knew… The descent through another path takes a little more than two hours.
Day 4 : the excursion by helicopter in the Valley of geysers is cancelled due to bad weather, We return to the hotel but… no water ! It then takes us in a hotel located in hot springs.
Day 5 : no improvement in sight for the weather. We leave anyway for our three-day rafting outing, for the descent of the river Bistraya, not without that everyone had out or bought raincoats. We make a small detour via a fishing shop; Indeed cooks accompany guides and our group, but it is expected to eat what we fish !
After a ride in a truck through the vegetation, We arrive at the edge of the Bistraya, our rivers boots slippers, put our business in waterproof bags, and this is the great departure ! I ask the guide what is the saw on our boat : “to scare bears”… We are also told not to leave one camp, and do not keep food in our tent. The river is fairly quiet, It is in fact more a walk than a true rafting descent. After three hours, we stop in a little clearance and unload boats, forming a line as in the army, and install the camp. We also continue to fish and I go out a big salmon ! It was my only day but she has nurtured several people ! On the menu this evening : fish soup, and grilled fish.
Day 6 : We woke up by a sound of chainsaw; people have seen a bear prowling near the camp…
We take our breakfast, dismantle the camp and leave the river. Around noon, We spot a possible place to stop, but in approaching, We see two bears turn around a campfire rest. We continue… During the day, We'll see again three or four other bears on the river. The evening, We set up camp on a sandbar, and eat… fish soup. The next day, even a few hours of navigation and passage of some Rapids to meet… a bridge ! The first sign of civilization for three days.
Day 8 : the weather was finally clear, some left for the exit by helicopter in the Valley of geysers, I opted for the sea trip in Avacha Bay. The landscapes are really superb, and with a little luck it is possible to see many animals (marine birds, seals and even orcs).
The evening, We are still a long truck ride (with a stop to watch the sunset over a volcano) and arrive at the edge of a river in the middle of nowhere, to mount the camp by dark night. In the early morning, at a price of three hours by truck in the middle of lunar landscapes, We arrive at the foot of the volcano Monotsky for a much easier than the previous trek. In the crater, many fumaroles (at 400 ° C) and “mud baths” (at 100 ° C) are active. The smell of sulphur takes throat. A little higher, You can see an ancient crater, and even higher, the new, even if we do not see much because the mist has accumulated.
Day 10 : another more difficult trek takes us to the top of “Volcano Brûlé”. The evening, It takes us into a hotel with a pool of thermal water (hot and feels the sulphur). The next day, It is already the time of departure, After a detour to the fish market.
Practical details :
Arrive at Kamchatka : flights from Moscow (to p.d. 400€ AR Aeroflot and Transaero), Vladivostok (about €300 AR with Aeroflot), Khabarovsk or Irkutsk (S7 Airlines)
Agency : “Vision of Kamchatka”, offices in the Geyser Hotel in Petropavlovsk
Price of the stay : 58000 rubles (~ €1200) for 10 days. The Agency also offers longer tours. The helicopter tour is in addition (33000 rubles !)
