° ° °
° ° °
KAMCHATKA MAP AND TRAVEL ITINERARY |
![]() |
° ° °
KAMCHATKA TRIP INFORMATION |
WHAT TO DO AND WHAT TO SEE IN KAMCHATKA?The Kamchatka peninsula was open to tourism just a few years ago and, located in the easternmost part of Russia, surrounded by northern Pacific ocean, offers spectacular volcanic landscape, dominated by volcanos of the big " fire ring ", hot water springs, immense lava fields, boiling mud pots, colored caldera lakes, glaciers, but also pristine forests offering opportunities for wildlife trips (bear viewing and fishing). This trip review shows an itinerary beginning with a short visit to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the capital of the Kamchatka peninsula, before continuing the tour onboard a cruise in Avacha Bay (just out of the capital) searching for bird colonies, with opportunities to see seals, whales and dolphins. From Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, my Kamchatka tour continues by an all terrain vehicle to Mutnovsky and Gorely volcano, which will be ascended by day trekking over solidified lava fields, between fumaroles and colored minerals, to main craters. The next stop of this Kamchatka trip is the Tolbachik volcano, about 500 kilometers to the north, where there is an opportunity to explore a " dead forest " and to visit more amazing craters surrounded by lunar landscape. My tour in Kamchatka ends with a visit to the native village of Esso, in the very heart of the peninsula, before returning to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and catch my flight back to Moscow and Italy. HOW TO ORGANIZE A TOUR TO KAMCHATKA?This tour to Kamchatka has been organized by contacting the travel company Kamchatka's Vision, a local travel agency, offering group tours to Kamchatka. Traveling to Kamchatka requires good legs for the long, but not technically difficult, treks and willingness to deal with frequent rainy and windy weather. Internal transport is usually guaranteed with powerful 6WD trucks or Toyota 4x4 (or similar) depending on group size. WHAT IS THE BEST TIME TO GO TO KAMCHATKA?The best time to travel to Kamchatka is from mid summer to very early autumn, when all the snow has melted even at higher altitudes, letting to better appreciate colours and to hike more comfotrably. In any case you will need to be prepared for any situation (from moderate cold to moderate heat) with possible strong winds and rain (top quality rain gear is suggested). HOW TO GET TO KAMCHATKA?Due to the long distance (Moscow - Kamchatka flight is about nine hours long, non stop) and flight schedule, people coming from Europe may require a night stop in Moscow before and/or after the tour. Personally (I am from Italy, so I had to fly eastward) I've chosen to fly with Aeroflot, puchasing the tickets online for their we site. For tourists needing to fly westward instead (for example for people coming from the west coast of the USA), in case direct flights to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky aren't available, the best airport of entry in Russia may be Vladivostok. |
° ° °
KAMCHATKA TOUR AND TRAVELOGUE - KAMCHATKA PICTURES |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
° ° °