Kamchatka

Kamchatka (Russian: Камча́тка, kahm-CHAHT-kuh) is a 1,250km-long peninsula in Russian Far East. Kamchatka is extremely geologically active and has numerous volcanoes, geysers, hot springs, and even a lake of acid! It contains the southernmost expanse of arctic tundra in the world and is notable for its wealth of arctic wildlife, fish, game, and marine life. Furthermore, nineteen of Kamchatka's volcanoes constitute the "Volcanoes of Kamchatka" UNESCO World Heritage Site, .

Cities

• Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky — the only sizable city on Kamchatka and home to over half the peninsula's population
• Yelizovo — Only notable for hosting the only commercial airport on the peninsula.
• Palana — Capital of the northern Koryakia region of Kamchatka

Other destinations

Valley of the Geysers. Now largely buried in mud.

• The stunning and enormous Kronotsky Nature Reserve, accessible only via helicopter, and home to Kronotsky Volcano, as well as the Valley of the Geysers
• Komandorsky Nature Reserve
• Valley of the Geysers perhaps the most well known part of the UNESCO World Heritage site, Volcanoes of Kamchatka, and is located within the mammoth Kronotsky Nature Reserve, was the second largest geyser field in the world (and the only in Eurasia) with 90 geysers and many hot springs in a 6km-long valley. It was largely ruined by a massive, freak mudslide in 2007 that covered 2/3 of the territory.
• Nalychevo Nature Park
• Southern Kamchatka Nature Park (Yuzhno-Kamchatskii)
• Bystrinsky Nature Park
• Kluchevskoy Nature Park
• Blue Lakes Nature Park (Golubye Ozyora)
• Koryaksky Zapovednik — beautiful and almost impossibly remote, this reserve offers bear-watching opportunities galore.

Understand

Kamchatska is a unique land where fire meets ice, containing the southernmost expanse of Arctic tundra along with 160 volcanoes (29 of them active). Despite its great size, the peninsula is home to just 400,000 people of which half live in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and another 50-100k live in nearby communities (including Yelisovo). As such, the peninsula is vastly uninhabited wilderness where one can climb volcanoes, sport hunt for bears, visit geysers, spend hours in natural hot springs, or go fishing in wild rivers or off the coast. Politically, it is divided between Kamchatska Krai and Koryak Okrug (Koryakia).

History

Kamchatka was, like much of arctic Siberia & North America, originally sparsely inhabited by native tribes. In the 16th century, spurred by tales of a land of fire, rich in fish & furs, Kamchatka was claimed by Muscovite Russia. Two settlements of Cossacks were built in 1697 as fur trading posts.

The peninsula was mapped during Vitus Bering's expedition to explore the Far East of Russia and reach North America. In 1740, Bering reached Avacha Bay and laid the cornerstone for the settlement of Petropavlovsk—named after his two ships St.Peter & St.Paul. One year later, Petropavlovsk would be the settlement survivors of his expedition would reach with news of his death & discovery of Alaska as well as remaining artifacts...including the "finest fur in the world" (sea otter) from Alaska which would later spurn Russian interest in North America. Petropavlovsk grew into a main stopping point for travelers to the Russian Far East, the Kuril Islands, and North America.

In 1854, during the Crimean War, a joint Anglo-French naval fleet bombarded Petropavlovsk in what became the heroic defense of the city in which 988 men with just 68 guns defended against 6 ships with 206 cannons and 2,540 French and British troops. Unfortunately the Russians realized the city was a liability and when more invaders came one year later, the city was abandoned and proceeded to be burnt. With the sale of the Kurils to Japan and Alaska to the US, the peninsula waned in importance. Following World War II, it was deemed a military zone and placed off limits to Russians (except residents, of course) until 1989 and foreigners until 1991.

The peninsula hosts the largest Russian nuclear submarine pen & submarine construction yard. The only notable event since Petropavlovsk's defense in 1854 was the shootdown of KAL Flight 007 in 1983 after drifting off course and flying over sensitive military areas on Kamchatka, resulting in one of the most tense moments in the Cold War during the early-80s.

Get in

By car

There are no roads connecting Kamchatka with other parts of Russia. Indeed, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsk is the second-largest city in the world which cannot be reached by road.

By plane

Arriving by plane is the only practical way of reaching Kamchatka. All commercial flights arrive at Yelizovo, only 16km from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (which airlines list as the destination). There are regular flights between Petropavovsk-Kamchatsky and: Moscow (Aeroflot, Transaero), Saint Petersburg (Rossiya), Novosibirsk (S7, Rossiya), Irkutsk (S7), Khabarovsk (S7), and Vladivostok (S7, Vladivostok Avia). Korean Airlines offers frequent charter flights from Incheon in summers.

By boat

It may be possible to hitch a ride on boats from the Kuril Islands,

Get around

See

The number of places you can start seeing is as countless as the summer is short. The bravest tourists take months for trekking, if they wish to explore everything by foot. The best way is cooperation with local tour agencies, it will save time, but not money.

• See one of the Koryak traditional dance ensembles in the regional capital, Palana
• Visit Pimchakh, an Itelmen village 5 hours away from Petropavlovsk, if you are interested in ethnology. There is a couple of villages more.

Excursions

There are two types of sightseeing one can practice in Kamchatka. First one is within reach of auto and walk for $80 at max, the second is about taking a helicopter and costs up to $900. The tour agencies are in no lack of number, so it is rather easy to find them or/and join a group of tourists.

By automobile

• Variety of hot springs and a waterfall
• Pacific coast
• Slope of Avachinsky volcano

By helicopter

• Valley of Geysers
• Mutnovsky volcano
• Avachinsky volcano
• Kudach Volcano and Kurilskoye Lake

Do

• Salmon fishing
• Volcano climbing/skiing/heli-skiing
• Dogsled tours
• Big game hunting
• Hiking
• Acid lake water sports

Buy

• Shaman, an ethnic store with a variety of memorable trinkets.
• Art-salon "Northern lights".
• 'Kamchatka Souvenirs', a department in GUM, the Central Supermarket offers pictures of artists, videos, wooden and bone carvings.

Eat

• Giant Kamchatka crab is delicious and about 1/20 the price if eaten in Kamchatka, compared to anywhere else.

Stay safe

The Pacific Plate is subducted beneath the Okhotsk plate just miles off Kamchatka's coast in the and the peninsula is very geologically active. Two of the most powerful earthquakes of record shook the peninsula in 1737 and 1952 at ~9.3 and 9.0 magnitude, respectively. The latter caused a tsunami which ravaged Hawaii and even reached as far as New Zealand and Chile. In addition to these two megaquakes, powerful earthquakes occur quite often. A 6.0 magnitude earthquake occurs every 3-5 years with a 7.0 quake occurring every 10-15 years. Usual precautions in mountains include warm clothes such as windbreaking vests and hats as the weather changes and temperatures fall to 0C, sunglasses and creams because of the sun radiation. Do not walk off the paths to the scree and snow slopes. Beware of bears, who happen to ramble into the city suburbs, not to mention remote wilderness. The poisonous plants are rare but they exist.

Get out

It may be possible to hitch a ride on a boat heading from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky to Severno-Kurilsk in the Kuril Islands.

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