Kamchatka, volcanic wonderland in the realm of the grizzly bear

PHOTO-TREKKING: VOLCANOES OF KAMCHATKA PENINSULA 2014 

Dates: 

16-29 August (No places available, fully booked!)

   1-15 september 2014 (only 5 places available!)

Price: 1.985 Euros

 E-mail: roberto@x-ploregroup.com

http://x-ploregroup.com/holiday/volcano-bear-kamchatka/

www.x-ploregroup.com

The remote Kamchatka peninsula, located in the Russian Far East and surrounded by seas of Okhotsk and Bering is a gift for the senses and for nature lovers. Kamchatka contains one of the largest volcanic chains in the world (World Heritage Site by UNESCO) with more than 160 volcanoes, 30 of them are still active, which is explained because the peninsula lies in the so-called Ring of Fire of the Pacific, the most volcanically active area in our planet. It was a declared as a military zone and it was closed to foreigners till 1992.

Physical map of Kamchatka

Location of the Kamchatka Peninsula

      

    

Klyuchevskoy and Kamen volcanoes

Kamchatka also has a varied fauna including notably the grizzly bear, with an estimated population of 1,400 individuals whose habitat spreads throughout the peninsula. Other terrestrial mammals in Kamchatka are: red fox, moose, wolverine, weasel and several species of squirrels. Notable among the birds is the Steller Eagle, the largest of the eagles that inhabit the planet. Kamchatka is also the area of the world that has a greater variety of salmon species that in summertime attract the attention of bears in search of their favorite food.

As for cetaceans, the waters around Kamchatka are the habitat of several species such as the humpback whale, the sperm whale, fin whale and Killer whales.

Grizzly bear in the surroundings of the Tolbachik

Red foxes in the Tolbachik plateau

The biggest city in the Kamchatka Peninsula is Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, with a population of about 200.000 inhabitants. Located in the beautiful Avacha Bay, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky has an important fishing port and it's the administrative center of the whole Peninsula.

Avacha bay with the Vilyuchinsky volcano in the background

                                               A view over Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky

                                                         Our guest house in Yelizovo

The day of arrival we will make the transfer from the airport to the guest house to stay overnight. Our trip starts in Yelizovo, the town close to the airport. From here we have wonderful views of the 2 active volcanoes that domain the landscape of the area: Koryasky and Avachinskaya. They have a big record of past eruptions, and they both were designated as Decade volcanoes by the United Nations, a particulary study of the explosive eruptions close to populated areas to measure the potential risks.

Lenticularis clouds over Avachinskaya volcano

Fumaroles on the top of Avachinskaya volcano

We will continue our trip to the Klyuchevskaya volcanic complex, home to the Klyuchevskoy volcano, the highest volcano in Eurasia (4.835 m) and designated a World Heritage Site by the Unesco in 1999. To reach this remote area it will take about 8-9 hours from Yelizovo by 6x6 truck. We will make a stop for lunch in the village of Milkovo.

Soviet Union era paintings in Milkovo

From left to right Ushkovsky, Klyuchevskoy and Kamen volcanoes

We will reach the banks of the Studyonaya river, one of the best points of observation of the Klyuchevskaya volcanic group. Klyuchevskoy is one of the most active volcanoes, not only in Kamchatka but the whole planet. Ushkovsky, Kamen, Bezymianny and Tolbachik are also active volcanoes, despite some of them remain dormant. Bezymianny it's a very active volcano, and in 1955 a big eruption caused a massive flank failure, similar to the famous Mount St. Helens eruption in 1980.

Lenticularis cloud over Tolbachik volcano

Old motorcycle in the village of Milkovo

6x6 truck, perfect for traveling in the rough terrain of Kamchatka

With the 6x6 truck we will cross the tundra to reach the place of our first camp, in a beautiful and isolated location in the plateau with magnificient 360º panoramic views. It's a bumpy way to reach the plateau, because after being full covered with ice and snow for the winter time, the ground becomes soft and unstable and it's only suitable for 6x6 vehicles.

The view from the camp

The Klyuchevskaya volcanic group is one of the most beautiful volcanic areas of the whole planet and almost all the volcanoes there remain very active. Klyuchevskoy (the biggest one), beautifully symmetric, usually show great activity with its typical strombolian and vulcanian eruptions, with high lava fountains, and if we are lucky (as in 2013) it's possible to enjoy a wonderful spectacle with the volcano spewing lava, specially beautiful at night.

Klyuchevskoy volcano erupting at night in September 2013

We will stay for 4 nights in the plateau to make a lot of photographs and some trekkings in this area. This area is a grizzly territory and there is also good variety of fauna, like squirrels, foxes, ermines....so it's possible to spot wildlife at any time in the plateau. 

View of the volcanoes from the camp

We can enjoy with the views of 6 volcanoes from the base camp: Ushkovsky with its ice fields and glaciers on the top, Klyuchevskoy, Kamen, Bezymianny, Zimina and Tolbachik, all of them belong to the Klyuchevskaya volcano group. The second day we will stay in the surroundings of the camp to make photographs of the landscape and we will be ready to capture the beauty of the sunset and dawn. There is a small lake close to the base camp, perfect to make beautiful reflection photos of the volcanoes. The lenticularis clouds usually appear in the top of the volcanoes, a beautiful sight. 

Glaciers on the top of Ushkovsky volcano

The fourth day we will make a long hike to the lava canyons of Tolbachik and later to the amazing Valley of the Giants, crossing the tundra fields to reach a beautiful lake where the big volcanoes are reflected. This is a vast area and the hike will last for about 8 hours, with several stops to make photographs of the stunning landscape. It's a grizzly territory and it's possible to have an encounter with these beautiful and majestic animals. The grizzlies are usually shy and elusive, and they don't go close to the humans, specially if there is a group of people.

The canyons of Tolbachik and Zimina volcano on the left side

Beautiful panorama of the Valley of the Giants

The fifth day we will leave the camp to go to the volcanology station called "Horseshoe" on the eastern slope of the Klyuchevskoy volcano, where we will camp for 2 nights. From there we will have perfect views of the Shiveluch volcano the northermost active volcano in Kamchatka, and one of the most active of the Peninsula. Shiveluch is a high explosive volcano and it's also part of the Klyuchevskaya group. This volcano has several lava domes and it's famous because of its frequent pyroclastic flows.

We will stay there for 2 nights.

Shiveluch volcano in action from the volcanologist station called "Horseshoe"

Klyuchevskoy from the volcanologist station

The seventh day we will make the transfer to the Tolbachik area, the place of the spectacular eruption of Tolbachik volcano from November 2012 to August 2013. We will spend 3 nights in this area. Firstly we will visit the "dead forest", devastated by the 1975-76 eruption of Tolbachik volcano. It's a desolate place, full of volcanic cones and dead trees, where you can imagine the magnitude of the eruption. A moon-like landscape used in the Soviet Union era to test the lunar surface vehicles.

Dead forest at Tolbachik, a devastated place

We will spend several hours in this area where we can visit several lava caves, and weather permitting, we can enjoy stunning views to other 2 volcanoes from the distance: Kizimen and Kronotsky.

From left to right: Kronotsky and Kizimen (erupting) from the dead forest

The eighth day we will make a trekking to the new volcanic cones of Tolbachik, created by the big eruption of 2012-2013. It's a long hike and it will last for about 8-9 hours. We will cross the fresh lava flows to reach the big lava caves and finally the new cincer cones. It's an impressive landscape, where you can measure the power of nature. We will go to the top of the craters and from there we will have wonderful panoramic views of the big volcanic plateau. Plosky Tolbachik volcano is characterized for its big basaltic eruptions and viscous lava flows. It's one of the biggest and most active volcanic complexes in Kamchatka.

The active lava caves at Tolbachik (September 2013)

Panoramic view from one of the newest craters at Tolbachik

Big lava flows, Tolbachik volcano

Lava ropes, Tolbachik

Lava ropes

Walking on the moon, the lava flows at Tolbachik volcano

We will keep a reserve day because sometimes we will not be able to make one of the hikings or visit some areas because of the unpredictable weather conditions in Kamchatka. So with this reserve day we want to make sure we can make all the excursions. We will have a nice alternative excursion to fulfill the reserve day in case we can make all the excursions.

The 10th day we will make the transfer to the Malkinsky hot springs, on the way to Mutnovsky volcano area, where we will stay overnight. It will take almost all day (400 kms.) with a stop for lunch in the village of Milkovo. Kamchatka is one of the best places in the whole planet to enjoy a relaxing bath in the volcanic thermal areas, not crowded and simply perfect after some days of hiking excursions.

The 11th day we will make the transfer to the Vakin refuge, in the Mutnovsky volcano foothills. This is a wonderful location, the perfect place to start the hikings to the Mutnovsky and Gorely volcanoes. Weather permitting we will have amazing views of the surrounding volcanoes (Mutnovsky, Gorely, Opala and Khodutka)

Gorely volcano from the distance

Beautiful volcano over Opala volcano

Mutnovsky volcano from the refuge

The 12th day we will make a trekking to the interior of the Mutnovsky volcano crater (8-9 hours return trip). This is one of the highlights of the tour, an awesome place, it's like traveling to another planet...Fumaroles, geysers, glaciers, crater lakes, sulphur caves...you can find all these natural wonders at Mutnovsky volcano...A big geothermal area is inside its craters and we will enjoy with the colorful mud pools and sulfur fumaroles.

Canyons on the way to the top of Mutnovsky volcano

Glacier and the crater inside the Mutnovsky volcano

Sulphur fumaroles at Mutnovsky volcano

The colour of the glaciers inside Mutnovsky volcano

Opala volcano symmetric shape from the slopes of Mutnovsky volcano

The 13th day of our trip we will go to the base of the Gorely volcano to make a trekking to the top of this volcano. The duration of the trekking will be around 7-8 hours . The Gorely volcano has a very complex structure. It's formed by several craters and a huge caldera (13 x 9 kms). When we arrive at the top of the crater we will enjoy magnificient views of the lake inside the crater

The crater lake of Gorely volcano

From the top of the volcano we will also enjoy fantastic views of the big volcanic chain, including Vilyuchinsky, Avachinskaya, Koryasky, Opala, and Mutnovsky volcanoes.

Amazing views of Vilyuchinsky volcano from the top of Gorely

We will make a stop for lunch close to one of the biggest craters. A nice place to rest for a while enjoying the great views of the active craters.

At the edge of one of the craters at Gorely

Beautiful panorama of Gorely volcano

The 14th day, we will make the transfer back to Yelizovo where we will stay for the last night of the tour. We will cross the beautiful Paratunka Valley and we will enjoy wonderful views of the symmetric Vilyuchinsky volcano. From the Vilyuchik pass we will have nice views of the Avachinskaya and Koryasky volcanoes in the distance.

Vilyuchinsky volcano and the beautiful tundra

Koryasky and Avachinskaya from Vilyuchinsky pass

Koryasky and Avachinskaya from the guest house

Day 15: End of our wonderful tour. Transfer to the airport and departure

 PHOTO-TREKKING: VOLCANOES OF KAMCHATKA PENINSULA 2014 

Dates: 16-29 August (FULLY BOOKED!) and

 1-15 september 2014 (ONLY 5 PLACES AVAILABLE!)

Price: 1.985 Euros

 E-mail: roberto@x-ploregroup.com

www.x-ploregroup.com

http://x-ploregroup.com/holiday/volcano-bear-kamchatka/

DATES:

From 16th to 29th august 2014 (First Group): The trip in august have one day less compared to September tour, we will not have the reserve day that we have in the september tour. (FULLY BOOKED, NO PLACES AVAILABLE)

From 1st to 15th september 2014 (Second Group) ONLY 5 PLACES AVAILABLE!!

PRICE: 1.985 Euros

TYPE OF TRIP: PHOTO-TREKKING WITH LOCAL GUIDE AND PHOTOGRAPHER

INCLUDED

- Transfer to/from the airport in Kamchatka

- Transfers in a 6x6 vehicle

- Accommodation in tents and guest house

- Local guide and photographer

- Meals

NOT INCLUDED

- Flights

- Airport taxes

- Personal expenses

- Visa costs

- Insurance

- All the services not specified in the section “included”