 Kamchatkan brown bear on the prowl / Volcano views  |
Kamchatka's convoluted landscape, its brown bears and bubbling geysers are the show-stoppers of the Russian Far East. Ranks of smouldering, snow-capped volcanoes form a link in the Pacific 'Ring of Fire'.
In this Wild West frontier region, off-limits to travellers until recent years, travel is undertaken on an epic scale, whether by six-wheel-drive truck, 22-seater military-style helicopter or by inflatable rubber boat. Ironically, much of the region remains protected by strict nature reserves reserved in Soviet times.
The Russian Far East, located in the same time zone as New Zealand, nine hours east of Moscow, is not a destination for intrepid backpackers. An expedition cruise, drawing on local expertise and contacts, offers the best way to venture into this heavily indented and largely trackless terrain. East of the Kamchatka Peninsula, the bleakly beautiful Commander Islands mark the westernmost extent of the Aleutian chain, a haven for birdlife and the last resting place of the explorer Vitus Bering, shipwrecked here in 1741.
More images
|
