 Last light falls over Saivaskoye village, on the Amur River |
 I was on the trail of the Amur tiger, a beast whose survival skills in the harsh wilderness of the Russian Far East are legendary. But tigers in the wild are now a rare phenomenon in the Amur region, due to excessive poaching. The World Wildlife Fund is now trying to divert economic resources away from hunting and fishing towards more environmentally friendly pursuits, such as ecotourism.
Cruising the Amur River is a superb option for those who wish to experience nature at her rawest and finest. Along the way, the indigenous Nanai and Ulchi peoples still proudly maintain their ancient cultures.
There are now plans to build a tunnel from the Amur to Hokkaido (Japan), facilitating train travel all the way from Tokyo to London. If this does happen, the real Amur tigers may be those fortunate enough to be in on the project.
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