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HOME HOLIDAY PLANNER ADVENTURE AND DISCOVERY HIGHLIGHTS OF KAMCHATKA - BEARS AND VOLCANOES (KK-06)

Highlights of Kamchatka - Bears and Volcanoes (KK-06)

Group size
2-16 people
Season
Summer
Duration
12 days
Departs
As per schedule
Starts
Moscow
Ends
Moscow
Countries
Russia
Cities
Moscow, Kamchatka
Price
from £4,495
Reservation
View dates and prices
This truly unique tour for wild life and nature lovers will take place only once a year – in August, the best time to observe so many natural species in one place. You will travel to Kurilskoye Lake situated in the crater of an ancient volcano. The lake is recognized as the biggest spawning-ground for salmon in the world, and you will see the massive pink salmon swimming, as well as amazing scenes of bears fishing. As well as all this, the numerous active volcanoes and geysers are of course essential points in our tour. Indulge yourself by bathing in a hot thermal spring, walk within the crater of an active volcano, and enjoy the breathtaking view of Kamchatka from the helicopter on your way to the famous valley of the geysers!

IncludedServices included in the package price.
  • Accommodation
  • Breakfasts in Moscow
  • Full board in Kamchatka
  • Guided tours & entrance fees
  • Tour staff & support
  • Group equipment and gear
  • Airport transfers
  • Visas: checking service
Not includedServices not included in the package price.
Optional extras and upgradesMake your trip more rewarding. View options.
Practical informationAll you need to know about Go Russia packages.
Moscow
Day 1
Transfer from the airport to the hotel
Arrival in Moscow. Our driver will meet you in the arrival sector with a Go Russia sign board. Transfer to the hotel.
Day 2
Moscow City Centre Walking Tour
Transfer from the hotel to the airport
During the tour we will walk around major cultural and historical points in Moscow. We will visit Lubyanka Square - the world-famous KGB centre of the Soviet epoch, and the Teatralnaya Square next to Bolshoi Theatre. We will also visit Tverskaya Street - the main and the busiest street in Moscow - with lots of shops, restaurants and unique combination of old, Stalin and modern architecture. We will then take a stroll along the pedestrian zone near the Red Square. In the evening transfer to the airport for your overnight flight to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
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Domestic flight: Moscow - Kamchatka
Day 2
Flight to Petropavlovsk: Moscow - Kamchatka
Overnight flight from Moscow to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
Kamchatka
Day 3
Arrival in Petropavlovsk. Transfer from the airport to the hotel. Welcome lunch in a restaurant
Arrival in Petropavlovsk. Transfer from the airport to the hotel and check-in. Welcome lunch in a restaurant. Free time in the afternoon. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 4
Helicopter trip to the Ksudach Volcano
Helicopter flight to Kamchatka's famed Kurilskoye Lake
We will go by helicopter to the Ksudach Volcano (1hr). An excursion to the Schtubelya Crater Lake, inside the Ksudach Volcano, is followed by a visit to the beautiful waterfall which starts from the crater. We’ll also see the hot springs which have formed a hot beach on the shore of the lake. Later we take a short flight to Kamchatka's famed Kurilskoye Lake.
Day 5
Observing abundant wildlife: brown bears, steller sea eagles, spawning salmon and many other species
The next few days are spent observing Kamchatka’s abundant wildlife: brown bears, Steller sea eagles, spawning salmon and many other species. We’ll travel around the lake by motorboat and on foot. Accompanied by the lake wardens, you’ll visit a bear observation platform (250 meters from the lodge) very close to the Lake Kurilskoye delta. Here you'll have a good chance of taking some great pictures of bears fishing. Lake Kurilskoye is also recognized as the biggest spawning-ground for salmon in Eurasia, and is one of the best places in Kamchatka to observe salmon spawning. Biologists estimate that a sixth to a quarter of the world's Pacific salmon originate in Kamchatka! Migrating salmon travelling from the Pacific pause briefly at the lake and then make their way into the streams to spawn. We’ll also walk to meadows where bears feed on wild berries, and visit other spawning streams further from the lodge. There's a good chance that you'll see bears fishing just a few meters away as you walk along the banks of streams.
Day 6
Observing abundant wildlife: brown bears, steller sea eagles, spawning salmon and many other species
Today we continue observing Kamchatka's abundant wildlife.
Day 7
Walking excursion to a nearby bear view platform. Evening helicopter flight to the Khodutka River
Take walking excursions with local wardens to a nearby bear view platform (250 meters from the lodge). Evening helicopter MI-8 flight to stop for a bathe in the thermal hot water of the Khodutka River. This is the largest wild hot springs on Kamchatka. The water bubbles out on a section of tundra located just under Khodutka Volcano and forms a small stream. Farther from the source the water slowly cools and you can find the location where the temperature is right for you to take a swim. Helicopter lands near tent camp on Mutnovsky Volcano plateau, where our 4 or 6WD truck and Russian team will wait for you. Accommodation in tent camp.
Day 8
Excursion to the crater of Mutnovsky volcano
After breakfast we prepare for our day out at the volcano. You’ll need to take extra warm clothing and a water bottle. We’ll go by 6WD to get closer to the volcano, and then hike up it. Today we’ll reach the crater of the Mutnovsky volcano (2,323 meters). You’ll experience firsthand the thundering power of an active volcano - a cantankerous, belching 7,200 ft behemoth. You’ll feel as if you’re on another planet when you stand on the rim of its colossal, craggy crater. You’ll see a surreal blue crater lake wreathed in an ethereal cloak of mist, hear the deafening roar of the savage volcano all around you, and see sulphur-encrusted fumaroles emitting jets of steam. We complete this unforgettable experience by hiking along the narrow canyon to the crater. You’ll see the steep walls of the deep, vast crater, with its glittering glaciers split by cracks and the torches of fumaroles (A fumarole is an opening in Earth's crust which emit steam and gases such as carbon dioxide, hydrochloric acid, and hydrogen sulphide). Snack lunch in the crater. Return to the camp. Overnight in tents.
Day 9
Excursion to the Gorely volcano
After breakfast we’ll pack up and get ready for our day’s walk. You’ll need to take extra warm clothing and a water bottle. As on the previous day, we first use a 6WD to get closer to the volcano, and then hike up. Today’s destination - the Gorely volcano, a great geological phenomenon, which attracts professional geologists from all over the world. The Gorely volcano is a chain of 11 craters, side by side, with lakes, fumaroles, and about 40 secondary slag cones with torrents of lava. Here you’ll feel like a scientist studying the volcanic transformation process - the geological history of our planet!
Day 10
Return to Petropavlovsk by coach. A boat tour around Avacha bay. In the afternoon visit to Petropavlovsk Volcanology Institute. Overnight in a hotel
After breakfast, return to Petropavlovsk by coach. On arrival we have a boat tour around Avacha Bay, Petropavlovsk's historic gateway to the world. Try Russians’ favourite leisure activity - fishing, and taste Ukha, the famous Russian fish soup. We will go on to the island of Starichkov to watch sea birds and mammals. This trip is a unique opportunity to see the beautiful countryside around Petropavlovsk from the sea, explore the shores of Avachinskaya Bay, and watch colonies of seabirds in their natural environment. Return to Petropavlovsk for lunch. In the afternoon we visit Petropavlovsk Volcanology Institute, where you’ll have a brief introduction into the volcanic history and development of Kamchatka. You’ll hear about the relatively recent eruption of the Tolbachik volcano in 1975/1976, which made Kamchatka instantly famous. Overnight in a hotel.
Day 11
Helicopter trip to the Valley of Geysers (optional)
We will enjoy a breathtaking helicopter flight, skimming over Kamchatka's spine of towering volcanoes, and finally landing in the UNESCO World Heritage-Listed Valley of Geysers. Here we will see more than twenty active geysers and numerous mud pools, surrounded by beautiful and powerful water-and-steam fountains. Lunch will be provided during the day. Return to the helicopter base and then to Petropavlovsk. (This is an optional excursion).
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Kamchatka / Moscow
Day 12
Check-out from the hotel, transfer to the airport and depart to Moscow
Flight to Moscow: Kamchatka - Moscow
Transfer from the local airport to the international airport
Check-out from the hotel, transfer to the airport for your flight home.
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Dates and prices
Please read notes at the bottom of the table to learn more about the meaning of each pricing section
Travel package
Comfort
Year of travel
2024
Travel dates Flights Excluding / Including Single supplement Book
23/07/2024 - 03/08/2024 £4,495 / £5,595 £325 book now
26/07/2024 - 06/08/2024 £4,495 / £5,595 £325 book now
29/07/2024 - 09/08/2024 £4,495 / £5,595 £325 book now
01/08/2024 - 12/08/2024 £4,495 / £5,595 £325 book now
04/08/2024 - 15/08/2024 £4,495 / £5,595 £325 book now
07/08/2024 - 18/08/2024 £4,495 / £5,595 £325 book now
19/08/2024 - 30/08/2024 £4,495 / £5,595 £325 book now
28/08/2024 - 08/09/2024 £4,495 / £5,595 £325 book now
31/08/2024 - 11/09/2024 £4,495 / £5,595 £325 book now
03/09/2024 - 14/09/2024 £4,495 / £5,595 £325 book now
06/09/2024 - 17/09/2024 £4,495 / £5,595 £325 book now
09/09/2024 - 20/09/2024 £4,495 / £5,595 £325 book now

Note on pricing:

  1. All prices are per person, in British Pounds. All included services are listed in the tour dossier and the section "Included" in the tour description.
  2. Price "Including flight" is subject to airfare availability and will be reconfirmed upon your booking. We advise not to delay with booking your tour as airfares may go up.
  3. Price "Excluding flight" does not cover airfare, you are free to book your own flights.
  4. Single supplement goes towards single room (cabin for cruises) accommodation.
See what our clients say about this tour
We are very happy to have served thousands of happy customers who travelled with us.
Excellent tour in Kamchatka . The level of service was excellent! I would use the company again without hesitation and would recommend it to anyone!!!! Thank you
Everything worked perfect to the plan.
I had a great trip, Kamchatka was awesome. The arrangements went very smoothly, thanks.
We thoroughly enjoyed our adventure around Russia, so many thanks for all your help. Kazan was beautiful and the train was a lot of fun. Our highlight though was definitely the advenuture trip. Seeing bears in the wild was incredible!
Our guide, interpreter & cook were very energetic and helpful. The food quality during the trek was high and plentiful. The pleasant surprise availability of wooden cabins and UNESCO scientist huts accommodation at some sights. MI-8 helicopter transfers gave stunning views of the Krontsky area!
If you only go to Kamchatka once and like hiking - do this trip. Dropped off and picked up by helicopter and spent 2 weeks trekking through wilderness visited by 1-2 groups a year, so don't expect a well trodden path. Great variety from mud baths, hot spring baths, river crossings, walking in living volcano craters, swimming in the ocean and climbing to a glorious blue crater lake at the end and the odd bear, of course. Quite an expedition but with an armed ranger, cook, guide/translater and Russian hospitality - well looked after.

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