Kamchatka: Ethnic and Natural Treasures
DAY 1
Arrive in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and transfer to hotel. Join your fellow travelers for a dinner welcoming you on your adventure.
DAY 2
A guide will meet you at the hotel this morning for a comprehensive tour of the city. Learn about the region’s history, its indigenous cultures and its world-famous volcanoes through displays at the Local Lore Museum. Visit a local Art Gallery, the Central Market and souvenir shops.
DAY 3
Board an excursion boat for a look at the city of Petropavlovsk from Avacha Bay and a glimpse at the region’s natural wonders – you will have a chance to watch colonies of sea birds and seals on Starichkov Island.
DAY 4
Depart on a drive to the Cossack town of Milkovo with a stop along the way for a picnic lunch in a scenic area. Get acquainted with Cossack culture at the local museum and enjoy a relaxing banya (Russian sauna) in the evening. Overnight in a private hotel.
DAY 5
Say good-bye to the Cossack settlers as you leave for another ethnic adventure to the town of Esso. This town is inhabited by Evens – indigenous people of Kamchatka whose traditional occupations are reindeer breeding, fishing and trapping. Relax in a geothermal swimming pool in the town center (Esso is the only town in Kamchatka heated solely by geothermal waters) and spend the night in a private hotel or a local home.
DAY 6
Today will be devoted to exploring the Even culture. You will visit the local museum, a crafts shop, and witness a traditional dance performance by a local dance ensemble.
DAY 7
Drive back towards Petropavlovsk and stop at Paratunka Resort for overnight. The resort stands on hot mineral springs, in which you will have a chance to bathe.
DAY 8
The highlight of the Kamchatka trip will be today’s helicopter excursion to the famous Valley of Geysers. Revered by locals as a Land of Spirits, the valley is home to over 20 big geysers erupting with fountains of boiling hot water anywhere from every 10 minutes to every 4-5 hours. Enjoy the out-of-this world scenery created by steam and water shooting from under the ground, and amazingly green grasses and trees on the mountain slopes, but watch your step, as the grass may conceal pools of hot mud and water ready to burst out into the air! This tour will give you an opportunity to observe amazing landscapes as a helicopter flies you over some of the peninsula’s active and dormant volcanoes. See Karymsky Volcano,one of the most active in Kamchatka, and Maly Semyachik Volcano with an acidic lake in its crater. Just this day is worth making the trip halfway around the world, as it is sure to provide memories that last a lifetime.
DAY 9
Spend this day resting in Petropavlovsk before your trip home. You can take the time to souvenir shop, to explore the city on your own, or just to kick up your feet and relax in your hotel after a week full of adventures. Enjoy a farewell dinner tonight at a city restaurant.
DAY 10
Transfer to the airport for your flight home.
