Kamchatka, Russia Photosafari from 21 Aug to 1 Sep 2017

Kamchatka, the Land of Fire and Ice.

Kamchatka is one of the most spectacular regions in Russia. The peninsula occupies an area that is equivalent to the size California. This area has more than 160 volcanoes out of which 29 are active. Geysers and hot springs marked the land. In fact, it lies in the Great Pacific Rim of Fire. The large variation in climatic zones encourages the growth of a great variety of flora and fauna. Brown bears and other animals also call this place home.

Until 1990, no foreigners are allowed to visit this place. It was in 1991 that this place was eventually opened to tourists and foreign visitor. Exploring Kamchatka used to be reserved for the rich. There are no roads, tracks or railway. The only way you can see Kamchatka then was to hire a helicopter.

Today, Kamchatka has opened up, roads and tracks were built into the interior and lodging houses with modern facilities started sprouting up. This place is still unspoilt and not many foreigners have visited it. Here is your chance to take part in this adventure of a lifetime.

Kamchatka Route Map

We will be moving from one place to another by 6WD vehicles remodelled into comfortable buses. The team will be led by two experience photographers, a professional driver, a local nature guide, a professional chef and a local hunter armed with rifles. We are trying to make this tour as comfortable, well equipped, self-contained, and safely as possible.

The highlights of this adventure is the visit to the valley of the giants, geysers, hot springs, active volcanoes like Kluchevskaya and Tolbachik. In Tolbachik, we can toast our bread on the hot lava rocks. Other than the beautiful sceneries and landscapes during the flowering season, we will also encounter endemic animals like the red fox, arctic fox, brown bear, hare, sable, mink, wolf, lynx, elk, reindeer, snow sheep, and others.

For those who are interested in photographing birds, there are the stellar sea eagle, golden eagle, peregrine, rock ptarmigan, willow ptarmigan, black-billed capercalive, long-tailed hawk, owl, swans and others.

We will be taking a boat ride off the coast of Kamchatka to capture the ocean wildlife like whales, seals and various types of birds like the puffins, seagull, etc

Camping

Kamchatka is a relatively new National Park. Although there are road tracks being constructed, tourism has not reached this area. There are a camping stations being established within the national park to make it as comfortable for visitors as possible. Two person tents, Kitchen and Mass Hall Tents are provided. Also provided are sleeping bags, mattresses, water and solar lights. We will hire a cook to cook all our meals when we are out in the national park. A modern day camping experience will be provided. However, we will have a few nights that we will be staying in Hotels in bigger towns.

How do you get there?

There is a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Moscow from there, it is a domestic flight from Moscow to Petropavlovsk.

Kl to Moscow flight

Domestic flight, Moscow to Petropavlovsk.

Itinerary

Day 1 (21 Aug) – Petropavlovsk (D)

Arrive at Petropavlovsk Airport
Check-in Blue Lagoon Hotel (this hotel has a hot spring pool)
Dinner
Briefing and discussion of finer points of photographing in Kamchatka.

Day 2 (22 Aug) – Tolbachik Volcano (B,L,D)

Breakfast
Start of adventure
First stop, Leningradskaya Station on the Southern side of Ostry and Plosky volcanoes.
Photographing landscapes, sceneries and wildlife on the way. We will stop whenever a photography opportunity arises.
Lunch
Set-up camp. Our camp will include a huge kitchen-tent with tables and chairs, sleeping tents, water supply, and lighting.
More photography of the surrounding landscape and wildlife
Dinner
Briefing of next day’s program

Day 3 (23 Aug) Lava Fields at Tolbachik volcano area (B,L,D)

Sunrise shoot
Breakfast
Visit lava fields and areas where the lava still flows.
Dinner
Briefing for next day’s program

Day 4 (24 Aug) Ascend Mt Tolbachik (B,L,D)

Breakfast
Ascend Mt Tolbachik to photograph the volcano crater. This is an easy trek. The ascent is about 900 m. The trek is optional. Those who do not want to ascend the mountain will photograph the wonderful scenery around the camp
Packed lunch
Dinner
Briefing on next day’s program

Day 5 (25 Aug) – Klucheyskaya (B,L,D)

Breakfast
Break camp
Drive to Klucheyskaya
Set up camp near “The Hoof”
Domashnjaya Mountians
From here you can shoot the sunrise and sunset of this landscape.
A gentle hike to the beautiful river canyon with about 250m ascend

Packed lunch
Back by dinner
Briefing on next day’s program

Day 6 (26 Aug) – Podkova Seismic Station (B,L,D)

Breakfast
Relocation of camp to Podkova Seismic Station
This area has great views of Mt Klyuchevskaya volcano
Dinner
Briefing on next day’s program

Day 7 (27 Aug) – Relocation to Cabins (B,L,D)

Breakfast
Morning free & easy
Drive back to civilisation
Dinner
Briefing on next day’s program

Day 8 (28 Aug) – Mutnovsky Volcano (B,L,D)

Breakfast
Relocation to Mutnovsky-Gorely Volcano
This are is south of Petropavlovsk
Lunch
Set up camp
Sunset shoot
Dinner
Briefing on next day’s program

Day 9 (29 Aug) – Mutnovsky-Gorely Volcano (B,L,D)

Breakfast
Drive to Mutnovsky volcano.
Walk up to the volcano crater.
Mutnovsky is an active volcano. There are many geological wonders like acid pools, fumarolas, craters and caves.
Dinner
Briefing on next day’s program

Day 10 (30 Aug)– Petropavlovsky-Kamchatsky (B,L,D)

Breakfast
Visit the Ice caves in Mutnovsky Volcano
Lunch
Drive back to Petropavlovsky
Check-in hotel
Dinner

Day 11 (31 Aug) – Petropavlovsky-Kamchatsky (B,L,D)

Breakfast
Boat tours in the Avacha Bay.
We will start early in the morning from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy and continue North along the shore looking out for whales, seals, birds. We will have a diver on-board to get us fresh fish and crabs.
Our chef will cook them for us.
We will get back to our hotel just in the evening.

Day 12 (1 Sep) – Departure for home (B)