Traveling through Kamchatka. When is the best time to go? day. Climbing Plosky Tolbachik

In September 2012, I and two other Kaskadovites from Nizhnevartovsk flew from Kamchatka to the mainland. When I boarded the plane, I knew that I would come back here, because the topic of Kamchatka was not fully explored by me and I did not see much beauty. In 18 days we only managed to visit Nalychevo Park and Khalaktyrsky Beach.

And now, 2 years later, I went to Kamchatka again, from August 10 to September 1, 2014. The action plan was as follows:

• Arrival, accommodation, sleep after the flight, buy: gas, food, bear repellent.
• Three-day visit to southern Kamchatka:
  • Thermal GeoCHP
  • Country hot springs
  • Mini Valley of Geysers
  • Volcano Mutnovsky
  • Gorely Volcano
• Twelve-day hike in Central Kamchatka:
  • Volcano Plosky Tolbachik
  • Dead forest, northern eruption cones, lava caves
  • Lava flows
  • Go around the Plosky Tolbachik volcano alone, look at the entire Klyuchevskaya group of volcanoes and get to the natural monument – ​​Mount Polennitsa.

Initially, the trip was designed for two, but six months before the trip I found out that my partner would not be able to go, and at the same time I read Marina Galkina’s book “Alone at the End of the World” - about her solo, two-month journey through Chukotka. Inspired by her story, I decided to take a solo trip. Therefore, the search for a new partner was no longer necessary.

In general, public transport in Kamchatka is quite difficult and therefore many places are very difficult to get to, and travelers have to either rent a jeep (expensive) or hitchhike (free). But I solved the problem with transport (getting on routes) in a rather interesting way, by writing to a local tourist club, which is also involved in commercial tourism, saying that I’m from the mainland, but I don’t want to buy a tour, they say, I’m my own tourist and therefore asked me to just drop it off for the route, and take money only for fuel. And the travel club agreed, unlike ordinary travel agencies.

Start. First day in Kamchatka

It is difficult to determine the moment when the journey began, since one trip flowed into another. On the first of August I hitchhiked to St. Petersburg, after living there for 3 days, I went to Yekaterinburg to exchange a small backpack for hiking equipment and a backpack of one hundred and twenty liters. On the same day, August 6, I left for Nizhnevartovsk, from where I had a flight to Novosibirsk on August 9.

In Novosibirsk I stayed with Igor Korotaev, an old friend of mine. That day they showed me Akademgorodok, the Ob Sea, and also told me a lot of interesting things about the Philippines, Singapore, and Hong Kong. In general, I was inspired Southeast Asia and took note of it. On August 10 there was a flight to Khabarovsk, I ended up in Khabarovsk at 7 am on the 11th (such a good time jump). Three hours of waiting, and I start in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

But, stop! The adventures began on the Novosibirsk bus, on the way from railway station to the airport. The drive was about forty minutes, and so I decided to talk with my neighbor, whose name was Svetlana, it turned out that she was flying to Kamchatka on the same flight, and she herself was from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. After the flight to Kamchatka, she offered to go with her and her friends on a two-day rafting trip this weekend, but if there was no rafting, then we could take a walk to the Blue Lakes; for me, this fit right in between Southern and Central Kamchatka, and I agreed.

When you get off the plane, your home volcanoes - Avachinskaya and Koryakskaya Sopka - immediately catch your eye, and you understand what a beautiful land you have arrived in. They met Sveta at the airport, and at the same time they gave me a ride to the city. I note that in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky I did not live in a hotel or hostel, but again with couchsurfers. My couchsurfers worked until eight in the evening, and we had to wait for them. Since we arrived at two o’clock in the afternoon, we had to find something to do with these six hours of free time. It was decided to leave the heavy backpack with Sveta. Meanwhile, I wanted to go and buy gas, but because of the long flights and the time difference, I really wanted to sleep (when flying by Far East you must always take this into account), and therefore I slept on Sveta’s kitchen sofa while she went about her business. This is how I was extremely lucky to sleep in a calm environment, and not suffer for 6 hours from idleness and a wild desire to close my eyes and fall asleep somewhere on a lawn in the city, thanks to a chance meeting on the bus.

It is worth noting that Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is a city stretched into a thread 10 kilometers long along Avacha Bay, and moving around the city can be quite difficult and time-consuming. In the evening, Sveta agreed to give me a ride to the other end of the city to meet my couchsurfers - again, luck.

Second day in Kamchatka

Tuesday, August 12 - according to the plan, on this day I was supposed to buy food (the best place for this is the Shamsa supermarket chain), gas (Alpindustriya or the Kvartal shopping center), and bear repellents.

There were no problems with food. There was no gas in Alpukh, but it was found in the Kvartal shopping center. But with bear repellents, everything turned out to be much more complicated; flares were not available anywhere, so it was better to buy them in advance on the mainland.

Bear repellents:

• The simplest whistle (bears are afraid of sharp sounds)
• False flares - it is better to buy them in a plastic shell rather than in a paper one. Effective when meeting a bear nose to nose. Very heavy, better buy one piece
• Hunter's warning lights, good for scaring away bears at long distances, reusable, and very lightweight.

It's worth having all three with you. But at that time I only had a whistle, and I couldn’t buy everything else. I needed all these funds only in Central Kamchatka; I could go to South Kamchatka without them. Therefore, I called Svetlana and asked her to look for flares from friends until Saturday (while I was in southern Kamchatka), by that time we had decided that on Saturday-Sunday we would go to the Blue Lakes.

Also, I did not have a GPS - and in Kamchatka it is extremely necessary, since the weather changes very quickly, and fogs can appear for a long time.

Result of the day: bought gas and groceries, noGPS and flares.

Day 3. Departure to Southern Kamchatka

Wednesday, August 13th. In the morning I arrived at the tourist club named after. Gleb Travina (it was with him that I negotiated about transport), met the tour group guide Alexander, cook Nina and driver Alexey. According to the agreement, I was supposed to simply be taken to the Mutnovsky volcano, but along the way I made friends with the guide and the cook, and thus for the next three days in Kamchatka I lived with the group, moved around and ate with everyone - in this I was lucky (in which times already).

Then it became known that Alexander (the guide) would also go with me to Central Kamchatka (which means that they would feed me about three days until the group leaves.). And when he found out that I was going to go around Tolbachik alone, and even without GPS, he called me desperate (as many will call me in the future) and said that he could lend me his GPS completely disinterestedly, so thanks to another accident and luck The navigation issue has been resolved.

On this day I also met a tour group, among whom it is worth highlighting two Muscovites about 40 years old (Vitya and Sasha), they gave me important information about the condition of the road and the flow of cars from Skovordino to Yakutsk and further to Magadan. Three years ago they flew to Vladivostok, bought a minibus and drove through Yakutsk to Magadan. And since I plan to hitchhike next year along the route Ekb - Novosib - Irkutsk - Yakutsk - Magadan, their information about roads in Yakutia and the Magadan region was extremely interesting for me.

Among the attractions, we looked at the thermal geothermal power plant, swam in hot springs (Dachnye) and saw a mini-valley of geysers (truly Kamchatka is the land of fire and ice!).

Day 4 The bear incident and Mutnovsky volcano

Thursday, August 14th. In the morning I woke up at 6 am from loud voices, looking at the clock I was surprised that everyone got up so early, then I heard 3 claps and thought that someone was setting off fireworks (yeah, at 6 am). Then I realized that these were shots and decided to get out of the tent. It turned out that this is what happened. A pestun bear (a young 2-3 year old bear that had recently been driven away by its mother) came to our camp in the morning in search of food; it was somehow seen by a Korean photographer from a neighboring camp. While the bear behaved well, the Korean simply filmed it with a camera, but the bear, having eaten a flatbread of bread he found, decided to look for food in one of the tents (it turned out to be the tent of our guide Alexander). The bear left a mark of five claws on the awning of the tent, but did not go further because the Korean shouted “Tika! Tika!” (in Korean it’s like “Don’t! Don’t!”) and banged the spoon on the plate that was lying nearby. The bear was frightened by the sharp sounds, and besides, everyone began to crawl out of the tents, then, out of nowhere, a huntsman appeared and drove the bear away with three shots. Since we were in the park, only a huntsman can kill bears, and since it was known that the bear in the vicinity began to pester people, the huntsman was called a couple of days ago. This is such a cheerful morning. The rest of the day was devoted to climbing the Mutnovsky volcano, which consists of three craters, with many sulfur outlets, fumaroles, mini geysers, and boiling mud pots.

Day 5 Bear again, climbing Gorely volcano

At six o'clock in the morning three shots were heard again. Knowing that this was definitely not a fireworks display, I quickly left the tent to look at the fate of the bear. But this time the huntsman hit for sure - the bear was killed. It is worth adding that over the past two years the population of bears in Kamchatka has increased greatly, and therefore all the bears do not have enough food, as a result, hungry bears climb into populated areas and the number of people killed by them has increased significantly this summer. And this bear was very thin in mid-August - he had not eaten at all over the summer, and therefore most likely would not have survived the next winter.

The rest of the day was devoted to moving under the Gorely volcano and climbing it. Both ascents (to Mutnovsky and Gorely) are not difficult; there are good trails to both volcanoes (it’s hard to get lost). Gorely has 12 craters, but we examined 3 of the most interesting ones. During the descent, I came across a 72-year-old Japanese man, who, despite his age, still climbed the volcano, but began to descend before his group (so as not to delay them later), he was accompanied by a second guide from their group. And when I passed by, the knife that I had been carrying in my backpack for 3 days came in handy, just in case. The Japanese had a cramp in his leg and needed something sharp, I borrowed my knife, and the cramp was relieved. A couple of phrases in Japanese that I learned a couple of years ago were also useful. After talking with the guide and the Japanese, I left them a pen just in case the cramp happened again, and I ran to catch up with my group.

At the end of the day we drove back to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, stopping on the way to swim in the Verkhne-Paratunsky hot springs. Along the way, it turned out that hot and cold water was being turned off in the city for the next three days (Saturday-Monday)! Thus, I lost the opportunity to wash things and wash properly (but I did bathe in hot springs).

6-7 days. Blue lakes and new acquaintances

Saturday-Sunday, August 16-17. On the night from Friday (5th day) to Saturday (6th day) I spent the night with couchsurfers. On Saturday, at about 12 o’clock, a certain Alexander, a guy of about 27 years old, a candidate of agricultural sciences, arrived from Orenburg. He returned just from Plosky Tolbachik (Central Kamchatka), where I was going to go in a couple of days, so, after sharing a little impressions, he said that he was in good weather and he really liked it there. At 2 p.m. Sveta picked me up and in her jeep we went to Yelizovo, to pick up her friend Nadya, and from there straight to Blue Lakes. What are Blue Lakes? This is a 16 km path through the forest to the sources of the Polovinka River, and at the end three very beautiful ones await you, blue lakes, from which flows a river and a beautiful mountain range called the “circus”. On the first day we walked only 8 km; we decided to spend the night not in tents, but in houses (free), since in this area people constantly come across bears. We cooked fish soup for dinner.

On day 7 (Sunday) we got up early and went to the lakes light, leaving our things in the camp. In the evening we were at home in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, but we never saw a bear on the trail.

In the evening, Alexander from Orenburg gave me hunter signals, so something more significant was added to my whistle.

While I was in southern Kamchatka, Svetlana found 2 false flares in a plastic shell, so the issue with them was also successfully resolved.

Day 8 Departure to Kozyrevsk (Central Kamchatka)

Monday, August 18th. Met with new group. It’s 500 km to Kozyrevsk, and the drive takes ten hours. Why? Yes, because the roads in Kamchatka are gravel, and there is very little asphalt (it is only from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky to Milkovo, and even then not everywhere). Since the hotel in Kozyrevsk was not paid for for me (I only pay for the shift camp), I spent the night in the shift camp itself (Kyrgyzstan came to mind). Along the way, by the way, we made a stop in Sokochi and ate giant pies for 70-80 rubles.

Day 9 The road from Kozyrevsk to the Plosky Tolbachik volcano

We went to the cinder fields of the Big Fissure Tolbachik Eruption of 1975-1976 (south of Plosky Tolbachik) and new lava flows (2012-2013 eruption). The road from Kozyrevsk is about 70 km long. Off-road. We drove for about 6 hours. Gradually the forest gave way to slag fields. The last part of the journey we drove along the cooled lava of 2013.

The remaining half of the day was devoted to setting up camp (in strong wind conditions, we lined the tents with stones so that they would not be blown away by the same wind) and examining the lava flows. Important note, water in this place practical no. One of the few sources is the melting snowfields and glaciers on Tolbachiki, but it’s a long walk to them, so all the water here is imported. And you need to have water containers with you, totaling about 4 liters.

Upon arrival, I had only one question to solve: how to leave from here to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, since the group with which I arrived was leaving in two days, and I stayed for another week. Therefore, immediately after setting up the camp, I went to explore the surrounding area and came across a camp of geophysicists who announced that they would leave only on August 31 (my plane is on September 1). I quickly met them and became friends. I thought that when I returned here on the 29th, if I didn’t find anyone (other tour groups) before the 31st, I would leave with the geophysicists and calmed down about my departure from the area.

Day 10 Climbing Plosky Tolbachik

The height of the volcano is only 3000 m. No special acclimatization or equipment is required. A path leads upstairs. The only thing is that it’s cold at the top and warm at the bottom, so you need to take warm clothes and something windproof with you. And sunglasses. And a thermos with tea. And cookies). The climb to the top takes about 4 hours. I spoke more English that day than on bus tour in Norway. In general, the impression was that foreign tourists there are more people in Kamchatka than there are Russians. Mostly Europeans, less often Koreans, Japanese, Chinese. Almost all Europeans are pensioners, but they climb volcanoes very cheerfully. I met a German who lived in the GDR and studied in Kyiv, and even remembers the Russian language quite well.

We returned to camp at about six o'clock. It’s worth talking separately about lava fields. Outside they have cooled down, but inside the temperature can remain at 1000 degrees, and therefore hot air and various gas vapors can emanate from lava fractures. I watched as four geophysicists sat near a lava fracture and dried their boots there, plus they warmed themselves up. By the way, MTS fishes well on the Klyuchevskaya group of volcanoes.

Day 11 Dead forest, lava caves, group departure

In the morning we packed up the camp, except for my tent, which remained in splendid isolation. Here I was called desperate a couple more times, but I’m already used to it. We all went together in a shift car to the Dead Forest. Dead forest is trees covered half their height with volcanic slag in 1975-1976. But over forty years, the old trees turned into dry wood and died, and moss and lichen first appeared on the slag, then grass. Now, forty years later, there are places where new trees are growing.

We visited the Zvezda crater, into which lava caves lead. By the way, it is worth noting that among the group was Natalya Medvedeva, director of the Nizhny Novgorod newspaper “Studio NN”. It turned out that we have a mutual friend - Rufina (I met her while traveling in Norway) - it’s not a small world, but a thin layer.

Then there was an interesting scene, before the turn to Kozyrevsk, the shift stopped, the door opened, and a small backpack flew out of it and softly landed on the volcanic slag, then I jumped out. The entire crew waved their hands at me in unison, and they left, and I was left alone in the middle of the slag desert, six kilometers from the camp. I reached the tent in an hour and a half, on the way I met several tourist camps with shift workers (they gave me hope that in a week, when I return, there will be just as many of them).

From this moment my seven days of solo travel begin.

I spent the rest of the day drying wet things in the sun and enjoying the sun itself. Imagine: the slope of a hill, at the foot of it there are lava flows spreading into the distance, from above there is a blue sky, a warm sun, white clouds collide directly overhead, changing their shape, for about an hour I just lay on the slope of the hill.

Spent the night at the old place.

Kamchatka is one of the most exotic and interesting regions not only Russia, but the whole world.

I don't know if there are any other edges where you can find nearby ski resorts, ocean, volcanoes, thermal springs, “ethnic” villages and an incredible selection of seafood. What is the best and most convenient way to see all the sights of this region? I'll tell you... This is Kamchatka!

The main airport of Kamchatka, which is located twenty-five kilometers northwest of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, is located in an absolutely incredibly beautiful natural environment. I don’t even know if there is another airport in the world where, when landing, the plane first maneuvers between mountain ranges and volcanoes, then makes a turn over the city, as if showing passengers where they are flying, and, finally, descends over the most picturesque bay in the world.

If you are going to Kamchatka, then here are the options for excursions in this wonderful region.

Helicopter excursions

On this excursion you will have the opportunity to see all the beauties of Kamchatka, which are usually inaccessible to the eye while on earth. Rise above majestic volcanoes, inaccessible alpine lakes, river sources, impassable mountain ranges and forests. Visit the crater of active and sleeping ones. Enjoy the spectacle of all the diversity of the animal world of Kamchatka.

You can only see it from a bird's eye view unique world Kamchatka. Visit the most inaccessible and untouched places by civilization.

Sightseeing helicopter tours in Kamchatka last on average 5-6 hours, and allow you to explore most of the untouched territories, nature reserves and sanctuaries, volcanoes, geysers, hot springs, spawning rivers and lakes with one or two landings.

Helicopter excursions will allow you to see the Valley of Geysers, the caldera of the Uzon volcano, Nalychevo, Kuril Lake, Ksudach volcano, and much more.

Climbing volcanoes

Visit Kamchatka and not climb? Living in a region of volcanoes and not conquering at least one of them? Climbing the volcanoes of Kamchatka, one of the most interesting and popular tourist routes on the peninsula among tourists and local residents. The excursion will reveal majestic horizons, mountain ranges, endless threads of rivers and mirrors of lakes. You will feel all the greatness and power of nature as you walk along the narrow path between humanity and the universe. Standing at the top, you understand the very essence of existence. You will see the edge of the earth, where the world begins. You will be able to climb the volcanoes: Avachinsky, Gorely, Mutnovsky and to the “Veronica’s Spit” waterfall. Excursions last from 1 to 3 days.

Jeep tours

We offer you exciting trips in all-terrain vehicles along light "Jeeping" routes, overcoming gravel and forest roads, combined with walking and climbing volcanoes, as well as outright heavy off-road. You can see the beauty of Kamchatka, accessible only to hikers and those traveling on SUVs, feel the atmosphere of real adventure while driving through unique places: forests, fields, swamps, crossing rivers and mountain passes. Take a tour to Kuril Lake, in , to the waterfall "Veronica's Braids", to Gorely, Mutnovsky and Vachkazhets. Tours last one day.

Combined tours

If you like active recreation in the lap of nature, this is your option! Tours that combine active recreation on water, land and in the air are a series of impressions, bright and unforgettable, when emotions simply overwhelm. Such trips include hiking, climbing volcanoes, fishing, boat trips, diving, visiting nature reserves, hot springs, and geysers.

Horseback riding tours

You are about to experience an extraordinary feeling that is impossible to even imagine while standing with both feet on the ground. Only sitting in the saddle can you feel that feeling of flight, which from time immemorial was considered the privilege of birds. Horseback riding tours in Kamchatka are exciting and unforgettable one-day and multi-day trips to the shores of the Pacific Ocean, to the Timonovsky hot springs, across the endless and the most beautiful reserves, to the sources of rivers and blue lakes.

Boat trips

Among the variety of tours and excursions offered to tourists in Kamchatka, I would especially like to mention boat trips along Avacha Bay and cruises along East coast peninsula, Komandorsky and Kuril Islands. This is not only a great opportunity to fully enjoy sea ​​voyage, but also to visit unique reserves Kamchatka region. Watch the bird colonies. Trace the migration routes of whales. Enjoy the game of white-sided beauties Killer Whales. Race through the waves with Kamchatka dolphins.

During excursions, on comfortable ships you enjoy the views picturesque bays, bays, steep rocky shores and grottoes. You take part in sea fishing. Experienced divers will retrieve sea delicacies from the seabed: Kamchatka crab, sea ​​urchin, which you can taste without leaving the deck.

The cheapest tickets from Moscow and back

Rafting on the rivers of the Kamchatka Territory is one of the types of active water tourism. This ideal option for relaxing with friends, colleagues or family. No special skills or special physical training are required, suitable even for beginners and amateurs active recreation. Also, this type of recreation will help you relax, take a break from work and the bustle of the city in a short period of time. River rafting in the spring, as they say “on big water,” is interesting because rivers have maximum speed currents, which is very interesting for people who want to tickle their nerves.

In summer, river rafting has other advantages: it’s warm, you can sunbathe, and fish. At the same time, the rivers become calmer, so you can safely take your children with you. Rafting on the rivers of Kamchatka is interesting because the landscapes along the banks of our rivers are constantly changing. The beauty and grandeur of the rocky shores, forests, and turbulent tributaries are amazing. The nature of Kamchatka is also rich in local forest inhabitants: foxes, hares, bears.

There are enough comfortable hotels in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Hotels in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky on their official websites offer their guests a choice of large number rooms at different prices and services. Additionally, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky hotels offer a large number of different special offers.

Use all the opportunities to plan trips and business trips to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky! Hotels in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky are waiting!

What types of hotels are there in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and how do they differ? The minimum cost of living in hotels in the city is 1,200 rubles. There are several such hotels. Mini Hotels Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. The minimum cost of living is from 700 rubles. These are small hotels that can simultaneously accommodate from 10 to 40 guests. Some mini-hotels have their own cafe. You can also stay at guest house or a mountain sports base. You can choose the most suitable option for yourself.

A magical land awaits you. Welcome to the experience!

Read about Kamchatka.

There are places in the world where you envy yourself when you are there. One of these places is Kamchatka, an amazing land of volcanoes! It always seemed to me something very distant, difficult and expensive, so I once again went to conquer new continents, leaving the far eastern corner of my country for some time later.

Then it came unexpectedly. At the beginning of April, Aeroflot and Transaero simultaneously had summer tickets from Moscow to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and back for 18,000 rubles, which was unprecedented generosity considering the flight range, and we didn’t think twice about it. Within a day, a group of people had gathered, we bought tickets and began planning the trip. Actually, at that moment all planning came down to what I found from Kamchatka travel agencies interesting route called the Pacific Rim, I read a couple of reports from people who had walked it on their own, believed in our strength and took this route as a basis. I didn’t know then that the weather and nature would make significant adjustments to our plan, and half of our plans would not come true. But this did not make the trip any less interesting and eventful.

When to go to Kamchatka? Weather

Buying tickets at the beginning of April, we, of course, could not imagine that in addition to a very snowy winter there would be a very late spring, which, it seems, came to Kamchatka along with our arrival on July 24th. On the first day, blooming lilacs greeted us on the streets of the City. And we spent the next three days among two-meter snowdrifts of dense July snow, of which there was so much around that it seemed as if we were in the Kingdom of White with rare islands of thawed patches covered with bright spring flowers.

The snow was wet, and along with it, the feet in “waterproof” boots were constantly wet. It is no coincidence that local guides only wear rubber boots! Periodically squeezing water out of socks became a common practice, but thanks to the sunny weather and +20 degrees of heat, no one ended up getting sick.

Local residents told us that it rained continuously throughout June, the weather in July was also not pleasant, and the only six sunny days in July fell just at the beginning of our trip to Kamchatka.

One day I talked to a girl from Moscow, who said that she was in Kamchatka at the same time three years ago, and then the nature resembled the sun-scorched steppes of the Crimea, and it was so hot that the group did some transitions and ascents in swimsuits/ swimming trunks So it doesn't happen year after year. But we saw an incredible combination of snow, bright greenery and amazing Kamchatka flowers - contrasts were everywhere!

Unfortunately, a week after our arrival the weather deteriorated, it rained continuously for two days, and the remaining three days were cloudy. So we never saw the volcanoes from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, and the coast Pacific Ocean It was cloudy and drizzly.

Next time, I’ll probably try to come to Kamchatka at the end of August, and again sometime in mid-late September, in order to catch both the berries and the colors of autumn, so as not to walk in the snow and easily wade through the shallow waters. mountain rivers, and also try to see how the fish goes to spawn. And the bears will already be full))

Features of Kamchatka

The first thing that catches your eye upon arrival is the right-hand drive cars. There are probably more than 90 percent of them in Kamchatka. At the entrance/exit of the airport around the parking ticket terminal there are even two lanes - for left-hand drive cars and for right-hand drive cars. The few left-hand drive cars are either rare domestic ones or completely new cars from the showroom. Among the cars, Japanese ones predominate. And among the left-hand drive buses there are Korean ones.

There are few roads in Kamchatka, and even fewer asphalt roads, so the vast majority of cars are SUVs. Delica, mounted on tall and wide wheels, is very popular - on such units people manage to drive almost to the very top of the Gorely volcano, as much as 1500 meters.

Organized tourists are transported on shift vehicles made on the basis of Kamaz, GAZ and ZIL.

There are only one or two cities in Kamchatka. But for local residents of Kamchatka, only Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky deserves the name City. That’s what they usually say: “I’m going to the City, I can give you a ride to the City.”

The self-name of the local residents is Kamchadal.

Although Kamchatka is not an island, but a peninsula, the rest of Russia is called the “mainland”, and visiting Russians are called “from the mainland”. There are no roads connecting Kamchatka with “mainland” Russia through Chukotka or the Magadan region (except for winter roads), and getting to Big Earth only possible by plane or sea.

If you want to pass as one of your own, put the emphasis on the first syllable in the names of the settlements Elizovo, Pinachevo and Nalychevo))

Prices in Kamchatka for food, transport and housing

We knew that everything in Kamchatka is very expensive, so we brought all the food with us for an autonomous trip for 10 days from Moscow.

IN last days in Kamchatka we went on an “excursion” to the largest supermarket on the peninsula called Shamsa, we were horrified local prices. A kilogram of apples at the beginning of August cost 200 rubles, a kilogram of bananas 180 rubles. There's a problem with dairy products! It is difficult for a resident of “mainland” Russia, accustomed to the variety of milk and kefir, to look without tears at a small shelf in a huge supermarket, where a couple of dozen packages of gourmet kefir are laid out in 3 piles. 73 rubles per 400 grams. That's 182 rubles for the usual liter/kilo of kefir!!!

Since we had plenty of food with us, we only bought caviar on the spot (1,600 rubles per kilo of chum salmon caviar, 1,800 rubles per kilo of sockeye salmon or pink salmon caviar, 2,500 rubles per kilo of Chinook salmon caviar), cold-smoked fish (700 rubles . per kilo of sockeye salmon or chinook salmon), potatoes (30 rubles/kilo), bread and expensive “delicacy” butter. We were pleased with the prices for fresh fish - from 80 rubles per kilogram of salmon fish.

The prices in the restaurants turned out to be surprisingly no higher than in Moscow, while the portions were large and the food was very, very tasty. I really liked the Boulevard restaurant in shopping center Shamsa on Pobeda Avenue - I have never eaten such delicious sushi and miso soups in Moscow! We had a nice lunch at the Ugli restaurant on KP (that’s what everyone calls it Komsomolskaya Square): the moose cutlet with honeysuckle and the fried bracken were incredible!

Intercity public transport turned out to be very expensive! The bus from Yelizovo to Termalny for 75 rubles did not really surprise us, but the bus from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky to Malka for 525 rubles for 130 kilometers made us think... However, on the first day we found out for ourselves that in Kamchatka there is excellent hitchhiking on the roads of any quality, and communication with local residents greatly enriches the Kamchatka experience, so the idea of ​​traveling by bus was abandoned for a combination of reasons. Thanks to hitchhiking, we met very interesting people, as with simple Kamchadals who are afraid of bears and do not go beyond their borders settlement or vehicle, and with lovers of active outdoor recreation, racing around the peninsula on snowmobiles, motorcycles and even trikes. And, of course, each of them had their own bear story!

We had accommodation in Kamchatka with us, and we spent the first 9 nights comfortably in our tents.

Hotel prices in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky are inhumane, but they are very easy to rent daily apartment– we were very pleased with our studio apartment with a fresh renovation, modern interior, perfect cleanliness and a set of absolutely everything you might need for a normal life, at a price of 1,800 rubles per day (easily and comfortably accommodates four)!

Independent travel around Kamchatka

Traveling around Kamchatka on your own with some preparation at home turned out to be incredibly easy. Reports and GPS tracks are posted on the Internet independent tourists, which are good to have for reference on the ground. Once again, the free offline MapsWithMe map turned out to be very useful, on which most of the trails, hot springs, and waterfalls were marked. Near Gorely, Mutnovsky, at the Dachny and Nizhne-Vilyuchinsky springs, we set up tents in places clearly intended for these purposes - somewhere nearby there were groups of organized tourists, in other places we were alone, but there were fireplaces and even benches.

Wherever there is something going on, you can hitch a ride, and even shift workers with organized tourists give rides.

In terms of information, the Modern Guide to Kamchatka, published by the local visitor center, turned out to be valuable - you can ask for this book at the visitor center in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky on Lenin Street and get it for free! It’s a pity that I only acquired this book at the end of my trip, but it will clearly prove extremely useful in preparing for the next one.

What to take with you on a hike in Kamchatka?

In summer in Kamchatka, anything can come in handy - from a light down jacket to a swimsuit! So you need to take clothes for any weather: a swimsuit/swimming trunks for hot springs, thermal underwear (at least a top) for comfortable transitions to weather conditions, changing from cold to warm, synthetic sweaters with long sleeves so as not to get burned under the scorching sun, a raincoat and trousers from the rain, lightweight warming fleeces, a windbreaker.

A rain cover for a backpack or a waterproof bag inside a backpack - it will be very useful during fords, so as not to be afraid of getting things inside the backpack wet.

Large sunglasses are essential as long treks in the snow under the scorching sun can turn any beautiful day into hell. Sunscreen and lip balm with a high sun protection factor, as you get sunburned very easily in the mountains. Panama.

Trekking poles make the ascents and descents very easy, as well as fording rivers.

In addition to comfortable, worn-in shoes (preferably waterproof, but this will not help if you constantly walk in wet snow), sandals for wading rivers will not hurt.

We took down sleeping bags, so we slept softly and warmly everywhere. The guys came with thermal rests, I got by with foam just fine.

A mosquito net was very important - there were a lot of mosquitoes almost everywhere!

Flashlight. Seat.

Bear protection! You can use horns (we bought them at Sportmaster), fan pipes (they are inconvenient because you have to blow them, which is difficult during long marches, it is better to buy horns in the shape of a pear, which you can easily crush in your hand), whistles. On site in Yelizovo you need to buy flares - a pulled pin produces a green or red flame 20 cm long for 30 seconds, which will help when meeting a bear face to face.

I read somewhere that vinegar helps against animals, including bears, so we took 0.3 liters with us and sprinkled the area around the tent in particularly bear-prone areas.

Fleece gloves and a hat were not useful - there was no cold anywhere, although near Gorely and Mutnovsky immediately after sunset it became noticeably colder, and the hood of a windbreaker was in demand.

Travel layout. Nutrition

We brought all the food with us to Kamchatka from Moscow.

At first there was an idea to buy freeze-dried ready-made meals from the Gala-Gala company, well-known in hiking circles, but the tasting did not impress us - one dish was too salty, the second smelled like chicken droppings. So we took cereals (buckwheat, rice, lentils, millet, oatmeal), pasta, dry mashed potatoes, biscuits, sausage, lard, dried pork and chicken (freeze-dried meat) in the oven, took dry Podtravka soups, to which we added dried carrots and onions from Auchan. For sweets and snacks, we had hazelnuts, raisins, dried apricots, halva, sherbet, kozinaki and Alenka chocolate. Plus green and black tea, sugar. We ate deliciously, no one went hungry, and in the end I didn’t lose a single kilo, although the increased nutrition in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky during the last three days of the trip may have had an effect.

Most of the food items were packed in plastic bottles for milk and Shishkin Les water and in liter paper bags for milk and kefir.

The layout was based on 700 grams of dry product per person per day. As a result, at the start everyone had 8 kg. food. Seryoga and I’s backpacks in Sheremetyevo weighed 20 kilos each, our two traveling companions weighed 25 kilos each, but it all also depends on how much extra unnecessary crap someone took as personal belongings))

Since immediately after arrival we wanted to go to the Gorely volcano, and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky was slightly out of the way, I was tormented by the question of whether it was possible to buy gas and flares in Yelizovo. I have not found the answer to this simple question on the Internet. Elizovo, where the airport is located, seemed like a village to me, but it turned out that it is one of three full-fledged and self-sufficient cities in Kamchatka, where there is absolutely everything. Right next to the bus station there are many tourist, hunting and fishing shops where you can buy gas and flares. Plus, there is a market with red caviar and fish nearby)) So, going to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky to purchase what you need to buy in Kamchatka, since you can’t bring it from Moscow, is completely unnecessary - you can buy everything you need in Yelizovo and immediately move out at least near Gorely, or near Avachinsky, or even to the north, which is much more convenient to do from Yelizovo!

Kamchatka is the outskirts of Russian land. I’ll tell you why you should come here, how to visit volcanoes for free, get paid for it, not be afraid of bears and be a good guy.

If you haven’t heard anything about the volcano peninsula, and the word Kamchatka evokes associations with the unattainable beauty of wild places, then you simply haven’t seen these photos and haven’t come across thoughtful notes from good travelers on the Internet.

In fact, everything is extremely simple (as in any business), and in the case of Kamchatka it can turn out to be pleasantly cheap and as accessible as possible.

A little bonus: tickets from Vladivostok and from Moscow to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky are sold at the same price, despite the huge difference in distance, and if you buy at least two weeks in advance, you can find them for 12 thousand rubles one way. I don't think that's a lot.

What I saw while flying over Kamchatka cannot be compared with any Indonesia... whole complexes of volcanoes, colored lakes, rivers, hills, forests... I didn’t even think that this could happen, not just somewhere there, but in our native Russia! If you're wondering whether it's worth it or not, then rest assured, it's a definite YES!

Where to stay

In Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and the main tourist spots there are hotels, apartments for rent and recreation centers. You can find recreation centers through a search engine or on site, and a hotel in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky can be selected and booked in advance based on reviews and ratings:

You can also stay with local residents by booking an apartment through the website. Apartments for daily rent in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky through this site cost an average of $45 per day (from $20 to $80).

How to travel around Kamchatka

Season for traveling around Kamchatka- from July to September. But all year round you can take commercial tours and excursions, travel to volcanoes on your own, or get a job in travel company and make money by visiting volcanoes - you choose which side to end up on.

The cost of tours in Kamchatka is high, and visiting all territories is free, that is, permits have not yet been introduced here.

Tours and excursions in Kamchatka

If you have money and you just came to relax, then a huge number of tourism organizations are at your service; choose any hikes and excursions upon arrival on the spot or through websites that offer tours.

Hitchhiking and buses in Kamchatka

You can also take the position of a tramp who is not interested in money and company, open maps.me maps and feel free to travel along the indicated paths, as I do, for example.

Hitchhiking in Kamchatka very pleasant, the locals are kind, relaxed, they are always interested in who you are, where you are from, how things are on the mainland..

Bus Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky - Ust-Kamchatsk costs 3,000 rubles and this is the farthest distance, therefore all other routes are within this amount.

Around Kamchatka in a rented car

In Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky you can rent a car for independent trips. The cost, depending on the season and car brand, is 2-4 thousand rubles per day (on average). Gasoline in Kamchatka costs around 44 rubles/liter. You can go around a lot cool places with the exception of some, where only a snowmobile or ZIL can travel, or peaks and volcanoes, where you can only climb with your feet.

Work in Kamchatka and travel for a salary

If you are ready to work, but it seems to you that you can’t do anything special, then know: you know more than enough.

Who is needed? Current needs include: a cook (preparing food for hikes, fishing, rafting), a porter (carrying backpacks for pampered tourists), an assistant guide, or a guide himself (we download routes, read literature and lead a group, if we have relevant experience, of course), or translator (very relevant).

Salary on average five thousand a day, hikes on average every week, the highest season is July, August, half of September. If you know languages ​​other than English, they pay quite nicely.

About prices in Kamchatka

In general, prices in Kamchatka are not as exorbitant as is commonly thought, if you do not take into account fruits and dairy products.

Half a liter of kefir costs 70 rubles; in principle, you can live magically with this, especially if you earn money here. A loaf of bread costs 30 rubles, canned food is the same as in any town on the mainland.

Otherwise, everything here is the same as everywhere else: there are billiards, bathhouses, cafes and taxis.

Hiking and rafting costs vary, visiting the territories themselves is free, and prices for hikes and excursions are crazy, so be wiser, download maps to your phones and go on a trip yourself. You will definitely fall in love with the volcano peninsula, there is no other way here.

What to see in Kamchatka

There are only two cities in Kamchatka: Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (PK) and Yelizovo, all junctions, road and public, are tied around them. First of all, we get into the PC and from there we move on in a rented car or hitchhiking - whoever is up to it.

Sopka Mishennaya

The first thing everyone should visit is the observation hill in the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (Mishennaya Hill, stop “6 km”), from there there is a cool view of the city, bay, ocean and two main volcanoes on the horizon.

Volcanoes of Kamchatka

All volcanoes are located in separate groups, and some of them can be reached by road, sometimes even paved. Some territories are protected areas (the Kronotskoye Lake area, the area) and can only be reached there by helicopter and for a lot of money.

Of course, you can walk on foot in good weather in a couple of days, but if you get caught, then at best you will get into administrative trouble for lack of permission (I personally rebelled on a hike, but snow and common sense stopped us).

You can get a job there as a volunteer - it’s no problem, just like that airstop No one has canceled it yet, it also works (if you agree with the pilot, you can fly for free).

The nearest group of volcanoes can be reached in two hours from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Just open the maps.me map, find the Avachinskaya Sopka volcano, look where the path leading from it leads, and go to that point. If you hitchhike, then you will need to cover another 16 kilometers from the highway along the trail (if there are cars, of course, they will give you a lift), and feel free to crash tent camp in the bushes at the foot.

Avachinskaya Sopka

This is the easiest volcano from where you can see incredible beauty with minimal effort. In the summer this is the level of a simple walk, and we walked in bad weather in the snow and in strong winds, this was my most difficult climb(and I did a lot). The volcano is active and periodically vibrates and makes humming sounds, sometimes stones fly out of the crater, but this does not bother anyone. The rock on the volcano is red, the fumaroles are doing their thing, the steam is coming out in two streams, the top is quite hot, by going down into the crater you can hide from the wind and drink tea and chocolate!

Koryak hill

Opposite Avachinsky there is the Koryakskaya Sopka volcano (3456 meters). All the locals say that only equipped professional climbers go to it and the routes to it are not registered at the base. We found route 1 B on the Internet and conquered it the day after Avachinsky. We were incredibly lucky with the weather, the sun was shining and there was absolutely no wind.

The most beautiful scenery this group can be observed from the Kozelsky volcano; the path to it leads through Avachinsky.

Group of Gorely and Mutnovsky volcanoes

From Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky you can take a bus to the village of Termalny (95 rubles) and turn onto the Mutnovskaya GeoPP, this is the road to another group of volcanoes, which is famous for its cosmic landscapes.

I went to Gorely volcano in the evening and spent the night with a tent in the forest, not reaching 35 kilometers. I pitched my tent at the campsite and decided that I didn’t want to meet bears. Foxes came at night, but before I realized it, I remembered everything colorful that had happened in my life, and exhaled, realizing that they were not bears.

A few words about bears in Kamchatka

The kindest and shyest (or my karma is good).

These are not polar bears, they are not at all interested in destroying everything in their path, and people are not a delicacy for them. Especially in September, when the bear is already well-fed and picking berries.

The only thing you should beware of is the bear cubs, because somewhere next to them there is definitely a big mother who will definitely suspect you as a threat to her babies.

Undoubtedly, every year about a dozen people die from bears, and the remaining five thousand who were lucky enough to see them up close remained alive and happy, I think this is a good statistic. It turns out that it is much more logical to be afraid of car accidents than of bears, they are much more common. And of course, removing trash from nature, because feeding a bear is always not good.

Erupting volcanoes of Kamchatka

The craziest adventure was my trip to the village of Klyuchi, where the Klyuchevskaya Sopka volcano is now erupting. Before that, I thought that an eruption was some kind of process of ejecting lava, like a lightning-fast phenomenon... Here lava has been flowing along the slopes since April, and gathers huge crowds of tourists from all over the world.

You can’t see her during the day, she’s black and inconspicuous, but at night... This is the most unreal thing I’ve ever seen! Lava splashes out a hundred-meter fountain and scatters along the slope of a tall mountain.

It seems that these are just coals flying at the speed of a feather, but you realize that these are huge blocks, and they fly very quickly, it’s just a huge height, what a force it is that pushes them out of there!! An incredibly sticky and cosmic spectacle, an indescribable delight.

They even try to climb it, but mostly everyone ends up with ash and people descend. One got hit on the helmet with a piece of hot stone, one got lost and wandered along the bed of a dry river for four days, going down...

The other day another volcano from that group began to erupt. It simply threw kilometers of ash into the air and a layer of dirt several centimeters fell on the cars, and continued to fall for some time; I won’t say that it was a harmless thing. In general, you won't get bored here.

Other places

I almost forgot, the city of Ust-Kamchatsk! Rows of Khrushchev-era apartment buildings, dilapidated wooden houses, landscapes of the consequences of the apocalypse, garbage dumps with rotting fish and bears, all this on the ocean shore with a cemetery of sunken ships and ultra-modern wind turbines.

However, getting here is already a whole adventure, hitchhiking is good, but the spaces between cars are filled with a specific romance... There is a forest in the area, there are a lot of bears, there are few cars, we collect chaga, drink teas, pick mushrooms, cook buckwheat, sleep on the edge of the forest, eat berries. .