Jewel of the Russian Far East
Voyage along the Cold War ‘frontier zone’ previously off-limits to foreigners | 25 days
The eastern seaboard of Russia dominates the North Pacific and yet very few people know anything about the coastlines of Chukotka, Koryak and Kamchatka, let alone have been there.
This isolation has protected one of its most valuable assets – its wilderness and to some degree, its wildlife.
The area was considered an important ‘frontier zone’ during the Cold War, so it was off-limits to foreigners. Even Russians had to get special permission to travel here. These limitations were changed in 1991/92 with Perestroika but that didn’t make it more accessible. If anything it is probably less accessible now than it was, as there are fewer people living in the region. This makes it the perfect destination for Expedition Cruising.
In winter much of the shoreline is choked by ice but, during spring and summer, the region is a hive of activity. In September the thousands of birds that migrated here will be preparing to leave. The reindeer and mountain sheep will feed in preparation for the harsh winter, while fat Kamchatka brown bears, which have gorged on berries in the early summer then feasted on salmon in the rivers and creeks, will be dozing in the late summer sunshine.
Autumn’s arrival paints vibrant colours on the tundra-cloaked hillsides and on this journey from Nome, Alaska to Otaru, Japan we will make numerous landings to experience untamed and beautiful landscapes..
Ship: Heritage Adventurer
When: Normally one departure annually in September
Guide price: Please ask
Important note: As a result of the Russia-Ukraine war, these voyages are suspended until further notice. We continue to watch the situation carefully and will issue updates accordingly.
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Clients’ comments
“Once again thank you very much for yet another wonderful trip to the Arctic. Memories from this trip have surpassed some of those of previous visits to this part of the world. The whole voyage provided me (and fellow passengers) the chance to see a part of the Arctic seen by few people and experience the vastness of the Northern Sea Route and the challenges it presents in the future”.
Peter Wright, The Northern Sea Route and Wrangel Island
“This was a wonderful trip. Getting there and back was slightly trying, not because of the airlines (both Transaero and Yakutia were good) but because of the length of the flights, the hassle of boarding, stopping over in Irkutsk on the way back, and of course the time changes (3 hours London/Moscow, nearly 9 hours Moscow/Petropavlovsk, and the reverse on the way back. The voyage itself was splendid. There were some early starts and late finishes, a few rather optimistic ‘dry landings’ from zodiacs (I always wore rubber wellingtons and always needed them) and one optimistic ‘walk’ through a pass between bays which involved ploughing through deep/very deep snow for about a mile while on a slope most of the way. But we took these in our stride. We saw tons of wildlife – literally; at least two dozen whales, more than 5,000 hauled-out walruses, about 50 sea-lions, dozens of seals, and at least 15 brown bears. We were successful in finding the spoon-billed sandpiper, and the scientific element of the trip was both enlightening and exciting.”
Chris Meader, In Bering’s wake, in search of the spoon-billed sandpiper