Location: Kamchatka Krai
Top Things to do in Kamchatka Krai
Top Restaurants in Kamchatka Krai
Countries
Top 10 Things to do in Kamchatka Krai, Russia
Kamchatka Krai (Russian: Камча́тский край, tr. Kamchatsky kray, IPA: [kɐmˈtɕatskʲɪj kraj]) is a federal subject (a krai) of Russia. It is geographically located in the Far East region of the country, and it is administratively part of the Far Eastern Federal District. Kamchatka Krai has a population of 322,079 (2010).
Restaurants in Kamchatka Krai
1. Volcano Mutnovsky
Overall Ratings
5 based on 147 reviews
Reviewed By Andrew M
Mutnovsky is one of the most accessible of the many volcanoes on Kamchatka. It is located in the Yuzhno-Kamchatsky Nature Park and is accessible all year. The name Mutnovsky, translated into english, is "the cloudy", which relates to the unpredictable weather in this area.It is 70 kilometers south of PPK, and you will pass through the villages of Yelizov, Nikolayevka,Paratunka and Termalnij. We had planned to trek to the peak of Mutnovsky, but the notoriously bad Kamchatka weather prevented this. We had to be content with a drive on the Glacier and Glacier walk.
Mutnovsky is a little over 2,300 meters tall, and has had major eruptions in the 1940's and 1960. The last eruption was in 2000. The road was rough as expected, but the truck that we traveled in was great, and easily managed the challenges presented by the volcano. Our first stop was at the entrance to the nature reserve, which had three totem poles, and many small piles of rocks that seemed to be a tribute to the mountain. We were used to seeing these piles of rocks as trail markers when trekking on Mountains.The views here of the Glacier and Mountains was good, but the thick fog prevented us from getting great pictures.A short drive from the entrance, the driver had to put "snow chains" on the tyres for the Glacier drive. We drove for almost an hour on the Glacier and stopped quite a few times to walk on the Glacier and take photos. There are quite a few rivers on Mutnovsky, and these make for great photos with the various hills in the background.
At the western end of the north crater, the Vulkannaya river turns into a 80 meter waterfall known as "dangerous canyon" - Russian translation "Ovrag Opasny ". This area is awesome! The views are great and the wind was extremely strong. We had to take great care here when taking photos, as a wrong step would mean a fatal fall in the canyon below. The photos here are worth the trip, even if the weather does not allow a trek on the volcano. We walked the Glacier to an ice cave, and viewed many other interesting formations of the volcano. We were particularly interested in the amount of green vegetation that survived amidst all the ice covering.
When planning a trip to volcanoes in PPK, give yourself at least a week, as the weather may prevent you from going and realistically you may have a maximum of 2 good days per week. We had planned to climb Avachinsky the previous day, and it was cancelled due to the bad weather.We plan to return to PPK, as our time was limited to six days, and the weather was bad throughout. The trip to Mutnovsky is a full day trip, but will be one of the most memorable in PPK.
2. Kamchatka Peninsula
Overall Ratings
5 based on 145 reviews
Reviewed By madub1961 - New York City, New York
I just came back from 10-days tour in Kamchatka organized by Lost World Tours in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Kamchatka is a great place to visit - volcanoes, hot Springs, amazing scenery and, of course, the bears. I have been to Alaska's Katmai National Park, and I have to say, Kurile Lake in Kamchatka beats it - we have seen 50-60 bears in one day there in this salmon season time. Lost World Tours is a serious well established company, and highly recommend their tours and services if you plan to visit Kamchatka. Just be aware that this is a wild and remote place, so you need to manage your expectations - if you are a 5-star hotel type, Kamchatka is probably not a place for you :-)
3. Gorely Volcano
Overall Ratings
5 based on 116 reviews
Reviewed By kenl461 - British Columbia, Canada
One of our stops on our ship's shore excursion was a stop at the Russian Orthodox Cathedral, Petropavlovsk, Kamchatka, Russia. On the back side landing of the Cathedral, we got an amazing view of the Gorely Volcano.
4. Avachinsky Bay
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 154 reviews
Reviewed By Tinde_K - Moscow, Russia
If you can survive the abysmal looks of the bay itself, you will enjoy the rest of the trip throughout the bay immensely. Loads of birdwatching, eating freshly caught crab, Avachinsky Bay boat tour is one of the things one has to do when visiting Kamchatka peninsula. Make sure to dress warmly and pack some food with you, it will be long and cold :)
5. Paratunskiye Hot Spring
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 155 reviews
Reviewed By cool_alaska - Juneau, Alaska
There are several pools there. Some better, some worse. Ask local people for the best ones. Overall, it's a great place for relaxation. Just don't over do it in the water - it's not just ANY water! It has lots of minerals and stuff. Good for you, but may be bad too. Great to be there in the winter, jump from cold snow to the hot water!
6. Monument Russia Begins Here
Overall Ratings
5 based on 72 reviews
Reviewed By HuntCon - Winchester, Virginia
Interesting monument. Lovers and newly married couples often put their love locks on the metal guardrails and the views are fantastic when it's sunny. Don't bother going if it's overcast or raining.
7. Avachinsky Volcano
Overall Ratings
5 based on 65 reviews
Reviewed By cool_alaska - Juneau, Alaska
Koryaksky and Avachinsky volcanoes are sooo beautiful! When you land in Petropavlovsk, they are the first thing you see - they greet you! They are "domestic" volcanoes for Kamchatka people. You can climb the Avachinsky, but only with a professional guide.
8. Khalaktyrsky Beach
Overall Ratings
5 based on 54 reviews
A large beach with black sand
Reviewed By cool_alaska - Juneau, Alaska
This is the beach of the Pacific Ocean. What you see right away - black (very black!) sand everywhere. It's volcanic sand. If you get there on a nice day, you can just sit on the beach and enjoy the view. On a windy day, you can watch the enormous waves. You can never swim there - too cold, even on a hot summer day. But it's definitely beautiful and very different from a typical beach. Watch for brown bears around that area!
9. Valley of Geysers
Overall Ratings
5 based on 58 reviews
Reviewed By Qwelt - Bangalore
We did this tour on 7th August, 2013 and the cost of the trip ( USD 1000 per person) was quite steep! It was a helicopter tour and luckily 7th August was a clear Sunshine day and the helicopter was airborne at 8 AM. The heli flew over some " active Volcanos " and after an hour, it landed at the Valley of Geysers. The authorities conduct a guided tour of this place and showed us all the geysers, mudpots, water falls, and the flora of this magnificent place. There are only 4 places on this planet similar to this location and we have not seen the other 3. Hence, it was quite stunning! Afetr spending 2 hours there, we were taken to Uzon Caldera and a walk around this Caldera for an hour was mindblowing watching all the chemical acitivities happening in front of your eyes! This was one hell of a huge Chemical laboraory ( set by the nature) and the air was mixed with sulphur and various other gases! This Caldera is active even after million years of extinct of the Volcanos located here!
Traveling to Kamchatka is by itself, an expensive program and please add another USD 1000 to your budget to see this magnificent place. Perhaps, the highlight of our trip to Kamchatka.
10. Kamchatka Regional Museum of Local Lore
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 94 reviews
Reviewed By shorexcursions
A really nice, interesting museum. There is a lot to see & there are lots of artifacts spanning the history & culture of the Petrapavlovsk & Kamchatka region. It's a steep walk up an outside path to get to the entrance & when inside its easy to move around. Photos & video are allowed, there is a place to leave your coat & other items, plus there are toilets. The Petrapavlovsk museum is worth a visit.
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