Tour Itinerary

Want to experience an indescribable feeling when you are at the edge of the world? Then go on a tour to the Commander Islands – experience the amazing rugged beauty of these places! This tour is organized using air links, no backpacks, tedious crossings and tents. All nights you will spend in a cozy hotel, every day going on new interesting excursions, accompanied by the reserve staff.
The main feature of the islands is – these are animals that are not used to being afraid of humans. This is one of the few places on the planet where you can watch the life of seabirds and animals that do not run away anywhere, do not swim away or fly away, but, on the contrary, watch you with no less interest. The nature of the islands is not smoothed by civilization and this is its advantage.


Day 1. Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky / Paratunka
Meeting at the airport Yelizovo. Transfer to the hotel, accommodation. Free time for rest and acclimatization. In the evening, a meeting or a call from a company representative, discussion of tour details.
Accommodation at the hotel.


Day 2. Flight to the Commander Islands (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
Check-out from the hotel. Transfer to the airport, departure.
Flight by L-410 type aircraft, on the way 3.5 hours. Arrival to Bering Island, transfer to Nikolskoye village.
Nikolskoe – the only settlement on the Commander Islands. Half of its approximately 700 inhabitants are descendants of the Aleuts brought here by the Russian-American company in 1825-1826 from the Aleutian Islands for the fur seal.
Accommodation at the hotel.
Visiting the visit-center of the reserve – excursion from the staff of the reserve, watching scientific and educational films.
State Natural Biosphere Reserve " Commander '' created in order to preserve the unique natural complexes of the Commander archipelago, the gene pool of plants and animals, as well as the natural living conditions and activities of the Commander Aleuts.
This is the largest marine reserve in Russia, with a protected area of ​​sea water of more than 3 million hectares, and amazing inhabitants : cetaceans, pinnipeds, seabirds, sea otters, arctic foxes, Red Book plants.
Accommodation at the hotel.  


Day 3. Toporkov Island. Spawning Lake Sarannoe (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
Walk in the sea on a Poseidon boat (1.5-2 hours).
Excursion with a guide " To the bird islands, Toporkov Island '' with landing on the island. Inspection of the seabird colony.
During the excursion there is a chance to see antours and sea otters.
Toporkov Island, which got its name from the bird of the same name, the third largest island in the archipelago, is a flat and low (average height of 9 meters) almost circular land area with a diameter of just under 1 km and an area of ​​about 0.5 km².
Fashionable hobby – bird watching – acquires here, so to speak, " unsportsmanlike '' shape: it's like fishing with a net after a fishing rod. Birds are everywhere. In burrows made in a peat plateau – the upper of the three terraces of the island, the hatchets nest. Cormorants have perched somewhere on the edge and, stretching out their snake necks, are watching with interest the noisy life of numerous neighbors. Gray-winged gulls, kittiwakes, Pacific guillemot sit nearby.
Driving a cross-country vehicle " shift '' to Lake Sarannoe (about 30 minutes drive).
Excursion, observation of salmon spawning. (4-5 hours).
The largest lake in the islands with an area of ​​31.6 km2. The depth of the lake is 36 m.Currently, the lake level is 12 m higher than the ocean level.
Once this lake was a sea lagoon, but about 20 thousand years ago, the ocean level dropped, which led to the desalination of the lagoon and the formation of the modern the appearance of Lake Saranny. You can still find relict crustaceans in it as a confirmation of its " marine '' of the past.
There are a lot of salmon in these places. The fish just swarm in the water, flashing their bright red backs.
Also these places – Paradise for mushroom pickers! Since the vegetation on the island is not high, there is no need to look for mushrooms, they just stand in plain sight.
Return to the village. Nikolskoe. Accommodation at the hotel. & Nbsp;
Excursion to Toporkov Island involves landing on the reefs in rubber boots.


Day 4. North rookery of marine mammals (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
Departure by off-road vehicle towards Cape Yushin (about 25 km).
The path runs along the Pacific coast.
To get ashore to the rookery itself, you need to cover 2 km. over swampy areas and tall grass. A long overpass has been built along the rookery. You can observe to give for family relations sea lions and northern fur seals at a distance of a couple of meters, while remaining invisible to animals. ( It is strictly forbidden to leave the flyover.)
The roar of the cleavers, the loud bleating of young cats, and the squeak of cubs stand over the rookery, which stretches for a kilometer or two along a rocky beach and a stone promontory in the north-west of the island Bering.
In August, harems begin to disintegrate: of them hundreds, and then thousands, run away females, all summer lying on the stones under the watchful eyes of their giants-husbands. The chopper is several times larger than the female, and he has up to 50 wives. The chopper does not count children and can pass them on with his own clumsy body. They carry babies and Arctic foxes, eating off in the lush island grass behind the dunes that surround the rookery.
Back to the car. Moving to the village. Nikolskoe. Free time.
Accommodation at the hotel. & Nbsp;


Day 5. Boat trip 'Journey to the world of whales + Steller's Arch' (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
Walk in the sea on a RIB boat, 6 hours.
We recommend that you have remedies for motion sickness.
The route of the excursion runs along the western coast of Bering Island, where you can meet the largest number of cetaceans.
Commander's waters – the most accessible place for tourists in Russia, where you can watch dozens of whales at the same time. Observations are carried out here annually and all year round.
21 species of cetaceans have been registered in the waters of the Commander Islands. Among them: humpback whales, killer whales, minke whales, sperm whales and white-winged porpoises, as well as northern drifters and fin whales. During the excursion, if you're lucky, you can watch feeding whales or capture the jumps of sea giants – humpback whales.
In the absence of fog, the picturesque sea shores of the island will open in all their glory. You will meet seabirds, and if you are lucky, then also anthurs and sea otters swimming in the ocean.
On the way there will be a snack.
A unique natural monument – Steller's Arch – geological structure in the form of an arch, 20.6 m high. Excursion and inspection of the arch from the Nayushka Bay. (Without landing.)
The arch was named so by Leonard Steineger in memory of the remarkable naturalist of the Second Kamchatka Expedition Georg Steller. Incredible seascapes against the backdrop of blooming tundra and steep cliffs.
Return to the village. Nikolskoe.
Accommodation in the hotel.  


Day 6. Optional excursion to the Commander Bay (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
Free time.
For an additional fee:
Excursion to the bay " Commander '' to the last camp of the Second Kamchatka Expedition, to the grave of Vitus Bering. (from 9 hours)
The excursion is possible only at low tide. The cost of the excursion is 9'000 rubles / person
It was here on November 28, 1741 that the flagship of the Second Kamchatka Expedition was shipwrecked – packet boat " Saint Peter '' under the command of Vitus Bering. With this, the development of the Commander Islands began. The crew members spent 9 months here. 16 people did not survive that harsh winter, including Commander Vitus Bering. In the bay are the graves of the sailors who died on the island.
The path to Commander Bay lies along the eastern coast of Bering Island, famous for its numerous waterfalls and picturesque bays, including the Buyan Bay, famous for its gems, where a stop is planned according to the program.
On the beaches of Bering Island, after low tide, there are impenetrable heaps of seaweed. Once it served as food for the famous and, alas, completely extinct sea cow.
The winds drive the iodine smell of algae along the entire coast. The discarded molluscs, hiding among the long green leaves, are sought out and pecked by gulls.
Accommodation at the hotel.  


Day 7. Local history museum. Return to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (breakfast)
Visit to the local museum of local lore, where there are truly unique exhibits, for example, the remains of the extinct Steller sea cow.
Visit to the private museum of the famous Kamchatka traveler and writer Leonid Mikhailovich Pasenyuk – now his business is continued by his son.
Transfer to the airport.
Departure to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
Flight by an L-410 type aircraft, 3.5 hours on the way.
Arrival at Yelizovo airport. Transfer to the hotel.
Accommodation at the hotel. Rest, free time.
Accommodation at the hotel.  


Day 8. Free day (breakfast)
Optional excursions on request ( for an additional fee, click on the button 'Optional Excursions'):
- Helicopter excursion to Kuril Lake (7 hours). Flight to Kuril Lake, boat tour of the lake, bear watching near the TINRO barrier (about 2.5 hours). Flight to the Ksudach volcano caldera, sightseeing excursion (about 30 min.). Flight to Khodutkinsky thermal springs, swimming (1 hour). Dinner.
- Helicopter excursion to the Valley of Geysers   and the Uzon volcano caldera (6-7 hours) with a flight over the active crater of the Karymsky and Maly Semyachik volcanoes. Walking tours to geysers and mud pots (about 1.5 hours). On the way back – landing in the Nalychevo Valley – lunch, bathing in hot springs.
- Other excursions to choose from.
Accommodation in the hotel.  


Day 9.   Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky  (breakfast)
Visiting the fish market, souvenir shops.
Transfer to the airport.

Overview

Visa: citizens of 58 states that hold all types of passports are eligible for visa-free entrance to Russia for a period up to 14 days (you can see the list on the official website), citizens of the 52 countries will be able to obtain a single e-visa of up to 16 days (you can see the list on the official website)

Difficulty level: low

Comfort level: high

Accommodation: all nights at the hotel

Number of tourists in the combined group
We guarantee that the booked tour will take place, even if only one person is recruited!
Standard group – up to 10 people.

Excursions.
All major excursions on the islands are conducted by the reserve staff.
Sea excursions (to Toporkov Island and World of Whales + Steller's Arch '') are performed only under suitable weather conditions at sea, therefore the sequence of excursion days according to the program can be changed.
In the absence of suitable weather conditions, sea excursions can be replaced with other excursions using land transport.

Accommodation.
Standard accommodation according to the program – in hotels in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and / or in hotels in the resort area of ​​Paratunka (50 km from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky).
Double rooms with conveniences, breakfast at the hotel.
In Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky – hotel « Petropavlovsk », « Geyser », « Avacha ».
In Paratunka – « Flamingo », « BelKamTour », « Krechet », « Antarius ».
Nikolskoe – in a hotel, in double / single rooms with private facilities.
The specific location is determined by the TOUR OPERATOR, depending on the accommodation of the rest of the tourists in the group and the availability of rooms in hotels.

The TOURIST may be provided with accommodation of his choice, if possible, with the recalculation of the cost of the tour. Your wishes should be indicated in the application when booking. In case of non-standard accommodation, an additional payment for an individual transfer from / to the airport may be charged.
Single tourists are booked with an additional payment for single accommodation in the hotel.
Accommodation is possible if there is a couple. In this case, there is no supplement for single occupancy.
Please note! Some hotels may take a deposit for the room. The deposit is left by the TOURIST. When he leaves, he returns.
Resort area " Paratunka '' located 50 km from the cities of Petropavlovsk and Yelizovo. Regular buses run between these points throughout the day. All hotels in Paratunka have open-air hot thermal pools with healing properties. There are grocery stores and cafes nearby.

Transfer from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky to Nikolskoye village and back is carried out on regular flights of the local airline.

Please note that there is a possibility of flight delays due to weather conditions from one to several days. Therefore, a reserve of free days after the tour is MANDATORY!

Schedule

Fees

The price of the tour per pax (without airfare), USD:

Payment schedule: 5% – at booking, 95% – 15 or 30 days prior to arrival.

Payment methods:
- bank transfer in USD, EUR, GBP, JPY, AED, ILS, DKK etc.
- credit/debit card online on our website

Fees include

- accommodation in a hotel in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and / or in Paratunka with breakfast:
        in the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky – hotel « Petropavlovsk », « Geyser », « Dolchevita »
        in the Paratunka – « Flamingo », « BelKamTour », « Krechet », « Antarius »

- hotel accommodation in the village. Nikolskoe (double occupancy)

- air flight P-Kamchatsky – Nikolskoe Island – P-Kamchatsky, 15 kg baggage

- guide services – explorer

- chef service

- services of the reserve employee

- food according to the program

- guided tours of the program

- all transfers according to the program

- group equipment and inventory (dishes, rubber boots, etc.)

- medical insurance (for active recreation)

- necessary permits to visit specially protected natural areas

- the language of excursions is Russian but the guides speak English.

The place of residence is determined by the Travel Company, taking into account the wishes of the tourist, if there are vacant places in the indicated accommodation places or in similar ones.

Fees exclude

- air tickets from the place of residence to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and back

- meals during your stay at the hotel (on the day of arrival, lunch and dinner at 7 and 8 days)

- individual transfer (earlier or later than the tour dates)

- optional excursions

- additional hotel accommodation (before and after the trip)

- other additional services

- personal spending, alcoholic beverages

- personal English/Spanish guide: 90 USD per required day.

Travel tips

You must bring:

- a small backpack for personal items on the route;

- comfortable hiking clothes;

- trekking boots with a firm grooved sole and impregnation from getting wet;

- sneakers;

- thermal underwear;

- warm wind and waterproof jacket with a hood;

- warm wind and waterproof pants;

- warm sweater (fleece);

- warm socks;

- warm gloves / mittens;

- warm hat;

- bath and bathing accessories;

- a seat for sitting on stones and slag;

- individual first aid kit (remedies for motion sickness);

- sunglasses;

- sunscreens;

- remedies for mosquitoes and midges (repellent);

- passport and its copy in a sealed package.

Clothing and equipment
Fogs, winds, rain and light drizzle on the Commanders are frequent occurrences even in the warmest month - – August. Therefore, tourists should pay special attention to the preparation of personal equipment. Clothing and footwear must be protected from wind and water. It is necessary to have warm clothes with you – thermal underwear, fleece, gloves, hats, etc.
A small backpack (35-40 liters) is required for personal belongings on excursions.
Rubber boots are provided.

Flight and flight delays.
The flight to the Commander Islands is carried out on regular flights of the local airline. Aircraft of the L-410 type. The flight takes about 3.5 hours. Some flights are operated with an additional landing at the airport in Ust-Kamchatsk. Free luggage – 15 kg. Additional weight is paid by tourists on their own (350 rubles / kg).
There is a dirt runway at Nikolskoye airport, so in case of prolonged rain, flights are not carried out. It should be borne in mind that there is a possibility of flight delays due to weather conditions from one to several days. Therefore, a reserve of free days after the tour is MANDATORY! In case of a flight delay from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, accommodation and meals are provided at the hotel at the airport. In case of a delay in the flight from Nikolskoye, accommodation and meals are provided at the hotel with. Nikolsky.

Map

Optional Excursions

HELICOPTER TOUR TO KURILSKOYE LAKE

Excursion Kuril Lake – volcano Ksudach – Khodutkinsky hot springs (6-7 hours):
1. Transfer from the hotel to the airport
2. Flight to Kuril Lake (1 hour 10 min.).
3. Excursion on the Kuril Lake, visiting the barrier structure of the TINRO scientific station. Observation of spawning salmon and bears (1 hour 30 min.).
4. Flight to the caldera of the Ksudach volcano (20 min.). Excursion to the Ksudach volcano caldera, sightseeing of the vicinity of Klyuchevoy Lake, located in the caldera of the volcano and its hot springs.
5. Lunch (depending on weather conditions, it can be carried out at the Khodutkinsky hot springs) (1 hour).
6. Flight to the Khodutkinsky hot springs (20 min.). Swimming in hot springs (30 min.).
7. Return to the airport (40 min.). Transfer to the hotel.
Price is 700 USD per pax

Departure to the Kuril Lake, landing at Cape Travyanoy or the source of the Ozernaya River, walking tour, observation of salmon, bear fishing.
The largest Kuril Lake – the second largest freshwater lake in Kamchatka, but it has no equal in importance and beauty. The depth of the lake – 316 meters. It was formed more than eight thousand years ago as a result of a powerful eruption, the beginning of which was the emission of white lapillian pumice. It can still be found in abundance on the shore of the lake in the form of balls.
The panorama of the lake is unique. It is surrounded on all sides by the majestic cones of volcanoes. The shores and underwater slopes are steep and rocky. Ancient lake terraces are visible on the slopes of the volcanoes. Islands in the form of peaks rise from the bottom, one of the islands, the triangular rock Alaid. The lake is fed by numerous mountain streams mixed with hot spring waters. One weakly freezing river Ozernaya flows out of it. The largest stock of sockeye salmon in Eurasia enters the lake for spawning. At the height of spawning, at the end of summer, the highest concentration of brown bears in the world is observed in the vicinity of the lake. Other animals willingly eat salmon – fox, river otter.
Flight to Ksudach volcano, landing in the crater of the volcano, excursion.
The entire upper part of Ksudach volcano (1080 m) is occupied by a vast oval-shaped caldera 7x9 km, formed by the strongest eruptions, as a result of which a building was formed of several overlapping intermediate calderas.
Above opens a beautiful panorama that is rare even for Kamchatka, which is rich in scenic views: a kind of caldera with steep rocky slopes sparkles with multicolored rocks – dark, reddish, light yellow.
The bottom of the caldera has a two-stage structure. Dividing into two almost equal parts – the western one is higher, and the eastern one is occupied by lakes. On the border between them, forming a barrier and a ledge at the same time are located: a small, dark-colored massif Lava dome, next to the same massif of light-colored – The soaring ridge and the Shtiubel crater, extreme from the south.
The entire eastern part of the caldera is occupied by two lakes – Key and Stubel. The key has an oblong shape, 4x2 km in size. It is surrounded on almost all sides by steep walls up to 500 meters high. The lake has no open flow, and the water is filtered through a cofferdam separating it from the Shtubelya lake, which is about 2 km long. From this lake, cutting through the caldera ridge, flows the Teplaya River, which forms a waterfall about 10 meters high a kilometer from the source. At the foot of the Soaring Ridge, on the narrow sandy shore of the lake, streams of the Shtiubelevsky hot springs are beating out. Outcrops of oxen with temperatures up to 70 ° C stretch along the coast for 250 m. Ksudach – one of the most exotic objects in Kamchatka, declared a natural monument of landscape and geological nature.
Flight to the Khodutkinsky springs, lunch, swimming in a hot river.
They are located in a vast meadow surrounded by forest. From scattered griffin funnels, hot water is collected in a stream. Strong streams are also beating out at its bottom and along the banks, and the stream turns into a real river about 30 m wide and up to 1.5 m deep. The water temperature in the griffins reaches 80 ° C, but decreases as it flows. A few hundred meters beyond the clearing, the river flows through a birch forest, beautifully framing its slightly soaring surface with green walls. The temperature in the deepest, but already slightly cooled part of the river is about 42-43 ° C in summer. Khodutka springs are a natural monument.
According to its chemical composition, the water is hydrocarbonate-chloride-sodium with high mineralization (0.5 g / l) and with a silicic acid content of up to 90 mg / l.
Return to Elizovo.
Departure for the excursion is carried out from the Avachinsky airport (Elizovo), located 30 km from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

HELICOPTER TOUR TO THE VALLEY OF GEYSERS

Helicopter excursion to the Valley of Geysers and Uzon Volcano (6-7 hours):
1. Transfer from the hotel to the airport. Departure from the airport, flying around the active volcanoes Karymsky and Maly Semyachik (flight time - 1 h. 10 min.).
2. Excursion to the Valley of Geysers (1 h. 30 min.). Observation of the eruption of geysers, inspection of the mud pots and pulsating springs of the Valley.
3. Flight to the caldera of the Uzon volcano (10 min.).
4. Excursion to the caldera of the Uzon volcano (1 hour). Inspection of fumarole fields, acid and hot lakes, mud pots and volcanoes of the Eastern thermal field of the caldera.
5. Flight to the Nalychevskaya valley. Dinner. Swimming in the wild hot springs of the Nalychevo Valley (1 hour).
6. Return to the airport (20 min.). Transfer to the hotel.
Price is 700 USD per pax

The world famous Valley of Geysers is located in the center of the Kronotsky Nature Reserve in a deep mountain canyon. This unique natural site was discovered in 1941 by geologist T.I. Ustinova. The Valley got its name in honor of 40 geysers and numerous hot springs pouring into the river for 8 kilometers. Each of the geysers is unique and unique. They all have their own names and characteristic features. All known forms of hydrothermal manifestations in nature can be observed in the Valley of Geysers: hot lakes, pulsating boiling springs, steam and gas jets, mud pots and geysers.
The helicopter route to the Valley of Geysers runs over picturesque mountain ranges and gullies, tundra, volcanoes, rivers and lakes, tourists can watch the eruption of the Karymsky volcano and admire the beauty of the turquoise lake of the Maly Semyachik volcano.
A person who first came to the Valley of Geysers is stunned by the fantastic nature of what he saw. The world of the valley is so unreal that it seems that there cannot be anything like it on earth, that all this is happening on some unknown planet. Colors absolutely not typical of earthly landscapes: against the background of bright greenery of dwarf cedar and foliage of trees – brown, red, purple, the color of burnt clay earth. The air is saturated to the limit with steam and the smell of sulfur.
Everything is bubbling, hissing and bubbling around!
In the Valley of Geysers, the guide will acquaint visitors with the rules of conduct on the territory of the reserve. The tour continues along wooden decking paths to the main viewing platforms. The steepest slopes have railings. From the observation platforms, tourists will be able to see and photograph all stages of the eruption of the largest geysers (Giant, Bolshoi, etc.), look into the " Gates of Hell '', admire the cauldrons with red boiling clay.
After 2 hours excursions in the Valley flight to the caldera of the Uzon volcano.
Another unique natural object of the Kronotsky reserve – the caldera of the Uzon volcano is a huge bowl-shaped basin measuring 9 x 12 km, formed on the site of a destroyed volcano 40 thousand years ago.
Uzon amazes with the richness and form of volcanic manifestations – more than a thousand thermal springs of various sizes, shapes and compositions are concentrated here, including hot lakes and boiling boilers.
The total area of ​​thermal fields is 61 thousand square meters. m.
Unlike the Valley of Geysers, the Uzon caldera with numerous hot springs and fumaroles has been known to the local population for a long time. Among the Kamchadals, this unique natural creation was called the " Burning Valley '', the " Floating Land. ''
There are a large number of warm and non-freezing lakes here. The largest of them – warm non-freezing lake Fumarolnoe and cold Central lake, the attraction is the Dalneye maar lake.
As a result of the landslide on 03.06.2007, new touches in the landscape appeared in the Valley: a dammed lake, a bunch of boulders and stones.
carried out from the Avachinsky airport; (Elizovo), located 30 km from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky

остров Беринга