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The eastern seaboard of Russia dominates the North Pacific and yet very few people know anything about it, let alone have experienced it. Its isolation has protected one of its most valuable assets – its wilderness and to some degree, its wildlife. The area was considered an important ‘frontier or border zone’ during the Cold War it was off-limits to foreigners and even Russians had to get special permission to travel within this zone. This, of course, changed in 1992/93 with Perestroika but, it doesn’t mean that it is more accessible. It is probably less accessible now than it was as there are fewer people living there and the State-subsidised transport system has collapsed. There is no money to replace the ageing fleets of aircraft and ships and few people can afford the prices that are charged today. In the winter much of the shore line is choked by ice, in the summer the lack of roads, scheduled air or shipping services and a lack of infrastructure means it is equally inaccessible. During spring and summer the region will have been a hive of activity. The thousands of birds that migrated here to take advantage of the phenomenal abundance of food will be preparing to leave. The reindeer and mountain sheep will be feeding extensively in preparation for the harsh winter. The Brown Bears, which will have fed extensively on berries in the early summer, will be concentrated on the rivers and creeks and feeding on salmon. Late summer/early autumn is one of the best times to discover this wilderness. The late summer sun and the onset of the autumn colours will make the landscape look like a picture postcard. With an option of joining from Nome, Alaska, our Expedition begins in Anadyr, the administrative centre of the Chukotka Autonomous Region. We then travel to south along the Koryak and Kamchatka coastlines to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy. Along the way we will make numerous landings, including two full days at the Commander Islands.

Itinerary

Explore Anadyr, the administrative centre of the Chukotka region, before getting to know your fellow voyagers and crew on board the Professor Khromov.

This coastline is rich in marine mammals and one creature we will be looking for, in particular, is the Walrus, as there is a known haul-out. We also plan a landing in Bukhta Gavila. The Bukhta or bay was named after Commander Vitus Bering’s ship, the St. Gabriel, of the First Kamchatka Expedition. Cape Navarin marks the place where the land bridge to North America began when sea levels were much lower.

We plan to start the day with the visit to the delta of Pika river - a well known Walrus haul out. Later in the day, we visit Meinypil’gyno, a small settlement located on a 40 kilometre long shingle spit. It is a traditional village although renovated under the recent Chukotka government. Meinypil’gyno is also an important breeding spot for many species of migratory birds, including Red Knot and critically endangered Spoon-billed Sandpiper. Even though the breeding season will be over by September, we have a chance of getting migrants on their way south and see the location where the research team is working hard to save the Spoon-billed Sandpiper.

This fiord has two smaller fiords that drain into it from the south; called Bukhta Pavla and Bukhta Petra;named after St. Peter and St. Paul by Commander Vitus Bering. The magnificent mountain landscapes and tundra vegetation will surround us, along with the possibility of sighting Snow Sheep, as they were often seen in the area. There is a historic Walrus haul out on Bogoslova Island which guards the entrance to these fiords.

Much of the southern Govena Peninsula was recently made into a State Reserve. There are a number of fiords included in the Reserve; one of the most spectacular is Tintikun Lagoon. This fiord was blocked by a large terminal moraine during the last period of glaciation. A shallow river surrounded by jagged mountains, glaciers and forested slopes, has breached the moraine, allowing access to one of the most picturesque locations found anywhere in the world. We take the Zodiacs onto the lake and intend to make several landings with Eurasian Nutcracker, Dusky Warbler, Siberian Rubythroat and Siberian Accentor amongst the possibilities. There is also a large population of Brown Bears and these should be feeding in and around the river mouths that drain into the head of the lagoon.

Brown Bears come down to the sea coast and into the nearby hills very frequently, and the area is completely protected and rarely visited. In the afternoon we go to Verkhoturova Island, where we have a chance to climb over a seabird colony. The breeding season will be over, however, some of the birds that should still be around the colony include Tufted and Horned Puffins; Pigeon, Common and Brunnich’s Guillemots and also Parakeet and Least Auklets. Pelagic cormorants also occur in large numbers. On nearby rocky islets there is a regular non-breeding haul out of Steller’s Sea Lions.

A few miles to the south from Verhoturova Island is the much larger Karaginskiy Island. Here we encounter some of the first ‘forests’ of the voyage. A proposed landing site is a patchwork of boggy tundra, ponds and shingle spits and an interesting range of waders can be found here including Pacific Golden Plover, Red-necked Stint and Red-necked Phalarope. The ponds also support a range of waterfowl and previously we have encountered Red-throated Diver, Bean Goose, Greater Scaup and Long-tailed Duck.

There are two main islands in the Commander group, Bering and Medny, and during our two days we will explore several sites. While ashore, we stand an excellent chance of finding Rock Sandpiper, Mongolian Plover, Pechora Pipit and Grey-crowned Rosy-Finch, as well as the endemic subspecies of Arctic Fox. Zodiac cruising can be extremely rewarding here with Whiskered, Least and Parakeet Auklets all possible as well as the range-restricted Red-legged Kittiwake. The area is also extremely rich in marine mammals and previous voyages have encountered Sperm, Humpback, Northern Minke and Baird’s Beaked-Whales, as well as Orcas, Steller Sea Lions, Northern Fur Seals and Sea Otters.

Olga Bay is a part of the very large Kronotskiy Reserve, which also includes the world-famous Valley of the Geysers. The area around Olga bay is frequented by large numbers of Gray whales that are usually quite friendly to the visiting boats, if the conditions are right we will take zodiac whale watching cruise. The rising volcanoes in the background will provide a beautiful setting to explore real Kamchatka wilderness.

The Kamchatka Rivers (of which there are over 1,800) are important ecosystems that support a wide variety of wildlife. They are especially important for salmon spawning – one of Kamchatka’s valuable natural resources. Steller’s Sea Eagles are known to nest in the lower reaches of the river.

During the morning the Professor Khromov will enter Avacha Bay which is one of the greatest natural harbours in the world. On the shores of Avacha Bay is Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, the capital and administrative centre of the Kamchatka Region. The day is free for exploring and we will be offering a number of optional excursions including a trip into the world-famous Valley of the Geysers, an excursion to one of the nearby volcanoes or a day exploring the city, including the museums and markets. Returning to the ship in the evening for a farewell dinner.

You will disembark the ship in the morning at and there will be a complimentary coach transfer to either a hotel of your choice in the city or the airport.

Notes