A world of mountains yet to conquer

The Kamchatka Peninsula

Most mountains in the world, at some point or time, have been the source of great satisfaction and wonder, as a single or multiple climbers conquered them. Only a few of those we surmise, have had that same experience in the most northeastern part of Russia, one of the last undiscovered regions in the world. This part of the world, referred to as the Russian Far East, consists of a multitude of plateaus and mountain ranges covering at least 75 percent of its territory.

Kamchatka is a remote peninsula, bounded by Chukotka to the north, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Sea of Ohotsk to the south. It is a place that still requires an adventurous spirit and the ability to put up with certain rigors. Due to the fact the peninsula faces the US, it was of significant military value during the Cold War Era and its territory was closed until 1992, both for foreigners and Russians alike. A nuclear submarine base still straddles one of the finest, natural bays in the world, where the major city, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy is located. This closure resulted in preserving a large ecologically pristine, wilderness area. One of the last in the world, this region has more than 120 volcanoes, 29 of which are active. This fact is not easily forgotten by a number of environmentalist groups who closely monitor threats to its fragile ecosystem

Kamchatka is located in a tectonically complex region at the junction of the Kurile and Aleutian subduction zones. The volcanic zone sits above the tectonic plate boundary, where the Pacific plate is sinking beneath the northeast edge of the Eurasian plate. As a result, the Kamchatka volcanoes are to a large extent andesitic stratovolcanoes. In other words, the volcanic zone includes explosive caldera-forming diacritic volcanic centers and also basaltic centers that produce more rapidly explosive cinder cones and shield volcanoes.

Most of the calderas date from about 30,000 to 40,000 years ago. The present-day cones on the stratovolcanoes were formed in the last 20,000 years. The first noted eruption of one of the tallest, Kluchevskoye Volcano, was in 1697, when the first explorers reached Kamchatka. Frequent eruptions were also noted in the next centuries, with about 70 percent of eruptions taking place in the year 2000.

Kluchevskoye at 4,750 meters high is the highest and most perfectly formed volcano in Eastern Asia. But it is not the only volcano erupting frequently and continuously changing its altitude. In 1996 a Mount Karymsky eruption caused such an uplift that a nearby lake almost disappeared. Mount Karymsky continues to be active, spewing gigantic clouds of ash and steam followed by strong rumbling sounds.

Two major, majestic volcanic ranges lie in a northeastern line. The older, less active range occupies the central and western half of Kamchatka. The younger, most active begins in the southernmost point of the peninsula and continues upward along the Pacific coastline.

Most of the volcanic areas can only be reached by helicopter as few roads lead into the interior. Flying on the large MI-8 helicopter, seating 18 people and offering everyone a view from the large portholes, gives one a broader look at the magnificent, mostly snow-capped landscape of Kamchatka. Every view reveals another magnificent volcanic wonder, of different shaped peaks and cones, with wide valleys of snow cascading to the valleys.

Kamchatka, with an aim to conserve its pristine wilderness, has established five protected areas: the Bystrinsky Nature Park, the Kronotsky Zapovednik, Nalychevo Nature Park, Southern Kamchatka Nature Park and the Southern Kamchatka State Nature Reserve. Most of the territories only allow travel in their buffer zones, while some of them can be accessed when accompanied by a scientist. The Kronotsky Preserve is the most renown of all the parks, specifically because of its Valley of the Geysers, a narrow vegetation-covered canyon with large, small and in-between sized geysers and mud pots.

Kamchatka is the destination for those who enjoy challenges and entry to literally hundreds of miles of difficult to access wilderness. Coupled with that is the opportunity to watch unprecedented wildlife and marine life, and to observe in the largest populations of grizzly bear's in the world (approximately 10,000). While unequalled opportunities exist to reach and observe the numerous volcanic features, caution must be taken. Traveling without experts not recommended.

Kamchatka's infrastructure fortunately has remained void of luxurious lodges and/or large industrial development, even though the region is rich in gas and minerals. Some interesting volcanoes, such as Mutnovsky and Gorely, each with multiple craters, are located close the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy thereby making it possible for those not ready to pay the high cost of helicopter transportation to enjoy their spectacular views and features. Others, farther away, such as Kluchevskoye Volcano, a far more difficult and dangerous to climb volcano, accessible by a rather primitive unpaved road from Esso, offers wooden lodges and/or cabins to accommodate climbers.

Current eco-tourism development centers not only on its magnificent landscape and natural resources. As early as 1990, even before Kamchatka officially was opened to foreign visitors, small groups of travelers interested in indigenous cultures traveled to Esso, a center for the Even and Koryak native people. The initial attraction was an Even celebration held on the grounds of a small wooden museum coupled with a visit to a nearby reindeer herd located in the tundra. Now, even the local administration sees the benefit of supporting the renewal and resurgence of native culture and traditions, not only for the traveler, but also for the native people themselves. Martha Madsen from Explore/Kamchatka, a local travel company, cites that native festivals are being reinstated as European traveler's interest is growing. Native groups from Sosnovka, an Ittel'men settlement in the Yelizovo District, have recently built a "balagan" or tall-peaked roof dwelling in a birch forest with the help of the Yelizovo Administration. Native Ittel'men guides also conduct walks in the forest pointing out indigenous herbs and plants used for medicinal purposes.

Another eco-tourism development that has had a great impact on raising the visibility of Kamchatka and the Kurile Islands has been the slow but steady growth of expedition cruising. Small vessels carrying no more than one hundred well-traveled passengers, started exploration of the Chukotka/Kamchatka shorelines as early as 1992. Small zodiacs access the landing areas, with the vessel staying far off shore. This allows small groups of travelers, lead by a local scientist, the opportunity to access even the most remote areas. The visitors are self-policing, aware of the fragility of some of the areas they are exploring, and leave no trace of their presence. Of course, some areas are off limits, as exposing them to human visitors, even with extreme caution, would create tremendous harm. The companies that promote this type of travel did not need much inducement to come to Eastern Russia, a prime maritime territory, as they are always looking to expand their itineraries to new areas to entice their repeat and new clients. As most of the expeditions cruise lines already include Alaska in their itineraries, specifically those that explore the Aleutians and Pribiloff Islands, this is a natural extension. Some of the expedition cruise companies operating in the region are: Society Expeditions, Zegrahm, Quark Expeditions, Clipper, Cruise West and Hanseatic. New 2002 cruise itineraries include also new areas such as the Sea of Ohotsk, where the spectacular Shantar Peninsula is situated and Chukotka and Wrangel Island.

Trekking, hiking, mountaineering and wildlife observation programs are booming in Kamchatka. It is mostly Europeans, from Germany, Denmark, England, Scotland, Ireland and Italy, who have far easier and less expensive access to the destination. They are also less picky about the local infrastructure, as American travelers are. Air transportation from the United States, as close as Kamchatka is to Alaska (3 ½ hours), is extremely expensive (Magadan Air flying from Anchorage charges almost $1400 for a roundtrip ticket). Other routes on western carriers, the preferred method of travel by Americans, through Seoul, Korea, are extremely time consuming and also expensive.

Eco-tourism operators in Kamchatka are by far the most sophisticated in the Russian Far East. This refers not only to their operational skills but also to the fact that they understand most of the travelers concerns and are easy to communicate with. Most of this is due to a growing interest by foreigners, giving the operators opportunities to learn firsthand what the traveler is interested in and what type of logistical infrastructure is necessary. So far, infrastructure development has been appropriate to the interest, i.e. no fancy hotels are being built, nor casinos or other entertainment palaces, as have been the case in the more accessible areas of Khabarovsk and Vladivostok. Part of this is due to the unabated interest of ecological or conservation minded organizations that keep a close watch on future development and in some cases are in charge of the purse strings. But to a great extent this is also an intuitive or more wilderness-oriented outlook of the Kamchatka people who are extremely attached to the place they live-in, and therefore use this innate knowledge to prevent over development from happening. More restrictive are tax issues that barely leave companies with sufficient funds to operate their programs, even less of using profit for promotion. And A\as long as payment in cash is the preferred method, some tour companies and travelers will think twice before making a commitment.

One of the restrictions that Kamchatka shares with Alaska is its weather and short summer season. Rapidly changing weather conditions can make a trekking tour a soggy and cold experience, or influence your pick-up by a helicopter from a remote location. Helicopter transportation also is necessary to access more remote destinations, as roads are few and far in between, disrupting a tour that is dependent on this type of transportation, when the weather prevents it from flying. As tour operators become more aware of foreign expectations and increase their destination knowledge to use alternatives, these occurrences can actually be beneficial by allowing room for alternatives in case of bad weather. In some cases, this has lead to surprisingly interesting encounters that sometimes surpassed the experience on the intended itinerary.

As Kamchatka develops, one hopes it will remain the last wildest place on earth, open for careful exploration but keeping its unique character and preserving its ecosystem for future generations.

Aaltje van Zoelen
December 6, 2001

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