Khabarovski Krai

Travel Arrangements

There are no direct flights from Khabarovsk to the US or vice versa. The easiest way to get to Khabarovsk is via Seoul, Korea. Asiana Airlines offers a once a week flight, on Wednesdays from Seoul, Korea to Khabarovsk. The return flight operates on the same day.

There are twice a week flights on Dalavia from Niigata to Khabarovsk on Fridays and Mondays and from Seoul, Korea, on Thursdays and Sundays. We can arrange tickets for these flights in the Untied States.

Trans Siberian between Khabarovsk and Vladivostok

There are no flights from Khabarovsk to Vladivostok, but there is an opportunity to the overnight train from Khabarovsk to Vladivostok. However, there is an opportunity to take the overnight train that leaves Khabarovsk at 6:45 pm to arrive at 9:10 in Vladivostok.

You may make reservations for two types of services. Second class reserves you a bed in a four- bed compartment, two upper and two lower beds. First class reservations are for a comfortable two- berth compartment with a nice table in between. There are two toilets at each end of the car. Bed linen is available for a small cost. The attendant will serve you coffee and tea and thee is always some one selling other items such as soft drinks, water and chips. There usually is a restaurant care on the train but it is for adventurous eaters. The best thing you can do is to bring your own food. The compartments are safe and the train ride is a pleasant way to view the Russian countryside. There is a schedule on the train that show the stops that are made and how long they will be.

Travel Partners and Opportunities

Amur River Cruise - Sept 7-14, 2005

The Khabarovsk Krai and specifically Khabarovsk has a good infrastructure for tourism. Tour Operators are experienced in working with foreign tourists and there are many English speaking guides. There are various interesting museums, art galleries and boat tours on the Amur River.

It is also possible to take an ecological tour including visit to native cultures and/or interesting caves, etc. for one or two days outside of the city. Also fishing for various species of trout and salmon is very popular. Khabarovsk is also a stop on the Trans Siberian Railroad and is only a 24-hour train ride away from Vladivostok.

Accommodations

The Hotel Intourist is located in downtown Khabarovsk close to the Regional and Art museums and shopping areas. This is a good place to stay for first time travelers. The rooms are modern and clean. The waitresses in the dining room are used to foreigners and speak some English, and the tour desk staff is experienced and helpful. The tour desk sells local and regional tours and books both airline and train tickets. Keep in mind though that the hotel is very noisy at night and does have fans in the summer but no air conditioning. There are two exchange offices in the hotel, various shops, restaurants and bars. Singles $60 per person, doubles $80. Master and Visa credit cards accepted.

The Hotel Parus is located in a historic building, and is by far the best choice of hotels in Khabarovsk. The hotel is close to the center square and the Amur River. Rooms are modern and clean and front desk personnel are extremely helpful. There is a small restaurant and bar in the hotel that serves a large choice of food items. Singles $80, doubles $100 and deluxe rooms $120. Master and Visa credit cards accepted.

The Sapporo Hotel is located off the main street and is favored by Japanese travelers. Small modern rooms, exchange office and bar. The Sapporo restaurant is right around the corner. The hotel is located in an entire block of historic buildings that has recently been renovated. Singles $90, double $115 and deluxe rooms $190. Major credit cards accepted.

There are various Russian Hotels, such as the Amethyst, Ludmila and Tourist hotel offering Russian type accommodations at a much lower cost. We suggest those only for those who speak Russian or who are familiar with traveling through the region.

We book hotels only when connected with a packaged tour.

Travel Logistics Regional

Air transportation from Khabarovsk to Vladivostok and vice versa is no longer available. All transportation is by rail. Most people prefer to take the comfortable train Okean that leaves daily in the evening for arrival in Vladivostok early in the morning. Khabarovsk is also a stop for those traveling on the Trans Siberian from and to Ulan Ude and Irkutsk.

Khabarovsk serves also as the main airport for Eastern Russia, and there are many domestic and international flights operating on a daily basis. to most cities in Eastern Russia.

Weather

Khabarovsk is known for its many days of sun even during the winter. Winter can be very cold with snow and ice starting in November. Temperatures can be as low as -15-20 degrees Celcius. Spring comes early in Apirl and summer is hot and muggy.

Geography

The Khabarovski Krai is located in the center of the Russian Far East. In the east the Khabarovski Krai is bordered by the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Ohotsk. The length of its shore line is 3,390 km. It is located approximately 400 km from Japan.

Climate

The climate of the region is mostly monsoon, characterized by the existence of strong winds. In summer there are temperatures of 25 to 30C and sometimes 35C. In the winter the average temperature is -15C.

History/Culture

Russian exploration of the Krai began with the expeditions of Ivan Moskvitin (1639-43) along the Sea of Japan and with the Amur River surveys by Vasily Poyarkov, Erofey Khabarov, Onufriy Stepanov and Nikifor Chenigovskiy between 1645 and 1689. Active Russian settlement of the Amur Basin (Primur'ye), with the exception of the delta region, reached its peak following China's return of the territory to Russia in the mid 19th century.

In the mid 17th century, Primur'ye was home to 32,500 people of native origin. The numbers were dramatically reduced by periodic Manchurian invasions. Due to these invasions and colonization, by the mid 18th century fewer than 10,000 native residents remained in Pirmur'ye. The natives subsisted on hunting, fishing and in some areas, gathering.

The city of Khabarovsk was named after Yerofey Khabarov. In 1651 Yerofey Khabarov founded a fort at Albazin on the left bank of the Amur River which became the administrative center of the region. This fort only existed until 1689 when a treaty between Russia and Manchuria ceded the region from Russia and it became part of China. In 1858, two centuries later, the first General Governor of Siberia, Count Muravyov-Amursky, rectified the situation by renegotiating the Algin Treaty which returned all land north of the Amur and east of the Ussuri back to Russia. The fort of Khabarovsk was subsequently founded and twelve years later the settlement received the status of town and in 1883 was renamed Khabarovsk.

During the Civil War the Khabarovsk was occupied by the Japanese, but between 1918 and 1922, it was mostly held by white Russians. From 1925 to 1938 it was the capital of the whole of the Russian Far East.

Khabarovsk initially was a trading center and grew enormously due to an influx of Russians from the western part of Russia and Europeans who developed the town's natural trading capabilities. The economy of the town increased significantly with the opening of the Trans Siberian Railway. Also its location on the Amur River made it a perfect trading partner for China and soon it became a transferring point of cargo. The statement "three hills, two hotels and 40,000 briefcases" is indicative of its trading position at that time.

Khabarovsk, population of 690,000, is the capital of the Khabarovski Krai and is a major crossroads of air, railroad and river travel. It is the most important hub of domestic flights in the Russian Far East and is now served by international flights from San Francisco, Seattle, Anchorage, Harbin, Seoul, Niigata and other Asian cities.

Most agencies from the Federal Government are located in Khabarovsk and it is also the headquarters of the Far Eastern Association for Economic Cooperation. Machine building dominates the industry and the Krai itself leads the Russian Far East in logging and lumber production. Major natural resources are timber, coal, gold and ore.

Khabarovsk itself, however, still has the atmosphere of a small village with broad avenues lined with tress. The city also has a number of parks. The Central Park in particular, located between downtown and the Amur River, is a favorite leisure park for many citizens. In the summer there are many concerts in the park which also offers facilities for children to play. Adjacent is the river beach where many of the river boats take visitors and locals on a trip alongside the Amur.

There are a variety of interesting museums, such as the Regional, Art and Military Museum, all located on the same street. A number of art galleries display the creative side of local artists.

Walking down the streets of Khabarovsk, the various brick buildings are a reminder of the various trade people who moved here in the beginning of the century. Recently many of the buildings have been renovated.

About eight ethnic groups inhabit the Khabarovski Krai. The largest of these, the Nanai, number about 10,000 and live primarily in the lower Amur Basin. The others are Ulchi, Udege and Oroche. They live on approximately 52 territories set aside by the Krai.

Ecology/Environment

Native Cultures

• Nanai
• Ulchi
• Nivkh

Nature Preserves

• Bolonsky Preserve
• Bolshekhektsirsky Preserve
• Komsomolsky Preserve