Text: Ekaterina Krutova

Conveniently located between Moscow and St. Petersburg, the region attracts residents of both capitals who can enjoy a fabulous weekend getaway there.

But Tver and other towns in the region can also offer you longer staysin theircozy hotels and historic manors, with plenty of restaurants around. You won’t be bored!

Tver in full view

Not everyone will risk going up several hundred meters into the winter air, but those brave enough are sure to have a truly outstanding experience. Tver is in full view from here, spread out before your eyes.

Tver’s festive trident

It gets dark early in winter, and at five o’clock the city is all in lights.Along with city residents, you can admire the old town’s illumination on Sovetskaya, Volnyi Novgorod and Novotorzhskaya Streets.These are the streets that radiate out in three rays from Sovetskaya Square, forming the famous “festive trident”–the basis of Tver’s city planning. St. Petersburg has something similar, but you won’t find anything like it anywhere else in Russia. The construction of Tver began,toordinary plans, during the earliest days of the reign of Catherine the Great, but a terrible fire of May 12, 1763 destroyed 852 houses. The Empress was informed of the tragedy, and the restoration of the city became an affair of state importance. The so-called “unified facade” is characteristic for the Northern capital, when buildings are constructed next to each other, without gaps between them. It is Tver’s signature architecture.

Preobrazhensky Church

Make sure to visit the village of Krasnoye in the Staritsky Region. This is one of the rarest Gothic Revival structures of the 18th century, and is built of brick using white Staritsky stone. Two centuries ago, the richest landowners of Staritsky were the Poltoratskys.The founder of the dynasty Mark Poltoratsky was Catherine the Great’s favourite singer, and she bestowed landin Tver Province upon him.Mark Poltoratsky’s wife, Agathocles, ran the house.She gave her husband a gift by building an exact copy of a church erected in St. Petersburg in 1770 at the place where, as legend has it, Catherine learned about the victory of the Russian Fleet at the Battle of Chesma.The cathedral’s amazing acoustics still astonish today.

Grishkino Park 

Get back to enjoying nature in the recreational park in the village of Bolshoye Grishkino, in the Kalininsky district.You can choosefrom skiing runs of various levels of difficulty, skate at an open-air rink, or “fly” from a hill while snow tubing.Learn to ride a snowmobile, then proceedinto the untrodden expanses, either with an instructor or on your own.

Quick as the wind on sled dogs

The magic of nature, as well as friendly Alaskan and Siberian huskies, will turn your vacation into a fairy tale at the Chukavino Sled Dog Centre, one of just a few professional dog-sled racing centers in Russia. It breeds Siberian and Alaskan huskies and Samoyed laikas, with over 40 dogs at the kennel. Chukavino dogs are not only excellent athletes, they are also trusting and friendly, and they love children and are good at posing for pictures.

“Marshmallow wonderland”

After you have enjoyed some wonderful selfies, continue your journey to Likhoslavlsky district, where “Marshmallow wonderland” awaits you in the village of Mikhailova Gora. It’s a famous tasty treat from the area, which the villagers cook using a special recipe, without artificial dyes or preservatives, but with a filling made out of forest berries, nuts, dried fruits and even ginger root. The produce of the small private factory has made it to the Top 100Goods of Russia! There is entertainment on hand for adults and children alike, including Baba Yaga, who happens to be kind and not at all scary in this fairy tale.

For more information, visit “Welcome Tver!” at welcometver.ru

Tula
15-16
September 2018

Kulikovo Field Festival
Tula Region, Kurkinsky District, Kulikovo Field Museum
The Kulikovo Field International Military and Patriotic Festival is held each year to mark Dmitry Donskoi’s victory over the Golden Horde in 1380. Here you can experience a real medieval battle and a knights’ tournament. You can take part in archery or fencing competitions. You can also visit the memorial on the Red Hill, a museum complex in the village of Monastyrshchino, the Market House Museum in the village of Yepifan, and the Museum of St.Matrona of Moscow.

Sochi
27-30
September 2018

Formula 1 Russian Grand Prix 2018 Sochi, Olympic Park, Autodrom
The Formula 1 Russian Grand Prix will be held at the Sochi Autodrom, the first and only track in the country hosting these “royal races”, and the most modern year-round motor speedway complex in Europe. The Sochi Autodrom will gather the 20 best racers on the planet out of ten teams. Russia will be represented by Sergey Sirotkin.

Kamyshin
25-26
August 2018

Watermelon Festival
Volgograd region, Kamyshin, city centre
Don’t miss the 11th Watermelon Festival. This vibrant, juicy celebration draws over 30,000 guests every year. Guests will be greeted with an abundance of interactive venues, bazaars, free watermelon refreshment stands, contests, and a sailing regatta. One of the most memorable events is the Watermelon Parade, which travels through the length of the town along its central streets and across the Borodinsky Bridge. This year’s festival coincides with the town’s anniversary: Kamyshin is turning 350 years old. Therefore, this year’s guests can expect even more thrills and spectacle—as well as memorable performances from pop stars on the festival’s second day.

St. Petersburg
04
November 2018

The Festival of Light
St. Petersburg, Moscow Square
The festival concept was developed at the Council of Representatives of the World Festival Association. The main idea of the project– which will take place in every country in the world – is to connect with the city’s history and iconography. In 2016, the Light Festival made a splash with a light show projected on the facade of the Alexandrinsky Theatre. Using 3D-mapping technology, the producers incorporated the architecture of St. Petersburg’s oldest theater and other buildings in a play of light, music and optical illusions. Last year, the light show took place at St. Petersburg’s new Arena Stadium.

Veliky Novgorod
06-11
October/November 2018

Gourmet Festival
Veliky Novgorod, 5 Sennaya Square
All month long, Novgorod residents and guests will delight in ancient gourmet dishes—or their modern renditions. Last year, the guests of this mouthwatering autumn festival were able to try Novgorod fish stew with sturgeon and pike, market-style honey pork ribs, Ilmen bream ribs with turnip and onion jelly, and other Novgorod delicacies. Festival guests can delight in the culinary art of Veliky Novgorod’s best chefs, and take a delicious trip into the history of ancient Rus. National Cuisine Days will be held as part of the festival, representing dishes from Estonia, Finland, Mexico, Latvia, China, and the United States.

Yakutsk
25-03
November/December 2018

Winter Begins in Yakutia
Yakutsk, villages of Tomtor and Oymyakon, Oymyakonsky Settlement [ulus]
The Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) is the coldest region of the Northern Hemisphere, and the village of Oymyakon has won the title of “Pole of Cold”. The lowest recorded temperature here is -71.2C (-96.2F). Yakutia residents greet the onset of Russian Winter on December 1. The Russian Santa Claus, Ded Moroz [Father Frost], pays an annual visit to Chyyskhan, the Yakut Master of Cold and Winter, in his royal residence in the Kingdom of Permafrost.

Izhevsk
26-09
January/February 2019

World Pelmeni Day
Izhevsk, Central Square, city restaurants and cafes
This festival’s slogan is: “Udmurtiya—Birthplace of Pelmeni!” Last year, 35,000 guests visited the event that celebrates pelmeni, Russia’s ubiquitous meatfilled dumplings. There, they set the record for the most pelmeni ever eaten in one place—74,059 to be precise. During the holiday, pelmeni makers sold seven tons of pelmeni products. The festival’s program included master-classes in pelmenimaking in city restaurants and cafes, as well as a series of Pelmeni workshops, concerts, best-chef awards, and contests for the grand prize: a year’s worth of pelmeni.

TEXT: DENIS FURMANOV

The main avenue of the city, Bolshaya Sadovaya Ulitsa (“Great Garden Street”) got its name back in the 19th century when it was surrounded by the tender pale pink of apple and cherry orchards, in place of the large stone buildings that now line the street. Looking now at this city of over a million inhabitants, it’s hard to believe that until the middle of the 19th century there were only 14 streets in Rostov-on-Don. The main buildings on Bolshaya Sadovaya date back to the construction boom that came to the city with the development of the port and the introduction of the railroad. At the turn of the 20th century, rich men from all over the south – bankers, grain merchants, and even artists – built themselves mansions along the street. In the “Russian Chicago”, as it was jokingly known at the time, the finest architects of the era let their fantasies roam free.

The first photo that every tourist takes in Rostov-on-Don is a selfie in front of the monument to St. Dmitry on the square in front of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin. The cathedral was built in the Russo-Byzantine style by Konstantin Ton, architect of the Kremlin Armory and Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow, and is an exact copy of his Presentation Cathedral in St.Petersburg (destroyed in 1933).

Running from Bolshaya Sadovaya Ulitsa to the cathedral is the pedestrian Soborny district that is the Rostov equivalent of Moscow’s Arbat, with numerous cafés and souvenir stores. Beneath the cathedral walls lies one of the most vibrant city sites – the Central Market.

On the other side of Bolshaya Sadovaya can be found Rostov’s historic central park, now bearing the name of the writer Maxim Gorky. Right behind the park stands another fi ne building – Rostov’s City Hall and Parliament, the facade of which boasts more than 250 sculptures and artistic decorations. In the evenings, carefully designed lighting adds to the town hall’s fairy-tale atmosphere. The building is an exquisite example of fi n de siècle architecture. For many years it was painted white, and the locals fondly compared it to a sponge cake with whipped cream. Then, a couple of years ago, its original color scheme was restored, so now they joke that it’s more like a crème brulée.

Rostov’s modern inhabitants are also keen on creative experiments. Head to the next major intersection, and you’ll find a hotel in the shape of a milk bottle. From the restaurant on the top fl oor, you get a fantastic panoramic view of the city center, while down below there’s a karaoke club with its own music studio.

Rostov’s theaters are also highly unusual. Th e Rostov State Musical Th eater was built in the form of a white grand piano with the lid open, while the Maxim Gorky Rostov Academic Drama Theatre was supposedly inspired by the Soviet Union’s fi rst tractor. The Gorky Th eater merits a mention in numerous books on Soviet architecture, as well as museum exhibitions, as one of the fi nest extant examples of constructivism in Russia. For example, in the London Museum of Architecture there are only two exhibits representing Russia – including models of Moscow’s St. Basil’s Cathedral and the Gorky Th eater in Rostov. Even so, few know that the high reliefs that decorate the theater
are the work of the well-known sculptor Sergey Korolkov, a Don cossack from the village of Konstantinovsky. Internationally renowned as an artist and designer, his works illustrated the fi rst edition of Mikhail Sholokhov’s Quiet Flows the Don.

Come to this Don capital, take a walk round town, breathe in the warm southern air, and you’ll never want to leave!

City STATISTICS

Population: 1,125,300.
Ethnic Groups: More than 150.
Houses of Worship: About 40 Russian Orthodox churches – including churches of the Old Believers. Churches of the Armenian Apostolic, Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox faiths can also be found, in addition to a mosque, Buddhist centers, and Jewish synagogues.
Bridges: The city has 7 bridges, and the embankments stretch for more than 2km along the river.
Attraction: Rostov boasts one of Europe’s largest zoos.
Sport: Rostov Arena hosted matches of the FIFA World Cup in the summer of 2018.

TEXT: EKATERINA LYULCHAK

There are a great number of destinations in Russia suitable for mountaineering beginners to go trekking. For the most part, popular treks run through the “small mountains” – the Khibiny, the Urals, the Sayan, or in Kamchatka – or through the foothills of the “big mountains” – the Caucasus and Altai.

Mounts Narodnaya and Manaraga

These mountains are a good starting point for anyone who has never been mountaineering before. Mount Narodnaya (1895m) is the highest peak in the Urals, located within the Yugid Va National Park, which is on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It is also the largest national park in Russia. Not far from Narodnaya stands Mount Manaraga (1662m), which is considered to be the most beautiful mountain of the Subarctic Ural Region. The great advantage for beginners is the proximity of these two mountains, making it easy to reach both peaks in a single trek. A standard trek lasts nine days, and covers a 110km walking route.

Trekking in the Urals is not expensive – around $160 per person, which includes transfer in an SUV from Inty Station to the Zhelannaya Camp, from which your trek begins. You’ll be welcomed there by your guide and instructor, with hire equipment already prepared for you – a tent, a sleeping bag, a gas stove, and (to the joy of every traveler) a mobile sauna. Narodnaya is even suitable for older children, as the ascent is rated in the simplest 1A category.

Getting there:
The first point on your journey is Vorkuta (flights from Moscow from $130). From there you can take the train to Inta. The five-hour train trip costs $8.

EXPERT OPINIONS

YULIA NAUMOVA, Assistant Director of SunTrek:
“For us, the highest demand is for uncategorized mountain treks. These are popular with a wide range of tourists, including families with young children and pensioners – everybody who wants to enjoy the beauty of the mountains, but do so in comfort and with no risk. Our most popular routes are in the Elbrus foothills, Dombay, and Arkhyz. We’ve given up on tents and heavy rucksacks. All through the treks, our tourists spend the night in hotels with showers and a proper breakfast, and eat their meals in cafés. They are taken to the start of their trek by car, and collected at that end. A standard trek can last four hours or the whole day, but the pace and intensity of the trekking is always tailored to the travelers’ capabilities. People can take a walk through the hills, take a rest when they want to, and stop for unhurried photography.

Cherskiy Peak

The Khamar-Daban mountain range, which is crowned by Cherskiy Peak (2090m), is one of the most interesting and picturesque regions of all Eastern Siberia. The mountains here are not high, but they are very munificent, with lots of berries, mushrooms, and pine nuts (khamar means “nut” in the Buryat language). It is also the location of the most interesting floatable rivers and warm lakes. The climate here is very humid, and Khamar-Daban is often referred to as the “Siberian tropics”. A walk through the charming forest clears the lungs and calms the nerves, while a climb up Cherskiy Peak offers the reward of fantastic views of Lake Baikal. The ascent of Cherskiy Peak is not considered difficult, and visitors make the climb and back in just a few hours, with a camera, a thermos of tea, and a good mood being the only provisions required. A standard itinerary with three days of trekking and climbing costs $65-80, which includes accommodation at a leisure camp then in tents at a campsite, food, and a guide/instructor. Rafting down the Irkut River of Class 2 or Class 3 difficulty can be added to the itinerary, for those who are interested.

Trekking in the Urals is not expensive – around $160 per person, which includes transfer, a guide and instructor, and equipment hire – tent, sleeping bag, and gas stove, and (to the joy of every traveler) a mobile sauna.

Getting there:
First fly to Irkutsk (direct flights from Moscow are around $370), and then take the train to Slyudyanka ($8-16), which takes around eight hours.

Oshten

Oshten (2804m) is a peak in the Lago-Naki Uplands, part of the foothills of Mount Elbrus. Once upon a time, Oshten was a coral reef in an ancient ocean, which is what gives its cliffs their pinkish tone. Here you can find fossilized ammonites (ancient molluscs), and the imprints of starfish, sea-urchins, and coral in the stones. The simple ascent (category 1A) and the many interesting palaeontological finds on the route to Oshten make it very popular with travellers. The best time for trekking in Lago-Naki and an ascent of Oshten is between May and October. These are the months when the slopes are free of snow, and the routes are accessible for almost anybody. Don’t forget, however, to bring hiking poles with you to help on the steeper ascents and descents. A big advantage of travel in the Elbrus region is the comparatively well-developed infrastructure for tourists. There’s no problem here finding somewhere to spend the night. Three days of trekking with food, lodging at the superior Lago-Naki leisure camp, and ascent of Oshten with an instructor costs $160-200.

Getting there:
You can get to Krasnodar by plane, train or automobile for $50-80, then take a local train to Khadzhokh for a further $3.

Khibiny
The Khibiny Mountains, located within the Arctic Circle on the Kola Peninsula, offer a well-established trekking route that runs through seven simple mountain passes. The Khibiny are not the highest mountains in the world, but they do boast 400m precipices. The highest point in the Khibiny is Mount Yudychvumchorr. Although only 1,200m high, the thin Arctic air on its slopes gives the feel of ascending a much higher mountain. The Khibiny are very beautiful, the mountainsides covered with ice caves, glacial cirques, and more than 30 mountain lakes with exceptionally pure water.

The trekking routes in the Khibiny are normally circular, with tourists making a trek of about 100km to return to their departure point. Throughout the trek, you pitch camp every night with the help of your guide. No special equipment is required beyond the standard set of hiking provisions – sleeping bags, appropriate
clothing, walking boots, and a thermos. Even though there is no actual climbing involved, trekking in the Khibiny is restricted to those older than 14. A week-long trek works out at around $160-190 per person.

Getting there:
The flight from Moscow to Apatity is relatively lowcost – from $80. From Apatity, it’s best to order a taxi, which for only $8 will take you to the required leisure camp.

Avacha Volcano
To ascend not just any peak, but to conquer the summit of a real volcano is a challenge for the particularly adventurous. To view a panorama of massive fire-breathing mountains and to look right inside a crater is possible in Kamchatka. Avacha Volcano (2,741m) is located 30km from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Climbers are taken to the base of the volcano, where they are put up in guest houses for a night. You can leave most of your belongings there, as no special equipment is required and all you need is a small rucksack with dry food and spare clothes. The route of ascent takes you across lava fields, over the deep crevasse of the Sukhaya River, and up to the crest of the volcano. The ascent takes 6-8 hours, and the return trek is a further 3-4 hours. The distance covered on the ascent is only 8km, but the final stage of the climb, where the incline is 30º, takes some effort. The trekking season runs from the end of July to the beginning of September, and the cost of the tour per person is $120.

Getting there:
A ticket to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky from Moscow is not cheap – upwards of $400. From there, it’s easiest to order a taxi, which will cost around $8.

If you’re preparing for a serious ascent, you’ll need grapnels, a harness, an icepick, a helmet, three locking carabiners, climbing boots, lined over boots, and a safety lanyard.

EXPERT OPINIONS

VLADIMIR KAVUNENKO, international master mountaineer:
If you’re going to the mountains, you have to understand that a tourist is not the same as a mountaineer. There are many mountains it’s better not to visit for people who just want to relax and enjoy the view. Moreover, the difficulty of the ascent is not always dependent on the height. For example, my favourite mountain Ushba (4,700m) in the Central Caucasus is lower than Elbrus, but far harder to climb. Its double summit is known throughout the mountaineering world. There’s even a club of “Ushba lovers” in England – the mountaineering elite. However, for beginners even Elbrus is dangerous. The weather changes there very quickly, and sometimes the wind twists so hard it’s impossible to move. That’s why those who love the mountains are brave, but also cautious. I’d recommend beginners start slowly, and definitely get some proper instruction and training.

Belukha
The Altai beauty Belukha (4,509m) is one of Russia’s highest mountains. Legend has it that this is the site of the hub of the universe and the gateway to the mystical Shambala. The route of ascent on Belukha can be divided into two parts – the trekking stage and the technical stage. The trekking stage, which is suitable even for children, starts in the village of Tyungur, follows a forest path up the mountain slope, and ends when you emerge at the pretty Akkemskoye Lake, where the group makes a base camp. Here at the base of Belukha, there are various leisure camps with different levels of comfort, and for $13-16 per night you can rent a room in a guest house, for example at the Vysotnik leisure camp.

Once at camp, the experienced and properly trained climbers – the only ones who can continue the ascent – start to get acclimatized with trips out onto the ice to practice with ice-climbing gear. From here on, the ascent is classified in the very challenging 3A category. The climb goes up snow-covered cliffs, and in place you’ll encounter the odd glacier. You’ll need to take with you a proper climbing rucksack with grapnels, an ice pick, and sleeping bag. After a ten-hour climb to the summit of Belukha, the mountaineers return to base. The full trek with final ascent takes around ten days and costs $800.

Getting there:
The starting point for the trip is Gorno-Altaysk (flights from Moscow start at $320). Cheap buses run from there to Tyungur – the village at the foot of Belukha.

Elbrus
The magnificent two-headed Elbrus (5,642m) is the crowning achievement for amateur mountaineers in Russia. Before beginning their ascent on the highest peak in the country, visitors get acclimatized in the Adyl-Su ravine, where they make short climbs in the foothills of Elbrus, during which they visit the observatory at the summit of Terscop Peak and the Devichi Kosy (“Maiden’s Tresses”) waterfall. Then they spend two or three days with instructors making preparatory climbs to heights of 4,000–5,000m, sleeping in tents or leisure camps. On the seventh day, they make the ascent on the western peak of Elbrus.

The ascent and return to camp take up to 14 hours. The classic southern route is classed as of medium difficulty (2A), while other routes are all classed as difficult (3A), so tourists need to be in good shape and properly equipped. If you’re not confident in your abilities, however, you can opt for a more comfortable ascent with the help of winches and snowcats. Ten days on Elbrus with accommodation, meals, and guide services included cost around $480.

Getting there:
The nearest airports to Elbrus are in Nalchik and Mineralnye Vody (flights from Moscow from $80). For there to the village of Terskol, where trekking routes begin, there are scheduled buses or you can take a taxi.

The Kurgan Region has everything necessary to actively develop hunting tours—beautiful scenery, forest rich in game, and extensive hunting grounds. In fact, the region is generally considered a paradise for hunters. Kurgan’s forests harbour a wide range of fowl and large animals, and the most popular quarry is the Siberian roe deer.

Moreover, you can hunt in the region all year round. High levels of service, qualified gamekeepers, accommodation in wooden hunting lodges, Russian steam baths, excellent equipment, and game with exceptional trophy value all make Kurgan a tempting destination for superior hunting holidays.

The area is home to moose, wild boar, wolves, and many other animal species. Hunting for fowl is particularly attractive due to the wide variety and bountiful stocks, particularly of wood grouse, geese, ducks, and black grouse.

Hunting tours to Kurgan Region have long been popular with foreigners, and every year around 300 hunters come to the region from countries including Germany, Austria, Spain, Hungary, and Poland.

The region boasts 147 private hunting estates, 49 publicly accessible hunting grounds, and 20 regionally recognized state game reserves. In all these areas, you can find everything necessary to organize a satisfactory hunting trip, with campsites and holiday camps where a warm welcome, comfortable accommodation and facilities, delicious food, and assistance with arranging recreation activities all await you.

Holidays with children

Not far from the village of Glyadyanskoye—the centre of the Pritobolniy District—there is a comfortable holiday camp, where all visitors are politely greeted by the resident hunting dog, Ayk. The two-storey wooden cottages are fully fitted, and the camp has extensive grounds with cozy recreation zones that will please the whole family. Here they organize great hunting summer and winter, for fowl, deer, hares, foxes and moose. And, for those not interested in hunting, they also offer photo safaris, which follow special routes to show you the main types of local fauna and beautiful pine forest scenery, with opportunities to take truly spectacular photographs. Also on offer at the camp are quad bikes, snowmobiles, and hang gliding, while the administration arranges a busy calendar of events and entertainments.

HUNTING TOURS TO KURGAN REGION HAVE LONG BEEN POPULAR WITH FOREIGNERS, EACH YEAR, AROUND 300 HUNTERS FROM GERMANY, AUSTRIA, SPAIN, HUNGARY, AND POLAND VISIT KURGAN REGION.

Popular hunting grounds

The Kamagan Hunting Ground is located near Bolshoy Kamagan Lake, which offers excellent hunting opportunities for water fowl. The camp is fitted with everything necessary for hunting and recreation, and boasts its own pheasant run, where these truly regal birds are reared for hunting.

The Peschano-Kaledinskiy Hunting Ground comprises 30000ha of birch and aspen forest, marsh, and fields sown with alfalfa and wheat, where deer and boar come to feed. The place is popular with hunters from Germany, Italy, and France, who come not just for the hunting, but also simply to enjoy the truly pristine wilderness.

It is this, as well as the high rate of success for hunters, that means that most visitors leave Kurgan Region not just fully satisfied, but evenwith a new lease on life.

There are two tour firms registered in Kurgan Region that specialize in hunting tours: SAPSAN Regional Charitable Fund for the Conservation of Hunting Animals (sapsankurgan.ru) and Kurgan Region Union of Civic Hunting and Fishing Organizations.

Find out more on Kurgan Region’s official tourist information site: tourism-kurgan.ru

TEXT: MAXIM KOVALYOV,
IRINA MARKELENKOVA

Today Kamchatka is open to travellers, the number of whom grows each year. They all recognize the land’s extraordinary spirit and the warm hospitality of local residents.

The Kamchatka Peninsula is the largest in Eurasia, with a sea coast, lakes and rivers, forests and, of course, volcanoes. Mountains occupy three quarters of the peninsula, with as many as 36 active volcanoes.

Volcanoes are an iconic feature of Kamchatka – no wonder that they are included in the UNESCO World Heritage list. You can see them first even from the plane. The socalled “domestic” volcanoesare lined up in a slender chain just 25 kilometres from the region’s capital, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. There are five of them: Aag (2,310 metres above sea level), Arik (2,156 metres), Koryaksky (3,456 metres), Avachinsky (2,751 metres) and Kozelsky (2,189 metres). Two of those giants are active: the locals affectionately call them “Koryaka” and “Avacha”. Downhill skiers and snowboarders come in the winter, spring and even summer, while mountain climbers conquer their steep slopes all year round.

The beautiful Klyuchevskaya Sopka Volcano (4,750 metres above sea level) is the pride of the region, the highest active volcano in Eurasia. This giant erupts regularly every 4-6 years, with the last eruption complete with lava recorded in 2017.

Many tourists, mountaineers and fans of extreme sports fl ock to its foothills and try to reach its summit.

Anyone who steps into this magical land is overwhelmed by its pristine nature. You can see all kinds of animals here: bears and foxes, wolves and hares, sheep and deer. Kamchatka is also famous for its marine resources and is justly called the “Salmon Paradise”.

You can come here at any time of year. The mountain summits are snow-covered virtually all year long, giving sportsmen and tourists the opportunity for year-round skiing, heli-skiing and snowmobiling.

Kamchatka residents celebrate Volcano Day every year. It takes place in the middle of August, when Kamchatka’s nature frees itself from the shackles of winter and lets travellers reach its most secluded nooks and crannies untouched by civilization. The celebration’s key event is the climb of the Avachinsky Volcano. On Kozelsky Volcano, among ranges and snow-covered ridges, creative and extreme workshops, master classes and demonstration lessons take place.

You can reach these “domestic” volcanoes by all-terrain transportation either on your own or as part of a tourist group. It is easy to choose a travel company: the Travel and External Aff airs Agency of Kamchatskiy Krai’s website (agtur.kamgov.ru/reestr-turoperatorov) off ers a list of travel agents.

Getting THERE

How to get there
The distance from Moscow to Yelizovo airport in Petropavlovsk- Kamchatsky is 6,773 km or 8.5 hours by air. There are regular fl ights to Kamchatka from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Samara, Novosibirsk, Magadan, Krasnoyarsk, Vladivostok, Khabarovsk, Irkutsk and Anadyr, as well as charter fl ights from the United States and Japan.

Where to stay
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky has many hotels, from economy to luxury, as well as guest houses,  inihotels
and hostels. They welcome guests all year round. During highsummer season, it is better to book a room in advance.

What to buy
As for souvenirs, it’s worth looking at wooden fi gures of traditional Kamchatkan talismans – peleken the jolly man, and kutkh, the embodiment of the spirit of the raven.

When it comes to mysticism, Furugelm Island probably takes a wellearned second place behind the legendary Petrov Island in Lazovsky Nature Reserve. Dotted with stone columns, the landscape of this southwestern outpost of Russia can rival for beauty the Similan Islands in the Andaman Sea off the coast of Thailand – a dream destination for many tourists from the Russian Far East.

First mention of the island can be traced back to 1854 and the crew of the Pallada, the frigate from which Admiral Yevfi miy Putyatin and the great Russian novelist Ivan Goncharov surveyed the coasts of the Far East. Th e island was named aft er one of the expedition’s participants – Johan Furuhjelm, who would subsequently rise to the rank of admiral and serve as the military governor of Primorskaya Oblast and Russia’s American territories, one of the biggest names among the Finns of the Far East alongside merchant Otto Lindholm and captain Fridolf Höök.

From the 1930s to the 1960s, there was a garrison stationed on the island that numbered up to 600 men. On the island’s peak the remains of Artillery Squadron 250 of the Khasansk Sector Coastal Defense can be found, including four 130mm gun turrets. Th ey were mounted here immediately after Japanese incursions onto Soviet territory in 1938 that culminated nearby at the Battle of Lake Khasan. Th e guns “secured” an area with a radius of 30km, from Gamov’s Cape and Posyet Bay to Khasan. Th is artillery post was the only one of the military installations scattered across the peaks and capes of southern Primorye that was ever used in battle.

Nature – the artist, has sculpted extraordinary vistas for tourists.

From the peaks of Furugelm, you
have a clear view of not only the adjacent Russian coastline, but also of the shores of North Korea, and
the mountains of China.

Today, the overgrown ruins of the barrack houses seem like the remains of some ancient civilization. Here and there jut out a chimney stack, the crumbling walls of the offi cers’ mess, or the mound of a munitions bunker. Rumor has it that ghosts can be seen here at night. Among the sights is the tomb of Red Army soldier Nikolay Yedintsov, who died here in 1939.

When it comes to mysticism, Furugelm Island probably takes a well-earned second place behind the legendary Petrov Island in Lazovsky Nature Reserve. Dotted with stone columns, the landscape of this south-eastern outpost of Russia can rival for beauty the Similan Islands in the Andaman Sea off the coast of Thailand – a dream destination for many tourists from the Russian Far East. And this island off the Khasan Coast is no stranger to tsunamis, either. According to the recollections of Valentina Grigoryevna Belyaeva, wife of artillery commander Fyodor Belyaev, there was a time in the 1950s when a wave swept away 12 artillery rounds and all the garrison’s coal stores – 180 tonnes.

The beach in the West bay, which marks the boundary of the nature reserve, is notable for its  emarkably white sand.

Granite cliffs near Bochkov’s Cape.

However, it’s only memories that remain from that era. Now the silent, rusting barrels are a perch for seagulls. The island has the largest colony of black-tailed gulls in the world and, as July turns to August, the fledgling black-tails can be seen over the flower-strewn bluffs, learning to maneuver and find their own food.

Among the other birds on the island are cormorants, rhinoceros auklets, and spectacled guillemots. Furugelm is the only place in Russia where black-faced spoonbills and Chinese egrets nest, and the island is also a resting post for migrating petrels and sea eagles. The calls and squabbles of these myriad birds form a constant soundtrack on the island.

From the peaks of Furugelm, you have a clear view of not only the adjacent Russian coastline, but also of the shores of North Korea and the mountains of China. The beach in the West bay, which marks the boundary of the nature reserve, is notable for its remarkably white sand, which gives a soft pale-green tone to the coastal waters. Furugelm boasts a wealth of flora: vines, oaks, Amur cork tress and Amur barberries, cherry trees and “soothing” wormwood. Here, in these subtropical southern climes, every plant has a story to tell.

Due to the thick, genuinely tropical undergrowth, this tiny island – 2.5 by 1.5 kilometers – is not easy to get around. Only the traces of the former military paths have survived, and these are now used by tour groups. The only way to reach this frontier of the Russian world is through the Far Eastern Sea Reserve, and tours only last for a few hours.

Aniva Lighthouse

One of the most exciting excursions on Sakhalin is to the Aniva Lighthouse, located in the Aniva Bay on the southern edge of the island. The lighthouse was built in 1939 by the Japanese on the small Sivuchya Cliff, beside the rugged, inaccessible Aniva Cape. The area is beset with rip tides, frequent fog, and rocky underwater sandbanks. The lighthouse tower is 31m high, while the light itself reaches 40m above sea level. The tower consists of nine storeys. The lighthouse itself is no longer in use. Weather permitting, tour groups arrive at the lighthouse and are given a tour inside, with time for photos.

Giant Cape

On the southern shores of the Sea of Okhotsk, there is a genuine natural open-air museum. Giant Cape is home to stone leviathans, and an emerald-green wall that cuts through the surface of the sea with its rocky sides. The “exhibits” at this museum are the lagoons and caves standing right in the sea, and arches and columns of stone, carved out by the wind and the waves. At the heart of the exhibition is the visitor himself and his sense of being as insignificant as a grain of sand before these stone giants. From July to August here you can see one of the most extraordinary phenomena nature has to offer—the spawning run of the Pacific salmon.

Pacific Bay

At a distance of 130km from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk lies Pacific Bay, is an extraordinarily beautiful piece of coastline sheltered from the cold winds. Located on the west coast of Sakhalin in the Gulf of Patience, “Pacific” Bay was given its name by the great Russian explorer Adam Johann von Krusenstern.
It is home to rare plants including sea roses, golden banners, spikenards, and mertensia. Sand can only be found along the shoreline of the bay, which for the most part consists of dark brown cliffs and large rocks jutting out of the sandstone. Another sight of interest is Zametniy Island, with its flat peak and broad base. There is no way for people to reach the rock, so instead it is always covered with a crowd of noisy gulls.

The Devil’s Bridge

This mysteriously named bridge is a unique piece of railway engineering that attracts thousands of tourists from all over the globe. It was originally built in the 1920s by the Japanese. Trains first travelled through a tunnel before emerging at the top of the hill to cross the bridge at a height of 38m above sea level. From the bridge, visitors get spectacular panoramic views of the island scenery. The tunnel that the Japanese carved into the cliff is almost 900m long, and makes a complete circle inside the rock. The upper part of the tunnel exits the cliff directly above the entrance. This unique feat of engineering was achieved long before the introduction of GPS or other modern position-finding technologies.

Frog Butte

The Vestochka district is considered Sakhalin’s energetic centre. Frog Butte is a wonder of nature over 20 million years old, and a place with an extraordinary energy. The massif is located 3km to the north-east of the village of Vestochka on the southern slope of Mount Gorbunov, and covers a total area of 12ha. The outline of the battered cliffs resembles a frog sitting on a hillock. Locals say that this is the exact energetic centre of Sakhalin. Whether that is true or not, according to Aynu legend the cliff was considered a temple of wisdom. It is also said that if you touch the Frog Butte and make a wish, it is guaranteed to come true.

Eustace Cape

On the east coast of the island, almost at its furthest tip, stands one of the most extraordinarily beautiful places, the Cape of St. Eustace. This rocky cape, surrounded by crystal-clear water, is only 51m high, but from it, spectacular panoramic views stretch out to the south, reaching Pavlovich Cape and Aniva Cape. Standing on the cape and breathing the delicious sea air, you have the real sensation of flight.

Busse Lake

Busse is a lagoon-like lake, where the focus of interest is a small island of oysters— the whole mass consists of nothing but oyster shells. Here you can feast on these seafood delicacies at the very best “nature restaurant”.

This sparsely populated eastern region, with only 490 000 inhabitants, is near the top of the list for production of oil and gas, and for its yield of fish and seafood. Several major international corporations have operations here, and the total volume of foreign investment has already reached over $55 billion. One of the priorities for the regional economy now is the development of tourism.

Travel to Sakhalin is becoming easier and more affordable, and the number of Russian and foreign tourists to the region grows year on year. Anyone who enjoys ethnographic, gastronomic, extreme, or health tourism will be able to find something of interest here. Awaiting you is pristine natural wilderness— around 2 000 species of plants grow on the island, which is also home to bears, reindeer, wolverines, sables, Siberian musk deer, otters, and minks. More than 200 species of bird nest on Sakhalin, and the island’s rivers are richly stocked with the highly prized humpback salmon.

The mild Sakhalin winters draw tourists to the slopes of the modern Gorny Vozdukh (“Mountain Air”) ski resort. Today, Gorny Vozdukh is widely acknowledged as the best downhill ski resort in Russia. On the slopes of Mount Bolshevik, there are 16 pistes covering all levels of difficulty, with snow cover maintained to very high standards. The favourable climatic conditions make it possible to ski and snowboard from the beginning of December until the middle of April, and allow the resort to host international-level competitions such as the FAR EAST CUP.

The Kuril Islands spread like a string of pearls from the southern tip of the Kamchatka peninsula to the Japanese island of Hokkaido, and are home to 36 active volcanoes. The view of Tyatya volcano is one of the most stunning in the Kuril chain, while visitors head to Kunashir Island to see the Mendeleev volcano and the extraordinary cliff formations. Among the weeds on the seabed around the islands a number of wrecked ships can be found that have long served as dwellings for a variety of underwater creatures. On the island of Iturup one of Russia’s tallest waterfalls, Ilya Muromets, can be found, with water falling from heights of up to 141m. The fishermen on Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands catch salmon, flounder, halibut, cod, and taimen, the Siberian giant trout. As for seafood, there are rich stocks of crab, prawns, and sea urchins.

Getting THERE

How to get there

There are regular flights between Khomutovo (Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk) Airport and Moscow, Vladivostok, Khabarovsk, Blagoveshchensk, Novosibirsk, and other Russian cities. There are also regular direct fl ights to cities in Japan, China, and South Korea. By sea, the main route to Sakhalin is the year-round Vanino-Kholmsk ferry connection. In summer, there are also ferries between Korsakov on Sakhalin and Wakkanai on Hokkaido (Japan).

Where to stay

Your tour of Sakhalin will begin in the regional capital, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. This is a city of 199 000 people, with 42 comfortable hotels, and more than 350 cafés, restaurants, and bars.

Where to eat

The geographical position of Sakhalin and its rich maritime resources make the island a culinary mecca for lovers of sushi, sashimi, spicy rolls, and hundreds of other Japanese dishes. Hoe, pyanse, kimchi, haemultang, japchae, and many other Korean dishes are regular features on the menus of local cafés and restaurants.

What to buy

Fish and seafood at local fish markets—whelks, scallops, prawns, halibut, crab, octopus, squid, sea cucumber, and fresh, smoked, and cured red fish.

At the centre of historic Kolomna is a kremlin built in the early 16th century, one of the biggest and best defended fortresses of its era. The walls of the kremlin are up to 21m high in places, while the towers (of which seven remain) measure 31m in height. The Kolomna Kremlin covers a substantial area of 24 hectares, and it can take several hours to tour the whole site. Every part of the kremlin is fully accessible, and can be touched, photographed, and even climbed over.

Kolomna boasts a large number of small museums, including collections of samovars, gramophones, trams, and favourite toys, as well as the workshops of blacksmiths, confectioners, needle workers and other traditional crafts.

On a visit to Kolomna, it’s diffi cult to resist the temptation to try the local sweets. The town has seen the revival of the local pastille, made to original historic recipes and once again commercially produced. The pastille is a natural delicacy, with the main ingredient being whipped apple puree made from local late varieties.

A visit to one of Kolomna’s pastille museums is a unique interactive quest—you will come across merchants, violinists, heartsick students, and ladies in crinoline who will serve you tea made with herbs from the apothecary gardens.

Another culinary treat for which Kolomna is famous is the local kalach (a circular bread roll). Visit the local kalach bakery, and you can see an astonishing show that demonstrates the way the kalach’s unique asymmetrical shape is formed to give the roll a “handle”, and that illustrates the many Russian idioms that originate from the baking and eating of this true Kolomna miracle.

Getting there:
From Moscow, take a commuter train from Kazansky Railway Terminal to Kolomna.