800. Kamchatka bear viewing tour.

 10 Day trip. Season : July 30- September 15

Kurilskoye Lake, in the southern part of the peninsula, offers a glimpse of a paradise lost elsewhere on the planet. Sockeye salmon choke the mouths of streams, huge brown bears and their cubs feed on cloudberries in the surrounding sun-dappled meadows, while a giant stellar sea eagle rides the thermals on the flanks of one of the volcanoes ringing the lake. Boulders made of porous volcanic rock float at the edge of the lake, seemingly defying gravity. Enjoy our Kamchatka bear viewing tours which we combined with a trip into the crater of the active Mutnovskiy volcano!Mutnovsky Volcano's crater is noticeable for the most powerful in Kamchatka fumarole fields with large sulphur deposits, mud pots and pulsating springs. In the spring of 2000 occurred the last eruption with a formation of an acid lake in the volcano's crater. Gorely Volcano has 11 craters. Its last eruption with large ash fallout was in 1980. Marine excursion through Avacha Bay, bird rookeries on the offshore rocks.

Departures 2008 : 30 July; 02, 05,08, 11- August

ITINERARY
Day 1. Arrive in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Transfer from the airport to your hotel. Overnight .
Day 2.Kurilskoe lake is located 1 hour 20 minutes southwest of PKC. Fly via helicopter from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy to Kurilskoe lake and land at the doorstep of a remote wilderness lodge in prime Kamchatka bear viewing country. The flight offers spectacular scenic views of the Kcudach volcano. Make an excursion to the Schtubelya and Klyuchevoe crater lakes (located in a crater of Ksudach Volcano) and visit hot springs on the lake's shore. Short flight to Kurilskoye Lake. (Some Russian volcanologists consider Kurilskoye Lake to be a large collapsed caldera!). Accommodation in a small cozy wooden lodge on Grassy Point or tents (depends of departures dates).
Day 3. . From the lodge/tents, an experienced guide will take you by boat to view bears in their natural habitat. Here you'll have a good chance of taking great, close-up shots of bears fishing for migrating salmon. At Kurilskoe sockeye salmon spawn from spring until early winter and huge Kamchatka brown bears patrol the shoreline. The Kamchatka Bears are referred to as the Brown Bear because of their dark brown coat. Their color is due in part to a diet of salmon, which are rich in oils and minerals. Their diet consists mostly of berries and small rodents. The daily itinerary is flexible but will certainly include a maximum amount of time outdoors viewing bears.
Day 4. We will take hikes along the lakeshore, to the tundra, to a bear-viewing platform overlooking a salmon-filled river. You'll see bears fishing just a few step away from you. Helicopter MI-8 flight to PKC. Stop for a bathe in the thermal hot water of the Khodutka River. Accommodation in a hotel.
Day 5. You will be invited to the voyage around Avacha Bay (6 hours) to picnic with tasting a traditional Russian ukha (fish-soup). You will see Petropavlovsk and its surroundings, sea birds and their colonies, you will land on the beach for a hike. Overnight in a hotel
Day 6. Drive to the plateau of Mutnovsky volcano.Bathe in the Verhne-Paratunsky thermal springs.This is an unique place where the thermal water river falls down the hill Goryachaya.Drive to the Viluchinsky volcano and visit a place of salmon spawning in the Paratunka river. Relax and lunch. Taste ukha (fish soup) at the Viluchinsky waterfall. Further way to the Mutnovsky volcano.This is an unique place of nature. Overnight in tents/wood lodge.
Day 7. Breakfast. Hike to the crater of Mutnovsky volcano. Crater of Mutnovsky volcano is known as one of widest and biggest Mutnovsky is an active volcano. Mutnovsky Volcano's crater is noticeable for the most powerful in Kamchatkafumarole fields with large sulphur deposits, mud pots and pulsating springs. In the spring of 2000 occurred the last eruption with a formation of an acid lake in the volcano's crater. Here a halt and light snacks be offered. Then a further hike along the narrow canyon to the crater.Steep slopes form a wide and deep volcano cavity which is filled with sparkling glaciers, cracks and fumaroles.Excursion to the fumaroles fields (800 m > 1560 m) and a stream Opasny. Return to the hotel. It takes 11 hours for the whole hiking to volcano crater.
Day 8. Breakfast. Drive to the Gorely volcano. Ascend the volcano and view craters of the volcano. Halt and lunch.Drive to the hotel with a pool with thermal water. Overnight in the hotel/cottage.
Day 9. This is a day of rest and leisure to be spent anyway you might, except that this day may be used to re-schedule previously described events and excursion due to weather cancellations.Instead of this you can take a tour to the Valley of the Geysers. This unique and fabulous nature attracts tourists and researchers from all over the world. During the flight you will enjoy the beauty and greatness of active and extinct volcanoes, mountain ranges, taiga, rivers and lakes. As soon as MI-8 helicopter lands you realize why this valley is considered the Pearl of Kamchatka. We will have tremendous photo opportunities of geysers, perpetual sputters, and mud pots. The Valley of Geysers is hidden in one of the deep canyons of the Kronotsky biosphere preserve, 200 km from Petropavlovsk. You can only get there by helicopter.) Overnight in a hotel.
Day 10. After breakfast transfer from your hotel to the airport. Depart for home.

Price, Departure

-your question

INCLUDED:

• Full board according to itinerary& breakfast in a hotel
• Double accommodation in hotels; accommodation in a lodge/tents on Kurilskoe Lake
• Transfers by coach, motor-boats and MI-8 helicopters
• City tour and museum entrances
• Guide, interpreter and cook services
• Avacha Bay boat excursion
• Permits, Kronotsky Reserve visitor and photography fees
• Visa invitation and visa registration