900. Kamchatka - the great tour: volcanoes and hot springs.

This tour gives you a unique possibility to get an overview over the very different landscape-types of Kamchatka. You will climb a number of active volcanoes which offer you astonishing views – not only to the wild country itself but to the inner side of these impressive fire-mountains, which make you understand our planets liveliness, too.
Tolbachik is a dark place: Black ashes, smaller and larger cones, some snowy black and white volcanoes around and just a little bit of green. It was in July 1975, when a fire-spitting fissure in the earth’s surface opened and wouldn’t stop erupting until decembre 1976. This fissure-eruption was the heaviest within the Kuril islands and Kamchatka ever and is seen as one out of six heaviest fissure-eruptions on earth. Along the former “gap” you know see a chain of new cones, like pearls in a necklace, which are up to 300 m high. The back ashes have burnt the woods around, lakes and rivers dried and all animals that couldn’t flee died. The former woods, today the “Dead Forest” look more like a cemetery of trees: Wooden skeletons in a black desert. The lava-flows have left a vast system of underground tunnels and huge caves which are almost not investigated.
Today, more than a quarter of a century past, first mosses, lichens and grasses start to conquer the former inanimate space even though the cones on the former fissure have not stopped smoking yet.
After this moon-like place we will spend one day rafting on the Bystraja-river and you will enjoy the different shades of green of the luscious vegetation along the shores The salmons that we catch during our trip will be served for dinner: try the fabulous Kamchatka fish soup: ukha!
Avacha Volcano is one of the most active of Kamchatka volcanoes. Its last eruption with lava flows was in 1991. Today, hardened lava has filled the huge cup of the volcano's crater and high fumarole activity continues. 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.
Valley of Nalychevo: Nowhere else in the world you'll see such a splendid, natural beauty! Nalychevo Nature Park was included into the World Heritage List. This tour is the only established access to the unbelievably beautiful Valley, which is surrounded by amazing volcanoes: Dzen-Dzur, Zhupanovsky, Kupol, Aag, Aric, Vershinsky, Koryaksky, Avachinsky and Kozelsky. The indescribable view that'll take your breath away: a round bowl of transparent water, located among huge mountains, highly grown with the green carpet of boundless forests - this is what is called the Nalychevskaya Valley. This untouched and rich world of wild nature makes Nalychevo for superb hiking, backpacking, wildlife watching and photography. But Nalychevskaya Valley is so popular, because of health-giving natural hot springs which are rare type of "carbonic-, arsenic-containing boric- waters", waters with microelements. The real treasure of the park is hot and cold mineral springs that get great pleasure from swimming in the open air and picturesque valley. These hot springs will spring you up! If ever you've longed to feel a part of a truly wild environment, after this intimate exploration we guarantee you'll leave with this indescribable area a large part of you . . .
These last days are foreseen to be the “chilling out days”: relax in the hot springs as much as you like. It will be decided within the group whether to undertake different one-day hikes from the centre of the valley to different destinations within the park or to relax in the hot springs. Within the programme there is one day left for you to fly individually to the Valley of Geysirs and the Caldera Uzon.

DATES 2011 :
ITINERARY: 1st Day: Arrival in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Double accommodation in a hotel. Get acquainted with a guide. Sightseeing.
2nd Day: Drive to the Kozyrevsk village which is located near Tolbachik volcano. Accommodation in tents / wooden lodges.
3rd Day: Drive to Tolbachik volcano. Make a base camp in Leningradcev camp (place, where the first Moon rover was tested). Accommodation in tents.
4th Day: One day trip to the lava fields of the Northern vents, which were appeared during the 1975 fissure eruption. The route crosses volcanogenic complex of different age that are represented by various basalt types. The view may remind you of a lunar landscape. Visiting “Died forest” . Accommodation in tents.
5th Day: Ascend fabulous Ploskyi Tolbachik volcano. Accommodation in tents/ wooden lodge.
6th Day Morning departure for Malki resort. Set up a camp on a Bystraya river coast / Fishing. Making fish sup - "ukha". Accommodation in tents.
7th Day Rafting down Bystraya river (which is a calm river) Accommodation in a cottage.
8th Day. After lunch you will travel to the Avacha volcano plateau. Establish a base camp and make an evening excursions. Accommodation in a wooden lodge.
9th Day. Ascend Avacha volcano (2741m). Ascension to a crater of Avacha Volcano, (900 m > 2741 m). Excursion around the crater to thr fumarole fields. Have lunch at the crater of an active volcano! From the summit you will have a picturesque view of a typical Kamchatka landscape: snowy mountain peaks glittering in the sun, and the blue of the boundless ocean. Accommodation in a wooden lodge.
10th Day. 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.
11th Day. Drive to Mutnovsky Volcano. Evening excursion to the Dachnye fumaroles fields. Accommodation in tents/wooden lodge.
12 Day. 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 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. 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 hostel.
13th Day. Breakfast. Drive to the Gorely volcano. Ascend the volcano and view craters of the volcano. Halt and lunch. Drive to the hostel/cottages with a pool with thermal water. Accommodation in the hotel/cottage.
14th Day: After breakfast we drive to Pinachevo, from there we start our walk to the Valley of Nalychevo. Accommodation in tents.
15th Day: We continue our hike to the Nalychevo main-camp. Accommodation in wooden lodges.
17th Day: Be lazy, take a bathe and explore the surroundings of the camp: day of leisure. Accommodation in wooden lodges
18th Day: one day hike. Accommodation in wooden lodges
19th Day: We leave the valley and walk back to Pinachevo, Accommodation in tents
20th Day: Arrival in Pinachevo. Drive to Termalnoe spa. Accommodation in a hotel / bungalow.
21th Day . After breakfast transfer from your hotel to the airport. Depart for home.

Note: We try to stick to the itinerary as close as possible but we reserve the right to change it due to weather or other factors out of our control.

Price , Departure

-your question

INCLUDED:

• English-speaking rep at the arrival and departure in PKC airport
• Full board
• Transfers by coach, bus
• Double accommodation in hotels / bungalows
• Guide, interpreter and cook services
• Rafting
• Permits
• Visa invitation and visa registration
  

Not included:

• Meals on day 1, day 7, 13, 20 dinner, 10 lunch an dinner.
• Alcoholic drinks
• Tips
• One-day trip to the Valley of Geysirs
• Airplane-ticket to Kamchatka