Highlights - Russian Arctic
A little known destination, the Russian Arctic has many surprises. Watching cetaceans and brown bears, meeting with the local inhabitants and seeing the most active volcanoes on the planet make up a complete array of activities for an unforgettable cruise. Here are some unmissable activities during a trip to the Russian Arctic.
Read more
Essential - Russian Arctic
Going on a cruise in the Russian far-east, is to undertake a trip to the edge of the world. In the place where the European and American continents almost touch, the harsh conditions of life have taught people how to live with the severe climate and the immense landscapes.
Read more
Explore Russian Arctic
Highlights - Russian Arctic
A little known destination, the Russian Arctic has many surprises. Watching cetaceans and brown bears, meeting with the local inhabitants and seeing the most active volcanoes on the planet make up a complete array of activities for an unforgettable cruise. Here are some unmissable activities during a trip to the Russian Arctic.
Admire the arctic biodiversity on Wrangel Island
Located well beyond the Arctic Circle and yet, Wrangel Island does not necessarily have the immaculate landscapes we might expect. Saved by the ice during the ice age of the Quartenary period, the exceptional biodiversity is still preserved. The tundra landscapes are home to more than 400 species and sub-species of vascular plants, which is twice as many as in other comparable arctic regions. More than 100 species of migratory birds come to nest here, the grey whale finds food here, the largest population of walrus in the Pacific, some 100,000 individuals, come together here... This richness was given UNESCO world heritage status in 2004.
Discover Big Diomede by Zodiac
It is the end point of Russia. In the middle of the Bering Strait, the Big Diomede island faces its neighbour, Little Diomede... the first western point of the USA. The two are only separated by 3.8 km and... a difference of 23 hours! This 30km2 rock, which seems to be the end of the world, is just 10 minutes from the international date line. Formerly inhabited by the Inuits, today it is a Russian border post. Climb aboard the ZodiacⓇ to see the numerous birds that nest in the cliffs and the walrus colonies who will come and check you out with curiosity.
Meet the Chukchi people
The Chukchi call themselves the Luoravetlan: meaning the true people. These Far East Russian inhabitants put every effort into preserving their uniqueness, despite a strong acculturation. Reindeer farmers on the land or hunter-fishermen on the edge of the Bering Straits, the Chuckchi have succeeded in perpetuating a way of life that was negatively affected by the Soviet regime. They are proud of their traditional folk dances and shamanic ceremonies and they share them with pleasure.
Admire the Kamchatka volcano
Arriving into Vestnik Bay by boat marks the entry point into the South Kamchatka Nature Park. It is one of six protected zones making up the Kamchatka volcanic park, which has UNESCO world heritage status. In the distance, the volcanoes can be seen, certain of them still active, with slopes covered in glaciers. Volcanic beaches, rivers, lakes and warm water sources complete these magnificent landscapes, which have a splendid light.
Watch cetaceans
A cruise in Arctic Russia is a dream opportunity to see different species of whales. Attracted by the rich sea bed, they can easily be seen around Sakhaline Island, in Magadan or in Piltun Bay. The hollow of this bay is a refuge for the western grey whale, one of the most threatened species.
Go looking for brown bears
Among the iconic fauna in Russian Arctic, the brown bear stands out. At Okhotsk, in the far-east of Russia, they have found an isolated and preserved land that is ideal to their way of life. Vestnik Bay, with its dense forest areas, is also an ideal place to see the Kamchatka brown bears.
ssential - Russian Arctic
Going on a cruise in the Russian far-east, is to undertake a trip to the edge of the world. In the place where the European and American continents almost touch, the harsh conditions of life have taught people how to live with the severe climate and the immense landscapes.
Fun facts
There are two small, lost islands between two continents.Little Diomede is the westernmost point of the USA; Big Diomede is the easternmost point of Russia. These two rocks, sprinkled with just a few inhabitants, lost in the Bering Strait, glare at each other defiantly, separated by an imaginary line that is at least original: the international date line. When it is Monday on the American side, it is already Tuesday on the Russian side. ligne de changement de jour. Lorsqu’il est lundi côté américain, il est déjà mardi côté russe.
Essential phrases
Hello / Good evening: Zdrastvouitie / Dobri vietcher
Goodbye: Da zvidania
Please: Pajalousta
Thank you: Spassiba
Yes / no: Da /niet
You're welcome / Don't mention it: Pajalousta / nie za chto
How are you?: Kak pajivaete ?
Very well thank you and you?: Haracho, spassiba, i vi ?
My name is...: Menia zavout...
Gastronomy
Koryaks, Aleuts, Chukchis… the different people of Kamchatka use mainly fish and reindeer as food. These proteins are accompanied with many aromatic herbs and plants (garlic, chives, local plants...), berries (raspberries, cranberries, lingonberries) and roots, to create traditional dishes. Among them, is often included a cup of reindeer blood or reindeer offal, fish salad or stuffed fish.
Myths & legends
The husky appeared in Kamchatka in 2000 BCE. According to Chukchi legend, they were born from love between a wolf and the moon. The moon came to earth. From their romance a husky was born, with the appearance of a wolf, but a plume tail in the shape of a crescent moon and stars in his eyes, which reflected his heavenly origin. This is why, on nights of the full moon, these majestic dogs howl to the heavens: they are asking the moon to return to earth.
Culture
Recommended reading. Chukchi writer Yuri Rytkheu is considered the father of literature in this isolated region. Born into a hunter family, with a shaman grandfather, he wrote a collection of new Chukchi sagas in 1956, which made him worthy of this recognition, both in the Soviet Union and internationally. Among his other works, When the Whales Leave (1982) is very notable.
Film. In 2008, when The Admiral came out on screens, the film caused a buzz: it was the biggest Russian production ever made. The film traces the true story of Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak, who became one of the commanders of the White Army after the 1918 revolution.
Facts and figures
721 481An autonomous district located in the far north-east of Russia, Chukchi has a surface area of 721,481 square kilometres, which is one and a half times the size of France. This area only has 50,000 inhabitants.
