Highlights
- Meet brown bears at their natural habitat and even get into the water with them
- See the amazing spawning migration of the Pacific salmon
- Explore the Pacific Ocean cruising along the coast of Kamchatka
- Enjoy amazing scenery and wild nature in a remote area
- Swim with wild marine animals as orca whales and sea lions
- See a wide range of birds and mammals in their natural habitat
- Meet friendly people and experience Russian culture
Tour dates
2019
July 2019
2020
July 2020
Tour price/Services
Price per person
6,850 Euro
Tour price INCLUDES the following services:
- accommodation in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky
- accommodation and meals (incl. fresh sea food) on the catamaran
- all transfers according to the itinerary
- fees and camp permit at lake Kuril
- meal at Lake Kuril
- meals and accommodation in the Pauzhetka village
- armed forester accompaniment during the bear photo tour
Tour price EXCLUDES the following services:
- airfares / getting here
- emergency evacuation with no insurance coverage
- additional and private expenses
- snorkeling gear
- health and travel insurance (required for Visa application)
- meals in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky
Getting here
Please note that, depending, on where you come from there might two more days needed getting there and back home!
Flights from Moscow, Anchorage or Vladivostok to Petropavlovsk airport (Elizovo, PKC). Airlines are Aeroflot, S 7, Ural airlines and some others. There are daily departures to Petropavlovsk airport. The flight time from Moscow is 8 to 9 hours.
The guide will pick you up when you arrive. It is not far from here to the hotel where you will spend the first and the last night of this tour.
Tour schedule
Day 1: Arriving to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky from Moscow or Anchorage. Meeting the guide at the airport and transfer to the hotel. After the check in and a short briefing you will have time to relax form the flight and to explore the area.
Day 2: After breakfast we drive to the harbor to board the catamaran 'Bering'.
The vessel is comfortable marine motorized catamaran, built in Australia. She is 12 meters long, 6 meters wide and perfect for staying at sea comfortably and safe. She has three triple and three double cabins and a 250 hp engine. The crew is experienced and works all summer in the area.
When everybody has found her/his cabine for the coming days and all baggage and equipment is stored we will have a briefing about safety about the next days. We will leave the harbor, heading for Starichkov island. Here we will see various birds and watch seals. Afterwards we will visit the Vilyuchinskaya bay and the Green Cape searching for orca whales.
We will have dinner on the ship, enjoying the evening and staying on the ocean for the coming days.
Day 3-5: We will visit scenic coastlines, bays, sounds, islands and cliffs. Seals, sea lions, various sea birds, orcas, minke whales, finn whales, sea otters and other species might cross our way. The schedule will also depend on the weather conditions. But in summer the sea is often calm and the weather sunny.
For spending the night we will visit sheltered bays and fjords and, of course, also do some land excursions (i.e. a hiking trip to Kekurny cape). Photographers and filmers will find a wide range of fantastic motives. We will snorkel with Steller's sea lions, the largest seals of the Russian far east, and, most likely, also with orca whales.
Day 6: Our last day at the ocean. After breakfast we will head towards the harbor and leave the ship. After arrival we use the late afternoon to pack our baggage and to dry our snorkel gear. We spend our last night on the ship and enjoy dinner at a restaurant.
Day 7: Full-day transfer. In the morning we will get picked up by Night at the guesthouse to get an off-road transfer to the Pauzhetka village along the Okhotsk sea coast. Here we will have dinner and those who want can take a bath in a thermal pool. Overnight stay at a guesthouse.
Day 8: Half-day transfer to the Lake. Off-road transfer to the Ozernaya river and crossing the river. From here we have to take a 13 km (8 miles) hike without luggage to the Ozerny cordon of the South Kamchatka Federal Sanctuary (all the belongings will be transferred to our camp by boat). On the way we'll visit the rocks of Kutkhina Bati. We enter the cordon (bear fence protected) are in the afternoon and build up the tent camp. We can visit the KamchatNIRO scientific station or just watch the bears around the camp site. After dinner we relax and prepare for the coming days
Day 9-10: Bears, bears, bears!
After breakfast we will take a photo tour at the Kuril Lake and get a boat transfer to one of the salmon spawn rivers. We will watch the bears hunting salmon and get as close to the animals as it's ever going to get, observing them in their natural habitat.
It will be exciting days in one of the most remote and wildest areas of our planet. We will have the opportunity to film and photograph brown bears also in the water / under water.
Day 11: Our last day at the lake watching bears. Boat transfer to one of the salmon spawn rivers. Hiking to the Ozernaya river. Off-road transfer to the Pauzhetka village in the afternoon. Dinner, Bathing in thermal pools and night at the guesthouse.
Day 12: Full day transfer back Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky along the Okhotsk sea coast. Arrival at the hotel in the evening. Dinner and last night in Kamchatka.
Day 13: Transfer to the airport and flight back home.
Diving
The tour on offer here does not comprise a regular diving expedition. But those who want can try some snorkeling in ocean with sea lions and maybe also with orca whales.
We recommend using a dry suit, or a 7 mm wet suit for snorkeling. It is best to bring your own dive suit, fins, mask, snorkel, gloves, and weight belt (but (also available for rent in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky). The number of snorkel dives will depend on weather conditions and tour schedule. But usually snorkeling is possible every day on the ocean.
The water temperature is around 8-10°C in summer (46-50°F).
Weather
In the summer months the weather is often stable and mild. However, it can be cloudy, foggy, raining or windy. Accordingly, weatherproof clothing must be brought. It should also be noted that during this tour we spend a few nights in the tent. Unfortunately, there is no alternative to the Lake Kuril. Therefore, a waterproof tent, a warm sleeping bag (comfort range to 0°C / 32°F) and a sleeping pad (mattress) is required. Also a flashlight and a mosquito net should be taken.
We are currently working on providing this equipment on site. However, it is not easy because of the difficult infrastructure on site.
