Volcanoes of Kamchatka

550 km by car.
Good things come to those who wait. Today we embark on a 7-hours drive up north along the peninsula’s main road, largely unpaved, traditionally stopping for sweet and savoury pies in a small town midway. In the late afternoon, we arrive in the village of Kozyrevsk, where we stay for the night in traditional wooden cabins. A real Russian steam bath cleans the body and mind, invigorating you for for the upcoming adventure.

About 80 km by 6WD truck.
We set out early on a military truck (6×6 or 4×4 depending on the team size), wading through the thicket of taiga forest up towards the barren volcanic plateau south of Tolbachik volcano, at about 1,300 m above the sea level. Back in 2015 lava flows of Tolbachik cut across the old access road several times but the locals quickly improvised a detour. After about five hours of the bumpy ride, the wood abruptly ends and our heavy-duty vehicle escapes into the vast desert of black volcanic ash stretching beyond the horizon.

The landscape at the foothills of Tolbachik is literally otherworldly. In 1969 it even served as a natural test site for the first Soviet lunar rover. Yet today it is not uncommon to see vibrant alpine flowers bursting through the ash.

We drive south through the volcanic desert to explore the epicentre of the 1975 great fissure eruption of Tolbachik, which came largely unknown to the Western world due to restricted access to the remote Soviet peninsula of Kamchatka. Back then only a few volcanologists witnessed the eruption column several kilometers high blazing from a rift in the Earth’s crust and the cloud of ash rising into the stratosphere, while inexorable lava flows burned life for many miles. A straight chain of smaller volcanic cones emerged along the rift.

We climb one of the cones to the top where we get to feel the inner heat of the Earth escaping through cracks in the ground. The temperature is so high that a wooden stick gets charcoaled in a few minutes. At another spot further south, we visit natural caves formed by receding lava and, by contrast, it is quite cool inside, in the middle of July.

Later on, we make a brief stop at the ‘dead forest’ – a stretch of dry fir trees destroyed by the ash fall – a silent uncanny evidence of the natural disaster, along with an abandoned helicopter tail cemented into the ground nearby.

In the evening we pitch our tents at Tolbachik basecamp which boasts a few communal huts with a kitchen. This allows us to have a gratifying dinner and rest well before the summit attempt tomorrow.

8 km roundtrip without packs, gaining and dropping about 300 meters.
We leave our campsite for an acclimatization walk around the most recent lava fields of the 2013 eruption where you can still feel warm ground! En route we will visit two lava caves, one of them is sauna-hot inside and has sulphur stalactites hanging off the ceiling!

24 km roundtrip without packs, gaining and dropping about 1700 meters.

It is time for the mountaineering part of our adventure! After about 4-5 hours of following the uphill trail, which usually has short sections of snow even in July, we crest the crater rim at over 3000 meters above sea level. The mouth of the crater is over one kilometer across and is so deep that it could easily fit the Eiffel tower. With that sort of scale, it is easy to visualize indigenous legends about Kamchatka mountain spirits who used their fingers as skewers to grill whole whales on top of volcanoes! The locals believed that there were heaps of whale bones on the mountaintops – but never dared to check it out.

We ramble around the glacial summit plateau for about an hour and take in the view of the surrounding volcanoes that soar above the sea of clouds and endless taiga forest.

10 km, gaining 270 m and dropping 640 m.

The day begins with a quick crossing of the chaotic jumble of the recently solidified lava flow. The crossing is only possible at a specific narrow spot. To the side of us, the ground is still steaming! As we move away from the volcano, sprouts of grass start bursting through the ashes and the lifeless black desert gradually gives way to green rolling hills and alpine meadows.

Our final destination for the day is a rustic cabin built at the bend of a narrow brook. Originally built by geologists, it is now primarily used by tourists as a safe place to stay in the bear country which starts here, just below the treeline.

17 km, gaining 550 m and dropping 120 m.

Leaving the hut, we ascend the gentle slope of Tolud col along the pebbled stream bed. Once past the highest point, we effortlessly continue traversing the pristine steppe-like valley sandwiched between Tolbachik, Udina and Zimina volcanoes.

We pitch our tents by the west flank of Ovalnaya Zimina volcano, next to a pool filled with meltwater from numerous snowfields. This is the ideal spot to marvel at the perfect ebony cone of Klyuchevskaya sopka – the highest active volcano of the continent, its formidable Matterhorn-like neighbour Kamen (‘The Stone’), the jagged ever-smouldering ruins of Bezymianny volcano and the snow-capped dome of Ushkovsky. Hopefully, the afternoon clouds sitting on top of the volcanoes will fade away, leaving us with gorgeous sunset views.

Upon return to our tents, we discover that the intricate network of underground lava tunnels in a nearby hill is home to several colonies of marmots and ground squirrels. The ones standing at the lookout whistle loudly as you approach but their comrades never miss out on scrounging those yummy tidbits right from your tent – have your camera ready! The impudence is understandable as they compete for survival in this harsh environment with scrawny foxes and odd brown bears, which occasionally stray here from the lowlands abundant in spawning salmon.

5 km, gaining and dropping about 250 m.

In the morning we cross into the northern dale of Tolbachik. A breathtaking panorama opens on the other side: a somewhat spooky view of numerous terracotta deposits resembling UFO landing sites amongst the green grass crisscrossed with streaks of black ash.

Oddly shaped pumice formations protrude through the soil here and there. We pass a small extinct volcanic cone ‘Jupiter’, whilst a prominent basalt pinnacle nearby is aptly named ‘Mars’. We camp nearby, by a shed built by the national park. Today was a short day, allowing us to rest and recuperate.

15 km, gaining 220 and dropping 550 m.

In the morning we head north and soon come to an impressive rock formation known locally as ‘Polennitsa’ meaning ‘Logpile’. This rare geological phenomenon is formed of hundreds of hexagonal log-sized basalt blocks that seem to be piled on top of each other.

We continue further west across the vast plain north of Tolbachik. Our grassy way is interspersed with old lava outcrops, while marmots and ground squirrels seem to hail us from everywhere. It is always fascinating to observe nature recovering from prehistoric eruptions!

As we come closer to Studenaya (‘Chilly’) river it becomes clear why we had to start the day early to ensure the water level stays low. The current is still strong and we may spend some time finding the shallowest place where the river branches most.

Once we dry our feet, we keep trekking along the river until it suddenly dives underground into a grey basalt canyon about 300 meters long and up to 20 meters deep. If we arrive early enough it will still be possible to walk inside and listen to the creepy echoes of our voices! In July there may still be snow patches forming a leaking roof.

At the end of the long day, we reach the ‘Edelweiss meadow’ campsite with a shed organised by the national park. There is a small waterfall nearby and the place is teeming with tame ground squirrels.

8 km, gaining 250 and dropping 320 m.

Our trekking is almost over yet there is still a fascinating morning hike to do without packs. The narrow trail brings us straight to the dramatic striated cliffs soaring above the river, which dives deeply into its basalt bed down below, while the opposite side of the valley is dominated by the imposing Tolbachik volcano.

Back at the campsite, we pick our packs, climb up the cliff along a well-trodden path back to the grassy plains and follow a faint vehicle trek to the national park’s hut where our all-terrain car picks us up. The ride back to Kozyrevsk is much shorter than what we endured on the way in and soon we are greeted by our friendly local host.

In the evening we can soak up the atmosphere of an archetypal Russian village while the relaxing steam bath washes away any volcanic dust but not the memories of the trip.

550 km by car done again.

We embark on the inevitable long but comfortable minibus ride straight back to the main city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, traditionally stopping at a canteen midway. In the evening we can stroll around the city center, peeking at modern life in the Russian Far East, visiting historical monuments and viewpoints. Just for fun, you can send a postcard to your friends or family!

About 170 km by a monster truck or 6WD and roughly 6 km on foot.

After 5-6 hours of riding a formidable monster truck, we pass by Russia’s only geothermal power plant and then walk into the caldera of the Mutnovsky volcano. This place feels like one of the planet’s energy nodes where its raw untamed energy comes out in the form of sulfur vents, roaring like jet engines, steaming hot streams and bubbling mud. The downside of the show, of course, is the acrid smell of rotten eggs!

The heat of the Earth melts glaciers in the caldera, giving birth to a wild stream that cuts through colourful layers of volcanic sediments and abruptly ends in a dramatic 80m high waterfall.  On the way back we stop at one of the numerous hot springs which are a delight to soak in after our adventure.

Some 70 km by boat.

Early in the morning we head straight to the port to experience Kamchatka and its wildlife from the seaside! A comfortable boat takes us out to Avacha bay, one of the largest natural bays in the world. We sail by the legendary ‘Three Brothers’ rocks – a magnificent symbol of the city and a mascot of local sailors.

We exit the bay and venture into the open ocean aiming at a tiny Starichkov island located about 30 kilometers south of the city. Rising steeply up to 140 meters above the sea its shores are home to multiple colonies of countless marine birds, mainly ancient murrelets (the islet is named after them in Russian!) and puffins but also red-faced cormorants, guillemots and seagulls. Often it is possible to spot fur seals lazing on the coastal reefs and if we a lucky we may even catch a glimpse of an orca (killer whale)!

Weather-permitting, we will take turns using an inflatable motorboat to draw closer to the island. Those remaining on the boat can try their hand at sea fishing with the most common catch being plaice, halibut, sea perch, greenling and cod. At the same time, a professional diver will fetch sea urchins, sea stars or even crabs from the ocean floor. In a short time piping hot seafood will be waiting for us, complemented with a tasting of sea urchin caviar!

The entire trip takes about 6-7 hours which seems to pass all too quickly!

Back in the city, we visit a somewhat old-fashioned Kamchatka regional museum of local lore which houses thousands of authentic exhibits illustrating the life of indigenous tribes and the discovery of the peninsula by the Russians back in the XVIII century.

In the evening we can quickly stock up with smoked salmon, red caviar and crab to take home, as well as various hand-made souvenirs, at the local market. We then have a friendly farewell dinner at one of the city restaurants.

In the morning, before going to the airport, we can stock up with souvenirs, smoked fish, crab and caviar – this all will easily last for a few days to impress your friends and family back home!

We can help organize your stopovers in Moscow and/or Saint-Petersburg, provide recommendations on sightseeing and time your visa accordingly.