The Kamchatka Peninsula sits in the far east of Russia and runs for about 800 miles. It covers around 100,000 square miles and lies between the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Sea of Okhotsk to the west.
The peninsula contains the volcanoes of Kamchatka, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The peninsula is an outpost of pure pristine wilderness, sparsely inhabited by humans and bursting with life.
Kamchatka has no trains and only a couple of actual roads. They’re dusty and badly maintained but you’ll have to deal with that, or commission a small plane or a 4×4.
Russia’s far east is geologically bustling, the Kamchatka River and the surrounding central side valley are flanked by large volcanic belts. These belts contain around 160 volcanoes, 29 of which are still active.
Kamchatka is actually about the same latitude as the UK, but the Siberian winds whipping through keep it substantially cooler most of the year.
MORE: WRANGEL ISLAND, RUSSIA: STUNNING WILDLIFE PHOTOS
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These rocks are known as the three brothers…
The region is home to a number of natural geysers and no stranger to the occasional earthquake.
Let’s have a look at the awesome wildlife shall we?…
Because of the variety in landscapes and lack of humans in Kamchatka, it’s a hot bed for wildlife. Among many others, the area boasts the following species: bear, wolf, arctic fox, lynx, wolverine, sable, several species of weasel, ermine and river otter; many large ungulates, like the bighorn sheep, reindeer, and moose; you could also meet a marmot or lounge with a lemming if you’re lucky. The peninsula is the breeding ground for Steller’s sea eagle which is one of the largest eagle species in the world.
The seas around Kamchatka’s huge coastline aren’t exactly animal free either. Here’s some regular visitors: orcas, porpoises, humpback, sperm and fin whales. Less frequently they get gray whales, the endangered North Pacific right whale and bowhead whale, beaked whales and minke whales too. The blue whale show up in the south east in the summer. Add to that Steller’s sea lions, northern fur seals, spotted seals, harbor seals, walruses and bearded seals and you’ve got a right, royal marine mash up.
Kamchatka is a haven for fish too, biologists estimate that one fifth of all Pacific salmon in the world originate in Kamchatka.
Just FYI, below is a lenticular cloud, not a UFO.
Kamchatka is truly wild, it always has been wild and I hope always will be wild. Let’s prey they don’t find oil anywhere near it.
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