Heritage Expeditions
Russian Far East
Finally after years of planning and the success of our 2007 expeditions, our Russian Far East expeditions have been expanded. Our Russian vessel and crew are in their home waters, they know it better than anybody else and because of that we have secured permits to visit Islands and coastal locations that have previously and in some cases are still “off limits” to foreign registered vessels.
There is only one word to describe this whole coastline – fascinating.
This region dominates the North Pacific, but few people apart from the locals know much about its history or its wildlife. Fewer people have ever had the opportunity to visit the region. Politics have successfully kept people away. Today with the politics relaxed it is possible to visit but the infrastructure can not support, nor does it want to, large numbers of visitors. The climate is severe, the landscape vast but the wildlife and the scenery is spectacular. The only practical way to travel to this region is by sea. The hundreds of islands in the "Kuril Island Chain" and coastline of the "Kamchatka Peninsula" and the "Chukotka region" offers numerous opportunities for wildlife observations and cultural exchange.
It is fascinating in every respect. It has everything a person who enjoys genuine expedition and natural history travel expects. There is an abundance of both marine and terrestrial mammals including, Brown Bears, Polar Bears, Arctic Foxes, Reindeer & Big Horn sheep. Marine mammals seen on last years expeditions included Walrus’s, Steller Sealions, Northern Fur Seals, Orca, Grey and Blue Whales. There is also a great diversity of both land and pelagic bird species. In early spring this area forms a natural corridor for migratory species moving north. The rich waters of the Pacific, and the Sea of Okhotsk support millions of seabirds, Yankicho Island, in the Kuril Chain, has one of the largest concentrations of seabirds anywhere in the world. Wildflowers are abundant in the many different floral zones that are recognized across the region. The Kuril Islands and Kamchatkain landscape are dominated by the volcanic activity that has formed the region. Further north in Chukotka, the extensive taiga and tundra regions dominate the landscape. The human history of this region is as old as the indigenous peoples. Our expeditions explore their lifestyle, considers the influence of the Cossack peoples and the communist regime, and meet with the people who make this region their home today.
Russian Far East map ©
