What Makes Our Kamchatka Expedition Unrivaled?
Kamchatka's not exactly on your standard nature travel circuit. Known mostly to a handful of avid fishermen in pursuit of world-class trout, it's way off the radar of most vagabonds. Even so, we do it differently. Our experience of the Siberian wilds is more remote. We reach the roadless wilderness by helicopter. We hike over terrain where you won't lay eyes on another person for days. And we paddle the length of the wild Zhupanova River where it's just us and the bears. Read on, about what makes our adventure so rare and excluisve!
- It's Literally One-of-a-Kind
When you travel to Kamchatka with Natural Habitat Expeditions, you've got bragging rights: you'll be among a mere handful of people to undertake this adventure, because we are the only travel company on the planet that offers this unique trip! Our exclusive expertise in the region allows us to run this challenging and rewarding backcountry expedition through one of the most remote tracts of wilderness on earth.
- Fly in by Private Helicopter and Land on an Active Volcano
Our travel destination is so deep within the roadless Kamchatka wilderness that we use a privately chartered helicopter to safely access it. It's a stunningly scenic flight with multiple volcanoes in view, and we'll land on the rim of Semyachik Volcano to view the turquoise crater lake a thousand feet below before flying to the base of Karimsky Volcano to begin our backcountry hike.
- No More Than 12 Travelers
Since a small group is essential for a genuine wilderness experience, we limit our group to 12, accompanied by a dedicated Expedition Leader, large support crew and a highly experienced river guide to provide the utmost in safety and comfort.
- A Point-to-Point Itinerary Through Stunning Geographic Environs
This trip is a classic A-to-B expeditionary journey through the taiga wilderness of eastern Russia. Beginning on the snowy flanks of an active volcano and traversing dense coniferous forest to meet the Zhupanova River, eventually ending on the wild shores of the North Pacific Ocean, our exhilarating itinerary offers an unparalleled wilderness immersion.
- Outstanding Brown Bear Viewing
The Zhuponava River runs though prime habitat for the Kamchatka, or Far Eastern, brown bear. On all our previous trips we have sighted these magnificant animals at a very close (yet safe) distance. Nearly as big as its close relation, Alaska's Kokiak bear, this is the largest subspecies of brown bear in Eurasia.
- Fish One of the World's Best Trout Streams
The pristine Zhupanova River is one of the most productive on the planet for wild trout and salmon. We have the opportunity to secure fishing licenses in order to try some fly fishing for native trout, perhaps catching ourselves a dinner in the process. These are trophy rainbows, averaging two feet long and often up to 30 inches. Dolly Varden are also prolific, averaging 12 to 18 inches.
- The World's Best Expedition Leaders
Natural Habitat Expeditions is renowned for employing the finest guides on the planet. Highly experienced expeditioners and seasoned naturalists with in-depth knowledge of our destinations, this elite group averages more than 15 years' guiding experience each. They also receive additional resources from WWF’s top scientists to further enhance our guests' experience. See Expedition Leader bios with traveler comments regarding the quality of our leaders.
- Our Quality Guarantee Ensures An Exceptional Experience
With Natural Habitat Expeditions you receive our exclusive guarantee: that we will meet the lofty expectations we establish in our promotional materials. To our knowledge, this is the most ambitious guarantee made by any adventure travel company. Read our important promise.
- Feel Good About the Way You Travel
We all care about the planet, and when you travel with us, you can know that the emissions from your trip are 100% carbon-offset – Natural Habitat Adventures is the world’s first carbon-neutral travel company.
- Natural Habitat is World Wildlife Fund's Travel Partner
Because of our commitment to environmentally conscious travel, as well as the outstanding quality of our global adventures, World Wildlife Fund, the world's leading environmental conservation organization, has named Natural Habitat as its worldwide travel partner, a designation that makes us exceedingly proud!
Location of Adventure
Kamchatka Peninsula, Eastern Russia
Group Size Limit
Maximum 12 travelers. A very important feature of our Kamchatka expedition is the limited group size, as wilderness hiking and kayaking are best experienced and most safely conducted with a small group.
Included
Accommodations, meals from lunch on Day 1 to breakfast on Day 15, safe drinking water, most gratuities, services of a Natural Habitat Expeditions professional Expedition Leader, support crew, sea kayaking and safety equipment, commissary equipment and tents, support raft local transfers and helicopter flights within Kamchatka.
Not Included
Travel to and from Petropavlovsk, sleeping bags and pads, some gratuities, alcohol, personal phone calls, laundry, travel insurance, and other equipment items of a personal nature.
Mandatory Insurance
Medical Evacuation Insurance is mandatory for all Natural Habitat Expeditions trips. If you decline the medical evacuation insurance coverage provided by Natural Habitat, note that the cost of a medical evacuation policy will be added to your tour invoice until you provide our office with proof of coverage, including your insurance company’s name and contact number, and your insurance policy number.
Physical Requirements
This trip is rated
Extreme Adventure
Our Kamchatka trip is an expeditionary hiking and river kayaking adventure with a flexible itinerary, thus the number of miles traveled each day will depend upon local weather and river conditions. All participants must have multi-day paddling experience in rivers and oceans. Participants should expect to paddle no more than 5-6 hours each day, but if we have to struggle against the wind and current in order to reach a safe and optimal campsite for the night, we may have to paddle for longer periods. The river paddling section of the trip includes portions of Class II whitewater kayaking, with long stretches of strong currents as well as easy whitewater. Rapids are rarely difficult to navigate, though all will be carefully scouted, and if deemed too difficult, we will portage around them.
Generally, our paddling philosophy is not to “cover miles” for the sake of covering miles, but to follow an interesting route and explore as we go along, while still keeping the end point of our journey in mind. This trip begins in the upper tributaries of the East Zhupanova River and ends at the river's mouth on the remote shores of the Bering Sea (Pacific Ocean).
The hiking segment from the Karimsky Volcano to the put-in on the river covers about 25-30 miles and takes 2-3 days depending on the strength of the group and hiking conditions. Each participant is expected to carry approximately 35 pounds of personal gear and shared group equipment for this multi-day hike.
If you have any questions about your suitability for an expedition of this nature, please call our office at 1-800-543-8917 to discuss it further.
Important Information
There is no better way to experience Kamchatka’s untamed volcanic landscapes and wild rivers than on foot and by kayak. Our highly trained Expedition Leaders and support staff are on hand to help bring it all alive in a personalized and safe manner. Our paddling route is a classic “A-to-B" journey and takes us from the seismically active peaks of central Kamchatka to the North Pacific shores. We first hike cross-country from our helicopter drop-off point through the taiga forest, following the shores of narrow river canyons to our put-in on the East Fork of the upper Zhupanova River. We then build our folding kayaks and take to the river. Our paddling begins with easy whitewater and ultimately reaches a flat section of the broad estuarine river, ending up at the river's mouth. On land, we hike across trailless wilderness, over boulder fields, scree and snowfields. Our campsites are in the birch forest, on sandy beaches, or on grassy flats along the river.
This expeditionary trip is for those who want to experience the little-known wilderness of Eastern Russia at its purest. We will travel as a small band of hardy adventurers, each committed to making the trip a success for all. Particpants are expected to pitch in with setting up their own tents, carrying some common gear on the cross-country hike, and helping to portage kayaks past rapids when necessary. We have a full support kitchen crew and cook.
Please note: The itinerary provided is meant as a guideline and is subject to change without notice. On rare occasions, it may be necessary to deviate from our regular itinerary for reasons beyond our control. In these instances we will provide the best available alternative.
Getting There & Getting Home
Arrive in Petropavlovsk, Russia anytime on Day 1 before 5 PM, and depart anytime on Day 15.
We can best serve you if our Natural Habitat Adventures Travel Desk makes your reservations, as we are intimately familiar with the special requirements of this program and can arrange the most efficient travel. Please call us at 1-800-543-8917. Note that while we offer you the best possible rates available to us on airfare and additional nights' accommodations, you may find special web rates or better fares online.
Reading List
Longitude Books has created a custom comprehensive listing of
Kamchatka Kayaking & Hiking Adventure travel books for this trip.
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Traverse the Siberian taiga and follow the Zhupanova River through a wilderness of geysers and volcanoes to the Bering Sea. Adventure-ho!
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