Kamchatka Active Volcanoes Trekking Tour

Day 1. Volcanoes of Kamchatka tour – Meeting.

Flying over nearly the whole Russian territory, from West to East, you land at the territory of volcanoes, hot springs and hospitable people. Our guide will meet you in the airport and pick you up to the hotel in Paratunka village. Double accommodation, the room has a fried, toilet and shower. There are a cafe-canteen, restaurant and outdoor swimming pool with water of hot thermal springs.

Our journey just only begins! With tourists who arrived before 13:00, we will go on a city sightseeing trip around Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky city. Our small-sized city locates at the shore of the most beautiful bay all over the world - Avachinskaya bay. It has a glorious heroic history. What do these legendary names mean Bering, Krashenninikov, Laperouse!

Our way to the Pacific Ocean continues. A man who is standing on the shore of this largest and deepest ocean all over the world experiences stunning feels. Russia begins here. While walking along the shore which is formed by volcanic black sand you can start dreaming or try to deep into icy water being on the edge of the Earth. We will head back to a hotel by evening.

The tourists arrived after 13:30 will be accommodated in a hotel at once.

Day 2. Volcanoes of Kamchatka – A tour starts.

We will leave our hotel rooms and go on a trip to the Klyuchevskoy group of the volcanoes locating at center of the Kamchatka peninsula.

This day we will drive more than 600 kilometers and make a stop to have lunch in café in Milkovo village. The road ahead is rough. The route lies along the gravel road and next along the rough terrain for last 4 hours. We also will cross a few rivers by a vehicle.

By evening we will reach the area of Great Fissure Tolbachik Eruption which had happened in the 1975-1976. This event changed surrounding landscape. In these days we will explore the most active places – Northern and Sothern breakthroughs of 1975 and caves with cones of the new eruption of the 2012-2013, and the cone of Plosky Tolbachik volcano.

Driving out the forest to the ground covered with cinder. Next we will drive along the solidified lava flows, between young volcanic cones to the camp “Kleshnya”. We will spend a night in a heated glamping at the height of 1200 - 1300 meters above sea level.

Day 3. Volcanoes of Kamchatka tour – ascent of Plosky Tolbachik volcano

If weather is fine, then at first day we will hike to the top of the volcano with a height of more than 3 000 meters above sea level. There is no need to use mountaineering gear, but anyway it requires physical demanding like other ascending trip to the volcanos.

Tolbachik (Tolbachinskaya sopka, Tuluach) is a volcanic massif situated in the east of Kamchatka peninsula and belongs to Kluchevskaya group of volcanoes. The massif is formed by two joined stratovolcanoes which have taken their places at pedestal of ancient shield volcano. This is a an extinct Ostry Tolbachik volcano with a collapsed summit (3682 meters) and active Plosky Tolbachik volcano (3140 meters).

We will need to hike more than 20 kilometer along the stoned relief while climbing. We will leave all our belongings in a base camp and carry only a small backpack which could be contained a bottle of water, snack and warm clothes.

We will get up at dawn, have a hearty breakfast and go on our way. It will take about 6-8 hours to reach the summit and descent will take about 4-5 hours. If you read thoroughly our recommendations on what you will need to bring, a warm gaiter will be of a great service, because small stones and sand won`t get into your boots on a trip. While ascending it`s important not to hurry, but to climb higher slowly, listen to our chief guide and protect your travel-companions from unexpected rockslides.

The path to summit goes through angular stratification of solidified lava flows and the sites of fallen volcanic bombs. The volcanic slope we will ascend is rather gentle. En route we will pass small snow fields.

From the top of the volcano the bravest hikers will get a view of the many kilometers long burnt down valley covered with ashes. Of course, on the way we will make stops for a rest where you see the valley situated at the south part of the foothill. Finally a giant crater which has a diameter of about 2 kilometers is waiting for us at the top of the volcano. We will have time for rest, enjoying views and for taking memorable photos.

Descent will be easier and more quickly. We will head back the camp where a hot dinner will be already cooked for us.

Day 4. Volcanoes of Kamchatka tour – Northern and Southern breakthroughs of the 1975-1976.

We will continue our learning about natural processes and go on a trip to the Northern breakthrough. The chain of young cinder cones starts there. One of those cones was named on honor of scientists, Gregory Stepanovich Gorshkov. This part of fissure eruption was more active. The witnesses described that bright lights flashed and St. Elmo's fires appeared there during eruption. Thus, 7 new cinder cones were created.

We will need to climb to the height of about 300 meters, but from the summit we will get a panoramic view of the Tolbachinsky dale. If you look into the distance you will see the chain of other cones magically formed as a line.

Last year the ground at the top of the cone was still hot, so we hope that you will feel this as well. However, there are less chances every year, so be hurry and don’t postpone your tour!

We will go to the neighboring cone where rock outflow was more active and it is possible to explore it there. There are a lot of colors of stones: from blue color to bright red one; some of them are very hot and it is impossible to pick it up.

At the same day we will be driven to the area of Southern breakthrough. The eruption was not so large there, but it will be interesting to visit lava caves and walk around Dead forest near the cone of ancient collapsed Zvezda volcano.

Day 5. Volcanoes of Kamchatka trekking – the consequences of the New eruption of the 2012-2013.

The volcanic eruption is not referred to the classical type of explosive eruption which means discharging a huge amount of fumes and ashes from the vent into the air reaching a height of a few kilometers. The eruptions of the volcano mean erupting of a large amount of lava and making fissures (strombolian eruption). Such eruptions are called tourist ones with unscientific meaning, since they attract a lot of tourists because of their relative safety and possibilities for taking wonderful photos of flowing lava rivers. It’s possible to fly closer to lava flows by a helicopter during strombolian eruptions, as opposed explosive eruption type.

We loaded some photos with volcanic eruption of 2012. This activity was continuing for about 1 year. The hundreds of tourists visited Tolbachik at this time. However, it ended unexpectedly as it started.

Now lava flows were solidified, but some of them are still warm. Our goal is to walk along the futuristic fields, to visit large lava caves, as well as cones.

Day 6. Return to the hotel. Overnight at a hotel.

Today we will leave our marvelous camping in the mountains and head to the hotel.

Day 7. A free day / Optional excursions.

In case of unpredictable circumstances we will have a few free days before the next trip to the volcanoes. This day you will be able to go tourist shopping, check your equipment or load you photos of the last trip.

Also, you will be able to take one of the following trip:

• A helicopter trip to the Valley of Geysers;
• A helicopter trip to Lake Kuril;
• A boat trip to Russkaya bay;
• Or to other natural sights.

Day 8. A trip to the Southern group of volcanoes. Viluchinsky pass. A hike to the crater of Mutnovsky volcano, a visit of Opasny (Dangerous) waterfall. Overnight in tents.

The Southern group of volcanoes located 90 kilometers from the city, but since the route lies along the impassable road, then it will takes about 4-5 hours to reach the base of Mutnovsky volcano.

Our first stop is the Viluchinsky pass. There is a viewpoint to the Viluchinsky volcano and stretching many kilometers’ valley. The place has benches and information stands.

Ascent of one of the most beautiful volcanoes in Kamchatka – Mutnovsky - is waiting for us. It has an absolute height of 2323 meters. This is an active volcano. The ascent is not serious and made through the fault formed in the crater wall.

While climbing we will see a unique spectacle - active fumaroles, boiling hot mud pots, many-colored glaciers sliding down the crater walls. You will need to be very careful there. You will need to follow trailed path about which our guide tell you and won’t come close to hot springs spouting up from everywhere and they constitute a serious danger. You will be able to feel how Earth breathes there.

The crater is a source for the river Vulkannaya which flows along its riverbed pierced in lava rocks for centuries and three kilometer down it falls down as a grandiose waterfall which has a height of 80 meters. This canyon is a stunning spectacle named as "Dangerous Ravine" and its same name waterfall. It is worth to see!

Day 7. Volcanoes of Kamchatka tour. A hike to the top of Gorely volcano, a view of some craters. Overnight in tents.

Gorely is an active volcano with a height of 1829 meters. The ascent is prolonged but not difficult. Therefore the ascent of this volcano is a good opportunity to warm up with a good rhythm of walking. The path of ascent is good visible. It goes through the old, solidified fanciful figures. Lava flows and cinder fields. When standing on the ground of the cone you will be paralyzed from stunning majesty and beauty. It`s impossible to raise eyes from surrounding scenery.

Gorely volcano has a few cones and about 11 craters. Two craters of particular interest to tourists are: "Active" in which volcanic activity continues to the present day and "Blue lake" a bottom of which is a lake of great beauty. You will be able to see Mutnovsky volcano in the background where we had been there yesterday.

We will go along the edge of two craters and will be astonished by rock formation which formed their walls. We will ascend the absolute top and take photos of surrounding beauty. Descent requires physical demanding, so you`d better to bring with you telescoping trekking poles which will help your joints to cope with various kind of loads.

Day 10. Exploration of the caves of Gorely volcano, a trip to the waterfall Medvezhye (Bear). Return to the hotel. Overnight at a hotel.

Instead of standard visit of Dachny hot springs we will go on a trip to the caves of Gorely volcano. They differ from those we visited in the north of Kamchatka. Sometimes there are musical performances in the caves, but it is very rare event, because arrangement and transportation of musical instruments are enough difficult.

The next natural sight is large waterfall Medvezhye (Bear). It is formed thanks to the constant snow melting. There is a lot of snow there and it creates stunning landscape. After this trip we will return to the hotel.

Day 11 - A transfer to the airport.

We will farewell with some travelers, for them we will arrange a transfer to the airport with a visit of fish market and a gift shop. With rest travelers who planned to stay for long time we will continue our researching trip around Kamchatka.