Where dragons sleep

New Tolbachik Fissure Eruption: the exact spot where dragons sleep now

You will not find sealed roads, chairlifts, summit souvenir shops, or ubiquitous hawkers here. You will find mountains – and yourself surrounded by mountains. Our all-terrain vehicles will take you to the base of the volcano named Tolbachik.

Climb volcanic cones resulting from recent eruptions, raft down a mountain river, and familiarise yourself with the aboriginal culture. Spend days surrounded by nothing but mountains and wild nature. Slumber to strange sounds, imbibe fresh alpine air, and have your tea while watching the sun set behind snow-capped summits of active volcanoes.

But hurry to see this unique place! Time heals quite literally: moonlike landscapes grow tender flowers, isolated stalks form green isles around themselves, and even in the Dead Forest young living trees are emerging. It may happen that, pass a decade or two, only space flight will be able to introduce you to a moonscape up close!

• Time available: July to September
• Type of journey: vehicle-and-walking; trekking; thermal spring bathing; rafting
• Duration: 7 days / 6 nights
• Number of participants: four to eight (or more, but then the price is increased)
• Level of difficulty: for average level of physical fitness
• Availability of amenities: cabins and tents

Price per person: 58 000 RUB

Touch still-hot volcanic cinders; feel the heartbeat of out planet; find yourself crossing the line into the other side of nature!

Tour programme

Day 1. Early meetup and departure. Ride an all-terrain vehicle to Kozyrevsk with a dinner stop in Milkovo. Check in at private lodging. Supper, rest. The distance involved (560km) means it will be a whole day of driving.

Day 2. Breakfast, set out for the base of the Flat Tolbachik volcano. Explore the marks left by 2013 eruptions. Explore the new cone and lava flows. Dinner. Drive to the camping site. Supper, rest.

Day 3. Breakfast. Climb the northern cones of the 1975 Tolbachik Fissure Eruption, including four to five hours of climbing and viewing a crater on top of one of the cones where volcanic activity can still be observed. Ride to the Dead Forest. Photos, snacks. Return to camp. Supper, rest.

Day 4. Breakfast. Break camp. Drive to the village of Esso, check in at lodging. Supper, rest.

Esso is a small village located in the central part of Kamchatka. Thanks to the proximity of thermal waters, you can always feel the paradise-like, summer feel of warmth here. Thermal waters are used for heating in every building, so nobody is surprised at seeing fresh greeneries and fruit picked from greenhouses even in mid winter. Esso is surrounded by evergreen forests, craggy hills, and mountain ridges. Two clean rivers have broken their way through rocks here: Uksichan and Bystraya, and an extinct volcano looms nearby.

Day 5. Breakfast. Visit the ethnographic museum, the museum of environment awareness, and the museum of the bear. Dinner at base. Rest. Free time. Supper. Night at base.

The Bystrinsky is the only ethnographic museum in all of Kamchatka. It reminds of a 17th-century compound built in accordance with Russian architectural traditions. The remarkable building recreating an authentic ‘tax-collecting hut’ items related to the culture of Even people are exhibited. A formidable watch-tower stands nearby, as if ready to repel an attack or attempted siege. Exhibits include authentic objects used by shamans, accessories, holy symbols, and utensils once used by Evens. The compound also hosts Russia’s only reconstructed semi-subterranean residence characteristic of old Koryak culture. You are very unlikely to see such things in Russia’s other museums.

Day 6. Breakfast. Depart from lodging and head for the river Bystraya. Raft preparation and security briefing. Rafting and fishing experience (char, rainbow trout, grayling). Dinner on the river. Return to base in the evening for supper and rest.

Day 7. Breakfast. Depart for Petropavlovsk. Dinner in Milkovo. It will be an entire day of driving (560km).

What to pack: wind- and waterproof jacket with a cape, hiking boots, fleece, headgear, cotton gloves, sunglasses, sunscreen, repellent, small backpack for climbing (30-50 litres), camera, spare batteries.

Weather may impose change in itineraries, including delays and postponed departures.