A peninsula with 300 volcanoes
and no roads to most of it
We run small-group expeditions across Kamchatka — the Valley of Geysers, the Klyuchevskaya group, the eastern coast and the caldera lakes. Groups of six to twelve, guides who live here year-round.
This season
Departures from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, June through September.
Valley of Geysers
Helicopter access to the Kronotsky Reserve, with three days on the Uzon caldera floor and the thermal fields around it.
Klyuchevskaya Group
Base camp under the highest active volcano in Eurasia. Ascents of Tolbachik and, weather permitting, Ostry Tolbachik.
Eastern Coast & Bears
Kurile Lake during the salmon run, when brown bears gather at the outflow in numbers seen nowhere else.
Why we keep groups small
Almost everything worth seeing here is reached by helicopter, by boat or on foot. There are about 25 kilometres of paved road outside the three towns, and the weather closes flying windows without warning. A group of eight can be rerouted in an afternoon; a group of forty cannot. We would rather run four departures of eight than one of thirty-two.
What the season looks like
| Month | Conditions | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| June | Snow on the passes, rivers high | Ski-touring on the cones, early geysers |
| July | Tundra in flower, long daylight | Klyuchevskaya group, high traverses |
| August | Warmest, salmon running | Kurile Lake bears, coastal boat work |
| September | Colour in the tundra, clear air | Photography, Valley of Geysers |