Expedition tour without backpacks: Tolbachik volcano, bears, Dvukhyurtochnoye Lake, boat trip and rafting

Day 1 Boat trip to Avacha Bay

After meeting at the airport, you will be taken to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. There will be stops along the way so that you can take photos against the background of the Koryak and Avacha volcanoes, as well as the sculpture "Here begins Russia."

Upon arrival, you will check into the hotel.

In the afternoon, you and your guide will embark on a boat trip around Avachinskaya Bay (3-4 hours). On the way, you will have a tasting of Kamchatka delicacies. You will taste several types of salmon roe and fresh crab meat of different breeds. Stop by the business card of the peninsula — the Three Brothers Rocks. Those who wish to go fishing on board. You will also see bird markets on the rocks and on the cones of volcanoes. 

Depending on the time of the start of the trip, you will have lunch or dinner on board the boat and discuss the program of the upcoming trip with the guide. You will be served a signature fish soup made from fresh red fish and seafood snacks.

You will return to the hotel in the evening.

Day 2 Helicopter or land tour

After breakfast, those who wish will take a helicopter to the Valley of Geysers, one of the largest geyser fields in the world (the tour is paid extra, you need to book in advance). It is also one of the Seven Wonders of Russia and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You will fly around the active volcanoes Karymsky and Maly Semyachik. You will visit the caldera of Uzon volcano, a giant depression formed as a result of the collapse of the walls of an ancient volcano. Hydrothermal activity is very pronounced at the bottom of the caldera.

For the rest, a sightseeing tour is organized with a visit to the observation decks and historical sights of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (at no extra charge). 

After the tour, you will be transferred to the village of Milkovo (280 km, 3-4 hours), with a stop for dinner in the villages of Sokochi (for an additional fee). After reaching the village, you will stay at the Geologist Hotel.

Day 3 Flight to Dvukhyurtochnoye Lake

After an early breakfast, you will be taken to the village of Kozyrevsk, located on the banks of the Kamchatka River (195 km, about 3 hours). Here you will reach the airport, from where you will take a helicopter to the mountain lake Dvuhyurtochny (about 40 minutes). If you are lucky with the weather, you will see the volcanoes of the Klyuchevskaya group, Shiveluch, Alney and Chashakondzha.

After reaching the lake, you will stay at the recreation center, have lunch and walk to the shore of the mountain river Dvukhyurtochnaya, where bears like to fish. You will observe them from a safe distance. In the evening, you can swim in the hot springs located near the base.

Day 4 Bear watching

Bears usually fish at night and rest during the day. Therefore, it is best to observe them in the morning and evening.

After an early breakfast, you will be accompanied by a huntsman to the bank of the Dvukhyurtochnaya River to observe the owners of Kamchatka from special safe zones.

In the afternoon, when the animals disperse to rest, you will have lunch at the base and go fishing on the lake. Up to 150,000 sockeye salmon come to the Two-day Market every year, so the catch is guaranteed. You will have time to swim in the hot springs or take a walk in the vicinity of the base. In the evening you will have dinner and relax.

Day 5 Glamping and the Northern Breakthrough

In the morning you will have breakfast and watch the bears again. Then you will take a helicopter back to the village of Kozyrevsk. During the flight, you will see the spurs of the Alnei volcano and the frozen lava flows of the Chashakondzha volcano.

Upon arrival, you will travel by off—road vehicle to the Klyuchevskaya Volcano Group area, the largest in Russia (460 km). Its area is 6.5 thousand km2. There are 4 active volcanoes in the group, 10 extinct and several hundred smaller volcanic formations.

On the way, in clear weather, you will see the highest volcanoes of Kamchatka: Krestovsky (4057m), Ushkovsky (3903m), Klyuchevskoy (4750m), Kamen (4579m), Plosky Tolbachik (3082m) and Ostroy Tolbachik (3672m).

After reaching the foot of Tolbachik, you will be accommodated in six- and seven-bed glamping tents with views of the Dead Forest and the peaks of the volcanoes Tolbachik and Udina.

Next, you will have a trip to the Northern Breakthrough. You will climb the Tolbachinsky cones with a height of 100-200 m. You will see red volcanic sand and lava rocks taller than a man. In some places, holes have been preserved on the surface of the cones, from where hot gas escapes.

In the evening, you will return to glamping, have dinner and relax.

Day 6 Trekking at the foot of Tolbachik

Trekking in the vicinity of Tolbachik volcano awaits you today. Its eruption in 2012-2013 was one of the most powerful in Kamchatka over the past hundred years. Then, two fractured eruptions with lava emissions formed in the area of the southern slope. In 9 months, powerful streams passed along the slopes of the volcano about 18 km. Today they resemble a huge black river frozen in incredible shapes.

You will walk through lava flows and climb volcanic cones. 

You will be able to meet European tourists on the route. These ground squirrels have already become an unspoken symbol of Kamchatka. They are not afraid of people at all and even pose for the camera.

During trekking, you will have a camping lunch, and after returning to glamping, you will have dinner.

Day 7 Dead forest and transfer to Milkovo

In the morning you will go to the Southern Breakthrough. Visit the Zvezda crater, famous for its lava flows formed after the 1740 eruption. Take a walk through the Dead Forest, a vast area destroyed by slag and ash eruptions in 1975. The depth of the ash under your feet will reach up to 11 m, and in some places you will walk at the treetop level.

During the eruption, ash dried up a huge forest, but today this territory is gradually recovering — in many places, willow tea is already blooming, which is the first to populate the fires.

After the walk, you will be taken by expedition prepared off-road vehicles to the village of Milkovo, where you will stay in a hotel. And then you will take a walk through one of the oldest settlements of the Kamchatka Territory, founded in the XVIII century on the prison of the Itelmen— the indigenous inhabitants of Kamchatka. 

In the evening, you will have dinner at the hotel cafe.

Day 8 Rafting on the Bystraya River

After breakfast, you will drive to Malki village (170 km). Lunch is waiting for you here on the banks of the Bystrica River.

After completing the safety briefing, you will begin rafting on an inflatable raft. It will last about 3 hours, and the craft will be managed by a guide, while you can relax and go fishing. If you're lucky, you'll see bears during your walk: they hunt fish going to spawn.

Then you will drive back to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. After your stay at the hotel, you can take a walk around the city.

Day 9 Returning home

After breakfast, you will be taken to the fish market. You can buy red fish, caviar and crabs. Then you will be transferred to the airport and fly home.