Kamchatka
 

Thinking of going there next year. Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is the main city used to access that area. Any tips from those who've been there specially if you're on a budget?

Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy is a very interesting town, sort of a throw back to the Soviet era, with some really interesting historical parts. Getting out of the town to natural beauty is going to be difficult on a budget. Roads are limited and a lot of what people want to see is only accessible by helicopter (we were quoted $700 per person, for example, to go to the geyser field). There might be cheaper alternatives, but it's a beautiful, rough and wild territory that's not easy to get around.

Did you book your tours in advance before getting there or did you wait until you got there in order to shop around? Which do you think would be cheaper?

<thread resurrection alert!>

My wife and I are doing a Korsakov - Kurils - Kamchatka - Provideniya cruise in late-June/ early July.

Any general hints and tips gratefully received, plus latest info on the Kronotsky Reserve - thanks!

You won't be able to do helicopter tours on budget but there are still plenty stuff you can do/see for a lot cheaper.

Thanks for that, daniiltimin - I'm not the original poster, but saw this thread and hoped for an update :)

We hope to do the helicopter tour, but haven't had details from the cruise company yet. I was told that there were major landslips in the reserve a few years ago, and was wondering if there had been more or if the environment had recovered.

In any case, if you have info on things to do in or near P-K I would love to hear about it!

Well, there are really a lot you can see and do and you don't necessarily have to take that helicopter tour to the Valley of the Geysers. I mean, this tour is very expensive. And after the mudslide that happened in 2007 which wiped out almost the whole thing its like... It's still a nature's wonder, but in my personal it's not as impressive as it was before. And it's a shame that it never will be again...

But let's talk about the positive :) You can do a lot of other fun stuff! Such as hiking to volcanoes (they are pretty impressive), rafting, wild life watching, hot springs... Some more ideas and tips on traveling in Kamchatka you can find here.

There are really a lot to do and you not likely to have enough time for everything.

So the question is what would you like to do? What are your interests? How many people will be in your group? How much time are you going to have?

Then it will be easier to suggest you something exact.

Thanks again, daniiltimin - we'll be arriving as part of a cruise (from Hakodate), so I suspect will be largely in the hands of the company - either the helicopter trip or something more local. All the other stops will be specific, I think P-K is the only place where we may have options.

Was really trying to find out so we could make an informed choice - my wife is interested in wildlife, while I stand around looking at the scenery and sometimes say "what's that?" :)

We are also on a cruise next (2017) May and arriving from Hakodate. I have been researching local tours in Kamchatka. I have exchanged several emails with the manager of Kamchatintour and have found her very responsive and informative. She also has a pretty good command of the English language.

Here is the contact information:
Website: https://kamchatintour.ru/en/
Manager's name: Ekaterina Gogol
Her email address: [email protected]
General email: [email protected]

They will pick up and drop off at the cruise port.
PM me if you have additional questions. Good luck!

Where can I find some cruise options from Japan? It's quite expensive I'm assuming. Do any other cruises go there?

Some repositioning cruises between Alaska (or more specificlly, Vancouver or Seattle) and NE Asia will get you there. Usually September-October N. America to Japan and April-May the other way.

A few cruises next spring that are stopping in Petropavlosk (lair of the Russian Far East fleet) are Celebrity Millenium and Silversea Silver Shadow.

Pricing isn't necessarily expensive especially if you're not fussy about cabin location and booking at last minute (i.e., less than 60-75 days out).

We have returned from our cruise and visit to Kamchatka. All I can say is don't miss it. The city is fairly ordinary, but the scenery is spectacular. Here is a short review that I did.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUser...rn_Distri.html