Chukotka, Kamchatka and the Commander Islands

Day 1 Boarding the vessel in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky

After meeting at Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky airport, a group transfer to the port will be organized. You will board the vessel, settle into the cabins, and get acquainted with the ship's crew. Then you will leave the world's largest natural harbor, Avacha Bay, and enter the Pacific Ocean.

On the left side, you can see the "home" volcanoes of Kamchatka: Avachinsky, Koryaksky, and Kozelsky. By the end of the day, you will have a view of Zhupanovskaya Sopka, the massif of 4 volcanoes.

Day 2 Zhupanova River

The ship will head northeast and early in the morning stop at the mouth of Zhupanova River, one of the best Kamchatka's fishing spots.

On expedition boats, you will travel up the river. Here you will try your luck at fishing for rainbow trout. You can also catch pink salmon, coho, chum, grayling, chinook salmon, or char. There is a chance to see Steller's sea eagles, the largest eagle on the planet. The wingspan of these birds reaches 2.5 m. Bears feeding on spawning salmon are also often seen here.

In the afternoon, the ship will set a course for the Commander Islands. During the 20-hour crossing, expedition team members will tell you about the nature and history of the archipelago. Passing through Kronotsky Bay, you can meet gray whales and admire the views of several volcanoes, including Kronotsky Sopka.

Days 3-6 The Commander Islands

For 4 days you will explore the Commander Islands. They were discovered in 1741 by the expedition of Commander Vitus Bering, after whom they were named. You will visit all 4 islands of the national park and admire the diverse landscapes with numerous waterfalls and miles of sand dunes.

The exploration will start by visiting the only settlement on the Commander Islands, Nikolskoye. The local museum is one of the few in the world where you can see the skeleton of a steller's cow, completely exterminated by man in the 18th century. You can look for semi-precious stones on the local beach and Arctic berries in the tundra.

You will visit Commander's Bay, where the graves of Vitus Bering and several members of his expedition are located. The discoverers, who reached the islands already sick and exhausted, could not survive the difficult winter.

There is a huge variety of sea mammals on The Commanders, which is a record for Russia. On the Northwest Cape of Bering Island, you will see a large colony of Steller sea lions and fur seals, meet sea otters and rare Steineger's seals. The waters off the southern coast of Bering Island are home to many cetaceans: sperm whales, fin whales, humpback whales, northern minke whales, and orcas.

The expedition boats will take you to the bird colonies of Toporkov and Arii Kamen islands. Even if you are not interested in ornithology, you will not be indifferent to the noisy colonies of birds. Here you can see the most beautiful birds of the Far East: tufted puffin, horned puffin, and red-faced cormorants. While walking on Toporkov Island, it is important to be very careful not to damage bird burrows.

Days 7-8 The Bering Sea

Moving northward, you will approach Chukotka through the vast Bering Sea. Your companions will be whales and sea birds. 

These two days can be spent observing the sea, sharing impressions, and talking with the expedition team.

Day 9 Pavel's and Peter's Bays, Tintikun Lagoon

Today the ship will approach Pavel's Bay, a long curved fjord with high green hills. Nearby is Peter's Bay. You will find yourself surrounded by fantastic mountain landscapes and tundra full of berries. Snow sheep and brown bears are often seen here. 

On zodiacs, you will sail closer to the rookeries of Pacific walruses on Bogoslova Island, located between two bays. 

In the afternoon, you will explore Tintikun Lagoon, separated from the sea by a sand spit and surrounded by cliffs, glaciers, and green slopes. After cruising around the lagoon on expedition boats, you will land on an island in the center of the lagoon and bathe in the Goven hot springs.

Day 10 Meynypilgyno village

In the first half of the day, you will go by expedition boats to the high rocks. Numerous waterfalls come down into the sea from their tops. In the vicinity of Meynypilgyno village, you will see a large walrus rookery. Also, you are likely to meet brown bears and gray whales in these places.

Maina, as the locals call the village, has a very unusual location. It is situated between two lakes and separated from the sea by a river and a spit. There is a museum of Chukchi culture in the village. Not far from the settlement, a large population of the spoon-billed sandpipers spends the summer. This species is on the verge of extinction. A special incubator was built near Meynypilgyno, where international ornithologists breed babies of these rare birds to release them into the wild.

Passing along the western shore of Anadyr Bay, the vessel will reach Navarin Cape, the windiest place in Russia. More than a million birds live here on the high shores and rocks adjacent to the cape. If you are lucky, you can see the white-tailed eagle, the rarest species. There is a good chance of seeing whales in the coastal waters.

Day 11 Arrival at the port of Anadyr

Today the vessel will arrive in Anadyr, the capital of Chukotka. In Anadyr Bay, you will surely see beluga whales.

From the port, you will be transferred to the airport for your return flights.