All fl ights arrive at the Yelizovo city airport. The airport is situated in 30km from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy and in 25 km from Paratunka resort region, a popular place for accommodation and rest among arriving tourists. You can get to Petropavlovsk or Paratunka by regular transport or order individual transfer.
Hotels
The most popular hotels and resorts in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky are:
«Avacha»***, «Petropavlovsk»***, «Dolche vita»***, «Klyuch hotel»***, «Arsenyev»***, «Commandor»***.
Hotels in Paratunka region:
«Bel-Kam-Tur»****, «Antarius»***, «Lagoon complex»***, «Gelios»**, «Flamingo»**.
All hotels and resorts of Paratunka region have own open-air swimming-pools with hot thermal water. People can swim there all the year round.
Please, note that the star level of Kamchatka hotels differs from that in Europe and in other parts of Russia. The service level is lower than anywhere else.
Hostels
Many hostels have opened in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in recent years. They are cheaper than hotels, but you should be prepared to share a room with other tourists.
Apartments
You could book any apartment on booking.com
Kamchatka climate is changeable. It is peculiar due to the local relief, great extension of the peninsular from north to south, closeness to the ocean and cyclones.
The summer here is very short, in some regions it lasts for two months only, especially in the northern part of the region and mountains.Average temperatures in many parts do not exceed 10-15°С above zero. Hot days are very few. Days with the temperature of and more can last for no more than 2-3 weeks in the coastal parts. In some more distant parts from the sea the number of such days sharply increases. The warmest month in coastal regions is July, in central part of the peninsular – August. Warm days come in turns with rainy days. During the warm period there is more precipitation than during the cold season. Thunderstorm clouds form rather seldom because there is not enough warmth with such humidity. Due to the closeness of the ocean and mountainous relief temperatures can vary from +25 in valleys to +5 in mountains during one day. At the end of August – beginning of September the fi rst snow appears on the tops of volcanoes, and at their foothill the night temperature can fall under zero.
Since 1991, the moment the outpost on the Pacific Ocean was opened for tourists, the travel company "KAMCHATINTOUR" has been consistently providing its guests with a comfortable, environmentally friendly and safe vacation. Many years of experience in organizing trips and a sincere love for the protected area allow us to show the natural wealth of Kamchatka as fully as possible. You will be surrounded by the care of professional and friendly tour guides, instructors, managers, drivers and cooks. We work with leading tour operators of Russia: "Fun&Sun", "Bolshaya Strana", "Russia Discovery", "Russian Express". Since 2022, "KAMCHATINTOUR" has been hosting "Russia - the Country of Opportunities" groups, organizing "More than a Journey" tours, hikes for participants of the annual All-Russian festival "Ecosystem - Protected Area". Since 2004, we have been a member of the Kamchatka Tourism Industry Association.
All excursions in the KAMCHATINTOUR program packages for the autumn-winter-spring seasons are ideal for families with children and older parents. Tours do not require physical training, long walking trips, you will be comfortably delivered to the observation points on sleds behind a snowmobile, all-terrain vehicles on large wheels or on tracked snowcats with heated cabins.
Winter freeride from volcanoes, snowmobile trips, horseback riding, SUP travel, surfing, sea cruises, river rafting, volcano climbing, trekking, or maybe fishing and watching alpine flowers, bears, killer whales and salmon in the wild? The choice of time of year and month depends on your preferences, travel experience and expectations from Kamchatka. In February-March, Kamchatka hosts a grand winter festival and dog sled race "Beringia", in the summer - aboriginal holidays - Day of the First Fish and Even New Year, the most beloved by locals - Fisherman's Day and Navy Day, in the fall - the ecological festival "Sea of Life".
The animal world of Kamchatka is diverse, and we have thought out the tours in such a way that you have the chance of a safe meeting with some of its representatives. On a helicopter excursion and rafting you can see salmon and bears, on a sea excursion - killer whales and whales, on trekking in the mountains - squirrel and marmot, on SUPs - muskrat and spotted seal, on jeep tours - hare and fox.
When preparing tours, KAMCHATINTOUR pays the closest attention to local and seasonal products. You can choose from gastronomic specialties: red salmon caviar, chinook salmon, sockeye salmon, crab, scallop, squid, halibut, venison, seaweed, wild garlic, berries and fern.
During a sightseeing tour of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, you will be served a specially prepared tourist set during lunch in one of the best restaurants in the city. The portions are such that many tourists ask to pack a dessert to take away.
Delicious salmon fish soup, freshly caught and cooked crab, fried fish caught with your own hands are waiting for you on board the boat during a sea walk/cruise.
During trekking excursions, we offer tourists an individual lunch box, which includes a hot dish, salad, fish slices, dessert and fruit drink.
During the rafting on the Bystraya River, you will enjoy a hot lunch in the camp on the shore, and at the foot of the Avachinsky volcano, a comfortable canteen with a full range of meals is at your service. A sumptuous dinner with real crab awaits you on the Pacific Ocean!
There are only 300 km of asphalt in Kamchatka, so we transport our guests exclusively on highly passable, licensed, technically sound and comfortable transport: shift trucks based on KAMAZ, buses, minibuses, jeeps and snowcats of Japanese manufacture, snowmobiles. Our drivers undergo a medical examination daily before and after the working day. The boats are registered with the Maritime Register of Shipping and are licensed for passenger transportation. Helicopters are operated by official certified carriers. Liability to passengers is insured. The right-hand drive on the cars is no different from the usual left-hand drive, it testifies to the high quality of the Japanese assembly of the car and its reliability.
The Pacific Ocean is excitingly attractive in any weather, here you can abstract from all worries, wet your feet in the cold surf and feel how indescribably magnificent our Planet is.
Favorable weather for a sea voyage is considered, oddly enough, low clouds and fog, when there is practically no wind and the sea is calm. But in sunny weather, on the contrary, the wind usually rises, which disperses the waves, and the rocking is noticeable on board. So there is no bad weather in Kamchatka!
Before flying out on a helicopter excursion to the Valley of Geysers or to Kuril Lake, at the Nikolaevka airport, take a photo with one of the few remaining skeletons in the world of the legendary Steller's sea cow, which became extinct in the 18th century.
All tours to Avachinsky and Koryaksky volcanoes start from the mountain base "KAMCHATINTUR", located at an altitude of 850 m. The camp has 10 eight- and ten-bed houses, inside - bunk beds, on which there are mattresses and sleeping bags. Wood-burning stoves in the houses are heated only in winter! There is a dryer for clothes and shoes. Meals in the canteen are organized according to the schedule. Electricity is supplied by an electric generator until 23:00 daily. Toilets are outside (like a toilet). Shower with hot water - for an additional fee.
Take trekking poles, which the guides will offer you before you set out on the route, so you will transfer up to a third of the load from your legs to your arms, and it will be easier for you to walk.
Cute inhabitants of the highlands, ground squirrels or Bering ground squirrels, are practically not afraid of humans and come within arm's reach. You can take funny photos with them, but do not feed the ground squirrels! In the wild, we only observe animals.
Download a Kamchatka flower guide to your phone to find unique highland endemics on the spot, such as the Yatabe slipper orchid.
Boiling eggs in wild fumaroles is not a good idea due to the high arsenic content in the springs.
Book a private boat for 6 hours to Cape Opasny, an experienced captain will find a secret jar using the echo sounder, and you will catch plenty of sea bass, halibut, pollock, greenling, lenok, flounder and cod using a regular spinning rod. You will remember such fishing for the rest of your life!
We strongly recommend that you take out life and health insurance. If you refuse to purchase an insurance policy, you will bear the costs incurred as a result of an accident or sudden illness yourself. In this case, you will have to fully reimburse all costs for transportation to a medical facility (including by helicopter) yourself.
When traveling around Kamchatka, you will definitely need high trekking boots with a hard sole and good tread, a fleece sweatshirt, a raincoat, a hat, gloves, a down vest and thermal underwear.
Mountains and volcanoes in Kamchatka are a source of increased danger and do not forgive a frivolous attitude towards them! All excursions, one way or another, are associated with extreme sports. You must, of course, follow all the instructions of the senior instructor-guide. Tour guides and conductors are dressed in branded uniform "KAMCHATINTUR", wear branded badges, carry a first aid kit, bear protection equipment and a radio in case of unforeseen situations. In the mountains, there is an instructor-guide for every 5 tourists, so that if necessary, a separate group can go down. If you have chronic diseases, we recommend consulting a doctor before the hike.
The basic rules of conduct for tourists in specially protected areas are quite simple and clear:
- everything we bring, we take with us, we do not leave any garbage;
- we move only along existing paths, we do not trample vegetation, we do not pick flowers and branches from trees;
- we do not dig up plants;
- we observe animals from a comfortable distance, we do not disturb them, we do not feed them.
The owner of Kamchatka seems good-natured and non-aggressive, but you should show him respect – after all, we are his guests. When meeting a bear, you should NEVER panic, turn your back to him, and, especially, run away! Stay in a group, raise your backpack above your head to visually appear larger, follow the instructions of the guide, who always has protective equipment at the ready (pepper spray, flare, hunter's shot).
Good news - ticks, including those infected with encephalitis or borreliosis (Lyme disease), are very rare in Kamchatka! There are not many blood-sucking insects, including midges, like on the mainland. Mosquitoes in the south of the peninsula are kind and do not carry tourists into the taiga, since there are no coniferous trees here, a repellent is enough to protect against them.
In Kamchatka you can drink water everywhere straight from the tap! The most popular bottled water is "Malkinskaya".
At the fish markets of Petropavlovsk and Elizovo you can try and choose: red caviar, crabs, smoked sockeye salmon, halibut, sable and butterfish, dried flounder, smelt, which can be vacuum-packed. The standard for carrying red caviar WITHOUT DOCUMENTS is 10 kg per person, you can take the thermal package with you as hand luggage or put it in your suitcase. Everything will arrive safe and sound!
When trying bulk salmon caviar from sellers at the market, pay attention to only 2 things:
- salinity;
- bitterness.
Choose lightly salted caviar, with minimal or no bitter taste at all. Bitterness is given by the septic tank, which is added to the caviar for long-term storage, you do not need it. Modern household freezers allow you to store the delicacy at a temperature of minus 18 degrees for up to six months without losing the consumer properties of the product. Before eating, you only need to defrost the caviar at room temperature for a couple of hours. Pay attention to the type of fish (chinook, coho, sockeye, pink, chum) in the latter case, in fact, the taste of caviar is 90% the method of preparation and the amount of salt, and the type affects only the size and color of the eggs. When biting into the caviar, it should not be "rubbery", but it should not flow like porridge, the consistency should be medium. There should be nothing foreign in the taste, except for the smell of the sea. In Kamchatka, caviar is usually eaten with a spoon, washed down with dry white wine, champagne and local beer, or mixed with sour cream and added to scrambled eggs, but you can also make a classic sandwich with black bread and butter. Enjoy your meal!
All Kamchatka products made with local water have a unique taste. Try bread with seaweed, fern and wild garlic, dairy products "Petropavlovsky" and "Zarechny", volcanic cheese from the cheese factory "Aristel", "Kampivo" and "Avachinskoye", Ivan-tea from Sobolevo, fruit drinks and jam from wild plants "U-net" and smoked sausage from venison "Agrotek".
At the market, try the freshest sea urchins from "Delikatesy Vostoka".
Omega-3 capsules from "Tymlatsky Fish Factory" are made from wild salmon and are recommended for regular use as a dietary supplement.
Kamchatka has local clothing brands with authentic prints: "Beregi Kamchatku", "Kamcha-shop", "Terra Incognita". You can buy jewelry and souvenirs, including those made from lava from Kamchatka volcanoes or from plastic recycled in Kamchatka.
LIFEHACK: In the Beregi Kamchatku stores, you will receive a pleasant discount using the promo code "KAMCHATINTUR".
Kamchatka Krai is a territory of modern volcanism, where tremors occur constantly. Most often, earthquakes are unnoticeable, as they do not exceed a magnitude of 4 points. There is no need to be afraid of them! In the event of a noticeable earthquake, it is necessary to take documents, valuables and take a safe place in the openings of load-bearing capital walls. It is forbidden to use the elevator, go out onto the stairs, or be near windows. If you are outside, it is important to move away from walls, unreliable buildings, and rocks.
On the day of arrival, try to go to bed as late as possible to quickly get used to the 9-hour difference with Moscow.
Because I threw a coin into a kekur on a boat trip, built a pyramid of volcanic bombs on the Sukhaya River, and put a candy in Hattai’s mouth on the Vilyuchinsky Pass.
