I finally arrived in Kamchatka after a 7 hour flight from Ulaan Bataar, a 9 hour wait in Moscow and an 8 hour flight to Petropavlovsk. After all that I met my group or at least I thought I did and had another 2 hours of waiting before I got to my hotel. I figured out that they were trying to place me in a suitable group. I had been paired with 2 guides, Misha and then Victor and then finally they settled on Boris. I didn’t care as all 3 were hot.
My group comprised of French couples and a mother and daughter, a Swiss and an American guy, a single Russian girl and 5 Israelis, 2 of which are ex ironmen. We all met at the first briefing meeting which was also the dinner which wasn’t that good but after Mongolia it felt like a Michelin Star meal. At the meeting Boris our lovely guide who doesn’t speak English told us via our interpreter Lydia, who keeps forgetting to translate to English, the things we will need. Basically I did not come prepared for this trip. It was compulsory to have walking/trekking poles and head net for the mosquitoes. I have heard about the ferociousness of the Kamchatka mosquitoes so I guess I better buy one. Sufficed to say after the meeting we all got along really well but there was one hiccup at the start with Boris and the Israelis as they didn’t like his attitude. This continued the next couple of days.
The mosquitoes in this part of the world are evil blood suckers. When you get off the truck you can’t see them or hear them which lull you into a false sense of security and you think there are no mosquitoes. Then all of a sudden they smell you and attack and not just bits of flesh on show but all over your clothes. You are covered in them and they bite any part that is not covered. So I definitely needed the silly hat.
The next morning we went to the port to board our boat for a sea tour on Avacha Bay. It was overcast so a little cold on the boat but we got to a couple of bird colonies. We saw many Puffins and other birds. As we set sail we saw a seal. We also headed to Starichkov Island and then we did some sea angling although I caught nothing but the lady on board caught about 6 fish. We got to see the Babushka Kamen and the Three Brothers Stones. For lunch we had tuna fish soup and sea urchin which the skipper caught when he went diving. The sea urchin was raw and is eaten with a squeeze of lemon which actually tasted nice. Avoid eating this with soy sauce, it was gross.
At the end of the tour, we were picked up by Boris and the big 6 wheel drive blue truck with no air conditioning or window but brand new with nice big seats. Firstly we went to their mall to buy the things we needed plus a stop at the supermarket for snacks. Boris found me my trekking poles and it didn’t cost as much as I thought. It was fun shopping. We headed to our first camping site for 2 nights. We drove 100kms to Mutnovsky Volcano. I’m not the best camper but once the other guide Yura showed me how to put my tent I was ready to go. I had a great night and one of the ironmen made me a Baileys with Jameson Whiskey and condensed milk. It was delicious. My first night went well.
The next morning we made the trek to Mutnovsky volcano which is 2323m walk. It was 8 hours to walk up and I was as usual last. We got to see a crater, fumaroles, ice glaciers and mud craters. It was a tough walk and I was not used to the trekking poles and felt they were in the way. Then we returned to camp for some lovely and deserving dinner. Being last has its benefits as the other guide Yura walked with his top off so the views were great in all directions.
The next morning we had to trek another volcano and this time it would be longer and tougher. Although Gorely volcano is only 1829m it took a while to get to see the crater but the best bit was the small fissure and you can see the lava in it. It was the closest I ever got to any volcano activity and was excited. It took a hell of a long time to get back to the truck, the trail seemed endless and I finally got to the end hoping it was the last trek only to read my programme to see 2 more on the way. I was tired of walking. Luckily after 2 nights of camping, we drove a long way to Paratunka resort for a night in a hotel.
The next day was to be a free day so that we may to optional activities. I chose to go to the Valley of the Geysers by helicopter. It was nearly $1000 but I had factored this cost into my budget so was raring to go only to find out that it was postponed. There was another helicopter ride to Kuril Lake to see the bears. I hadn’t heard of it before but I decided to change to this trip as I didn’t think the Geyser trip was going to take place and I didn’t want to waste a day. It was an excellent gamble and I had the most amazing time watching bears at the Lake. We had 4 helicopter trips altogether as we also went to the Caldera and hot springs via the lake. I hated the hot springs, although the view there was great but the swarms of mosquitoes were not. There was no way I was taking my clothes off to swim. I covered up pretty quick and ran back to the landing site where there were more mosquitoes. We only had 12 minutes to swim in the hot springs as it was not safe to stay any longer. I was so looking forward to this lunch as it was 5pm already but it became the most stressful lunch ever. I really wanted to enjoy the salmon dish but had to eat so fast so that we could get on the helicopter and get away from the mosquitoes. The bears were amazing though and it was my first time seeing brown bears. They were all around the lake and in the lake fishing and swimming. There were many cubs. The bears were fighting, fishing and nursing their cubs. It was an amazing sight and obviously the highlight of the trip.
After the amazing Kuril lake trip we drove to Malky Village but not before Boris telling us that if e didn’t like the trip or him, to leave right now and he would refund their money. I thought it was ballsy of him to do this as the Israeli guys were pretty serious but they eventually had a mutual respect for each other. I was impressed by Boris and liked him even more for telling them to shut up or piss off. We got to camp pretty late. It was basically some kind of swamp ground where we camped just for 1 night. It was so full of mosquitoes and I was stupid enough not to wear my head net which would have prevented the mosquito bite on my lower lip which then swelled up instantly. I could feel it grow. After putting up my tent and being attacked by mosquitoes I went to dinner where some of them asked if I had been punched in the mouth. The night didn’t go too well either. It was cold and I woke up several times and my lip was so swollen and uncomfortable. In fact at 3am it was just as big but luckily when I woke up it had shrunk back to an unnoticeable size.
The next day we had the longest drive of the trip and it lasted nearly 12 hours. In fact the last 21kms took nearly 3 hours as the roads were so bad. Driving to the base camp of Tolbachik Volcano was the best thing I have seen in a long time. As we reached base camp the terrain changed to something like being on the moon. Even as we arrived at night we could see an eruption and the red and orange lights in the sky. It was so exciting. I put up my tent as quickly as possible and picked the best view of the eruption and away from the rest of the group.
I was really excited for the next morning’s walk. It was going to be easier than the last and we are getting closer to the volcano. We were in a group of the Klyuchevskaya Volcanoes and the tallest volcano is 4750m. We walked up the cones and could feel the heat from the ground, so much, someone's plastic bits on their poles melted. The guide even lit a stick on fire by putting git in the mouth of one of the holes in the ground and lit a cigarette. I was waiting for my boots to melt but it did get very hot but didn’t melt. Then we headed back to camp for lunch and a snooze.
In the evening we walked to another part of the volcano where we walked across solid magma which was only a few months old. Underneath this was lava flowing through them and I loved walking on them. I did fall through it a couple of times although the first time scared the crap out of me as I thought my feet would go right through to the lava. I learned that this was a long way down so didn’t panic as much when it happened again. The guides took us to an opening where we could see flowing lava up close. He warned us that if the wind changed direction and we got in the way of the blast we could lose our eyebrows and eyelashes. We laughed thinking he was joking but it happened to Yura and I think a little of my eyelashes disappeared too. It was so scary being so close to the lava and as I tried to video it I couldn’t last more than 10 seconds as my hand got so hot. I got closer to get another photo which is when the wind changed and a blast of the hottest air hit me and my eyes felt sticky. My eyelashes singed together and thought myself lucky not to have melted eyeballs. Yura’s eyebrows were worse. We were told to get back slightly further as the guides started to throw butane canisters into the lava hole which then exploded and made a huge wave of fire burst out of the hole. We had to duck for cover several times but it was fun and scary at the same time.
The next day we had another walk to the eruption and to another lava hole. We walked again on old lava, now magma which made the most amazing shapes on the ground. Some parts were hollow and some parts so solid nothing can break it. The shards that came of it may have been glass as that’s how sharp they were. I was dreading falling on it as it would probably shred my knees. As we walked to the cone we could see an eruption ahead. We could see black rocks flying through the air and heard what sounded like waves crashing on the beach. The guides went off to see how safe it was for us to get to the eruption. Never in a million years would I have thought I would have got as close to an active volcano erupting right before my eyes and only a few feet away. The guide warned us that the wind is going everywhere and to be wary of flying lava rocks and to duck when needed. That was the only safety tips we got, oh and he said the noxious fumes would also be bad and to wear a mask if possible.
When we finally got up the top of the crater and looked into it, it was like looking into hell. The bubbling lava was whooshing and swaying and basically erupting right before my eyes. It was so hot and so bright and so loud. The ground was shaking and vibrating. I was right on the edge of the crater. A step further and I would have fallen into the hot bubbling lava. I tried to take many photos and video what I was seeing. I didn’t need to use zoom as I was so close but every now and then there would be a burst of lava which flew through the air in every direction and fell to the ground. If we were lucky it would miss us and we ducked almost playing dodge ball with the volcano. The number of times I ran from the edge to avoid the flying lava rocks was scary and I failed one of these times as one of the rocks hit my right leg. I nearly shit myself and was so afraid to look down at my leg as I just assumed I was in shock and there would only be a stump left. Luckily there wasn’t even a mark on my trousers but I saw the rock lying next to my feet still glowing. It was the size of my hand and I took a photo even though my hands were shaking. I could still see lava rocks flying thought the air and by the time it reaches the ground it’s almost rock and by looking at my rock it was about to solidify all within 30 seconds of flying out of the mouth of the volcano, through the air and onto my leg. I shudder to think what would have happened if it was a bigger lump of lava that didn’t have time to solidify. After that experience I decide to go back some distance as my heart was still beating fast but I didn’t want to miss anything. I couldn’t see the lava anymore but I could still see the flying lava and was at a safer distance. I have to say it was the most exhilarating and scariest experience I have ever had. Anything after this would be dull and it was.
