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 The Far
East seems to represent a kind of “edge of the world” for
Europeans. Indeed, the distance from Moscow to Vladivostok is
almost 7,000 kilometres, and the time difference between the
Far East and Central Europe is 9 hours. However, this area
does not seem as remote for residents of the Far East
themselves and for their neighbours from the Asian and Pacific
countries. Vladivostok and Khabarovsk, main cities of the Far
East, provide direct flights to North and South Korea, Japan,
Thailand and the United States, and tourist ships travel
regularly to Japan and South Korea as well. The Trans Siberian
Railroad, which has routes going towards the Chinese border
and Pacific coast, branches out across the whole area.
The
winter here is dry, frosty and amazingly sunny, which is very
good for one’s health. Thanks to the dryness of the air, one
can cope rather easily even in extreme temperatures. Still,
the best time for travel is the second half of July and in
August and September. Russia’s Far East is situated on the
same parallel as Sochi on the Black Sea coast, and the sun
shines as warmly about 180 to 200 days out of the year.
The
most amazing feature of the Far East for Europeans is the
unique natural landscape. The north and south meet here, as
well as the biggest continent, Eurasia, and the largest ocean,
the Pacific. The taiga, sandy ocean beaches, ship cruises,
fantastic marine landscapes, caves, waterfalls and therapeutic
sources of mineral water await any visitor to the area. Even
the local mountains are unusual: low ranges with round,
domelike tops and soft slopes, called sopkas, run parallel
from the south-west to the north-east. There aren’t any crags,
crests, abysses or bluff canyons here.
In
the north of the area, one can find the “Sikhotech-Alin”
Nature Reserve: it is the largest of the six local reserves of
its kind here. Brown and black bears, elk, serow, wild boar
and Siberian stags dwell here, as well as some endemic species
of animals, such as forest cats, raccoon-like dogs, Tungusic
hare and Amur tigers. Tourists have the chance to take photos
of rare animal species, to see primordial sites and a 35 meter
high waterfall on the Amgu River. Walking along the riverbank,
one can find such semi-precious stones as sards, opals, onyxes
and sardonyxes.
Up to
320 bird and over 1,500 plant species, including ginseng and
acuminate yew, can be observed in the “Lazovsky” Nature
Reserve. The world’s only insular yew forest, with trees of
over 1,000 years old, grows in the natural botanical gardens
on Petrov Island.
On
the territory of Vladivostok, a very beautiful place to see is
the southernmost part of the Khassan District: here one may
visit Russia’s only natural sea reserve, the “Cedar Valley”
Nature Reserve, and the “Khassan” Nature Park with its
famously unique example of Ussuri taiga (a liana, coniferous
and large-leaved forestland). Photography buffs of all ages
come here from Vladivostok, to an experimental cattle ranch
located about an hour and a half from the city, where lynxes,
bears, deer, reindeer and numerous bird species dwell. 350 out
of the 690 bird species known in Russia can be observed in the
Vladivostok Region, and bird watching tours are a specific
activity in this area that continues to increase in
popularity.
Owing
to the climate, the landscape features and the beauty of the
flora, various forms of active tours, such as adventure,
diving, rafting, walking and skiing tours through the neighbouring hills, are being offered more and more frequently
in the area. Tourists may travel either to the Yelamov Cascade,
which has 27 waterfalls, or to the lotus-adorned Kronstadt
Lake. The best time to travel here is in July or August, which
is the time of year when the lotus starts to bloom.
 Geological and cave discovery tours are popular in the
Vladivostok Region as well. At least 40 out of 160 known
caverns (including underground manholes, niches, grottos and
caves) have been uncovered to this day. Tours to the Mokrushin
Cave in the Zarod Mountain depths, a huge five hall
underground complex, are especially interesting. Connoisseurs
of natural semiprecious stones may travel down some geological
routes in the area of Dalnegorsk city.
The area’s capital of Vladivostok, a city on par with European
standards, is the closest big city to the Asian and Pacific
countries. Vladivostok’s historical centre is quite unusual,
and no building repeats another’s architectural design, one
can experience classical, Gothic, modern and oriental styles
electrically placed one right beside the other.
Vladivostok is placed amphitheatrically amidst the coastal
sopkas, from whose peaks a fine view of the Golden Horn Bay
and the whole city panorama can be enjoyed. One may take a
motorboat ride around the bay and the islands of the Gulf of
Peter the Great. The twenty islands found there are almost
unpopulated, and all of those who wish to imagine themselves
as Robinson Crusoe would be advised to land on any one of
these islands for a picnic when the weather allows.
Diving in the gulf is a wonderful experience. One can see a
unique underwater world of tropical and sub-Arctic zones.
Others may prefer a walk in one of the city’s forests or
parks, or to visit its health centre and Russian baths, as
well as the Russian Chamber exhibition with its special
Russian Folk Traditions programme, where there is a chance to
taste local teas with liquors and extracts made from
Far-eastern healing herbs.
The
natural landscape of the Khabarovsk Region is amazingly
beautiful. Many precious medicinal plants, such as ginseng,
eleutherococcus, Chinese schizandra and others can be found
here. Eighty-five species of fish dwell in the Amur River:
only the Mississippi and Amazon are more diverse in terms of
fish species, and opportunities for fishing here are simply
outstanding.
There
is a unique place on the bank of the Amur near the village of
Sikachi-Alyan, where some of the world’s oldest petroglyphs
remain whose approximate age is about 12,000 years old. As
local legend has it, the petroglyphs were drawn by women at a
time when stones were soft as wax and three suns shone in the
sky. For over a century, scientists from different countries
have been trying to decipher the secret of the petroglyphs of
Sikachi-Alyan.
Over
20 indigenous peoples of Tungusic descent reside in the
Khabarovsk Region. There are six peoples native to this land –
they are the Lamuts, Neghidals, Orochis, Oudeghehs, Oulchis
and Nanaitsy (the most densely populated of the Tungusic
nations), as well as the Nivkhs (the only non-Tungusic people
speaking an isolated language of unknown origin). All of these
peoples, with the exception of the Nivkhs, have the word nani
in their languages, meaning “a man of the land”. The
traditional occupations of these “men of the land” are hunting
and fishing, though their arts and crafts and original folk
groups are also quite popular. The sewing of national clothing
is one of the most popular arts of the peoples of the Amur
area, which combines cut-out and appliqué crafts, as well as
use of leather, metal and stones. Robes made of fish-skin and
other designs made for the spring and autumn seasons, are the
most interesting.
 Another unique area of the Far East is the Kamchatka
Peninsula, which is one of the few areas on the planet whose
nature has been preserved in its wild, primeval condition.
Twenty-seven percent to of the peninsula’s territory is
considered to be a protected nature zone. The capital of the
Kamchatka Region is the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatski,
which is situated on the shore of the Avacha Bay, a place of
rare beauty surrounded by a chain of volcanoes. In total,
there are 160 volcanoes in the Kamchatka area, of which 28 are
active. Among them, there is the Klyuchevskaya Sopka (4,750
metres), the highest and most active volcano in Eurasia.
Visitors are also invited for a walking tour along the Koryak
Volcano site (reaching 3,200 metres), which is located 25
kilometres away from the capital. There is an ocean beach near
the Khalaktyr Airport and three groups of hot mineral water
springs on the western shore of the Avaacha Bay, namely
Paratunsk, Zhirovsk and Bannaya. The world-famous Valley of
Geysers, a unique object in nature, is located between the
Karymskoye and Kronotskoye lakes. The southern part of the
peninsula is famous for its Kurilskoye Lake, a huge
salmon-breeding ground.
The
peaks of the Middle Range, which crosses the central part of
the Kamchatka Region, are good for walking tours. There are
mountainous lakes with warm water and thermal water springs
here. Lamut tribe settlements are of special interest in this
area, and ethnographical tourism is highly developed here. One
may have the chance to communicate with indigenous peoples, to
participate in their traditional fishing rituals and to watch
dog and deer racing contests. Both riding and helicopter tours
are of great interest to the visitors here.
There
are excellent opportunities for world-class mountain-skiing.
The Moroznaya (“Frosty”) Mountain near the city of Yelizovo is
equipped with up to 220 meter long skiing pathways. Especially
popular among foreign tourists is heli-skiing, when skiers are
helicoptered to the volcanoes’ wild snowy peaks and then try
to take on their downhill slopes.
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