The most remote region of Russia from the capital, the Kamchatka Peninsula, increasingly attracts the attention of domestic tourists. Geysers and hot springs, volcanoes and waterfalls of Kamchatka are increasingly appearing in the vacation program for fans of active travel, hiking in their native land and a healthy lifestyle.
Weekend routes
The Kamchatka waterfalls closest to the capital of the region are popular with both visitors and local residents who prefer to relax in nature:
- Kiselevskiye waterfalls and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky are separated by only 40 km in a straight line. This magnificent natural phenomenon is formed by the Vodopadnaya River. At its central source, it forms a cascade of three water streams, and a little to the side from a height of 20 meters, a mountain stream rapidly falls into the river bed.
- Slightly less than four dozen kilometers from the city and to the famous Vilyuchinsky waterfall in Kamchatka. The river that forms it originates on the slopes of the volcano of the same name, and melting glaciers feed the water flow in the summer. The height of the falling water is 40 meters and hundreds of tourists come to look at the majestic spectacle.
- The name of the Spokoiny waterfall was given by the stream of the same name, although the 16-meter stream itself is not considered as such. For those who have reached its observation deck, an amazing sight opens up - a noisy mountain stream breaks out from a narrow gorge with rocky shores. From Spokoiny there is a walking trail to the Vilyuchinsky springs, and the distance to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is about 45 km.
Falling water day
The peninsula's excursion bureaus organize interesting one-day tours to the Vilyuchinsky waterfall in Kamchatka and to the thermal springs near Goryachaya Sopka. The trip begins in the regional center, from where tourists are brought to the Vilyuchinsky volcano by high-pass vehicles. The guides then lead the group to the volcano through a birch forest, which contains huge boulders called volcanic bombs.
The second part of the walk is dedicated to the Upper Paratunsky Springs on Goryachaya Sopka. The excursion program includes swimming in natural thermal baths and lunch. The duration of the walk takes about three hours, and the entire trip program lasts about 10 hours.
Tours run from June to October, the cost of one ticket is about 3000 rubles (for June 2015).
White natural monument
In the southern part of Kamchatka, on the northern slope of the Koshelev volcano, the White Waterfalls are rustling. They are born in the bowels of the earth and are formed by cold mineral springs, under great pressure erupting countless small fountains to the surface. Perfectly transparent water, appearing in front of the audience, instantly becomes cloudy and turns white like milk.
The secret of this color is easily explained by chemists - the local waters contain a huge amount of aluminum oxide, which precipitates in the air in the form of a snow-white precipitate.
