Kamchatkan accommodation – from guesthouses to… oversized steel barrels!

Hi folks!

You’ve had volcanoes and geysers and out-of-this-world scenery; now for the more practical side to life in Kamchatka – where to bed down of a night!…

First, let me state the obvious: Kamchatka’s no resort. It has long beaches, but the ocean’s always cold; and Kamchatka’s also hard – and expensive – to get to given it’s so remote. Accordingly, there aren’t the corresponding hundreds of large chain hotels dotting its coastline. But, obviously, there have to be places to stay – and there are; they’re just more modest than your Marriott’s and Hiltons, etc. Nevertheless, the places to stay and the level of service at them is decent, and getting better by the year – as we keep finding out ourselves…

Our first overnight is practically always in or near the village of Paratunka, not far from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky – here. Why? Because it’s built upon magical hot springs: hot, pure mineral water on tap and in the pools of all the guesthouses in the village – which range from the bare basics to rather the luxurious…

This year we spent the night in the village next door to Paratunka called Termalny (Thermal). And here’s the guesthouse we stayed in:

And here’s its naturally-heated pool. Yes – new. Yes – very nice! And just look at the view!…

The further from civilization you get – the more… natural are the lodgings (less landscaping, fewer pamperings; still comfortable). I’ve told you about the world’s most remote hotel already so I won’t go over that again. What I will tell you about is the Dzenzur country hostel. It’s comprised of several cottages like these – all decent inside and with all the mod-cons:

Situated right on the bank of the Zhupanova river, it’s perfect for fishing holidays, which it caters to specially with trips, kit, advice, etc…

Check out the views on offer! ->

It’s perfect for digital detoxing since it’s literally in the middle of nowhere (so much so it’s not even marked on maps!). There are no roads to it, so you need to walk there (probably taking days) or chopper there; we took the latter option…

On a brief walkabout, still suffering from nine-hour jetlag (the worst kind, IMHO – worse than 12-hour…) look who we see on the opposite (phew!) bank of the river! ->

While there – we went fishing…

It goes without saying that that evening it was fish for supper. Here’s my modest haul:

A sign pointing out you need permission to fish here:

Then there’s the Glukhoy kordon, which I’ve already told you about. Briefly – five little huts and a larger kitchen building for eats and evening fun…

Basic – yes; but beats sleeping in a tent ->

Evening fun :) ->

Digital detoxing recharging:

You think those wooden huts are basic? Check out the next level down…

…Literally a large barrel on stilts. The stilts are so it doesn’t get buried in the snow in the winter.

And inside ->

Not sure if the barrel is a level above or below the next one – staying the night in tents; actually, I prefer a tent to a barrel. I got real used to a tent. So much so that back home I wanted to put one up on the balcony and stay the night in it. No joke!

The good thing about tents – we applied the SUTLABR concept to our overnight stays in them. SUTLABR standing for Shelter Up, Table Laid, And Buffet Ready – where the heavy lifting of kit and food and what-have-you is done by the helicopter, while we have just light backpacks on when trekking. We arrive – and everything’s set up and ready! Now that’s what I call Kamchatka glamping! ->

After dinner – a movie! ->

PS pics…