Altai – done; Kamchatka – here we come!

Hi folks!

I’ve said it many times before, but it bears repeating: to me, Kamchatka is the most beautiful place on Earth!

It’s a truly magical world of volcanoes, hot springs, geysers, bears, and so much more. Aside from the region’s famously unpredictable (and rarely friendly) weather, every trip here is just awesome. Awesome – yes, but the elements can quickly turn your plans on their head: even I – normally the most upbeat of optimists – this year had my spirits (and clothes) dampened almost to the point of being completely… dissolved! But more on all that later…

…Not that the rain came later; it started right from the get-go: relentless rain, with Kamchatka’s masterpiece-views hidden behind the dense clouds whence the rain came. But as the days went on, the bad weather finally gave way and, in the end, we were rewarded with a few solidly sunny days and all in all the trip turned out just great! Not everything went to plan (does it ever in Kamchatka?), and we didn’t see everything we wanted to – but what we did was just wonderful. See for yourself in the following pics…

At the summit of Avachinsky, with the neighboring Koryaksky volcano behind it:

Krasheninnikov erupting – though you can’t see it since it’s hidden behind clouds:

Fall colors! Except for the time we witnessed Tolbachik in full-on crazy eruption mode back in the spring of 2013, I’ve always visited Kamchatka in the summer (yes, for those who are new here – I’ve been more times than I can remember (it’s that good!)). But again and again I kept hearing that Kamchatka’s real beauty only appears in early September – when the green landscapes set themselves ablaze with reds, oranges, yellows, and even golds! And this time – since we went in September of this year – I finally experienced it myself. And, well – I can now confirm that what I kept being told couldn’t be more true: it was all just unreally – brightly – beautiful!

Uzon caldera in September:

Volcanisms in the Valley of Geysers:

The Valley of Death:

This time we trekked all the way around the lake inside Maly Semyachik! So that’s another “volcano crater encircled” checked off the list!

Assorted pics:

Crossing the Geyser River:

Now, about the weather…

On our first day, we battled a nasty, endless drizzle – spitting non-stop until the following morning. We managed to trek to our first campsite by hugging the roads (so as not to get lost), but both the Khangar (seen) and Ichinsky volcanoes (never seen), alas, remained hidden. Here’s us crossing a pass, squeezing through the gap between the ground and the clouds:

And the glorious red-purple color everywhere? According to my sources, it comes from bushes of bog bilberry, dwarf cornel, and alpine bearberry.

The following day, the rain stopped, but the clouds still hung low, keeping us grounded instead of on our planned helicopter tours. We lingered till noon, then flew on to our next camp – unfortunately postponing our visit to Shiveluch volcano.

By evening the weather improved, and we managed to fly out to Klyuchevskaya Sopka.

By dinner the skies had cleared completely, and hopes for a bright tomorrow were rekindled…

Unfortunately, the third day greeted us with yet more thick, unbroken cloud. Everyone else flew off to Kronotsky and its glaciers, but I opted out – I’m a firm believer in ice deserving to be viewed under bright sunshine and open blue skies. And you’ll never convince me otherwise!

By evening though, the clouds had blown away yet again:

The next day the weather continued to gradually improve, and the wind had shifted northward.

Eventually we made it to Shveluch, though it was still half-shrouded in clouds. A proper visit will have to wait till next time.

On another day – the rich hues of Uzon were revealed as the clouds lifted just a bit:

This time the weather started clearing well before dinner – more like by midday!

A gorgeous morning in the Valley of Geysers:

With every day the weather just kept getting better!

Kamchatka kept unfolding its wonders – helped by blue skies and dazzling sun. Krasheninnikov in the center; Kronotsky in the background:

Karymsky:

On our last day, when we flew down the coast to southern Kamchatka, the skies cleared completely:

Khodutka – truly the world’s best (albeit wild and untamed) hot springs:

And now for the photos of my practically constant travel companion, DZ. You know what they say: grass grows greener… through the viewfinder of your constant travel companion’s camera! Though that paraphrase refers to things seeming better; but with DZ – the pics are better! How does he do it? ->

Fresh lava on Krasheninnikov:

At times, Kamchatka’s nature creates landscapes so strange, you could think you were on another planet:

We trekked from Uzon Caldera to the Valley of Geysers across Kamchatka’s multicolored fall fields:

Valley of Geysers:

Circumnavigating Maly Semyachik’s crater:

The beauty of Karymsky:

The crater of Avachinsky capped with a lava dome, and Koryaksky in the background:

Ksudach Caldera:

The waterfalls of Opasny (Dangerous) Canyon, near Mutnovsky volcano:

The active crater of Mutnovsky:

All the aerial shots were taken either by drone or, more often, from a helicopter…

Now, I’m a bit undecided – what should I write about next? Should I go through the trip chronologically and recap those gloomy first few days, or skip ahead to the better weather and more interesting bits like the following:

(i) Our challenging but meditative trek around the pastel-gray lake in Maly Semyachik;
(ii) Trekking across the autumn colors of Uzon;
(iii) Our trek from Uzon to the Valley of Geysers (exploring a creek where tourists usually aren’t allowed);
(iv) The “Northern Fissure” at Tolbachik;
(v) Our trek to the Valley of Death, and summiting Avachinsky.

Oh – so much to choose from! And I’m still not decided. Let me just approach it organically – let’s see what happens without a conscious planning stage!…

That’s all for today folks. Get ready for (a lot) more #Kamchatka-2025! Stay tuned!…

The best high-res pics of autumnal Kamchatka are here.