The Land of Fire and Ice

And the clouds have lifted! We wake surrounded by volcanoes reaching into the distance. Snow capped mountains towering over the waking houses, the sun slowly creeping over the horizon. Kamchatka.

Today is volcano day. We make our way by car a short distance to the heliport where we register and sit in anticipation for what is to come. Due to the remoteness of Kamchatka most areas are accessed by helicopter. Big 20 seater Mi-8 helicopters. There is only one road on the Kamchatka peninsular of approximately 800kms in length. Whilst this road affords some access, there is no road into the peninsular itself, access is purely by sea or air.

930 and we are called with our fellow Russian travellers to board our machine for the day. Long bench seats reach along either side of the interior of our Mi-8 with access to porthole-esque windows looking out over the passing views below. Our 1hr 15min flight circles volcano after volcano, smoking calderas, turquoise blue volcanic lakes, 'screw-ridden' perfect cones - when we talk of the land of fire and ice we think of hobbit-like landscapes.

Believe me this is better; although I do find my mind wondering along the lines of orc armies, secret rings and pointy hatted wizards.

Back to our aerial transport for a 7min hop to Uzon caldera a vast collapsed volcano cone with steaming lakes, bubbling mid holes and sharp clawed paw prints from local ursine inhabitants. An hrs walk brings us through this beautiful landscape of turquoise waters all set to he backdrop of snow filled gulleys and towering volcanic peaks.

Continuing on we board our chopper and hop onwards to a steaming volcanic caldera where the waters within our reach are burning hot, yet only centimetres further out they dissipate into a chilly coolness. As I look around it dawns on me the sheer scale of what we are doing; a volcanic wilderness all to ourselves, our heli perched on the steaming lakeshore, no one in sight, no tourist comforts to hand, Kamchatka at its best.

My final few days are spent exploring further north, towards the farthest reaches of the limited road of Kamchatka. Long drawn out expanses are dotted with vast volcanoes towering into view. Our first night is spent in the picturesque village of Esso, with only a few thousand inhabitants, Esso is surrounded by tree covered hills which are dwarfed in the distance by vast volcanoes. A thermal pool provides the centre of the village where locals (and the few tourists there are) converge for their morning or evening swim in the volcanic waters. Our night is spent in a local homestay, cosy and warm providing comfort following a long day on the road.

The next morning we wake for a wander round the village and bump into our friend Nikolai who we have met the evening before. Nikolai must be 70+ and is one of the last remaining true hunters of the north; hunting sable…and I am sure the odd bear, he regales us all morning as we sit on his porch and he treats us to hot coffee, fresh bread and caviar. It is these small intimate encounters that make for travel, these insights into the real world that you are just a passing interruption of, that frame your opinion and offer a glimpse into the hardships, the routine, the romance and the adventure of this remote land.

Our following day is volcano centric. We climb and climb and climb in our 4x4 up through the swampy forests (getting stuck along the way), across the solid lava flows, up higher as volcanoes surround us popping in and out of the clouds, until we reach the top, the ever circling caldera of volcanic ash. We continue onwards surrounded by our moon-like landscape, not sure where to look or what to photograph as scene after scene of ashen beauty reveals itself to us in this never ending hidden world. Our aim for the day was the dead forest which we reach on the lip of the caldera; a once wooded landscape appears frozen in time with leafless trees dotting the horizon; this alpine forest was destroyed in one of the last lava flows in 1975 and now remains as a memorial to this beautiful yet unforgiving landscape.

Our return seems easier, as we roll downhill back towards the treeline and the road more solid. Whilst helicopters and bears you would think would steal the day, for me it is this surreal landscape that sticks in my mind. Noone travels here, no one talks about it, no one really cares about it. It is a seemingly forgotten corner of the world that holds an unparalleled beauty and wilderness that I can only hope remains this way.

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