Arctic Russia Holidays
Arctic Russia and the Russian Far East are characterised by an extensive remote and untamed wilderness. Stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk and the Kuril Islands in the south all the way through the Bering Strait to the Chukchi Sea and Wrangel Island in the north, this is an untouched haven for wildlife. Bears are a focus for visitors as the Kamchatka Peninsula, a barely accessible ‘land of fire and ice’ renowned for its active volcanoes, is home to the Kamchatkan brown bear, and Wrangel Island is home to the mighty polar bear.
Sea otters, Steller's sea lions, ribbon seals, and northern fur seals are amongst some of the marine mammals which populate the area. The waters provide important feeding, wintering, and migrating habitat for many species of whales, including sperm whales, orca, humpbacks, and bowhead whales, as well as endangered species like fin whales and the North Pacific right whales.
This is also an area that is a paradise for birders, with an abundance of species including the critically endangered spoon-billed sandpiper which is endemic to the region, the rare Steller’s sea eagles and tufted puffins.