TLR#4_web

THE KAMCHATKA PUBLICATION Hiking to the “NATIONAL Tolbachik volcano TOURIST ROUTES TYUMEN OF RUSSIA” ISSUE 1(4) 2020 The black gold capital 56 YAMAL iceshoandLesakoef Baikal Nenets nomad life Nroeuwtes TthreavNeol rftrhomCatuhceaAsursctic to PRIMORYE Discover the Far East SAKHALIN Five reasons to visit the island New e-visa to Russia from 2021

реклама

2020 december T O U R I S M & L E I S U R E I N RU S S I A 1

General Director, Editor ANTON SEMENOV Advertising Director NELLY KLYAGINA Editor-in-Chief ALEXANDER KRESTNIKOV Deputy General Director ALEXEY KUZNETSOV Managing Editor DMITRY FILIPCHENKO Advertising Manager NATALIA DMITRIEVA Chief Editor of the site EVGENY NIKOLAEV Regional Director OLEG ZLOBIN Art Director ARNOLD PEPLOV Director for Distribution SERGEY SOLOVIEV Proofreader GALINA KRIKUNOVA Accountant ELENA SHURYGINA Color Corrector NADEZHDA ROMASHKINA Assistant DENIS KUZNETSOV Prepress ILYA PADOMIN Translation APRIORI LTD THE On the Cover PUBLICATION The great Russian poet Nikolai “NATIONAL Nekrasov, in his famous poem “Frost, TOURIST Red Nose”, wrote about Russian women: “She passes by like a radiant ROUTES OF sun! A look from her eyes melts any RUSSIA” heart!” Throughout the ages, artists and poets have devoted works and PARTNERS AND DISTRIBUTION LOCATIONS lyrics to the Muses who inspired them. Our magazine has had a similar Austria Deshmukh Marg, Jalan Ampang, 1825 Рhelps Place, N.W. tradition for several years now, of Russisches Kultur Institutin Mumbai – 400 026. 50450 Kuala Lumpur, Washington DC 20008, USA publishing images of our beauties on Wien Maharashtra Malaysia Turkey the cover. All the more so, given that Brahmsplatz 8, 1040 Wien Indonesia Mexico Rossotrudnıçestvo’nun no guests to our country fail to notice Österreich Russian Center for Science Embajada de la Federacion Türkye Cumhuryeti that there are only a few other places Argentina and Culture de Rusia Temsilciliği in the world where one can see so Casa de Rusia Jl. Diponegoro, Menteng, Av.José Vasconcelos 204, Yıldızevler mahallezi, Çankaya many attractive women, as in Russia. Av. Rivadavia 4266 Buenos Jakarta Pusat 10310 Col.Hipodromo Condesa, konakları, Blok F, 17/17 Photo: Allkin/shutterstock Aires, CF, Argentina Jordan Del. Cauhtémoc, C.P. Finland Belgium The Russian Centre of 06140, Mexico D.F. Venäjän tiede- ja A special issue of the magazine Centre Culturel et Science and Culture U.A.E kulttuurikeskus (VTKK) “Tourism and Leisure in Russia” is Scientifique de Russie 21, P.O.Box 2187, Amman Abu Dhabi, P.O. box 8211, Helsingissä published in English once a year. rue du Meridien - 1210 11181, Jordan, 7 Shahed Khalifa street., East Plots Nordenskiöldinkatu 1, Publisher Otdykh Media Ltd. Bruxelles Ismail St., First Circl 65/67, building of the 00250 Helsinki, Suomi Address: 18/1 Tverskaya Street, Brazil Iran Russian Embassy France Office 820, Moscow 127006, Alameda dos Jurupis, 900, The Embassy of the Russian Poland Le Centre de Russie pour la Russia.Tel: +7 (495) 650-02-83. Varanda das Bosques, apto. Federation in Iran, 39, Rosyjskie Centrum Nauki i science et la culturе E-mail: [email protected] 173 Indianopolis / CEP Nofel Loshato (Neauphle Le Kultury w Warszawie 61, rue Boissiere, 75116 tlrussia.com 04088-002 / Sao Paulo / SP Château) St, Tehran, Iran 00-761 Warszawa, ul. Paris, France Printed in Mediacolor Ltd. Avenida das Nacoes, SES Spain Belwederska 25 Croatia Address:19 Signalny Proezd, bldg. 1, Q.801, Lote A, Brasilia-DF Centro Ruso de Ciencia y Rosyjskie Centrum Nauki i Hrvatska, 10000 Zagreb floor 7, Moscow 127273, Russia Great Britain cultura Kultury w Gdansku Montenegro Tel: +7 (499) 903-69-52. Representation of Calle Atocha, 34, 28012, 80-827 Gdansk ul. Dluga 35 8100, 1 Veliše Mugoše Order No. 20-Z-1819 Rossotrudnichestvo Маdrid Portugal Podgorica 10,000 copies 37 Kensington High St, Italy Representaçao de Czech Republic Kensington, London W8 Il Centro russo di scienza e Rossotrudnichestvo na Ruské středisko vědy a Distributed free of charge to major 5ED, Great Britain cultura Republica Portuguesa kultury v Praze international tour operators, as Hungary Italia, Piazza Benedetto Av. Dugue de Avila 185, 160 00 Praha 6 - Bubenec well as Visit Russia offices, Russian Orosz Kulturális Központ Cairoli, 6 - 00186 Roma 6C, 1050-082 Lisboa Na Zatorce 16 embassies and cultural centres and Hungary1062, Budapest, Canada Republic of Korea Chile missions of The Federal Agency for Andrassy út 120 The Embassy of the Russian Embassy of the Russian Centro de Ciencia y Cultura the Commonwealth of Independent Germany Federation in Canada, 285 Federation in Korea, 34-16 de Rusia States Affairs, Compatriots Living Russisches Haus der Charlotte Street, Ottawa Chong-dong, Chung-gu, Ejercito Libertador 57, Abroad, and International Humani- Wissenschaft und Kultur ON, K1N 8L5 Seoul, 100-120, Republic Santiago Centre, Santiago tarian Cooperation (Rossotrudnich- 101117, Berlin, Cyprus of Korea de Chile estvo) abroad, as well as at major Friedrichstraße 176-179 Russian Centre of Science Slovakia Switzerland foreign travel exhibitions where Greece and Culture Ruské centrum vedy Die Vertretung der Russia is represented (CIBTM in Οδ.Τζαβέλλα 7, Χαλάνδρι, Alasias 16, Nicosia 1301, a kultúry v Bratislave Rossotrudnichestvo Beijing, IBTM World in Barcelona, 15231, Αθήνα, Ελλάδα P.O. Box 24561, Cyprus Slovakia, 81105 Bratislava, in der Schweizerische IMEX in Frankfurt, etc.), at interna- Tzavella str.7, Chalandri, Alasia 16, T.K. 24561, 1301 Frana Kral’a 2 Eidgenossenschaft tional travel exhibitions in Russia Athens, Greece Λευκωσία, Κύπρος Slovenia Brunnadernrain 37, (INTOURMARKET and OTDYKH Denmark China Ruski center znanosti in CH-3006 Bern, Schweiz LEISURE in Moscow, INWETEX in Vester Voldgade 11,1552 PRC, Beijing, Dongcheng kulture Sri Lanka St. Petersburg, SIFT in Sochi, etc.), Kobenhavn V, Denmark district, Dongzhimennei str., Ciril Metodov trg 1, Russian Centre for Science at the St. Petersburg International Israel 9 (NAGA), building 2. Zip Ljubljana 1000, Slovenia and Culture Economic Forum, and at the Eastern 38 Geula St., Tel Aviv, Israel code: 100007 United States of America Sri Lanka, Colombo-7, Economic Forum in Vladivostok. 63304 Luxembourg Mission of Independence Avenue 10 The magazine is also available in India Centre culturel A.S. Pouchkine Rossotrudnichestvo in the South Africa airport VIP lounges and at hotels. The Russian Centre of 32, rue Goethe / 5, United States of America South Africa, Pretoria; 316 © Otdykh Media Ltd., 2020. Science and Culture rue C.M.Spoo, L-2546, Consulate general of Russia Brooks Street, Menlo Park 24, Ferozeshah Road, New Luxembourg in New York, Japan Delhi 110 001 Malaysia 9 East 91 Street, N.Y. 10128, Japan, Minatoku, Tokyo, The Russian Centre of Russian Center for Science USA 106-0041, Azabu-Dai 2-1-1 Science and Culture and Culture, Russian Center for Science Embassy of the Russian 31-A, Dr. Gopalrao 205, Lorong Ampang 2, Off and Culture, Federation in Japan 2 T O U R I S M & L E I S U R E I N RU S S I A december 2020

2020 december T O U R I S M & L E I S U R E I N RU S S I A 3

Editor’s Note Russia Becomes Even More Accessible e goal that the entire national tourism e fact that the Federal Agency for Tourism community has been striving for has nally has developed a new national project entitled been achieved. Beginning on January 1, 2021, a “Tourism and the Hospitality Industry” is also single electronic visa for foreign tourists will be cause for optimism in our business. It is antici- introduced in Russia. It is available to citizens pated that this project will be nalized by the of 52 countries for a fraction of the cost of a summer of 2021; it is to operate for nine years and regular visa and can be processed in no more its budget will exceed 6 billion dollars. e con- than four days. cept of this project calls for the export of tourist services to rise from 11 to 22.3 billion U.S. dol- Just ve years ago, this was something lars, while the number of domestic trips should people could only dream about, but even then, increase by a factor of 2.2. Only time will tell conversations about the need to simplify the whether tourism will become “the new oil” for the visa system were ongoing. Russia conducted Russian economy, but the authorities expect the the 2018 World Cup according to the highest industry to recover and expand as early as 2021. standards, acquiring tremendous experience in how to receive foreign guests, including In this issue of the magazine, already our those entering the country using the FAN fourth, we have tried to show the world the ID system, which replaced standard visas. In full breadth of our country, from the Far East 2017, an experimental program was launched and Siberia to the Arctic and the Northern to provide electronic visas to tourists entering Caucasus. Whatever the time of year, you Vladivostok, and the same system was used for will nd an activity to suit your tastes, from foreign guests in Kaliningrad, Saint Petersburg, mountain climbing and river cruises to intel- and the Leningrad Region in 2019. is experi- lectually stimulating urban tourism featuring ment was recognized as a success, and now visits to museums and the nest restaurants residents of more than y countries can come specializing in local cuisine. e stories and to Russia without visiting a consulate or going photographs from our contributors will help through unnecessary formalities. you get a clearer sense of Russia and under- stand its people, culture, and traditions. Once e only thing limiting foreign guests’ abil- you have settled on the experience that’s right ity to receive visas like this today is the global for you, go right ahead and buy your ticket — coronavirus pandemic. Many countries have we will always be eager to welcome you! temporarily closed their borders, and Russia is no Anton Semenov, exception. We believe that the pandemic will be General Director, Editor defeated soon, and tourists will be able to travel the world freely and discover new countries. 4 T O U R I S M & L E I S U R E I N RU S S I A december 2020



Contents 26 ISSUE 1 4 / 2020 Yakutia 16 TSehae Great Baikal Our special correspondent Gri- gori Kubaty an travelled to the Buryatia Republic to see the winter Baikal with his own eyes. 24 tInheSCeaolrdch of Winter is the best time to truly understand and enjoy the beauty of Yakutia. Truly exciting adventures await travellers: ice fishing, hunting, dog and reindeer sledding. 28 Nomad Life In winter, the indigenous people of the Yamal Peninsula, the Nenets, relocate here from the tundra for the forests. 38 HVoiklcinangoto the When it’s morning in Kam- chatka, the rest of Russia is still asleep. Kamchatka is dif- ferent in every way. 46 VFiivseit RSeaakshoanlsinto An endless ocean, full of killer whales, dolphins, and 17 Buryatia two species of sea lion, hot springs, mud volcanoes. Sakhalin is sure to impress you with these sights and PHOTO: MIKE KATALOV / TRIPPLANET.RU / DEPOSITPHOTOS more. 50 KThueriAl Isstloannidshsing It’s impossible not to fall in love with the Kuril Islands: its grandiose volcanoes, innumerable waterfalls, fan- tastical cliffs, clear-blue lakes, golden sunsets. 54 Seafood Рaradise Sakhalin and the Kuril Is 38 lands are privately consid- ered to be the homeland Kamchatka of Russia’s most delicious seafood.

2020 december T O U R I S M & L E I S U R E I N RU S S I A 7

Contents Bird Park ISSUE 1 4 / 2020 108 56 Colourful Primorye in the Pechora-Ilychsky Nature Tourists from various regions Reserve in the Republic of Komi. come to the Primorsky Territory 70 every summer to swim, sunbathe, The Lost World of Putorana dive and enjoy the local delicacies. The mountains of Putorana are 62 Dragon Kingdom located on the Central Siberian old-fashioned steam locomotive “Game of Thrones” fans should Plateau between two mighty set off on a regular route. be happy: in the south of Pri- rivers: the Lena and the Yenisei. 98 100 NTroeratshures of the morsky Territory they can visit a 82 YJoeukranteeryintoburg 103 real-life dragon kingdom. 108 In Vologda, a city known chiefly The city of industrialists, revolu- for its lace, you can try the creamy 64 AMaVnispiutptuoner tionaries, and the birthplace of local butter and attend a saltmak- Irina Cherdakova, a volunteer, Yeltsin. How I once again found ing workshop, or take a fairy-tale myself in the city of my child- journey to visit Father Frost. shared her impressions of work hood after 28 years. CThheecIhmepnrResespiuvbelic Sheregesh 90 TCahpeitBallack Gold Every week, hundreds of tour- 13 The Tyumen Region, located ists come to see skyscrapers, within a two-and-ahalf-hour mosques, majestic moun- 92 flight from Moscow, may well tains and the unique lake be one of the most unusual des- Kezenoy-Am. 94 tinations for a long weekend. Road to the Garden Father of Siberian Cities The plants of the Sochi Arbore- tum are also interesting, as is the Its rich history, inestimable history of one of the country’s centuries-old cultural heritage, most famous botanical gardens. natural treasures, all combine to make Tobolsk one of the most Visiting the Sparrows popular tourist destinations. Russia’s only bird park is located Steam Powered 80km from Moscow, in the Kaluga Region. Everyone who In Tver region, for the first goes there is invariably amazed by time in 40 years, a real, its size and by what it contains. Primorye PHOTO: BLOG.GESH.RU / EVGENIY BORISENKO / STATE BUDGETARY INSTITUTION “SAKHALIN TOURIST INFORMATION CENTER” / ZEN.YANDEX.COM 56 54 Sakhalin

2020 december T O U R I S M & L E I S U R E I N RU S S I A 9

NEWS Regions Vyatskoe BEAUTIFUL VILLAGES THE MOST BEAUTIFUL VILLAGES AND SMALL TOWNS OF THE RUSSIAN NORTH HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED IN THE YAROSLAVL REGION. The expedition team visited more than 30 villages and towns along a 5,000-kilometre route within 19 days. e list of the world’s most beau- tiful villages has been expanded to included six Russian villages: Fera- pontovo, the Vologda Region; the towns of Kargopol and Solvychegodsk, and the villages of Zekhnova and Tcherevkovo, the Arkhangelsk Region; and Lalsk, the Kirov Region. Tomsk Moscow PHOTO: PINTEREST / TRIPSECRETS.RU / WALLPAPERTIP.COM / ROMAN SMIRNOV CYCLING ACROSS SIBERIA ONE BILLION FOR DEVELOPMENT Yegor Kovalchuk, a member of the Russian Geographical Society’s branch in Tomsk, made his first bike tour along the brand-new Golden e Russian government has established Tourism Devel- Ring of Siberia tourist route. He included the top natural, historical, and cultural landmarks of Siberia. Over 33 days, Yegor covered 2,500 opment, an autonomous kilometres on two wheels and visited 10 Siberian regions exploring local non-commercial organiza- cultures, cuisine, and everyday life. An experienced bicycle traveller, he was a team member of such international tours as the International tion to promote travel Bicycle Tour Across Antarctic Yakutia, the Round the World Bicycle Tour, to Russia, to be managed and the Trans-Africa Bike Race. This time, he started from Tomsk, cycled across the Novosibirsk Region, Altai Republic, Kemerovo Region, Khakas- by Rostourism, the Federal Tourism Agency. sia, Krasnoyarsk Region, Tyva, Irkutsk Region, Buryatia, and back to Tomsk. This route will open for mass tourism in May 2021. is new marketing centre will help pursue 10 T O U R I S M & L E I S U R E I N RU S S I A december 2020 the 2035 tourism development strategy. With RUB 1.3 billion ($20 million) investment from the federal budget in 2021, the centre will monitor awareness and customer satisfaction for the Russian travel brand, as well as developing and promoting new websites, apps, and other digital e orts.

Regions NEWS E VNIESWA RMoscow ussia will introduce a uni ed electronic visa for foreign travellers from 52 countries worldwide on January 1, 2021. Travellers can apply for a Russian e-visa online at evisa.kdmid.ru, the website of the Ministry of Foreign A airs, or by using their mobile phones. E-visas will be available for tourism, business, cultural purposes and private visits. E-visa applicants are not required to submit invitations, hotel reservations, or any other docu- ments to con rm their visit purpose. Just complete an online application form and upload a photo and scanned copy of your passport, and pay a $40 processing fee (children under six are exempt from the fee) and wait for visa approval. E-visa processing time will not take more than four days. e visas will be valid for 60 days from the day of issuance. It will allow foreigners to stay in Russia for up to 16 days. Entering Russia through a border crossing, a traveller will need to present a printed copy of their e-visa noti cation as well as a valid passport at border control.  2020 december T O U R I S M & L E I S U R E I N R U S S I A 11

NEWS Regions Crimea tBahcekNteost Т he Swallow’s Nest, a symbol of Crimea which was built in 1912, will reopen for tourists after restoration in January 2021. The palace was closed more than a year ago for a renovation which cost RUB 87.5 million ($1.2 million) and funded under the federal Crimea development program. Renovations include the facade with its decorative elements, the building’s interiors, landscape lighting and railings, doors and windows, roofing, pipes, and fireplaces, as well as the installa- tion of granite flooring. Special efforts were made to strengthen the foundation and the rock on which the palace is built and to improve the landscape design. 12 T O U R I S M & L E I S U R E I N RU S S I A december 2020

Zaryadye Park FLOATING HOTEL For the first time in 60 years a Russian company has built TOP CAPITALS a river- and sea-going vessel housing a floating 5-star hotel. The ship was built by Vodokhod at the company’s Moscow has been named the Krasnoye Sormovo plant. The four-decker ship, built world’s leading city desti- according to the project PV300 “Mustai Karim”, made nation by tourism industry its first cruise from Moscow to St. Petersburg in August standard the World Travel 2020. It houses 329 hotel rooms with panoramic win- Awards in 2020 for the dows and balconies, and boasts three saloons — a dining second year in a row. Volga room, a reading room, and a conference hall. St. Petersburg won the World’s Leading Cultural THE THERMAL City Destination 2020. CAPITAL The Moscow Tourist Infor- mation Centre in Zaryadye In early November Park hosted the online Tyumen was the first award ceremony. Russian city to open the thermal bath season. Alexander Moor, the Tyumen governor of the Tyumen Region, opened “LetoLeto”, a modern, new thermal bath resort. He said that Russian travellers have long neglected Siberia’s won- derful natural thermal baths. Zarina Doguzova, the head of the Federal Tourism Agency, attended the event and presented a symbol of the thermal capital to the governor. TOCTHHAERMTEORUFNLTIGAHINTSS T UI Russia, a travel com- Sheregesh pany, has this winter season launched charter ights to the popular mountain PHOTO: ATORUS.RU / BGUZEL_RU / BLOG.GESH.RU / DEPOSITPHOTOS / INFOYAR.RU ski resort of Sheregesh, located in the Kemerovo Region. Ural Airlines will y from Moscow to Novokuznetsk once a week on Saturdays. e passengers can bring their ski gear free of charge. With 14 scheduled ights, the company will carry 3,080 tourists to the resort. TUI Russia has also scheduled charter ights to Murmansk on the Barents Sea this winter. e travel program will include general excursions around Murmansk and Severomorsk, visits to the Lenin ice-breaker, bus tours to Teriberka, where Leviathan — a famous 2014 Russian drama lm — was shot, a visit to the Lap- pish open-air ethnographic museum Sam Syt, and a trip to hunt for the northern lights. 2020 december T O U R I S M & L E I S U R E I N R U S S I A 13

NEWS Regions THE KURIL CLUSTER The Kuril Islands THE ONEKOTAN ARCHIPELAGO IS A TOURIST CLUSTER WHICH IS SOON TO BE OPENED ON THE NORTHERN FKURIL ISLANDS OF THE SAKHALIN REGION. unded by the Federal Tourism Agency and the Ministry for the Develop- ment of the Far East and the Arctic, it will bring together 10 travel projects to be implemented before 2025. In particular, in 2021 it is planned to build a 3-star 92-room hotel called Alaid in Severo-Kurilsk, a town on Paramushir Island. Paramushir will also house a tourist village in Shelikova Bay with a VIP house and 10 smaller guest cot- tages. A new air strip is also being built in Severo-Kurilsk. Smolensk PHOTO: EMAZE.COM / FOTO TRAVELLER.RU / YUGOPOLIS.RU / VISUALRIAN THE FORTRESS BECOMES A MUSEUM e Smolensk Fortress Federal Museum has been founded in the city of Smolensk. It will include the renovated walls and towers of the city walls, two of which have already been opened for visitors. Other museum sites will be com- pleted during 2020-2023 and will also form part of the museum. e Smolensk Kremlin, built in the early 17th century, is a mon- ument of Russian forti cation architecture and the world’s largest preserved brick fortress. Krasnodar ANOTHER HILTON Despite a challenging year for the tourism sector, a new Hampton by Hilton Hotel has been built and opened in Krasnodar. This is the city’s second Hilton Worldwide hotel. “I would like to thank the Krasnodar government for its support throughout the construction project. We hope that this hotel will attract both visitors and the city’s residents,” said Vladimir Ilyichev, Director for Russia and the CIS with Hilton Worldwide. The hotel has 105 rooms, a spa facility, a 400-square-metre confer- ence hall, fitness facilities, a restaurant, bar, work zone, and covered parking. 14 T O U R I S M & L E I S U R E I N RU S S I A december 2020

Regions NEWS SOTUOLSTHTAEKSEKNY IRzhev t has become one of Russia’s most prominent monuments thanks to its size and the high quality of its execution. A 25-metre bronze statue stands on a 10-metre high mound. It con- sists of 600 parts moulded in the Solnechnogorsk plant near Moscow. Granite walls in front of the THE RZHEV MEMORIAL TO THE SOVIET SOL- sculpture hold arti cially rusted metal panels fea- DIER HAS BEEN ERECTED AT THE LOCATION OF turing more than 17,000 names of the soldiers who FIERCE BATTLES AROUND RZHEV TO COMMEM- died on this battle eld. e opening ceremony was attended by veterans, as well as the presidents of ORATE THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF VICTORY IN THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR OF 1941-1945. Russia and Belarus. 2020 december T O U R I S M & L E I S U R E I N R U S S I A 15

JOURNEY Buryatia Lake Baikal is a popular attraction for tourists from all over the world. THE GREAT W e are sitting in Buuz and Poza BAIKAL SEA a restaurant-yurt (a large type of e buuz, or poza as they are IN BURYATIA, THEY COOK DELICIOUS tent unique to cen- also known, aren’t merely a tra- FOOD, PLAY DICE, AND BELIEVE THAT tral Asia). It has eight walls, a ditional dish and the republic’s THE KNOWLEDGE OF A PAST LIFE CAN heater in the middle, portraits main gastronomic attraction. of Genghis Khan on one of the BE REMEMBERED. THEY ARE ALSO walls, and stand-up comedy ey are an essential part in the ENGAGED IN A NON-STOP STRUG- on TV. A wooden toono wheel celebrations of all the signi cant GLE FOR SURVIVAL — A STRUGGLE hangs under the ceiling. It events in the lives of Mongolian JUST AS FIERCE AS IT WAS CENTURIES doesn’t perform any useful people. Buuz have had poems AGO. OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT functions, but its spokes sym- dedicated to them, been cel- GRIGORI KUBATYAN TRAVELLED bolically unite the di erent ebrated with festivals, and been TO THE REPUBLIC TO SEE THE WINTER parts of the yurt into a single honoured by a national anthem space. A waitress brings us of their own, by a monument, BAIKAL WITH HIS OWN EYES. steaming hot buuz — per- and by an annual prize initi- haps the best-known Buryat ated by the Ulan-Ode restaurant national dish. association — not to mention revered by an army of fans all over the world. 16 T O U R I S M & L E I S U R E I N RU S S I A december 2020

The Ivolginsky Datsan is the most important monas- tery of the Buryat Buddhists. Empress Elizabeth was the first ruler to approve The prayer Buddhism in Russia, thus earning herself the drums and incense status of the incarnation of the goddess of wisdom. burning at the datsan. Hot buuz are similar to Buddhists. e Buryat Buddhist khinkali, only without tails. But tradition is part of the wider Gelug The Buryat adhere you eat them the same way — by (meaning Yellow Hat) tradition to the Yellow Hat picking them up with your n- within Buddhism. e tradition’s form of Buddhism gers, gently biting one of the warm leader, the Dalai Lama, lives in adopted from India. sides and sucking out the aromatic broth, and only then gnawing into the hot pulp. India. His deputy in Buryatia, the Khambo-Lama Damba Aysheev Bowls of salamat are placed in lives at the datsan. front of us. Salamat is sour cream e head of the Buddhist whipped with our. It’s very ll- community is very active. One ing, although perhaps an acquired day he will distribute the so- taste. As it happened, not everyone called “social ocks” to the poor, at our table relished it, although I the next, donate three hundred certainly did. sheep to the Archery Federation, and yet the next, arrange a sheep- “Eat some salamat and you skin dressing contest. e datsan won’t feel hungry until the has a sheepskin processing shop evening,” explains Darima. of its own. e stadium where “Sometimes it is served to guests at local sporting heroes compete is wedding banquets before the main there too. courses in order to save money on It is believed that Buddhism food. is makes perfect sense. in Russia was rst allowed by Our traditional weddings usually Empress Elizabeth, for which the have about 400, or even 600 guests East Siberian Buddhists declared — not every family can a ord to her to be the embodiment of the feed so many!” White Tara, the goddess of purity and wisdom. en this title was TBHaeorcwaamMeedTvheedWevhite inherited by Catherine the Great. And, in 2009, when the then e morning sun is low. Smoke President of the Russian Federa- rises over the single-story houses. tion Dmitry Medvedev came to Buryatia, and visited the datsan, We’re on our way to the he too was proclaimed the White Ivolginsky Datsan, the most Tara. Mr. Medvedev didn’t seem important monastery of the Buryat to mind. ➜ 2020 december T O U R I S M & L E I S U R E I N R U S S I A 17

JOURNEY Buryatia During your visit to the “Nomad of the “Why wasn’t Putin proclaimed lives in the mausoleum comes and Steppes” complex you the White Tara as well?” I asked at takes a bite of the o erings — the can see a real Buryat the datsan. monks on duty at the pagoda have wedding. nothing against this. “Once we had o ered this title to Medvedev, we felt it wouldn’t You can make the Khambo- be very polite to o er the same to Lama a gi of a blue ceremonial Putin,” was the somewhat regret- scarf, or khadak, by placing it on the ful reply. box next to him, and then taking another one with a blessed knot. e Ivolginsky Datsan looks like a Russian village with its Previously, the khadak was not cabins, window shutters, and a scarf, but a belt into which you chimneys. e front doors of the could tuck weapons. If a nomad cabins are guarded by statues of took o his belt and gave it to Chinese lions, while large, bright someone, it was a token of friend- pagodas are scattered everywhere. liness and sincerity, like an open hand. You cannot hide a knife in e datsan has several func- an open belt, a er all. tioning temples. Monks spend their time chanting prayers, bang- At the datsan, prayer drums ing the gongs, or blowing into begin to spin and incense is being large seashells, an act which sym- burned, as the small, multicol- bolizes the victory of knowledge oured ags known as “khee morin” over ignorance. (meaning “the horses of the wind”) BThueryPaatsLtaLmivaess of the utter in the wind. e forest beyond the fence is lled with such One of the pagodas belongs to Khambo-Lama Itigelov, who ags. I was told that lamas were served as the head of Russia’s buried there in the past. Buddhists before the revolution. Itigelov was buried in a cedar box, Itegelov games in sitting in the pose of the lotus, Buryatia. but his body is believed to have The guests are remained intact. A sort of mau- greeted with a soleum has been arranged in his traditional scarf, pagoda, with the body exposed the khadak, the behind a glass pane. In front of the symbol of hospi- glass pane stand vases with food tality in Buddhism. o erings. Sometimes the cat that Before the war, the Atsagatsky monastery housed a Tibetan medical centre.

At the yurt you will be invited to join a “yokhor” round dance or to play a game of dice. The bones of the dice stand for one the “Big Five” animals. Which one you get is decided by how the dice fall to the board. If they fall on their side, it’s a cow or a sheep. Fishing on Baikal is an e Ivolginsky Datsan is TWhirnoawHthoresDe ice and expensive pastime. located to the east of Ulan-Ude, with the Atsagatsky Datsan located e sculptural group located to the west of the capital. While opposite the datsan depicts a the rst monastery looks lively, horse, a bull, a goat, a sheep and even festive, the second one is full a camel — the Buryat “Big Five” of re ection. Before the war, it of the animals that provide suste- housed a Tibetan medical institu- nance for the nomad. tion, and then an orphanage based on a juvenile colony. e 1990s saw e “Nomad of the Steppes” the beginning of the datsan’s res- complex is located nearby. In toration, and the Dalai Lama came summer, it houses a large number there to personally bless its revival. of folk music festivals. e winter Today, in addition to being a mon- season, however, has other attrac- astery, it is also an academy. tions. You can take a sleigh ride, give a camel a pet, and try your “We study Buddhist phi- luck at shooting with a bow and losophy, astrology, medicine, arrow. Inside the yurt the round secret sciences, and art,” says the dance — the yokhor — is o en 62-year-old rector of the datsan, performed, and you’re always wel- Tarba Dorzhiev. “It will take a stu- come to join in, unless you choose dent 20 years to study even one of to play dice instead. these disciplines. A lifetime would not su ce to study them all. For- e dice used in Buryatia are tunately, we have begun learning a made of real bone. ey play two lot of it in our past lives.” types of games — trials of strength and board games. To demon- “So, you’re not learning, you’re strate your strength, you need to remembering, correct?” I ask. rmly grip a ram’s backbone, take “Yes, that’s correct. I’m remem- a swing, and hit it with your st bering,” the rector agrees. as hard as you can. is is very ➜ Calendar of Events Take a camel ride at the “Nomad of the Steppes”. ICE MARCH THE YORD GAMES At the end of March, Baikal sees the “Baikal The ethno-cultural Ice March”, a re-enact- festival “The Yord ment of Russian troops’ Games” is held in June march across the lake in by the mountain of 1904-1905. Yokhe Yord. FISHING MUSIC UNDER THE ICE FESTIVAL Spring would not be The “Baikal Jazz” complete without the music festival held in popular ice fishing April features con- championship named certs by renowned jazz “Baikalskaya Kamchatka”. masters. DOG RACES THE BAIKAL One of the main events MARATHON of the winter contest “Zimniada” is the dog The Baikal ice marathon, sled race, the “Baikal which will be held for Race” over 56- and the 18th time this year, 155-kilometre distances. is one of the world’s top five endurance races. 2020 december T O U R I S M & L E I S U R E I N R U S S I A 19

JOURNEY Buryatia You can find 56 different types of ice on Lake Baikal. Among them are ice grottoes, lakeside cliffs covered in wondrous icicles, and these fantastically beautiful methane bubbles. 20 T O U R I S M & L E I S U R E I N RU S S I A december 2020

likely to hurt your st, but there are experienced masters who can split dozens of such bones in a contest. e stakes are quite high — apart- ments and cars, for example. In the board games, lamb ver- tebrae that symbolise the animals of the “Big Five” are used — which one you get depends on how your dice fall on the eld. If a bone lands on its side, you get a cow or a sheep. If it stands upright, then a camel. Ideally, you need to throw your dice in a way that will get you a horse. en you can move the bone to the next mark. A stove stands in the centre of the yurt, making for a warm and cosy interior. e most feared curse among the nomads is: “may the re die in your hearth.” e best wishes you can give some- one, then, must be: “may the re in your hearth never go out.” WBahrererel GDoid? the Omul e wind is blowing over the vast steppe outside. Mountains are sil- houetted in the distance. We are continuing our journey onwards, to Lake Baikal. On the way, we stop by all the places where spirits live to sprinkle them with alcohol. It’s no bother for us, and it keeps the spirits happy. In the past, the Trans-Bai- kal mountains were home to gold mines worked by convict- labourers. Sometimes the convicts working there managed to escape. ey travelled on foot through mountains and forests, homeward to the west. Between them and home, however, lay a giant, sea- sized lake. e songs from those times are at once sad and frightening. One such song is “Over the Trans-Bai- kal steppes.” Its lyrics go like this: “A weary wanderer takes a boat to cross Lake Baikal alone, and under his breath he hums a sorrowful tune, a song of returning home.” ese words seem to express a glow of hope of deliverance and a happy life. But as the song goes on we learn that the wanderer is to be met with sad news once he crosses Baikal: “Your father’s long-since cold in his grave, your brother’s long been bound in shackles.” Another well-known song is “You, glorious sea, o blessed ➜

JOURNEY Buryatia Baikal; an omul barrel is a good A Race for Survival Archery is vessel.” It has been performed by an old tradi- many — a choir of convicts, the Min- e road is frozen over and the tion in these istry of Internal A airs ensemble, and reserve’s UAZ-452 (popularly parts. the Russian musician Boris Greben- known as “breadloaf”, due to its shchikov. In the latter’s interpretation shape) is running smoothly and at the protagonist seems to be sailing on a good speed. Almost all the land his boat somewhere in Ireland. e around Baikal is a nature reserve or song talks about how the runaway a national park. at’s good for the couldn’t nd a boat, so he ventures environment, but not so good for the across the endless lake an empty omul people who live here. For centuries barrel (an omul, by the way is a type of they have been shing in the lake and cutting down trees in the forest, but sh found only in Lake Baikal). In the now these traditional activities and original version he is sailing for four others have been outlawed. days, and it is unclear whether he will make it or perish. “ ey are labelled poachers, but it is not they who came to the national “He must have set sail from here, reserve area, it was the national where Cape Svyatoy Nos makes a deep reserve that came to them,” Volkov curve. e mountains and taiga were explains. “ ere aren’t any other perfect for hiding from the gendarmes. jobs. What means do people have of earning their living? Tourism devel- e wind and the current would have opment is being encouraged, but carried the barrel to the opposite bank, so he had a chance,” explains In Soviet times, work and electrical power were pro- Sergei Volkov who works at the United vided by fish factories on Lake Baikal. Today the Directorate of the Barguzin State factories are closed and their fishing vessels lie help- Natural Biosphere Reserve and lessly on the shore like whales washed up by the waves. the Trans-Baikal National Park. Nothing like this would work these You should try how can tourism be developed when PHOTO: ALBERT MOTSAR.LIVEJOURNAL.COM / AUTOPLUSTV.RU / BAIKAL BURO.RU / DREAMSTIME / INSIBERIA.COM / days. e State Inspectorate for Small newly caught building is forbidden on the reserve JASSOTOUR.RU / NFPOL.RU / ANNA OGORODNIK / GRIGORY KUBATYAN / MIKE KATALOV / MIKE LEUNG / MARINA DYACHENKO Vessels wouldn’t have an unclaimed fish cooked by territory? ere’s no way of open- barrel oating about without the village fish- ing a hotel, a restaurant, or a store. permission. ermen. You can’t get electrical power or build sewage treatment plants. Approval of You won’t nd an empty omul any works on the reserve territory is barrel on Baikal’s banks either. very costly. Infrastructure needs to be Commercial omul shing has long in place before the status of a reserve is been prohibited. One can still catch assigned to an area. A erwards it isn’t it for their own household, but not possible to build anything, nor even more than 5kg per person. If you’re link up to the water mains. lucky, you can still taste omul soup made by village shermen, but you In Soviet times, work and electrical can’t buy any in the city. If you ask power were provided by sh factories about it in a shop, the sta will look located on Lake Baikal. Today, the at you in terror, as if you’re asking factories are closed and their shing for cocaine. vessels lie helplessly on the shore like whales washed up by the waves. e The game village houses are equipped with solar uses real ram panels, to which they have turned out vertebrae. of despair rather than from any wish to maintain an eco-friendly lifestyle. Other energy sources are non-existent. “It’s pointless to wait for the omul to multiply,” says Sergei Volkov. “We need to stock the lake. is was done in the past, but not today. If the omul is plentiful, the shing and the pro- cessing will come back. e people wait and hope.” Baikal freezes over in winter. ere are several shing camp-sites on the 22 T O U R I S M & L E I S U R E I N RU S S I A december 2020

riding snowmobiles. When not cov- ered in snow, the surface of the frozen lake looks like glass. e grottoes of Baikal’s islets are adorned with incredibly long icicles. e area of frozen lake by the vil- lage of Maksimikha has been turned into a skating rink. Skate rental is available at the nearby tourist base for anyone willing to try out the ice. It’s right in the middle of the lake, with mountains all around, and such beau- tiful sunsets! “ is is so lovely,” I exclaim. “It is,” agrees the owner of the The Baikal Mile festival is all about speed and genuine excitement! Rent a pair of skates to try the ice on Lake Baikal near the village of Maksimikha. Sparkling ice. Incredibly long icicles adorn the grottoes on the islets. lake. ey o er accommodation in signs as low as “10”, but in real- tourist base, Anna Maslichenko. “But yurts complete with stoves and beds, ity, the tra c moves at highway if someone o ered me money, I would located right on the ice. ere are speeds. e ice is smooth and sell everything and leave at once. All holes cut in the icy oor. You can rent hard. Even car races are held on the coastal sawmills stand empty a yurt like that for a few days and wait Lake Baikal, similar to those in the since December. We’re not allowed for a bite. But it won’t be cheap — American state of Utah. e racers to use coal for heating, we’re out of renting a yurt costs 1,000 rubles at the “Baikal Mile” reach speeds (about $13) per person per day. Your of up to 250 kilometres per hour. rewood, and electricity is expensive. catch would have to be literally gold- We have installed solar panels, but In summer, yacht regattas are they are useless. Our future here is sh to justify that! held on Lake Baikal, while popu- uncertain. ere’s a motorway that leads right lar winter activities include ice hockey and ice golf, skiing and We want to believe the best. We over the ice. You will see speed limit want to believe that the government will start guarding the interests not only of nature, but also of those living in it. To guard in the good sense of the word, not in the way that makes people want to set sail across the lake in a barrel.” TLR 2020 december T O U R I S M & L E I S U R E I N RU S S I A 23

DESTINATION Yakutia In Search of the Coldтext:AnnaIvanova Winter is the best time to truly understand and enjoy the beauty of Yakutia. Truly excit- ing adventures await travellers: ice fishing, hunting, dog and reindeer sledding, extreme sports, and natural wonders. Another great enter- tainment for the cold season is winter “make-up”. 24 T O U R I S M & L E I S U R E I N RU S S I A december 2020

“Oymyakon is the Pole of Cold”. Father Frosts from various lands have come to visit Chyskhaan. Regardless of where you choose to stay — CGhuyasrkdhiaananof, tthhee Cold in the capital of the republic, in its cold- est place (the Pole of Cold), or in the wild For twenty years now, Oymyakon engaging in extreme and relaxing activities — has hosted the international Pole the experiences will be unforgettable. of Cold festival: a folk event where authentic Yakut and Evenk cultures The Kingdom of Snow and Ice intertwine. Oymyakon is the coldest inhabited settlement on e festival can teach you a Earth and a must-see for anyone who is exploring win- lot about the everyday life, his- tertime-Yakutia. e uno cial temperature record in tory and culture of local residents: the settlement was recorded in 1938: - 77.8 °C. their national costumes, traditions, sports, cuisine, music, dances, In the Yakut language, “oymyakon” means and legends. Another must visit “non-freezing water”. It’s nothing less than a mir- attraction is the ice residence of acle that there are ice-free rivers, streams, and Chyskhaan, legendary “Guardian lakes at the world’s coldest point, right on the edge of the Cold”. e palace was created of the permafrost. e brave souls who dare to inside the sacred Ebe Haya moun- swim in those streams in winter talk about it with tain, where an underground ice deserved pride. Oddly enough, OYMYAKON IS THE COLDEST SETTLEMENT IN boiling water THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE, AND A MUST SEE FOR THOSE WISHING TO DISCOVER THE TRUE makes the best ice WINTERTIME YAKUTIA. fireworks. Oymyakon is about a thousand kilometres away gallery and luxurious corridors lead According to legend, Labynkyr Lake from Yakutsk. From the airport, tourists are taken you to the throne hall of the Lord of is home to the Loch Ness monster’s by o -road vehicles along the Kolyma road either to the North. Yakut cousin — the Labynkyr Devil. Oymyakon itself, or to Tomtor, a village in the very centre of the Oymyakon Plateau, one of the harsh- During the festival there’s tra- est places on Earth. One can also get from Yakutsk to ditionally a fair when one can Tomtor by plane by taking the Yakutsk — Ust-Nera purchase pieces of local folk cra s. But the most anticipated event of the ight and onwards by car. program is the rally to the Pole of A view of the majestic mountain glaciers and the Cold — an extreme rally along the Yakutsk — Tomtor route, passing legendary ice-free Labynkyr Lake will open up before stunning views of the mountains your eyes. e lake has long been subject to searches and northern nature. Also popu- for a mysterious underwater creature called the lar with the audience is the “Miss Labynkyr Devil — known as “Nessie’s Yakut cousin” Pole of Cold” contest which attracts and a character in the “Russian Fishing 2” computer the most beautiful Yakutian girls. ➜ game. 2020 december T O U R I S M & L E I S U R E I N RU S S I A 25

DESTINATION Yakutia The Permafrost Museum in In the meantime, the strongest and most dexterous Yakutsk, one of of men compete for the top spot in the “Chyskhaan the city’s most Games” sporting event. interesting attractions. And in addition to all that, here you can also enjoy reindeer sleigh rides, national cuisine tasting master classes (“Taste of the North”) and quiet nights in an authentic Evenk chum (raw-hide tent). Extreme sports fans can enjoy ski tours and climbing the Muus-Khaya (2,959 m), Aphrodite (2,054 m) and Yurbe (2,111 m) mountains of the Pole of Cold. Winter Adventures Capital If you’re limited in time, Yakutsk alone can make for a wonderful trip — there are lots of interesting places to visit and things to do here. e Permafrost Museum is de nitely in the top ten. It was established in the underground geocryological laboratory of the Perma- frost Institute (also the museum’s main exhibit). e Daily Telegraph included the laboratory in its list of Russia’s 20 most interesting attractions. Another of Yakutsk’s gems is the Mammoth Museum. It exhibits several animal mummies found in Yakutia, some of which are over 12 thousand years old. You can also get a souvenir made from animal bones or tusks at a kiosk anywhere in the city. Another must-visit is the famous Krestyansky (“peasant”) sh market (in Yakutia they freeze only freshly caught sh). ose market people selling sh “bouquets” on foggy, frosty days are quite colourful characters. Restaurants too will o er you frozen sh, Dog sledding across the snowy expanse of Yakutia. including the delicious stroganina (sliced sh), along Inside the with other culinary delights from local chefs: salamat sacred mountain (custard made of our and butter), foal meat, and veni- Ebe Haya, the son (much loved by the locals and guests alike), northern ice residence of Chyskhaan, the sh dishes, khaan blood sausage, and a fantastically deli- Guardian of the cious kerchekh dessert (whipped cream with berries). Cold. Traditional Yakut cuisine even has its own festival, “Taste of Yakutia”, held in the capital annually in early December. It coincides with another festival (with a very telling name), “Winter begins in Yakutia”. Indeed, where else can the coldest season of the year begin? Every year during the festival, Father Frost (who visits from his hometown, Veliky Ustyug) and Chyskhaan, Lord of the Cold, meet in Yakutsk and light the coun- try’s rst New Year tree. 26 T O U R I S M & L E I S U R E I N RU S S I A december 2020

Yakutia DESTINATION Local beauties, young women of the indigenous peoples. YAKUTIA HAS PLENTY OF TOURIST CENTRES WHERE GUESTS CAN ENJOY SKIING, SNOWBOARDING AND TUBING, DOG SLEDDING, AND FISHING EVERY TYPE OF WINTER ENTERTAINMENT. Inside the sacred One of Yakutia’s most important tourist attrac- Muncha, or PHOTO: DRIVE2.RU / NLO MIR.RU / INYAKUTIA.RU / mountain Ebe Haya, tions and a true natural wonder, the Lena Pillars are winter ice SHTISH.LIVEJOURNAL.COM / TRIPPLANET.RU / AYAR VARLAMOV located not far from Yakutsk. ese majestic cli s, fishing, always the ice residence stretching for miles along the banks of the Lena turns into a of Chyskhaan, the River, are over 400,000 years old. e sight is won- celebration. derful regardless of the season, but only in winter Guardian can you get to the pillars by ice, driving a car or reworks”, the ones you make by of the Cold. snowmobile along one of the world’s most power- throwing hot water up into the ful rivers. freezing air. Water instantly freezes “Taste of in the extreme cold, creating a Yakutia”, Ha uSnntoiwngS, eFlifisheing, and cloud of icy reworks. And remem- festival of tradi- ber, photos are best taken at sunset. tional Yakut Yakutia has plenty of tourist centres where guests Also, don’t forget to try “snow can enjoy skiing, snowboarding and tubing, dog make-up”. To get those thick snowy cuisine. sledding and shing — every type of winter enter- eyelashes, cover your mouth with tainment imaginable. e sledge dogs used here are your hand or scarf and breathe fast the famous Yakut huskies. Since ancient times, this — a er only a couple of minutes local breed has helped people to transport goods and you won’t recognize yourself. has been used for hunting. Many believe they even drive evil spirits away from homes. Brown- or blue- Enjoy and explore wintertime- eyed, with a luxurious fur coat, these dogs are very Yakutia, embrace its fresh and vivid friendly and not at all aggressive. avours and colours! TLR Always remember that everything in Yakutia has its ritual, and both hunting and shing are sacred acts wrapped in tradition. Fishing and hunting tours are one of the most popular pastimes in the repub- lic — in winter that means ice shing for muncha or kuyuur, and hunting for what’s considered the best trophies: wild reindeer, wolf, fox, Arctic fox, wolver- ine, lynx, and sable. No one coming to Yakutia in winter ever leaves without taking the famous snow sel e with “winter 2020 december T O U R I S M & L E I S U R E I N R U S S I A 27

IN FOCUS Polar Urals NomadPHOTOS: SERGEYKARPUKHIN Life THE POLAR URALS ARE THE NORTHERNMOST PART OF THE URAL MOUNTAINS, WHICH MARK THE BORDER BETWEEN EUROPE AND ASIA. IN WINTER, THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE OF THE YAMAL PENINSULA, THE NENETS, RELOCATE HERE FROM THE TUNDRA FOR THE FORESTS, WHICH PROVIDE PLENTY OF FIREWOOD. IT IS ALSO EASIER FOR THE REINDEER TO FEED ON MOUNTAIN SLOPES WHERE STRONG WINDS BLOW AWAY SNOW. IN ADDITION, A RAIL- WAY LINE RUNS NOT FAR FROM HERE AND PROVIDES ACCESS, WHEN NEEDED, TO THE NEAR- EST VILLAGES, WHERE THERE ARE SHOPS AND OTHER FRUITS OF CIVILIZATION. 28 T O U R I S M & L E I S U R E I N RU S S I A december 2020

Polar Urals IN FOCUS The Nenets have very expres- sive and distinc- tive faces, which along with the national dress and difficult nomadic living conditions make for a unique look. 2020 december T O U R I S M & L E I S U R E I N R U S S I A 29

Children are always The lack of gadgets wary of strangers at and internet access first, but this quickly means children spend passes. lots of time outdoors. 30 T O U R I S M & L E I S U R E I N RU S S I A december 2020

The Nenets never lose Polar Urals IN FOCUS their composure in unex- pected situations, and will Panteley. Taking even laugh at misfortune. portraits of the Nenets is a worthy activity for photog- raphers. Nenets winter camps are often situated in forested river valleys, although sometimes one chum (a type of temporary dwelling) may be set up in the mountains in order to keep an eye on the rein- deer herd. 2020 december T O U R I S M & L E I S U R E I N R U S S I A 31

ITlehNsesrienFtaerOerecCsotuiUnngtS- Polar Urals subjects to photo- graph in a Nenets camp. The Nenets do not gather in one large camp; usually, there are many camps scattered around the area. But families pay each other visits and socialise. 32 T O U R I S M & L E I S U R E I N RU S S I A december 2020

The little red Polar Urals IN FOCUS cheeks of Nenets children 2020 december T O U R I S M & L E I S U R E I N R U S S I A 33 always attract attention. In fact, beneath the delicate skin on their cheeks, they have many thin capillaries. The stove occu- pies the central space of the chum and is a very important feature, as it ensures survival.

IN FOCUS Polar Urals The reindeer are sometimes driven to the camps for vacci- nations and other necessary procedures. 34 T O U R I S M & L E I S U R E I N RU S S I A december 2020

Polar Urals IN FOCUS 2020 december T O U R I S M & L E I S U R E I N R U S S I A 35

IThNe stFunOniCngUS Polar Urals Northern Lights are but one more very convincing reason to visit the Nenets in the Polar Urals. 36 T O U R I S M & L E I S U R E I N RU S S I A december 2020

Polar Urals IN FOCUS 2020 december T O U R I S M & L E I S U R E I N R U S S I A 37

TRAVEL Kamchatka HIKING TO THE VOLCANO Aroaring KAMAZ WHEN IT’S MORNING IN KAMCHATKA, truck struggles across THE REST OF RUSSIA IS STILL ASLEEP. KAM- massive potholes. CHATKA IS DIFFERENT IN EVERY WAY. THE Branches lash against LOCALS CONSIDER POISONOUS HOGWEED the windows. e SWEET, ASIANS PRETEND TO BE AMERICANS, seats in the cabin are equipped THE POLICE CHASE BEARS, AND RESIDENTS with seat belts, and you’d better PREFER FLYING TO BUILDING NEW ROADS. fasten them — otherwise you could go ying. We had a at tyre on our way, but, fortunately, the TEXT: GRIGORI KUBATYAN driver of the KAMAZ behind us stopped to help us change it. Photographers and travellers RWohaydsD?o We Need come from around the world to Kamchatka trucks capture volcanic drive in pairs, afraid to eruptions. remain bogged down in the The volcanic mud if something breaks. While eruptions of helping each other is a tradi- Tolbachik were tion, truck drivers and jeep accompanied by a powerful gushing of lava. A Skolkovo researcher looking for bacteria in a boiling spring in the crater of Mutnovsky volcano. Kamchatka is home to more than 24,000 brown bears. 38 T O U R I S M & L E I S U R E I N RU S S I A december 2020

Kamchatka TRAVEL Despite being the most reliable and powerful vehicle in Kamchatka, even KAMAZ people carriers sometimes fail to cope with local roads. drivers belong to di erent clans... It takes courage to between which little love is lost. reach the volcano Jeep owners drive their custom- crater but the ized monster machines without experience is an license plates, and their gigantic unforgettable wheels cause havoc with tracks, one. which can lead to KAMAZ trucks getting stuck. If a truck KAMCHATKA TRUCKS OFTEN DRIVE IN PAIRS, driver sees a jeep stuck in the AFRAID TO REMAIN BOGGED DOWN IN THE mud, there is a good chance that MUD IF SOMETHING BREAKS. HELPING EACH they will just pass by — “let them OTHER IS A CUSTOM HERE. make their own way back to You can take town, it’s too far to tow them all It would certainly remove the there is very little livestock to be a helicopter the way.” Ahead rivers, mud, and need for building more roads! seen in Kamchatka, and it has to reach the lava lie across their path. one of the lowest populations bubbling crater Everything in Kamchatka of cows and pigs in the coun- of Mutnovsky We are driving through matches its epic size, includ- try – despite the almost limitless volcano, but the Volcanoes of Kamchatka ing oversized car wheels and the potential source of feed! most travellers National Park. Travelling around shoe-sized pirozhki (stu ed pas- prefer to walk Russia can be a pitiless experi- tries) served in roadside cafes. Jean-François de Lapérouse, there. ence, but it is far from pointless. Giant burdocks and hogweeds a French explorer, wrote about While local natural sites are tower by the road side. Puchka his trip to Kamchatka back in the breath-taking, the roads will (windy) is the local name for 18th century: “Natural meadow require all your courage. If in hogweeds, which was used by grass grows up to 4 feet doubt, choose a helicopter trip the pioneering Cossack settlers (1.2 meters). It would be possible at $530 (RUB 40,000) per hour, for distilling moonshine vodka, to stack enormous amount of hay though be warned that one hour which gave drinkers wind. for winter, which lasts seven to will not be enough. Reportedly, in the past the people eight months in this climate. But of Kamchatka used to grow head- the people of Kamchatka nd this Some people believe that sized turnips. On the other hand, idea too troublesome, as it would➜ Kamchatka should welcome only wealthy travellers for helicopter trips with an average trip price of $1,300 (RUB 100,000) or higher, rather than thri y backpackers. 2020 december T O U R I S M & L E I S U R E I N R U S S I A 39

TRAVEL Kamchatka A three-seat light Robinson is Kamchatka’s best priced helicopter, available for lease at RUB 45,000 per hour. require large weather-resistant tSoeeTeallBtehaer Taanlde Live A selfie from hay-lo s and barns. ey prefer Kamchatka is worth to live by hunting and shing, Although there are certainly a dozen from tropical in particular, salmon, which is a lots of bears in Kamchatka, ille- islands. godsend to their rivers, arriving gal shing is stripping local like manna from heaven annually rivers of spawning sh. Bears to ll their shing nets and pro- can no longer catch enough sh vide food for the whole year.” to accumulate su cient fat to sleep through the winter. Hunger Nothing has changed in the wakes them up in mid-winter two centuries since. e few and they cannot get back to sleep. cattle breeders face a formidable challenge in delivering milk and ere is no food in winter, so meat to buyers along local roads. insomniac bears turn to people Ursus arctos piscator is the Latin name of Kamchatka’s native bear. 40 T O U R I S M & L E I S U R E I N RU S S I A december 2020

Good company, a because it will follow and catch the early 1990s. Kamchatka had reasonable outfit and an you.” just been opened for foreign trav- ellers and some Dutch tourists hours-long expedition We saw a large bear poking came to take pictures and enjoy along volcanic slopes will around at the side of the road the sites. ey also le some feed- from our bus. We stopped and back, wondering why we had such be well rewarded. rushed out, but didn’t get too weird footpaths in the forest, with close. It was huge. I’d like to see branches hanging low overhead someone try and scare a bear like and forcing people to stoop down that! the whole way. We saw another one walking “Well, we didn’t make those along a glacier. Why? ere is no paths, the bears did!” Alexan- food for it up in the mountains. der says. “Bears walk on all-fours Perhaps it was just enjoying the and don’t care about low-hanging view? branches. Back then we made all our routes along bears’ pathways “Oh, that’s all kid’s stu . in the Siberian pine forest. Pre- Sometimes bears take a walk in dictably, bears prefer to walk along the city. Last year, a bear with rivers. ey trample their paths so cubs took a stroll in Yelizarovo,” hard it looks as if a hundred people Alexander said. “ e police drove have passed by. We had no other them o with sirens. And not pathways to o er at the time.” long ago we had a forest warden eaten by bears. He found a dead Kamchatka’s Indians bear and wanted to take out its teeth and nails as a souvenir. But Explorer Stepan Krasheninnikov this bear had been dead for quite recorded some interesting facts a while, and other bears were about Kamchatka’s indigenous already eating it. So, they came people in the 18th century. eir and saw this forest warden... And favourite pastime was retell- ate him too.” ing and discussing their dreams. Seeing lice in a dream signi ed ➜ Alexander recalled his rst experiences as a tour guide in ILLEGAL FISHING STRIPS LOCAL RIVERS OF SPAWNING FISH. BEARS CAN NO LONGER CATCH ENOUGH FISH TO ACCUMULATE SUFFICIENT FAT TO SLEEP THROUGH THE WINTER. The Kamchatka bear’s nails can reach 13 centi- metres in length. in search of something to eat. Kamchatka was a At the end of summer and in restricted region autumn, however, there are still in Soviet times, plenty of sh and berries. If you with no travellers hear a rustling in the bushes, it allowed here may well be a bear — but they before 30 years rarely attack humans. ago. Our guide is Alexander, a 59-year-old ex-gamekeeper who is now an educator and tour guide. “ e bear is a strong, but very timid, animal. If you see it, just shout loudly and put up your hands up to look taller,” he says. “But if you run, you’re in trouble, 2020 december T O U R I S M & L E I S U R E I N R U S S I A 41

TRAVEL Kamchatka the Cossacks coming to collect soup and blueberries: “As a kid, I tribute. To dream that you were was taken away from my parents, vomiting meant that your rela- put into a cold truck and brought tives were coming to see you. To to a boarding school. I hated it see sex meant that you would be there.” lucky hunting or shing. ey also used to tell fortunes by e Soviet government shooting arrows from bows — wanted to turn nomads into set- the one whose arrow ew highest tled people and educate their would live longest. Women also children. e Koryaks and other engaged in sports competitions, nomads were unwilling to build including wrestling with other communism. ey lived in dug- amazons. e deceased were put outs in unsanitary conditions in hollow logs which were then and were illiterate, but seemed hung on trees, under which their quite happy with their deer and belongings were laid out. People also used to strangle sacri cial shing. ey were loaded with deer with their bare hands. A er favours against their will and adopting Christianity, nomads were forced to live in villages would carry their icons with and on collective deer-breeding them using specially blessed farms. Now they are very much sacred deer, while they embroi- upset both with the Soviet Union dered their clothes to drive away and its collapse, because their evil spirits. collective farms have been termi- nated and their deer have been Our rst stop was at the vil- killed. lage of Esso. It houses a Koryak nomad camp Chau-Chiv, also Nulgur, a well-known Even known as the Andrianovka com- ethnic dance ensemble, came to munity. Alexandra Andrianova, the community to give a con- the community host, welcomed cert. It was a professional ethnic us at the entrance gates. e performance rather than an community, which houses sev- amateur talent show, and they eral houses and yurts (teepees), is have toured around the globe. a local museum. e group includes not only Alexandra told us about the Evens, but also Koryaks and Koryaks in a huge super-yurt, Chukchi. Some dancers emu- recalling her childhood over sh late the American Indians and wear bun hairstyles. In fact, if they swapped their drums for A Koryak woman performs a folk dance against the background of her yaranga and a snow-covered volcano. The Koryak house is big enough to host a dozen people. 42 T O U R I S M & L E I S U R E I N RU S S I A december 2020

Nulgur dancers in a sea gull pose. Kamchatka TRAVEL Traditional Koryak souvenirs and other hand- made objects are displayed in the Chau- Chiv community museum in the village of Esso. PHOTO: DEPOSITPHOTOS / TOPKAM.RU / VESVETER.RU / WALLBOX.RU / GRIGORY KUBATYAN KAMCHATKA DANCES MAY SEEM FRIGHTEN ING, VIVID OR EROTIC. THEY DANCE WITH THEIR ARMS AND SHOULDERS, NOT USING THEIR FEET. tomahawks, you might not be quadrilles, but they certainly able to tell them apart. have their own charm. It is an archaic round dance that gradu- Kamchatka dances can seem ally turns into a shamanistic frightening, vivid or erotic — it is ritual. You feel like jumping on a theatre show with lots of shout- stage and joining them in shout- ing and jumping. According to ing and gyrating, and waving the Jean-François de Lapérouse, “ e tambourine’s drumstick in front dances of Kamchatka are com- of the round-faced women. parable with the convulsions of the Convulsionnaires (a French PAlu1m3-eKilometre-High religious sect) at the grave of de Pâris in Saint-Médard. ey e Koryaks are said to have dance with their arms and shoul- shunned volcanoes, while the ders, not using their feet. eir Evens sought to settle next to lamenting chesty shouts are the volcanoes because they loved only music that sets the rhythm.” to bathe in their hot water. e main thing was to feel the signs ➜ e wild jumps of this dance are a far cry from delicate French 2020 december T O U R I S M & L E I S U R E I N RU S S I A 43

TRAVEL Kamchatka Any physically fit person can ascend the volcano with the help of tracking sticks. During a volcanic eruption, lava reaches 1,200 degrees Centigrade. of the upcoming eruption and next eruption. However, the The valley move the camp away in time. e volcano erupted again in 2012 summers are Tolbachik volcano has erupted and destroyed some decrepit cold. It takes twice in the last y years. e nearby buildings and the high- about eight 1976 eruption was so large that way leading to the valley. e hours to ascend even astronauts saw it from local government was waiting Tolbachik or even space. e smoke plume rose for federal aid to cut a new road six for the most 13 kilometres high and threw out through lava, but local activists fit travellers. 3 billion tons of hot stones. decided not to wait, and have built their own road through the Researchers and journal- forest using only one bulldozer. ists rushed to explore the event Ten kilometres cost them RUB from all over the world, and 150,000. is sum was raised by the consensus was that it would voluntary donations from around be at least a century before the 44 T O U R I S M & L E I S U R E I N RU S S I A december 2020

The slopes the world. Not strictly legal, of faces constant challenges with Kamchatka’s summer feels overlook volcanic course, but the tourists need to get KAMAZ and jeep parking on more like a cold and foggy there somehow. holidays and weekends. autumn. Climbing up above the cones in the clouds, you nd yourself in a valley, the tips of Tobachik is a tourist hotspot. Anyway, there is enough sunny and warm spring day with the Klyuchevsky It consists of two volcanoes: the black, cooled lava to go round. melting snow and running brooks. volcanic group and extinct Ostry (3,682 m) and the It is an endless sea of twisting, the cloud cover far active Plosky (3,140 m) volcanoes. wrinkled stone. “Beneath, there e winter with knee-deep snow- are endless tunnels to explore and dri s comes a few kilometres up below. Tourists stay in Kleshnya get lost in, with volcanic stalac- in the mountains. camp, a.k.a. Rodnik. e former tites hanging from their ceilings. name refers to one of the vol- It takes about eight hours cano cones and the latter to a While it remains cold in the to climb Tolbachik, although nearby well. e camp’s ameni- valley even in summer, the tun- it depends on your tness. Six ties are limited to a pair of tiny nels are hot like a sauna thanks hours would be enough for some wooden toilet booths and a can- to the heat from the active vol- travellers and others would be teen. Development has progressed cano. e park’s team has exhausted a er two hours and no further, and what has been painted arrows to keep travel- turn back home. Tolbachik has built is regarded as unauthorised lers from getting lost, especially a unique crater — or caldera, in construction because the park’s when it’s foggy. In the absence of academic terms — which is 1.8 executives haven’t been able to get any signs or paths these arrows kilometres wide and 400 metres approval for the required utility are a great help because it is easy deep. It’s large enough to t a infrastructure for many years now. to go o course and wander small village. However, the camp hosts up to a across the lava eld for hours on hundred visitors on weekdays and end. e slopes overlook volcanic cones in the valley, the snow-cov- THE COOLED LAVA IS AN ENDLESS SEA OF ered summits of the Klyuchevsky TWISTING, WRINKLED STONE WITH volcanic group, and the cloud TUNNELS UNDERNEATH IN WHICH IT’S cover far below. e only other VERY EASY TO GET LOST. view which could possibly com- pete with this in terms of beauty is The Ascent the view from a neighbouring vol- cano. ere is a booming sound You can only see the odd heli- nearby. It might be an avalanche copter hovering above the valley, or lava grumbling underground, because Tolbachik is beyond hinting that a quiet volcano is the range of ordinary helicopter never quiet for long. Both the routes. Most helicopters o er rea- beautiful Klyuchevsky, belch- sonable one- or two-hour ights ing smoke, and sleepy Tolbachik around the environs of Petropav- could surprise us any time. lovsk-Kamchatsky: to Gorely volcano, or to the smoking Mut- We put up our ag, took a pic- novsky volcano. But out here ture, and headed home. e way your only option is to walk. down feels easier, as if you have le all your problems and bur- e day before our ascent, my dens back on the summit. You can boots came apart. No wonder, even try to ski on the snow in your if you take your old pair you hiking boots. Going down is twice haven’t worn in years rather than as fast as going up. We followed buy a new pair. e sole fell o , the crude painted arrows back- and with snow on the ground wards, through the snow, across here even in August, forget about brooks and cooled lava. walking barefoot. e guide o ered me gumboots, so my Further down the valley there group-mates were wearing hiking is a dead forest. e rst erup- boots but I had to make do with tion covered it in ash like Pompeii, those and two pairs of woollen sucking the moisture from the socks. It proved to be a godsend. ground and drying up the forest. On our route, we had to cross For a long time, it was simply a snow, streams, and waterfalls. My frightening place which reminded peers were jumping from stone people of Russian folk tales featur- to stone like wild mountain goats ing Baba Yaga, but now it is a local while I could stride through any tourist attraction with a com- obstacle. It turned out that gum- fortable glamping site built next boots are the best for climbing to it. e view of the dead forest mountains. and towering mountains from these space-age tents with their wall-length windows is simply stunning in its beauty. TLR 2020 december T O U R I S M & L E I S U R E I N RU S S I A 45

DESTINATION Sakhalin Region PHOTO: SERGEY SEMYONOV AIRPANO 46 T O U R I S M & L E I S U R E I N RU S S I A december 2020

Sakhalin Region DESTINATION 5 StRoaeakVhsiosainltisn AN ENDLESS OCEAN, full of killer whales, dolphins, and two spe- cies of sea lion. Hot springs, mud volcanoes, and unparalleled skyscapes. Aniva Lighthouse and bridges built back in the time of Imperial Japan. Sakhalin is sure to impress you to the core with these sights and more. TEXT: ANGELINA NADEZHDINA 1 2020 december T O U R I S M & L E I S U R E I N R U S S I A 47

DESTINATION Sakhalin Region PHOTO: RUSPEKH.RU / TWIMG.COM / YURIY TSYGANKOV / TIC SAKHALINSKY 1 BOAT TOUR TO Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk in a good o -road vehicle, ANIVA LIGHTHOUSE driving around 100km along a road with stun- ning scenery. In order to experience all the charm of Sakhalin, you should 3 SEA LION ROOKERY take a boat tour to one of the IN NEVELSK island’s most famous light- houses — Aniva, built in 1939. Right within the city of Nevelsk itself is a unique During this trip, tourists can natural zoo — a sea lion rookery. Every spring, see the most beautiful sites of the island: Cape ree Stones 2 and Cape Marble, seashore bird colonies, possibly killer whales and dolphins, and, of course, the lighthouse itself — Sakha- lin’s signature landmark. 2 TOUR OF CAPE GIANT AND BIRD’S CAPE Along the coast from Bird’s Cape to Cape Giant you can nd many grottos, formed by the wind and waves, caves rising right out of the sea, and arches and pillars of various sizes and fantastical forms. Colonies of sea birds live in this area, and the coast itself is rich in rare ora and fauna. You can reach the cape from 3 45 48 T O U R I S M & L E I S U R E I N RU S S I A december 2020