RUSSIA Kamchatka and Commander Isles 5–17 July 2009 Leader: Susan Myers

It is fair to say that Kamchatka is generously endowed with some of the most fabulous treasures of the natural world. It is an alluring and exotic place even for Russians. The unique combination of stunning landscapes and rare wildlife makes this remote part of Russia a real ‘Promised Land’ for explorers. There are numerous dramatic volcanoes on the peninsula, together with the eighth wonder of the world, the Valley of the Geysers. And then there’s the abundant wildlife – birds, mammals and plants – which the highly experienced onboard naturalists will help us to discover.

Day 1 Late afternoon flight from London to Moscow for an overnight stay.

Day 2 An optional morning excursion to Red Square in Moscow, returning in the afternoon to the airport for an overnight flight to Kamchatka.

Day 3 Morning arrival at Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky airport where, after a short optional excursion around the city during which we may see our first Pacific Swifts, we board our vessel, the M/S Marina Tsvetaeva. We leave from probably the most spectacular port in the world, surrounded as it is by volcanic peaks including Avachinskaya Sopka (2741m) and the perfect white cone of Koryakskaya Sopka (3456m). In the evening we leave port to start our Kamchatka adventure, sailing out of Avachinskaya Bay.

Day 4 We awake to find ourselves anchored at the mouth of the Zhupanova River. Many birds breed around this shallow river, which we’ll enter by Zodiac. The star bird here is Steller’s Sea-eagle, which breeds in good numbers, rearing its single chicks on the abundant fish. We will have the opportunity to land and take short walks to enjoy the superb scenery and numerous birds, which may include Red-necked Grebe, Harlequin Duck, Common Goldeneye, Goosander, Red-breasted Merganser, Far Eastern Curlew, Common Greenshank, Grey-tailed Tattler, Arctic and Long-tailed Skuas, Common Tern, Long-billed Murrelet, Common and Oriental (Horsfield’s) Cuckoos, Sand Martin, Eastern Yellow Wagtail, Rufous-tailed Robin, Eyebrowed Thrush, Brown Dipper, Arctic and Lanceolated Warblers, Pallas’s Leaf-warbler, Grey-streaked and Taiga Flycatchers, Willow Tit, Oriental Crow, Brambling, Eurasian Siskin, Common Redpoll, Common Rosefinch, Asian Rosy-finch and Rustic and Yellow-breasted Buntings. In the afternoon we will re-board the ship and sail eastwards towards the Commander Islands.

Days 5–7 The Commander Island archipelago consists of two main islands – Bering Island and Medny (Copper) Island – and a dozen or so small rocky islets. The islands are named in honour of the famous explorer Commander Vitus Bering. Often, there istragedy and heroism linked to the geographical names of remote and diffi cult-to-access lands and this is certainly the case here. Vitus Bering was the fi rst to discover that Asia and the Americas were separate continents and he mapped the west coast of Alaska,making a great contribution to science. He sacrifi ced his life for this discovery: Bering died and was buried on the island that was named after him. We plan to visit his grave, which is marked with a tombstone. Both of the islands belong to Kommandorsky Nature Reserve, which, in 2002, was designated a biosphere reserve by UNESCO. Two full days will be spent exploring these islands, on which there are four large mammal rooker-ies with thousands of Ringed and Northern Fur Seals and Steller’s Sealions, whilst SeaOtters are a common sight on the coast and Arctic Foxes likewise inland. Here, themushrooms grow higher than the trees with an incredible number of them rising above the dwarf birches and willows in late summer. There are also some extraordinary place names such as Baby Plakali (ladies were crying) and Benedict Upal (Benedict had fallen) on Medny Island. The surrounding plankton-fi lled waters provide rich feeding grounds for several species of whale, including Humpback and Sperm, whilst Killer Whales seek out larger prey. One of the rarest whale species, Stejneger’s Beaked Whale, also inhabits the waters of the Bering Sea. Vast colonies of seabirds are also present and we will enjoy numerous close-up and personal experiences with Northern Fulmars, Pelagic and Red-faced Cormorants, Glaucous-winged Gulls, Red-legged Kittiwakes, Tufted and Horned Puffi ns, Pigeon and Spectacled Guillemots, Ancient Murrelet and Crested, Parakeet and Whiskered Auklets. We will visit a number of different locations on the islands, each of them having their own characters, from the beautiful waterfall in Gladkovskaya Bay to the spectacular rocks in Bobrovaya Bay. Breeding waders may include Red-necked Phalarope, Lesser Sandplover (Mongolian Plover), Long-toed Stint and Rock Sandpiper, whilst passerines are represented by Pechora and Red-throated Pipits, Siberian Ruby-throat, Arctic Redpoll and Lapland and Snow Buntings. There is even the possibility of a Snowy Owl. On the ladder-like rocks in Dikaya Bay, numerous Common and Brünnich’s Guillemots breed.

Day 8 On the journey back to the mainland, several true ocean-going seabirds are possible, including Fork-tailed and Leach’s Storm-petrels, Laysan and Short-tailed Albatrosses and maybe even Mottled Petrel. The picturesque coastline of the Kamchatka Peninsula between Cape Kamchatsky and Cape Shipunskiy offers more superb exploration opportunities. Despite having already seen quite a number of wonderful places with a great variety of wildlife, you will still be amazed by the beauty of this coastline. Here, we’ll have good chances to spot the big Kamchatka race of Brown Bear hunting around the mouths of local rivers where fish are abundant. The southern shoreline of the peninsula is a part of Kronotsky Nature Reserve and there are many amazing sights for even the most seasoned travellers to enjoy, ranging from magnificent volcanoes with their steaming tops to picturesque waterfalls flowing over dramatic cliffs and noisy seabird colonies. We will anchor in Kamenistaya Bay and make shore excursions to nearby rivers that are rich in birdlife.

Day 9 Today we will explore Olga Bay, another part of Kronotsky Nature Reserve. In this 9500 sq km reserve, all the Kamchatkan landscapes can be found, ranging from coastal tundra lowlands, forest and shrubby highlands to volcanic mountains with glaciers. Only at Kronotsky is it possible to see Kamchatka Fir (Abies gracilis) growing naturally. There are 33 species of mammal present here including Stoat, Otter, Sable, Siberian Bighorn, Reindeer, Red Fox and Marmot. Birds we will look for include White-tailed Eagle, Black-billed Capercaillie, Rock and Willow Ptarmigans, Northern Hawk-owl, Black, Eurasian Three-toed and White-backed Woodpeckers and Naumann’s Thrush. The Kronotsky River is undoubtedly worth our attention. It flows into Kronotsky Lake, one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. In the evening we will call at Shipunsky Peninsula.

Day 10 We will spend the day visiting a number of fjords on the Shipunsky Peninsula by Zodiac. These are famous for their picturesque views and spectacular birdlife. Our expedition team will do their best to ensure that you enjoy every moment of your time here.

Day 11 Vilyuchinskaya Bay is our next landing site. Steller’s Sea-eagles can be found in good numbers here. Starichkov Island is popular with visitors from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky who come here for the fishing. However, it is the seabird colonies that will interest us, with more opportunities to view some previously seen species.

Day 12 On the way back to the port of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, we can watch the beautiful coastline of Avacha Bay slipping by. From the sea, we can enjoy incredible views of the volcanoes Koryaksky, Avchinsky and Kozelsky. The citizens of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky call them Domashniy (Home) volcanoes, as they watch them every day from the windows of their homes. Arriving back in port, we will transfer back to a hotel for an overnight stay.

Day 13 We leave early in the morning for the airport for our flight back to Moscow. Even though it is a long journey, we will arrive back in the capital only two hours after we leave (because of the direction we are travelling), so we will be able to catch a late-afternoon flight back to London.

General Information Various levels of accommodation are available on the ship, ranging from a suite to twin berth with shared facilities. The ship weighs 4575 tonnes and can accommodate up to 86 passengers in 43 cabins. Because of the unpredictability of the weather, changes may have to be made to the itinerary at short notice, although every effort will be made to adhere to the itinerary described, within the limits of safety and time. There are no special medical requirements but you should be sufficiently active to be able to climb up and down gangplanks and board Zodiacs, sometimes in a swell, and you should be prepared to make ‘wet’ landings. Warm and protective waterproof clothing is therefore essential.

Top