- Duration:
- 15 days (14 nights)
- Complexity:
- a consultation required
from 493 900 RUB ($5,974)
Monday-Friday: 08.00–18.00 Saturday-Sunday: Days off
Local time: 13:17We are openWe are closed
Expedition tour «Whales, birds and reindeer herders of the Beringia National Park»
Tour activities
Chukotka – the place of marvelous beauty which attracts travelers from all other the world. The ancient culture of whale's and deer's hunting, landscapes of the Bering Sea and tundra, unique flora and fauna. Here time flows differently and people discovers true deep feelings awakened by the pristine nature.
Expert-designed tour from tour operator Adventure Guide.
The group is accompanied by Adventure Guide tour leader (English speaking).
Program features:
– Beringia National Park is the easternmost nature protected Russian area located on Chukotka peninsula (Senyavin Strait, Bering Sea)
– the tour is organized in the best period for whales and walrus watching in Senyavin Strait: August – the beginning of September
– an opportunity to learn about the modern-day lifestyle of nomadic reindeer herders
– in the tundra, accommodation is planned in a specially built cottage for 10 people, making the journey more comfortable
– the tour price includes accommodation in a 3 hotel in Anadyr and all meals as per the program, except for meals in the city of Anadyr
– in towns and villages, you will eat at local cafes. In the tundra, meals will be prepared by a cook
– all necessary expenses as per the program are included in the price, including flights from Anadyr to Provideniya Bay and back. No additional costs will be required on site (with the exception of souvenirs and breakfasts and dinners in Anadyr)
– the group will be accompanied by experienced guides and boat drivers from among the indigenous people of Chukotka. An experienced group leader will work with the group throughout the tour.
Important!
1) Bookings must be made no later than 30 days before the start date of the program. This is necessary for processing border zone entry permits (for both Russian citizens and foreign citizens).
2) Please take into account specific features of travelling in a wild nature quite far from the civilization. It should be understood that this tour will not be an easy walk along the Chukotka coast.
3) Weather conditions at sea in the Senyavin Strait area may force changes to the tour schedule.
In the event of a delay in Chukotka due to a missed scheduled flight from Provideniya to Anadyr, accommodation, meals, and excursions on the additional days will be paid for by the participants on site.
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS
Anadyr – the brightest Russian city
Gudym – the abandoned military town, where nuclear missiles aimed at the United States were once stored
whales, walruses and sea bird's watching
Whale Alley – UNESCO World Heritage and sacred monument of Eskimo culture
bathing in thermal springs
TOUR ITINERARY
Evening flight to Anadyr from Moscow. <br />
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Good mobile signal
12:30 Arrival to Anadyr city – the capital of Chukotka Autonomous District.
Passing border control (Chukotka is still an Area of Regulated Visit).
Transfer through the Anadyr Estuary of the Bering Sea (Pacific Ocean) on a barge (during transfer tourists do not leave the car).
Accommodation at the hotel Anadyr 3* (twin rooms with facilities).
Sightseeing excursion around the city.
Dinner in the hotel restaurant (on your own).
! NB Depending on the flight arrival and possible delay sightseeing excursion can be replaced to another day.
Accommodation in a hotel
Electricity available
Good mobile signal
Shower available
Breakfast at the hotel (on your own).
Transfer to the airport, crossing the Anadyr Estuary by boat.
10:00 Departure to Provideniya village by flight (in good weather conditions).
11:25 Arrival at Provideniya village. Meeting with a guide of the Beringia National park.
Transfer to Provideniya village by bus. Passing around Emma Bay (9 km) with short excursion about history and life of locals.
Accommodation in a technical school dormitory (shared rooms, shared bathroom facilities on the floor).
Lunch at the cafe.
Excursion to Beringia Heritage Museum.
Walking around the village with visiting the monument to the 1st Kamchatka expedition of Vitus Bering.
Dinner at the cafe.
Discussion of the further itinerary.
*If the flight departs on time and weather conditions are favorable, it may be possible to depart for the tundra following the next day's program. This will allow you to maximize your time for whale watching and observing other animals and birds.
Electricity available
Bad mobile signal
Shower available
Accommodation in guesthouses
Breakfast at the cafe.
Check-out and transfer to Rumilet Bay with short stops for photography (upon request).
Stop at the Rumilet cordon. Transfer to boats and loading of luggage.
Tour participants are provided with special warm suits for sea travel.
Boat trip from cordon Rumilet. During sea passage along Senyavin Strait (about 2 hours) it's possible to observe gray and humpback whales, seabirds (Bering's cormorant, spoonbill, hatchet, Pacific Black Guillemot, etc.).
Upon arrival in the village of Yanrakynnot, you will be accommodated in a guest house – a cottage for 10 people with a toilet inside, but no shower.
A traditional Russian banya is rented for the group in the village (once during your stay).
Lunch will be served at the local school.
The uniqueness of the village of Yanrakynnot lies in the combination of two cultures: reindeer herding and coastal Chukchi. The village is located on a hill overlooking the Senyavin Strait, at the mouth of the Marich River.
In the vicinity of Yanrakynnot, a visit is planned to a monument erected to Vice-Admiral S.O. Makarov – a Russian naval commander, oceanographer, and polar explorer. A short guided tour of the village is also planned (you will have the opportunity to see the school, administration building, library, abandoned fur farm, old Chukchi houses, etc.).
You may have the chance to taste traditional national dishes at the homes of local residents: reindeer, walrus, and whale meat, as well as dishes made from wild berries and mushrooms.
Return to the cottage with the guide.
Dinner at the school.
Discussion of the next day's itinerary.
Electricity available
No connection
No shower
Accommodation in guesthouses
Breakfast at the school.
Boarding the boats and a sea crossing with a sightseeing tour. Together with a guide, you will visit the islands of Merkinkinkan and Achinkinkan – small islands in Penkegney Bay, Senyavin Strait – with a visual inspection of the largest colony of horned puffins, tufted puffins, and parakeet auklets in Chukotka.
Whale watching: in Penkegney Bay, you will have the opportunity to see humpback whales.
Landing on Merkinkan Island, here you'll be offered a snack.
Return to the cottage.
Dinner at the school.
Electricity available
No connection
No shower
Accommodation in guesthouses
Breakfast at the school.
Boarding the boats and a sea crossing across the Senyavin Strait with a guide. Possible observation of gray and humpback whales from a safe distance, as well as sea lion rookeries. In some years, walruses can also be seen.
Visit to Yttygran Island, followed by a tour and educational excursion with a guide to the sacred Eskimo cult site «Whale Bone Alley». This cultural heritage monument of the peoples of the Russian Federation (federal significance) consists of two rows of enormous bones and skulls of Greenland whales embedded in the ground.
Lunch in the tundra.
Optional excursion «Klyuchevaya» with a guide and a national park ranger. This includes: a visit to the monument to the whaling fleet «Aleut», a visit to the mouth of the Klyuchevaya River.
During the excursion, it is possible to observe Canadian cranes and representatives of the hawk family: the common buzzard and the gyrfalcon (a Red Book subspecies). A visit to the natural monument «Klyuchevoy», better known as the «Senyavin Hot Springs», is also planned.
Duration of the excursion: up to 4 hours.
Sea crossing to Nuneangan Island.
Return to the cottage.
Dinner at the school.
Electricity available
No connection
No shower
Accommodation in guesthouses
Breakfast at the school.
Sea crossing with a stop at Glazenapa Bay (southwestern tip of Arakamchechen Island in the Senyavin Strait). You will visit the grave of Yegor Purin, a sailor from the clipper ship «Gaydamak», who was buried here in 1875.
Sea crossing by boat to Abolesheva Bay. During the crossings, it is possible to observe members of the seal family: the ringed seal (akiba) and the spotted seal (larga), as well as humpback and gray whales.
Return to the cottage.
Dinner at the school.
Electricity available
No connection
No shower
Accommodation in guesthouses
Breakfast at the school.
Departure by all-terrain vehicles to the reindeer herders' camp. The duration of the excursion depends on the distance to the camp's location. The group will have the opportunity to learn about the modern-day life of the reindeer-herding Chukchi.
Lunch at the camp.
Return to the cottage.
Dinner at the school.
If for any reason the visit to the reindeer herders' camp proves impossible, or if weather conditions require an early return from the tundra to the village of Provideniya, the order of days will be changed and the program will be shifted accordingly.
(See Day 8)
Electricity available
No connection
No shower
Accommodation in guesthouses
Breakfast at the school.
Packing of belongings. Sea crossing across the Senyavin Strait to Rumilet Bay.
Transfer to a high-clearance vehicle and travel to the village of Provideniya.
If time permits, a visit to the Eskimo village of Novoye Chaplino is planned along the way from Rumilet Bay.
Accommodation in a technical school dormitory (shared rooms, shared bathroom facilities on the floor).
Lunch at the cafe.
In the evening: optional visit to a banya (sauna) for an extra fee, souvenir shopping.
Dinner at the cafe.
The ancient Eskimo settlement of Avan (in case of program shift).
Breakfast at the cafe.
If for any reason the visit to the reindeer herders' camp proves impossible, or if weather conditions require an early return from the tundra to the village of Provideniya (Day 7), the order of days will be changed. On Day 8, an excursion will be made to the picturesque site where the ancient Eskimo settlement of Avan once stood.
The trip will be made in a «TREKOL» high-clearance vehicle. A walk along the coast and stories about the ancient settlement. If you are lucky, you may see gray whales from the shore!
Lunch (snack).
Return to the village of Provideniya.
Dinner at the cafe.
Electricity available
Bad mobile signal
Shower available
Accommodation in guesthouses
Early breakfast. Check-out.
Transfer to airport of the village of Provideniya.
12:05 Departure by flight (subject to no weather-related flight delays).
13:30 Arrival to Anadyr city.
Transfer to hotel, accommodation (twin rooms with private facilities).
Free time and souvenir shopping.
Dinner at a cafe (on your own).
Accommodation in a hotel
Electricity available
Bad mobile signal
Shower available
Breakfast at the hotel (on your own).
Excursion to Gudym.
«Gudym» (also known as «Anadyr-1» or «Magadan-11») is a former Soviet and Russian strategic missile forces (RVSN) base with an associated military town, located in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. The name likely comes from the surname of the construction supervisor, Colonel Gudym.
The underground base (Facility «S») was built in 1958 and entered combat duty in 1961. The purpose of the facility was the storage and routine maintenance of nuclear weapons (nuclear warheads). The facility was subordinate to the 12th Main Directorate of the USSR Ministry of Defense.
Since 1986, in accordance with the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, all nuclear weapons were removed from the base. The underground premises were then used as a storage base for the Anadyr military garrison.
The facility was decommissioned between 1992 and 1998, and was finally abandoned by the military in 2002. The population of the military town was relocated to the cities of Engels and Saratov.
The facility consisted of autonomous underground structures exactly 996 meters in length, with numerous separate, dead-end branches having no other exits. It was designed with full anti-nuclear protection (though this is questionable due to extensive ventilation). Inside, the facility was divided into sections with different access levels for personnel. Cargo was transported by electric carts on a narrow-gauge underground railway. There are two central entrance portals with multi-ton door-wagons.
Picnic lunch.
Return to Anadyr.
Visit to the Museum and Exhibition Center «Heritage of Chukotka».
Dinner (on your own).
Accommodation in a hotel
Electricity available
Bad mobile signal
Shower available
Breakfast at the hotel (on your own).
Departure out of town to a picturesque location – Cape Dionisiy.
At Cape Dionisiy, you may encounter spotted and ringed seals, as well as see a small, beautiful waterfall. The nature here is quite contrasting. The flat Anadyr tundra suddenly gives way to a steep sea coast rising 15–20 meters high.
Return to the hotel in the evening.
Dinner (on your own).
Accommodation in a hotel
Electricity available
Bad mobile signal
Shower available
Breakfast at the hotel (on your own).
Check-out.
Transfer to the airport. Flight to Moscow.
Estimated departure time from Anadyr – 15:15, arrival in Moscow – 14:40.
The end of the tour.
* One of the curious features of air travel to and from Chukotka is that on the return flight, according to local time, you land earlier than you took off.
* The tour schedule may be adjusted due to weather conditions.
* Local time is used.
* Times are approximate.
Good mobile signal
What is included in the price
guide services (local guides + English speaking guide from Moscow)- all meals during the tour (except extra days in case of flight delays)
- all transport services according to the program (incl. boats, off-road cars)
- domestic flight tickets Anadyr – Provideniya village – Anadyr
- accommodation in Provideniya village: technical school dormitory (shared rooms, shared bathroom facilities on the floor)
- accommodation in Yanrakynnot village: tourist cottage (sleeps 10)
- banya (traditional Russian steam bath) in Yanrakynnot (once)
- meals at a cafe in Provideniya
- meals in the tundra (food supplies + cook services)
- «TREKOL» all-terrain vehicle rental
- boat rental
- guide services (local guides + guide from Moscow)
- v isa support
- borderline zone entry permits
- «Beringia» National Park entry permit
- s pecial warm suits for sea crossings
- s atellite phone rental (for emergency communication; personal calls extra)
What is not included
flight tickets Moscow – Anadyr – Moscow- single accommodation in the hotel Anadyr
- excess baggage on local airlines (allowance: 15 kg checked + hand luggage)
- meals in Anadyr
- extra services and excursions not included in the tour
- insurance
- banya (sauna) in Provideniya (optional, extra charge)
- personal use of satellite communication
- porter services
- alcoholic beverages
- souvenirs
- tips
Price clarification
Standard tour price – 520 000 RUB per person
Supplement for single accommodation at the hotel Anadyr – 24 000 RUB per person
Supplement for single accommodation at the hotel Anadyr – 24 000 RUB per person
How to get there
There are regular direct flights to Anadyr from Moscow operated by Rossiya Airlines.
The flight time is about 8 hours and air tickets cost from 40 000 Rubles round-trip.
On some days of the week there are flights to Anadyr from Magadan, Yakutsk, Khabarovsk and Vladivostok.
The flight time is about 8 hours and air tickets cost from 40 000 Rubles round-trip.
On some days of the week there are flights to Anadyr from Magadan, Yakutsk, Khabarovsk and Vladivostok.
Meals
Meals during the tour are provided three times a day, with the exception of Anadyr. Depending on the conditions of the route, lunch may sometimes be replaced with a light snack.
In Yanrakynnot meals are prepared by a cook. Assistance from tourists is not forbidden.
The menu includes fresh vegetables and soups.
In Provideniya meals are planned at local cafes and canteens.
In Anadyr breakfasts and dinners at cafes are paid for on your own.
Alcoholic beverages are not included in the tour price
Essential equipment list
Must-have
Recommended
Provided by the organizer
F.A.Q.
Answers to popular questions
Flight tickets Moscow – Anadyr – Moscow are not included in the tour price. You can book them individually, or we can help you with it.
Domestic flight tickets Anadyr – Provideniya – Anadyr are included in the tour price.
Domestic flight tickets Anadyr – Provideniya – Anadyr are included in the tour price.
Domestic flights within Chukotka are operated on propeller-driven aircraft (48 seats). Seating is open / free seating. Runways at all airports except Anadyr are unpaved / gravel.
Within the Beringia National Park, travel is by motor boat (3–4 people per boat) and by TREKOL all-terrain vehicles fitted with low-pressure tires.
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