To start with I should say it's been one long-awaited trip. And it's not because I have a special relationship with the place, just there are places where you want to go for a long time and finally it all works out. There are some destinations in this world that hold a place in one's heart for no particular reason. For me, Kamchatka was one of them.
I have been lucky enough to be born at this beautiful place, and, after travelling to various parts of the planet, I have never seen anything comparable to the captivating beauty of Kamchatka. I may talk to you for hours about its landscapes and impressions they left me with, but it would probably be much better if you could ‘hear’ my story with your own eyes.
Kamchatka is the land of volcanoes and glaciers, hot springs and geysers. You will find rivers, lakes, and waterfalls scattered all over this magical land with twenty nine out of a hundred and sixty volcanoes still being active nowadays. The exact number of glaciers goes up to four hundred and fourteen.
During my trip, I got to travel to Kronotsky Nature Reserve, the Uzon Caldera where everything looks exactly like it did millions of years ago. It is the heart of thousands of hot springs, geysers, and mineral waters. I got to walk around most beautiful valleys, mountains and boiling mud water lands, swim in mineral springs, visit one of the seven miracles of Russia – the Valley of Geysers where numerous geysers erupt with water and shoot it straight in the air. I descended into a cave half filled with mist, where each step felt like drowning deeper and deeper under the water. I have climbed Mutnovsky and Goreliy volcanoes, fighting my way through the horizontal rain, wind and glaciers. I went down to craters filled with acid lakes and ammoniac eruptions.
Never before have I witnessed the land breathing but Kamchatka has gifted me with this experience. This Land of Fire and Ice is like no other. It is filled with true nature and untouched beauty; it carries strength and magic. Believe me when I say magic. Shamanism is very well present in Kamchatka where legends, traditions and rituals are kept alive between ages and generations.
With its Gods and spirituality, I find Kamchatka to be similar to Hawaii where natives are very well aware of its big brother. And by the way, locals in Hawaii know well about Kamchatka because their famous huge waves are born off the coast of Kamchatka, and go straight to Hawaii.
As any trip does, mine quickly ran out of days, leaving me awaiting for my next trip to the land of the past and the adventures it could bring.
