From the 6th to the 9th days of the cruise, we will explore the Commander Islands.
Among the residents of the Commander Islands, there are those who came here for a while and decided to stay forever. But even if parting with the mainland does not appeal to you, this archipelago between the Bering Sea and the Pacific Ocean will pierce you to the very heart.
In 4 days we will try to see all its main wonders.
Komandory consists of four islands: Bering Island (which accounts for 90% of the total area of the archipelago, and is home to the only settlement with less than 700 inhabitants), Medny Island, and the very small islands of Toporkov and Ariy Kamen.
This entire land area, along with the water area that exceeds it tenfold in size, is part of the national park of the same name. His pride is the highest diversity of marine mammals in Russia.
So, on the largest rookery of Bering Island, we will find a huge concentration of pinnipeds: sea lions and Steineger seals live next to seals and sea otters, and each species has its own habits.
Sailing on the Zodiac along the coast, we will meet a variety of cetaceans: we may come across a sperm whale, an orca, a fin whale, a humpback whale, a porpoise, and many others.
In total, about a million birds constantly nest on the Commander Islands, and the main bird markets are on the islands of Toporkov and Ariy Kamen. Hatchets, which are sometimes called "sea parrots" for their large orange beak, dig holes to hatch their offspring.
Therefore, when walking along the island named after these birds, tread carefully: your foot may fall through.
On the large islands, you can find local blue Arctic foxes and imported reindeer.
A distinctive feature of the Commander is sand dunes, sometimes many kilometers long.
There are many waterfalls on the mountainous island of Medny. And on the island of Bering, which is more diverse in terms of landscape, there is the visiting card of the archipelago — the Steller Arch, a stone remnant in the form of a man-made triumphal arch.
Georg Steller, a physician and natural scientist, participated in the expedition of Commander Vitus Bering to the shores of Alaska. On their way back in late November, their ship was stranded on an unknown island. The commander, who was already ill by that time, died during a difficult winter.
Subsequently, an island was named after him (Bering's grave is still one of the local attractions today), and his title gave the archipelago its name.
We will also visit the Aleutian Museum of Local Lore on Bering Island, look for gems on the beach, and in the tundra for princesses and vodyanika.