The Great Southern Trip to Kamchatka

We have breakfast, then get in the car and drive south to the main destination of our trip.

We will spend this day on the road, gradually immersing ourselves in the amazing natural context of the peninsula.

In the afternoon, we will arrive in the village of Ust-Bolsheretsk, where crossings over the Bolshaya, Opala, Koshegocheg, and Yavino rivers will be waiting for us.

In the evening we will arrive in the village of Pauzhetka. Here we will stay in guest houses equipped with everything necessary, have dinner and spend the night.

After breakfast, we will drive towards the village of Ozernovsky, where we will visit the visit center of the Kronotsky State Nature Reserve.

Here you will find a modern interactive exhibition "Our home is the South of Kamchatka", which tells about the relationship between people and nature.

Next, we will walk along the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk through the territory of the reserve towards Cape Lopatka. And later in the evening we will return to the locations.

We continue to explore the Kamchatka south. Today, according to the plan, the next stage of scientific work is underway: we will have to assess the age and dynamics of rocky landforms.

To do this, we will need to measure the diameter of the lichens — this will give us an idea of the relative age of the rock deposits. This method is called lichenometry, which uses lichens to date rock surfaces.

The active program of the day will depend on the weather conditions: we have three excursions to choose from.

• Rocky Peak is a mountain with fumarole formations over 1000 m high: from the top of the peak, in clear weather, there are fascinating views of Kuril Lake.
• "Stone Town" is a mysterious and very picturesque location: there are amazing limestone buildings of bizarre shapes.
• The Pauzheti fumarole fields are full of steam springs, mud boilers, and geyser—like emissions. Here you can feel how the earth breathes.

In any case, we end our day with a rest in the spa and thermal baths.

After breakfast, we will go to the ferry of the Yuzhno-Kamchatsky reserve, where we will measure the water level in the spawning Ozernaya River.

Then we will transfer to the reserve's transport and proceed to the Ozernaya cordon. On the way, we will visit the place of power and one of the wonders of Kamchatka — the pumice rocks of Kutkhiny Bata.

Arriving at the cordon, we will stay at a stationary campsite, relax and have lunch.

Then we will have an exciting boat trip on the Kuril Lake. We will observe the Kamchatka brown bears and at the same time measure the metacarpal tracks to determine the age category of the animals.

On this day, we will close the tasks set by the reserve.:

• let's measure the water level in the Lake spawning river: This will help scientists understand how the water level affects the passage of fish to the spawning ground.;
• Let's fix the water temperatures at different depths of the Kuril Lake: with the help of these data, it will be possible to draw conclusions about how temperature affects the spawning of sockeye salmon.;
• Let's measure the size of the bears' footprints: This way we can understand whether the number of predatory individuals is being revived.

After the scientific work, we will rest and return to the village of Pauzhetka in the evening to the accommodation facilities.

After breakfast, we will set off on our way back to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

Crossings of the Yavino, Koshegocheg, Opala and Bolshaya rivers will be waiting for us again.

In the evening we will arrive in the city to the accommodation facilities.

Breakfast at the hotel.

Meeting with a volcanologist to discuss measurements and samples during the expedition trip.

We will record the results obtained, conduct a small data analysis and be able to find out what kind of work will await scientists in the future.

Then guests have free time: you can take a sightseeing tour of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, go on a boat trip or to the Avachinsky pass, climb the Gorely volcano (for an additional fee).

After breakfast, you will be transferred to the airport with a stop at the fish market, where you can buy red fish, caviar, crabs, as well as souvenirs.