7 amazing places in the Russian Arctic that you need to see at least once in your life
Miscellaneous / / April 03, 2023
Beautiful landscapes, ancient monuments and unique parks, for which it is worth going on a trip to the North.
1. White Sea petroglyphs, Karelia
Petroglyphs are ancient rock paintings, embossed or applied with paint. There are more than 2,000 of them on the islands of the Vyg River in Karelia. They are mainly dedicated to hunting wild animals, but there are also images of shamanic rituals, dances and river crossings. The size of the petroglyphs is different, the largest is a meter in height. Ancient people depicted Bes so big, standing on one leg with a raised hand and a closed eye.
White Sea petroglyphs from 2021 are included on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. But this archaeological complex is not the only remarkable place in Arctic Karelia. Another point of interest for travelers is the Paanajärvi National Park with the multi-stage Myantyukoski waterfall, hanging swamps, mountains and dense forests.
2. Putorana Plateau, Krasnoyarsk Territory
The name of this place
It has two translation options: from Yukaghir - "mountains without peaks", from Evenki - "country of lakes with steep banks". And they both describe him perfectly.The Putorana Plateau is a large mountain range with flat tops, stepped slopes, cliffs and canyons. Numerous picturesque waterfalls, fjord lakes and rivers are located on an area of 250 thousand square kilometers. In the forests of the plateau live deer, elks, lynxes, wolves and brown bears, bighorn sheep roam the slopes, white-billed loons and black cranes fly across the sky.
Only part of the territory is open for tourists. Therefore, it will not be possible to fully see the magical world of the Arctic plateau, but everyone can wander along the smooth peaks and look at the picturesque lakes. It is better to go there as part of a tour: the road is only by water or by air - it will be difficult to organize the crossing on your own.
3. Teriberka, Murmansk region
There are many reasons to visit this small village beyond the Arctic Circle. Firstly, there are several sights on the territory of Teriberka and near it. For example, the atmospheric and photogenic cemetery of ships, the mystical beach with oval boulders, which are called "Dinosaur Eggs", and the waterfall of the Small Battery Lake running along the rocks.
Reason number two - here you can see seals, killer whales, dolphins and other marine animals. To do this, you only need to go on a ship to the Barents Sea. And if you are lucky, during your trip to Teriberka you will be able to witness the northern lights. If you want to see colorful flashes in the sky, it is better to plan a trip between September and March.
This winter, tourists in the Murmansk region have a chance to observe not only the northern lights. In the regional capital established An important temporary attraction is the ecoel. To create it, they used waste collected by volunteers. Garbage left by man or sailed to the Arctic by water pollutes nature and harms the unique flora and fauna of these places. Nevertheless, volunteers constantly find old fishing nets, plastic bottles, pallets, slats, sea buoys and other waste here.
To combat the pollution of the Arctic in Russia, a public project "Clean Arctic" was created. This year the participants held expeditions in all nine Arctic regions of the country. Thousands of volunteers walked around 235 hectares of land and collected more than 5,000 tons of garbage, scrap metal and deadwood. The project attracts volunteers not only from Russia: in 2022, volunteers from 10 countries participated in it.
4. Momsky Nature Park, Yakutia
A large park in the upper part of the Moma river basin is known for its picturesque landscapes. On its territory there are extinct volcanoes Balagan-Tas, Uraga-Tas and Pobeda, glacial deposits, elliptical hills, domed slopes kamy and other unusual relief decorations. There are also remarkable mountains. For example, the multi-colored Yuryung-Taastaakh. It owes its amazing coloration to rich marble deposits.
But the main star of the park is the largest icing in Russia, Ulakhan-Taryn. It reaches its maximum size in winter: its area increases to 90 square kilometers, and the ice thickness - up to 5-6 meters. In summer, Ulakhan-Taryn hardly melts, but its huge white canvas is cut by the channels of the Moma River, creating amazing drawings.
5. Romantikov Glacier, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug
This polar glacier is located in the north of the Ural Mountains at an altitude of about 800 meters above sea level. Discovered him in 1960 alone. Its appearance is associated with a sharp cooling of the climate, which occurred about a thousand years ago. The glacier, like a white blanket, covers the side of Mount Rai-Iz.
Tourists come to the glacier in the summer - the landscape at this time becomes especially beautiful. When the air warms up, the "veil" begins to thaw, forming at the foot of a small mountain lake with crystal clear water. But if you want to see the Romantikov glacier, it's better to hurry up. Its size is constantly decreasing, the researchers suggest that by the middle of the 21st century this natural attraction may disappear altogether.
6. Russian Arctic National Park, Arkhangelsk Region
This is one of the youngest national parks in Russia. It was opened in 2009 on two archipelagos - Novaya Zemlya and Franz Josef Land. The total area is over 14,000 square kilometers. There are many unique objects here. For example, at Cape Tegetthoff you can see kekurs, high remnant rocks, whose age is hundreds of millions of years. And on Champ Island - spherical nodules: this is the name of large round boulders formed due to the accumulation of minerals. They appear in sands and clays of coastal zones, and water cuts them to the shape of a ball.
Two more amazing sights of the Russian Arctic are Cape Flora, which is atypically green for these places, and Rubini Rock, which is home to a large colony of sea birds. And most importantly, polar bears, the bowhead whale, the Atlantic walrus, the white-faced dolphin and other Red Book animals live here.
"Russian Arctic" open for tourists only in summer: cruises depart there from June to September. And you can also go to the Russian Arctic as a volunteer to create ecological trails, make pictures and videos of local nature, clean up the territory from garbage brought by water or help with au pair.
7. Reserve "Wrangel Island", Chukotka
"Wrangel Island" is much older than the "Russian Arctic": turn it into a nature reserve decided back in 1976. It became the first specially protected natural area in the Arctic zone of Russia. In addition to the Wrangel Island itself, the Herald Island is included in the composition - a mountain range sticking out of the water with steep cliffs.
Several historical monuments have been preserved on the territory of the reserve, for example, the Paleo-Eskimo camp "Chertov Ravine", the remains of an adit in which rock crystal was mined, and the dugouts of Vasily Nanaun, the first inhabitant of the island Wrangel. But above all, the reserve is famous for its amazing nature. Polar bears, walruses, arctic foxes, musk oxen and reindeer live here, relict plants grow, white geese and rare pink gulls fly. In total, the local flora and fauna has 1,370 species. And about 40 of them are endemic - species found only in specific areas, including Vinogradov's lemming and snow-loving poppy.
There are nine ecological routes in the reserve. But in order to get to Wrangel Island, you need to arrange a visit with the administration in advance - no later than five months before the planned trip.