Reasons to Visit

Bystrinsky Nature Park ! Located in the very heart of the Kamchatka Peninsula, Bystrinsky is Kamchatka’s largest nature reserve, encompassing 1,325,000 hectares of wild nature.

Bystrinsky offers something for every traveler: ethnographers can study up-close Kamchatka’s native peoples, their traditions, daily life, and culture; botanists will have the chance to see and research rare plants in their natural habitat; and those who are simply tired of civilization can be one on one with nature. .... more

Getting Here

Bystrinsky Nature Park is located 530 kilometers from Kamchatka’s capital and largest city, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. The park can be reached by car, bus or helicopter.

There are almost no roads inside the park. Thus the most widespread forms of transportation here are helicopter (year-round); horses and all-terrain vehicles (in the summer), and snowmobiles (in the winter). Marked foot trails also pass through the most interesting parts of the park. .... more

Park Territory

Bystrinsky Park encompasses the central part of the Sredinnyi Range, Kamchatka’s largest volcanic mountain range. Rising up out of the Sredinnyi Range is the park’s only active volcano, the 3621-meter-high Ichinsky Volcano, whose dazzlingly white glaciers stand out in clear weather.

Bystrinsky Park is dotted with countless lakes and rivers. The park is named for the scenic Bystraya River, the largest river in this striking natural area.

Bystrinsky Park is home to hot thermal springs flowing from the very heart of the earth. Bystrinsky is also one of the sunniest places on Kamchatka, with excellent weather for both summer and winter recreation. .... more

Climate

The climate at Bystrinsky Park is sharply continental, with well-defined seasons. Winter lasts 6 months, from November to April, summer – from June to the beginning of September. Minimum annual temperatures reach - 41 0С , maximum temperatures are as high as + 35 0С . Bystrinsky Park is one of the sunniest places on Kamchatka, with very good conditions for summer and winter recreation.
.... more

Fauna

Bystrinsky Park is home to a large diversity of animals, fishes and birds. The park provides habitat for bighorn sheep, wolverines, foxes, sable, otters, beavers, muskrats, and, of course, bears. Herds of reindeer graze in the open expanses of the tundra.

The park’s countless rivers are home to a large number of salmon – king salmon, sockeye, pink, chum and coho. The fish enter the rivers to spawn from spring to late fall. The park’s airspace is full of birds – here there are 137 species! And this entire animal world appears to the park’s visitors as it truly is, in its natural state, without cages or fences. .... more

Flora

The plant world of Bystrinsky Park is startling in its dissimilarity to the flora of the rest of the Kamchatka Peninsula. Here there are tall, steady, beautiful trees: larches, poplars, firs and birches. They saturate the clear air of the park with the aroma of resin. The forest here is natural and beautiful, and there is plenty of it…

On the mountain plateaus of the Sredinnyi Range are alpine meadows and tundras. And the number of mushrooms and berries in the park! Honeysuckle, wineberries and blueberries ripen toward mid-summer, and by the beginning of the fall – bilberries, cranberries and crowberries – and they are all all-natural and very delicious! .... more

Tourist Trails

Environmental tourism and excellent vacationing – all can be found here in Bystrinsky Park. A number of diverse options have been developed for visitors, including rafting on fast-flowing mountain rivers; trails on foot and on horseback to hot springs and scenic lakes, along alpine meadows and botanical trails. Our tours also help visitors learn about the traditions, way of life and culture of Kamchatka’s native peoples. ....more

Park History

The history of Bystrinsky Park is connected with the distinctive culture and traditional way of life of Kamchatka’s native peoples. Itelmen, Koryaks, and Chukchi settled in this region, but 150 years ago the Even people became the area’s largest population group.

The Bystrinsky Ethnographic Museum, located in the village of Esso, is like a visitor’s calling card for the region. Here you can not only see unique subjects from the life and culture of Kamchatka’s native peoples, but you can also try on national costumes, master the main moves of traditional dances, and learn to play the tambourine.

With the support of the UNDP/GEF, an Even ethnographic nomads’ camp, Menedek, was created in the village of Anavgai in 2004. Here the daily life of Kamchatka’s native peoples is recreated in the open air. ...more

Our Work in the Park

Established in 1995, Bystrinsky Park is still fairly young. The park’s main objectives are to preserve the traditional culture of Kamchatka’s native peoples, as well as the peninsula’s unique natural ecosystems, plants and animals.... more

Important Information

Email - essopark@mail.ru; bystrinski-park@yandex.ru

Contact information: 684350, Kamchatka Krai, Bystrinsky Raion, Esso, Lenin St, 8. 007(41542)21461, 007(41542)21688...more

Trail Map

.... more

Photo Gallery

.... more

Information

Bystrinsky Nature Park was created on August 18, 1995. In 1996 the park was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site list as part of the “Volcanoes of Kamchatka.” World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has supported the park’s development since 1997; since 2001 the park has received support from the World Conservation Union (IUCN), since 2002 – from the United Nations Development Program/Global Environment Facility (UNDP/GEF). .... more

  http://www.bystrinsky-park.com/english/Start/start.html