Most Russians have never heard of these places, and do not even know where they are at least roughly located. Having visited these hard-to-reach and uninhabited islands, you are once again convinced of how many unexplored and incredibly beautiful places in Russia where practically no human has set foot. On average, no more than 100 people visit these islands a year, and this time I was lucky to be among these crazy lucky ones.

1. Unforgettable trip on uninhabited islands Sea of ​​Okhotsk, where, for a moment, there is snow for almost 8 months a year, it began with a 30-degree heat. After flights Moscow - Khabarovsk - Okha, we ended up on the sandy beach of Pomr Bay, which is located in the very north of Sakhalin Island.

2. In early August, it was hot in Moscow. And this trip was a kind of salvation from the hot urban jungle. "I'm flying into the cool embrace of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk," I thought. After all, it is not for nothing that the city of Okha belongs to the regions of the Far North (although it is located south of Moscow on the map). And then something went wrong. We were caught in a windless, sultry and sticky heat. Swimming in the sea didn’t help much - there was nowhere to wash off the salt from the body, so the salty ones slept. They wandered along the shore, brushing off annoying and endless gadflies, until nightfall.

3. Briefly about the nature of northern Sakhalin:

5. The next day, we picked up the second part of our Mamont Cup 2017 team at the airport, which arrived a day later. The sun was shining, we swam, sunbathed and mentally prepared for the transition to the Shantar Islands.

6. The next morning, a kind of initiation awaited our team. "Put on all the clothes you brought with you, we're not kidding!" the captains of the catamarans said sternly. It was hard to believe the seriousness of the words of our leaders, who were sitting in a stuffy tent in shorts and flip flops. Therefore, most of us are completely wet and cold the next day. Go to open sea to Cape Wrangel quickly knocked out all the beach mood. Still yesterdays warm waters of the Pomr Bay were replaced by a 4-degree refreshing vigor of the restless Sea of ​​Okhotsk. Three-meter waves in a duet with a side wind generously poured an icy salty shower over the passengers, compressed into lumps. Luckily, it didn't last that long, only four hours.

7. Cape Wrangel is an amazingly beautiful, wild and untouched place that resembles scenes from science fiction films. Along the edges of the bay lay huge stone boulders polished for decades, and in the middle there was a wonderful sandy beach, where I immediately swam. The whole day trip took us about 8 hours. Fortunately, a solid bathhouse awaited us, which was immediately used for its intended purpose. And at night, all our still relatively "fresh" clothes were dried in it.

8. The whole next day we walked in a thick fog like milk along the shore, admired the harsh nature (which we could see in front of us), gathered marine reptiles for dinner, got wet in the rain. We did not yet know that almost the entire two-week expedition would be accompanied by rain and fog, so we did not have time to miss the heat and gadflies. It turns out that this weather is traditional for these places.

12. Toward evening there was a show in the style of National Geographic. First, several whales entered the bay at once, which came very close to the shore and greeted people with their tails hitting the water. We were all delighted (it's not often that you can see a whale 20 meters from the shore), filming, flying, jumping for joy. And then the drama broke out - a flock of killer whales attacked the whales. And the shutters of the cameras were stitched, and the copters were buzzing.

13. But everything seemed to work out and all the whales remained alive, although in some places the water turned red ... For a long time we sat in a common tent-kitchen and discussed what we saw. They sang songs with a guitar, joked, acclimatized. They ate an incredibly delicious sea soup from everything that they themselves had collected during the day: algae and mussels. Somewhere beyond the ravine, a generator was buzzing, trying to charge laptops, stacks of batteries and smartphones.

14. After a bath and dinner, I fell asleep as soon as I climbed into the sleeping bag. I dreamed of the icy shower of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, the sound of crashing waves on a catamaran, wind, whales, killer whales in fog and rain. Through my sleep, I felt that someone was shaking our tent, whipping it with a bath broom, and it all seemed logical. I didn't worry. I woke up at about five in the morning, when it was already getting light. The wind swayed the tent, literally tried to knock it off sandy beach and throw deep into the bay. Oh, this tent life!

Somehow I put on my boots, got out "on the street", as I immediately froze, got wet and was frightened. The two tents that we set up side by side the day before disappeared, and our "kitchen" folded in half under the onslaught of the wind, exposing the tables on which the equipment was charged - expensive batteries for Inspire, phones and my laptop under the blows of the elements.

My computer has seen everything, but it has never been charged in a puddle in the rain. I carefully drained the water from it, brushed off the sand caused by the wind, and put my faithful friend to dry in the already cooling bath. Later, 200 meters away, on the rocks, they found one of the tents blown away by the wind, or rather, what was left of it. The second flew into the sea and disappeared (fortunately both were without people).

15. By the afternoon of the next day, we reached the bay of the dry land Ongachan. This is a picturesque bay, relatively closed from the prevailing winds on the sea.

16. But it depends on what to compare. Judging by the number of dry trees that washed ashore by storms, and by the slope of coastal vegetation ...

17. ... the desire to meet here face to face with the elements does not arise.

20. After several days spent in sea turbulence, sand, tents and sleeping bags, Ongachan Bay opened up for us as an island of civilization. Here we were waiting for beds in 4-bed wooden houses, light and as many as three sockets! And at the same time, endless crab, red caviar, fried fish were served for dinner ... Well, a bathhouse. How can one live in these harsh lands without a bath?

22. Part of our glorious team.

24. Catamaran "Ongachan" and the Sea of ​​Okhotsk.

25. In total, the Shantar Islands archipelago includes 15 islands in the Sea of ​​Okhotsk. Some of them belong to specially protected areas where people are forbidden to land. At the same time, the waters of the coastal islands freeze for about eight months a year and merge with the mainland.

26. Almost all the days of our journey passed through fogs and rain.

27. Fog spread over the water and, like a veil, hid the relief of the islands. It was difficult to understand and realize what places we are carefully sailing, what is behind the rocks that go into the clouds...

28. The Shantar Islands seemed to flirt with us, revealing only a small part of their beauty.

29. It is difficult to say whether we have fully achieved our goal: to show the beauty and originality of the region to the general public, to tell about these islands, unique and unknown to most Russians. To solve this problem, the organizers of Mamont Cup 2017 have assembled a team of famous travelers, popular video bloggers, photographers and videographers. A huge amount of various equipment was brought from Moscow, there were seven drones alone! And then bam - rain and fog.

30. For me, in fact, the archipelago remained unknown: foggy islands that appear out of nowhere, drizzling rain and curious seals sticking out of the water.

34. Before Shantar, I never met fogs in which one could get wet to the skin. Therefore, "public tents" were a kind of salvation for all members of the expedition)

35. Where else can you find fog in which to photograph your 10-meter shadow?

36. Here they are, the Shantar Islands...

42. On one of the days when the main part of our team was busy rescuing a whale that ran aground, we built a camping bathhouse from polyethylene and storm-damaged trees. They assembled a large fire, heated the stones red-hot, and made a real steam room. Here it is, an unforgettable pleasure: from a hot home-made bath, assembled in 4 hours, jump into the icy water of the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bOkhotsk!

44. A few days later, we returned to Ongachan Bay. We walked along the sea in the traditional fog, and already on the shore, literally before our eyes, the weather changed dramatically. The photo shows how the fog creeps into the sea, revealing stunning views of the bay and the nearest islands.

45. We have not seen the sun for almost 10 days.

46. ​​And in the evening a miracle happened, and my laptop came to life)

48. It's time to go back to big land. There was complete calm. For two hours we walked through mirror water in complete fog to the mainland, from where we were supposed to be picked up by a helicopter to Briakan.

49. Of course, due to poor visibility, the helicopter could not fly to us at the appointed time. At the same time, literally 200 meters from our shore, the weather was sunny and calm, and we were sitting in the fog.

50. Already in the late afternoon, when all the songs were sung, all the fish was eaten and drunk - drunk, we heard the native noise of MI-8.

51. After a two-hour flight to Briakan, civilization was waiting for us! Rustic shop with warm beer, and comfortable intercity bus to Khabarovsk.

52. After everything we've been through, we didn't even notice the 17-hour drive to Khabarovsk.

54. I am extremely glad that I was lucky enough to visit these amazing places and meet so many talented and interesting people! Many thanks to the organizers

The Shantar Islands are a bear paradise, where clubfoot live freely, because it is forbidden to hunt them here. But it is also a paradise for a geologist: along the shores of the islands, in a picturesque mess, there are rocks painted in the most unexpected colors: pink, red, green, white ... This is not a joke of nature, but layers of jasper, marble and other rocks that come to the surface.
The word "shantar" in translation from the language of the Nivkh people means "island", and it is precisely this word that is incorporated in the name invented by the discoverers of the archipelago.
The Shantar archipelago consists of a dozen and a half islands of various sizes, clustered close to the mainland in the Sea of ​​Okhotsk. The islands are located right at the entrance to the Udskaya Bay, Tugur Bay and Academy Bay and are separated from the mainland by the Lindholm Strait and the Shantar Sea.
The relief of the islands is very uneven, mountainous. Valleys of small rivers lie between the mountains, and swamps stretch along the banks of the rivers in the lowlands: there is simply nowhere for water to seep, under a small layer of soil there are hard rocks and granite.
The shores of the islands are high and rocky, plunging steeply into the sea. The sea around the islands is full of huge pitfalls that pose a great danger to ships. Nature, as if on purpose, took care to make the islands as inaccessible as possible: there are no convenient harbors, with the exception of Yakshin Bay on Bolshoy Shantar and Swan Bay on Fekpistov Island.
Navigation in the area of ​​the Shantar archipelago is dangerous, it is not recommended to swim here for ships that do not have radars. The speed of the currents in these parts can reach eight knots, that is, about 15 km / h.
From October to June, the Uda Bay is icebound, the water around the Shantarek Islands freezes, and they practically merge with the mainland for most of the year.
The islands of Maly Shantar and Belichiy are separated by a narrow strait, navigation here is risky, for which the strait is called Dangerous.
The indigenous people of the Nivkhs were the first to develop the islands. Since there are relatively few islands in this place off the coast of the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bOkhotsk, the Nivkhs called them "shantar", which in translation from their language simply means "island".
In 1639, the Cossacks of Ivan Moskvitin, Vasily Poyarkov and Ivan Nagiba reached the islands.
They used a word from the Nivkh language, calling them Shantar, that is, " insular islands". However, for the first time the name Shantar appeared on geographical map, compiled in 1710. Since the islands have not only commercial, but also border value, Emperor Peter II in 1728 ordered: live."
The names of geographical objects on the islands were given by local hunters and fishermen and reflect the appearance of the object: on Feklistov Island - capes Rogaty, Sloping, White, Significant Rock, Krasny, on the island of Maly Shantar - Cape Gorbaty. And Sugarloaf Island got its name from its obvious resemblance to the said product. Rich animal world The archipelago is embodied in the names of the islands Squirrel, Bear, Bird, Utich and Steller's Stones.
The islands have never had a permanent population: it is difficult even for a hermit to survive here. Since ancient times, hunters and fishermen came to the islands from the mainland - and returned back with a catch and a hunted animal. True, in 1830-1831. the Americans created a company that settled on Bolshoy Shantar, but soon the settlement was abandoned and people returned to the mainland: the income from the crafts turned out to be negligible compared to the costs of maintaining the winter hut.
The Shantar Islands are an archipelago of 15 islands in the western part of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk. Most major islands- Big Shantar, Feklistova, Small Shantar and Belichy. The Shantar Islands are officially part of the regions of the Far North (a part of the territory of Russia, located mainly to the north of the Northern arctic circle), but are located at the same latitude as Moscow.
There are a lot of birds on the Shantar Islands, there is an incessant noise from bird colonies. In 2013, a reserve was created here to protect the island fauna.
The nature of the Shantar Islands is not much different from that on the mainland, across the strait: the same dark coniferous forests of fir and Siberian spruce, the same Gmelin larches on the slopes of the mountains, and on the peaks - thickets of elfin cedar.
The region of the Shantar Islands is not an easy place to survive: there are constant typhoons and fogs, most of the year there are burning frosts.
In the area of ​​the Shantar Islands, fogs constantly hang, which do not dissipate even with a strong wind due to cold water. The reason is that here is the most frozen region of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk: a cold northeast wind blows and ice clogs the straits between the islands.
The tidal currents around the Shantar Islands are among the fastest in the oceans. They rush with force into the inter-island straits, resembling turbulent rivers, and then the roar of the rushing water is heard for several kilometers.
The local harsh nature is diversified by many rivers and streams, forming about a hundred waterfalls from 10 to 100 m high.
Despite the difficult climatic conditions, these lands are rich in flora and fauna. Dozens of rare species of plants and animals are found here. There are more than two hundred species of birds alone in the archipelago, of which eleven are marine species, and most of all are colonial nesting (bazaars) of spectacled guillemot, hatchet, ipatka, cormorants and various types of gulls.
On the islands there are large rookeries of pinnipeds: sea lions, bearded seals, spotted seals, akiba. In coastal waters there are a lot of mykizha, kunzha, chum salmon, smelt, char, pink salmon, rudd, Dolly Varden and lenok.
In addition, many species of mammals live on the Shantar Islands, especially predators: brown bear, wolf, common fox, raccoon dog, wolverine, otter, ermine, weasel, sable. There is no shortage of food here: there is enough birds and fish to feed all year round.
Now there is no permanent population on the islands, except for a few employees of a weather station on the northeastern shore of the Yakshina Bay of Bolshoy Shantar Island.
On the islands, in some places you can still find evidence of whaling that flourished here - rusty equipment and the remains of primitive salotop factories.
Closest to the islands is the village of Chumikan - a port in the Uda Bay of the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bOkhotsk, at the mouth of the Uda River, and the administrative center of the Tuguro-Chumikansky district.
Given the special value of the Shantar Islands region, the entire archipelago, together with the water area, was included in the state nature reserve federal significance "Shantar Islands" with an area of ​​515.5 thousand hectares.

general information

Location: Pacific Ocean.
Islands: Big Shantar, Feklistova, Small Shantar, Squirrel, Bear, Bird, Utichy, Sugar Loaf, Kusova, Prokofiev, Sea Sivuchy Stones, Sukhotina, Northern, Middle, Southern and Diomede Stones.
Origin: Continental.
Administrative affiliation: Tuguro-Chumikansky district, Khabarovsk Territory, Russian Federation.
The nearest settlements (all - on the mainland, belong to the Tuguro-Chumikansky district): Chumikan village - 1147 people. (2011), Tugur settlement - 387 people. (2011).
Languages: Russian, Evenki.
Ethnic composition: Evenks, Russians.
Religions: Orthodoxy, shamanism.
Large rivers: Deer, Middle, Big Anaur, Yakshina (all - Big Shantar).
Large lakes: Karpino, Big and Small Omokoy (Big Shantar), Lisye (Feklistova).
Currency unit: Russian ruble.
Nearest international Airport : Novy airport in Khabarovsk.

Numbers

Area: about 2500 km 2 (Big Shantar - 1766 km 2, Feklistova - 372 km 2, Small Shantar - about 100 km 2, Squirrel - about 70 km 2, others - Bear, Bird, Utichy, Sugar Loaf, Kusova, Prokofiev, Sea lion Stones, Sukhotina, Northern, Middle, Southern and Diomede Stones - 192 km 2).
Tides: irregular, semi-diurnal, up to 10 m high.
Average height above sea level: about 100-200m.
The most high point : Mount Veselaia (Big Shantar, 720 m).

Climate and weather

Moderate continental.
Cold winter, cool summer.
Average air temperature in January: -20.6°C.
Average air temperature in July: +12.9°С.
Average water temperature in January: -1.8°C.
Average water temperature in July: +11.5°С.
Average annual rainfall: 800-900 mm.
Relative humidity: 70%.

Economy

Sea fishing.
Service sector: tourism, transport, trade.

Attractions

■ Natural: Bely Cape (Feklistov Island, marble rocks), Red Cape (Feklistova, jasper rocks), Olenya River, sheer coastal cliffs (Prokofiev Island), Lion Stone rock (Big Shantar), rock “with a hole” (Small Shantar) , kekurs (Utich), bird colonies, rookeries of marine mammals. .
■ Other: weather station (Bolshoi Shantar), abandoned American salotop factory (Bolshoy Shantar), old cemetery (Bolshoi Shantar).

Curious facts

■ Suloi - water surge on the sea surface, which occurs, in particular, with a sharp decrease in the speed of the tidal current, as well as with the collision of multidirectional flows or with strong winds directed against the current. The water surface in the zone of rips is similar to gurgling and boiling water. Most often, rips are observed in the straits and in the mouths of rivers. In the area of ​​the Shantar Islands, the suloi reaches a height of 3-4 m and poses a danger to small vessels.
■ Thirty species of birds inhabiting the Shantar Islands are listed in the Red Book Russian Federation.
■ The Lindholm Strait was named after the Finn Otto Lindholm, a major entrepreneur who was at the origins of whaling on Far East in the middle of the XIX century.
■ The name "Shantar Sea" was first used by whalers in the 19th century. Today this name is preserved on old topographic maps. On the nautical charts and it was mentioned in sailing directions until the middle of the 20th century, and then disappeared, as well as from new topographic maps. The reasons for the refusal of cartographers from this name are not at all ideological: insignificant - according to cartographers - the size of the "sea" and the fact that it was originally called a lip (bay).
■ Kusova Island was discovered in 1829 by the Russian hydrographer P.T. Kozmin and named after the director of the Russian-American company N.I. Kusova.
■ The Shantar Islands is an area of ​​the strongest geomagnetic anomaly, which causes the compass needle to continuously spin clockwise.
■ The Srednyaya River on Bolshoi Shantar is the only place on the entire coast of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk where mykizha, or rainbow trout, lives, a species listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation.
■ In the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, on the shelf exclusively in the area of ​​the Shantar Islands, an endemic species will grow - the brown seaweed kelp angustata. This marine organism is used in the food industry and medicine.

The classic cruise trip takes place on the water with landings on the islands for excursions, fishing and whale watching from Sup-boards and inflatable boats!
There are 8 people and 4 crew members in the group, captain, sailor, guide and cook! Total 12 people on board! Accommodation in double cabins! There are hot showers and toilets on board! The chef prepares breakfast, lunch and dinner for you and, of course, there are countless snacks, teas for warming up after the sea, etc.
Suitable for those who love the sea, want something unusual, are not afraid of pitching and enclosed space, love Beautiful places and wants to see a lot of new things in a short time!

Conducting tours from July 3 to September 2, to participate in the tours you need to apply, by mail or call. Duration of tours - from 7 to 10 days

Dates and duration of the tour:

Dates of the marine part of the tours.

1. July 3 - 12;
2. July 11 - 19;
3. July 18 - 27;
4. August 24 - September 2.

tour 10 days - 140,000 rubles.

tour 7 days - 110,000 rubles.

Transfer Komsomolsk-on-Amur - Nikolai Bay - Komsomolsk-on-Amur is paid separately!
The cost of the transfer is 20 000 rubles. (Check when booking!)

Discount when traveling as a couple 5%.
For large groups, personalized offers.

Tour dates may change due to weather conditions
Start and finish of the sea voyage from Nikolai Bay.

Prices are per person!

What is included in the tour

• Accommodation in a comfortable yacht with hot showers and heating in each cabin (believe me, this is important there).
• Meals 3 meals a day + countless snacks.
• The work of the cook, guides and crew.
• Excursions to the whaling factory, Cape Arku, to the weather station on Bolshoi Shantar.
• Boat trips for whale and killer whale watching
• Baths at the places of destination.
• Departure to the rivers on the fish for fishing.
• Use of boats, fuel for them
• The use of sapboards.
• Cooking national dishes on the fire during outings.

WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE TOUR

• Diving equipment, waders, fishing rods, wetsuits (specify information on suits when booking) are rented for an additional fee. payment!
• Insurance is paid separately: medical and travel insurance, which includes transport services (about 1500r)
• Separately paid transfer Komsomolsk-on-Amur - Nikolai Bay - a place where you are transferred to a yacht and your journey has begun! The cost of the transfer - back and forth in the Urals Motorhome, or Minibus - 20 00 rubles. there is an option to go by jeep, the cost of the flight is 150,000 - 200,000 round trip, the capacity of the car is 4 people! Pluses of the jeep - shakes less, time on the road is reduced!

Why such an expensive transfer?

The road is not close and not easy, rocky and off-road, it takes about a day to drive, you are accompanied by a very qualified driver who drives a Ural Avtodom car! Fuel, satellite communications. You drive, almost like at home with air conditioning and 220 sockets, you can lie down, you can sit! Everything, if only to get SAFELY and as far as those edges allow, comfortably!
Food on the road is a standard set of camping rations - noodles, cookies, canned food, cheese, sausage, bread, tea, coffee, etc! There is one village along the way where you can eat in a cafe on your own! If you are a vegetarian and “do not go and drink mineral water with gas”, warn us about it!

Approximate travel itinerary.

From Khabarovsk the group goes to an amusing trip to distant islands.
The road to Nikolai Bay is very interesting, the path will pass through almost the entire territory of the Khabarovsk Territory. During the way we will see the settlements of the north of the region, we will cross many rivers, streams on bridges, on ferries and even wade.

1 day
At six in the morning departure from Komsomolsk- on the Amur. By 15 o'clock we arrive at the ferry across the Amgun River, while we wait in line, have a light lunch. At about 18:00 we pass Albazino GOK, at 24:00 we stop for the night.

2 day
By 7 am we will reach the coast of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk. At high tide, we transfer to a boat and go to the base, on the way we enjoy wild landscapes, curious fur seals, upon arrival, resettlement and free time, in the evening a real Russian bath.

3 day
For lovers of morning fishing,
After breakfast, departure to the seal spit, to meet sea lions and bearded seals, if we are lucky and we meet killer whales, we will definitely watch these beauties. After lunch, we load onto a catamaran and slowly leave for Wrangel Bay, where the bowhead whales live.

Day 4
Parking in the bay, whale watching, in favorable weather, riding on saps.

Day 5
Parking in the bay, whale watching, excursion along the shore, fishing for flounder, cod. In the evening we go out to about. Big Shantar.

Day 6

In the morning we will pass Squirrel Island, admire the small arch. By lunch we will approach the island of Big Shantar. We will visit the remains of a whaling factory, visit a weather station, and take a bath in the evening. Bonfire on the coast.

Day 7

In the morning we will visit Cape Rainbow, where jasper, a semi-precious stone, comes to the surface. In the afternoon we will pass by Utichy Island. In the evening we will arrive at Feklistov Island, if you wish, fishing, or riding on Sapah along the bay in the company of fur seals.

Day 8
In the morning we land on Cape Arka, have a photo shoot, make a wish in the arch… Then our path goes to the island of Maly Shantar, where we will make a short outing and a walk along the shore. In the evening we go back home.

Day 9
Arrival in Nikolai Bay, where we will be taken by boat deep into the bay, along the way there is a high probability of meeting belugas! In the evening, at high tide, unloading on the shore and loading onto a car, departure home.

Day 10
The whole day will pass on the road, in the evening arrival in Komsomolsk-on-Amur.

Our team consists of experienced yachtsmen and hunters. So the captain of the ship first visited the Shantar Islands at the age of 15 and was already at that time a member of the crew and kept watch.

Shantary is a small group of islands on the outskirts of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk.
The Shantar archipelago includes 15 big islands, many small islands, rocks and kekurs.
The climate here is even harsher than in the very north of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk. The local tides are very impressive, reaching a height of 5-8 m at a current speed of up to 8 knots.
The inaccessibility of the Shantar Islands ensured the primordial preservation of their nature. Herds of whales feed here, seals fatten up, and killer whales lie in wait for them, countless bird colonies, bears wandering in search of food, etc.

Fishing on the islands will not leave indifferent any real fisherman. In the rivers of the islands, char, rudd, kunzha, pink salmon, Dolly Varden, and lenok are found in abundance. And talking about the abundance of berries and mushrooms is not even worth it. There are a great many of them here.
The shores of the islands are a kind of geological museum under open sky. Everywhere there are rocks painted in the most unimaginable colors: red, green, pink, white, corresponding to the outcrops of jasper, marble, malachite and other rocks.
The virgin landscapes of the islands amaze the imagination with their beauty. In summer, dozens of waterfalls rush down from steep cliffs. The rivers and lakes are also uniquely beautiful.
Once Shantars were inhabited - whalers lived here. Today, in addition to the workers of the weather station and, more recently, the employees of " national park" Nobody's here.

Shantars are real paradise for photographers. Photo objects: magnificent northern nature and wild animals that are not afraid of humans at all. Here you can easily take pictures of bears at close range.

tel.: +79242277160 (we travel a lot, so write better whatsapp)

tel.: +79141768800

mail. [email protected]

Best regards, Odysseus catamaran team.

Tatyana Solomatina

Mysterious and harsh Shantar Islands

Good afternoon friends! I continue to publish about the amazing corners of the Far North of Russia. I am attracted to these distant, harsh, non-mass tourist destinations.

If at heart you are an extreme tourist, a lover of throws into the unknown and untrodden, comparable to flying to other planets, if you are filled with a thirst for primitive happiness from meetings with corners of nature with a strong temper, but full of treasures Earth, if traveling around your country attracts you more than overseas beauty, then the mysterious Shantar Islands will definitely interest you. It is about them that we will talk today.

There will be no tourist information here, if fate allows me to visit there someday, then I will definitely give you all the appearances and passwords. But while this is only a dream, I will tell you about the nature and life of this distant land.

The Shantar Islands are part of the Tuguro-Chumikansky district of the Khabarovsk Territory. This is an archipelago of 15 islands in the Sea of ​​Okhotsk (see on the map), located on the edge of the Russian world, between Sakhalin and the mainland. Islands with a truly Russian soul, mysterious, unpredictable, violent, impregnable. And just as sacrificial.

Island holidays are especially romantic. But getting here is not easy. A dash to the Shantar Islands is like a pioneer expedition, an action-adventure. Even on the way to the islands, the road is as long as to Mars, and includes all types of transport: by land, air, sea, remaining one of the most expensive in the region and requiring space equipment. The cost of tours here is high (from 150,000 rubles).

shantarctica

The Shantar Islands are protected according to all the canons of military strategy. For ten months a year, the sea is blocked in the form of ice blocks that do not melt even in summer: the Sea of ​​Okhotsk is not warmer than the polar ones. And the Shantar corner, due to winds and a circular current, receives ice from all over the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bOkhotsk. Without an access code, which is the grace of the islands and lady luck, there is always a risk of being captured by the white captivity of the Shantar "backwoods".

“And I’m going, and I’m going after the fog…”

Another trap - fogs, business card and the sophisticated defense of the Shantar Islands. Their thick "milk" spills suddenly, depriving of vision. Without GPS, you run the risk of getting stuck among the waves, stumbling into kekur, running into the underwater “Dragon's Teeth”. The winds are driving the white monster with such force that it looks like an animated substance from horror films. The nebula of the Shantar Islands makes many tales about mirages and islands of the “flying Dutchmen” not without plausibility.

Buyany Islands

A catastrophe for sea crossings is the tidal breath of the islands. The speed of water flow on the Shantar coast is one of the highest in the world ocean - 15 km/h. A wave of 5–8 m reverses the island rivers, forms giant whirlpools, boiling cauldrons, knocks down the magnetic field (Dangerous Strait, Severny Cape, Diomede Stones Island and everywhere). Travel agency yachts look suspiciously like arks. And the sign of Shantar - the dead wood-fin along the banks looks like the wreckage of shipwrecks.

And it turns out that you can fly to this taiga region only by helicopter. But the unpredictable nature of the Shantar Islands can disrupt all your plans and deadlines with storms, rain like a barrel, hurricane-force winds. So if you get to that" bermuda triangle”, then you can get stuck in non-flying captivity. Tour operators reserve extra days and advise not to plan anything close to the trip.

Proud and unbowed

The impregnability of the archipelago makes it a truly uninhabited and wild eco-universe just 100 km from the mainland. Many times people tried to subdue and settle in the Shantar Islands. But even the enthusiasm of the Soviet era was powerless. Air space around the bastion, only Morse code calls from the reference weather station in the status of TDS (hard to reach) are flashed. Its staff consists of 3-4 Robinsons, who live here permanently almost in a state of siege. Delivery of goods by helicopter 2 times a year.

Bear services

There is only one ruler here - a bear (brown, grizzly and "Shantar panda"). Neighborhood with the owner in his house - a yellow level of danger. More often, the beast is sympathetic to the laws of hospitality, but it can also neglect them. The group is accompanied by 3-4 instructors with weapons. But without a bear, nowhere and nowhere! Bear trails are “cultural” guides through the Shantar “jungle”. A photo extreme with clubfoot models and a free circus with bear fishing are part of the local entertainment service industry.

No need to explain that the conquest of the Shantar Islands, with their abnormal weather, lack of comfort of civilization and constant force majeure, requires the qualities of a stoic, a Spartan and a Tibetan monk.

You ask: what is all this for? What attracts here and never lets you forget the islands? Yes, all this extremeness is on the verge of a foul, intriguing the soul of any Russian. But some unprecedented riches should also protect Shantar so menacingly. There is something to look at with delight here!

Shantar secret materials

The pristine beauties of these places are not immediately revealed to the traveler. In order to recognize them, the scientist G. Roslyakov, a zealous romantic of the islands, believed, you need to live on each for a year. You will come here in a different summer (July-August) and you will see nothing but the signs of spring barely waking up from the winter stupor. The mainland is languishing from the heat, and here it is summer snow.

And in a year, the Shantar Islands will suddenly boast of their hidden and, in fact, inexplicable riches. Behind the myth of impregnability, a fragile, vulnerable world in the fullness of its heyday will appear. You will be pleased with the gentle, even hot sun in the cold ocean wind, the riot of herbs and flowers next to the ice floes, the abundance of berries, mushroom rains. As if, as in Andersen's fairy tale about 12 months, all seasons will arrive in Shantary.

"Floating" encyclopedia

Marine life fascinates with its scale: spotted seals, heavy sea lions, baleen seals - sea hares, ringed akibs, striped lionfish. Almost the entire Red Book ichthyofauna frolics in the sea. Killer whales, beluga whales, dolphins, porpoises, sperm whales plunge into wild delight with their appearance. Fin whales, northern swimming whales, humpback whales, southern, polar and 130-ton blue whales are shown.

Historically, the Shantar Islands are a grandiose marina and maternity hospital sea ​​giants: in the 19th century in the water area for 4 hours there were up to 800 individuals. And now the spectacle of a 30-million-year-old relic gray whale feeding in the bottom pastures just 20 meters from the coast (Constantine and Academy Bays) is unforgettable. Despite the arctic cold, the bottom around the islands is teeming with life, like on reefs. southern seas: mollusks, sponges, jellyfish, echinoderms, crustaceans, thickets of rare kelp angustata.

In the sky "there is nowhere for an apple to fall"

From the hubbub of 240 species of birds near bird colonies, you can go deaf (Utichy Island, Yuzhny). Rocks explode with a white cloud of thousands of flying puffins, gulls, guillemots, cormorants, ipatok. The main endemic and emblem of the region, the Pacific eagle, a descendant of dinosaurs with a 3-meter wingspan, has found an ideal refuge on the Shantar Islands (M. Shantar Island, Belichiy). There are also feathered “rarities” of paradise in their beauty: black stork, osprey, fish owl, Okhotsk snail, Aleutian tern, mountain snipe, peregrine falcon.

General of the Fish Army

And Shantar fishing is a separate fantastic story. The wealth of rivers (B. Anuar, Yakshina, Srednyaya) and lakes (Bolshoe, Karpino) go off scale from the species quantity (35) of the most delicious fish with fighting qualities: chum salmon, molting, pink salmon, rudd, char, kunja. But for the legendary mykizha, a rare khaki-colored fish with a red stripe, only sports phishing: caught and released. Its habitat on the planet is too narrow: Alaska - r. Deer, B. Shantar.

open air laboratory

On capes Red, White, Marble, Rainbow, about. Utyachy you will see the geological treasury of the Shantar Islands. For centuries, the alchemist-nature conjured here to create the most beautiful rocks: marble, pink limestone, malachite, multi-colored jasper in especially large sizes. Where can you see whole rocks of semi-precious stones and placers of gems instead of sand on the sea coast? These pantries of the Mistress of the Copper Mountain, opened for public viewing, delight both scientists and tourists.

Kingdom of stone exotic

The Shantar Islands are a “klondike” of stone whims of nature, its thousand-year-old sculptural art. Kekurs, remnants, rocks so accurately convey images that it is not difficult to come up with names for these creations: Orlan, Three Brothers, Stone-Lion. Capes, rocky palaces and enfilades, fjords and impregnable cliffs amaze with their gloomy alien beauty from fantasy films (Fr. Prokofiev, Fr. Arka). The cinematic fate of Shantar is yet to come!

“All covered in greenery, absolutely all over”

And yet, in this oasis among the ice, the green color dominates on a thin layer of frozen soil, on stony ground. The lush taiga is adjacent to the original flora and the subarctic: moss spills, wild rosemary and dwarf elfin. Continental plants have the charm of naturalness and “Gulliverian” sizes: hogweed, ragwort, meadowsweet. This is the kingdom of relic and medicinal plants, on the coat of arms of which the endemic flaunts - the golden root.

Flower beds of irises, lilies are measured by fields. Berry riches are measured by plantations: blueberries, cloudberries, shiksha, cranberries the size of cherries. Rosehip the size of a ranetka. And around spring purity air and meditative silence. You feel alone with the whole universe. These uninhabited islands are a paradise for ecotourism lovers. All those who cherish the right of the Shantar Islands to life to the point of pain in their hearts.

To be or not to be?

Many times this land was tortured, and the question arose: to be Shantaram or not to be? Since the 18th century, the islands have been trampled on by their own and someone else's poacher's boots, and fires have been tormented. The archipelago was a slaughterhouse and a crematorium for whale blubber. Up to 200 ships from all over the world moored in the water area for predatory purposes. From here, millions of dollars were taken out natural resources. The islands keep traces of this “Mamaev” invasion (Yakshin and Abrek bays) and “lick” new wounds. Scientists are worried. Have time to see the Shantar Islands!

For the comfort of the living

The islands have come a long way in the minds of officials to the status of a state-protected National Park. It happened around 2014. The future is laid on the stones of the past. Enthusiasts, led by the legendary F. Konyukhov, erected a chapel and a memorial (Pankov Bay) in memory of those who did not spare labor and feat for the life of the islands. As an act of returning the Shantar Islands under the auspices of Russia in the status of a territory of geographical patriotism.

When tomorrow comes...

To date, a trip to the Shantar Islands is inaccessible to many. And it's not just the high cost of such a trip. It is truly a wild and harsh land. There is no usual civilization here. She may never come here. Although in recent times This tourist destination trying to develop.

I suggest you watch the special report "Shantar Trails" from the second channel Russia 2:

The Shantar Islands became a national park in 2013. And now they are preparing to receive an inexperienced tourist. The purpose of our expedition to the archipelago is to put an end to the study of local trails and lay new tourist routes.

The transformation of the archipelago into one of the best places island vacation in Russia still exists on paper. But we believe that according to the project we will observe live “sensations” here wildlife from sites for photo and video filming. Travel along well-maintained eco-trails. To study the wisdom and beauty of geology as presented by scientists. Go down to underwater treasures in diving groups. Go around the islands cruise ships. And turn into romantics, crazy with love for this pile of precious stones on the edge of the ocean, which, like a buzzing sea shell, will always call to them. The dream has a pseudonym Shantar Islands!

Perhaps you are one of those lucky ones who personally observed the beauty and power of this corner of the planet, share information, tell us how you managed to organize such difficult journey what feelings you experienced on this harsh earth. I will definitely publish your report in the “Readers' Journey” section, you will find details.

Leave comments, the response of readers is very important to me. Subscribe to blog updates, publications about Lake Baikal and Kamchatka will soon be released, do not miss the most interesting. On this I say goodbye to you, until we meet again.

Tatyana Solomatina

Day 1 Moving to Briakan

At night you will move to the village of Briakan on a large comfortable bus (45 seats). 400 km to Komsomolsk - on asphalt, and then 300 km along the BAM - on the dirt road. Travel time is 12-14 hours.

Day 2 Helicopter transfer to the Ongachan base

By helicopter you will go to the Ongachan base (1.5 hours). Ongachan Bay is located on the Tugur Peninsula. Already here you can practice shooting picturesque landscapes - the base is located next to big lake and the river. Red fish enter the river to spawn, and whales and killer whales visit the bay. If you're lucky, you can take pictures of bears and foxes in their natural environment. The bay is closed from the winds, so it is quiet here. The nearest islands are 5 minutes by boat. Here you will find rest and a gala dinner in the evening.

Day 3 Nasha Bay

You will go to the bay of Bolshoi Shantar Island. On the way, you will stop at the most picturesque places to shoot amazingly beautiful landscapes. Driving along the shores of the islands, you can see bears that have come ashore to fish. Mark Podrabinek will tell you the best angles for photographing animals.

Day 4 Weather station on Bolshoi Shantar Island

On this day, you will meet the only inhabitants of the island: only four people record the weather and transmit data. And then go to Cape Wrangel. This is a place where there is a high chance of seeing whales. Giants jump out of the water for a very short time, most often showing only the tail. You will learn how to catch the right moment to shoot.

It is convenient to take sunrise and sunset photography here. To learn how to photograph evening colors, you will stay on the cape until dark, and then spend the night in tents.

Day 5 Duck Island

The length of the island is about 2.5 km, the width does not exceed 500 m. Here are the largest colonies of spectacled guillemots on the archipelago. In the 1990s, 17,500 pairs nested on Utichye. You will take pictures of bird colonies, as well as seal and seal rookeries.

In the evening, Mark Podrabinek will share his sunset shooting skills, after which you will spend the night in tents on the island.

Day 6 Bay of the Tugur Peninsula

The peninsula is located on west coast Sea of ​​Okhotsk, in the Shantar Sea. It separates the Tugur Bay (in the west) and the Ulban and Academy Bays (in the east). On this day you will photograph the unusual mountainous relief of the peninsula. In the evening, Mark Podrabinek will sort out the mistakes with you and give you recommendations for shooting.

Day 7 Squirrel and Bird Islands

First you will visit Squirrel Island. Its area is about 70 km², length - 20 km, width varies from 1.5 to 7 km. It is separated from the mainland by the Lindholm Strait, neighboring island Small Shantar - Dangerous Strait. The island is covered with larch forest. You will have a beautiful shooting of green areas.

Then go to Bird Island. It is small - 2.5 km long and 1.5 km wide. The shore is littered with driftwood, and beautiful boulders stand along it. The decoration of the island is a snowfield. Against the background of these picturesque landscapes, you will photograph large colonies of spectacled guillemot and other birds.