To travel through the Russian North, the land of harsh and roadless, it is quite difficult. Not everywhere you can fly, somewhere and no Railways, and highways for the most part represent a direction. A great option for the traveler who wants to explore the North, can be a cruise on the water. .<url>” tells the story of five itineraries, which is worth a look this year.
Navigation on the water arteries of the North year-round. Even when water is not frozen, harsh nature is not pleasing to the traveler, and the weather forces us to bundle up in scarves and hats. The best place to go and the cruise is not until the end of may. The end of the active navigation accounts for September.
From Norilsk to Krasnoyarsk 10 days
One of the most popular routes starts in Norilsk. The first day is completely dedicated to this city. The introduction begins with a panoramic tour and a visit to the Museum of history of Norilsk industrial district.
The next day, travelers will visit the most Northern state Museum of Russia — Taimyr local history Museum, located in Dudinka. Here you can see the skeleton of the mammoth Zhenya, lived in this area 45 thousand years ago, after which the tourists will enjoy a sightseeing tour of Dudinka, the most Northern and most cold city in the world: in winter the temperature sometimes drops to minus 57 degrees Celsius.
The cruise itself begins only on the third day, when the ship with tourists depart from the river port of Dudinka and takes a course to Igarka, which comes to night. This is followed by the transition of the Arctic circle on the river Kureyka and stop in Turukhansk was founded in 1607.
Norilsk
Photo: Maksim Blinov / RIA Novosti
In the next two days the ship is heading to Yeniseisk, passing through the Verkhneimbatsk, Bakht, and Vorogovo Yartsevo. In Yeniseisk, which is called the Museum under the open sky, is preserved 94 of the monument, mostly civilian urban construction. Here, in addition to the excursion, tourists will visit the city’s exhibition hall and several private museums.
This water part of the journey ends. In Krasnoyarsk tourists are transported by bus. In the capital region participants of the cruise will visit the steam train Museum “St. Nicholas” and an excursion to the Krasnoyarsk hydroelectric power station. The ninth day of the trip, the tourists spend in the reserve “Stolby” and Fanpark “beaver log”, where they will rise on cableway.
Dudinka
Photo: Nikolay Novikov / Photobank Lori
The cost of such ten-day cruise starts from 70 thousand rubles. This amount includes all transfers, meals, accommodation in the first class cabin on the ship, double or triple accommodation in the hotels (for a single will have to pay), as well as the excursions and insurance.
On the way back through the Putorana plateau
Travelers can depart in the opposite cruise from Krasnoyarsk to Norilsk. The program here is a bit different.
The Nature Reserve “Stolby”
Photo: Antonina Shichkina / Photobank Lori
The first day is dedicated to the regional capital and a visit to the reserve “Stolby”. On the second day the tourists will enjoy swimming through the impenetrable plot of the Yenisei river, located near the village of kazachinskoe: four kilometers, formed by rocky ledges and rocky ridges of the Yenisei ridge crossing direction across its width. After a threshold the ship arrives at Yeniseisk, thence sailing to Yartsevo, then in Turukhansk, Igarka and Dudinka.
Here begins one of the most fascinating parts of this tour — a trip to the Putorana plateau, a UNESCO world heritage site. Here the eyes of the tourist are dozens of waterfalls and mountain lakes, as well as a complex of high flat-peaked massifs, separated by deep and wide stepped canyons. In the final of the travelers end up at lake Lama, which is also called Taymyr lake Baikal and polar Ritz.
The night will have the plateau to the camp where the next day the tourists go to the rocks, crying is a natural 15-metre wall, going vertically in water to a depth of 20 more meters. It drains several streams and a small waterfall over the rocks is called crying. After the difficult walk and dinner awaits bath. The ninth day is also dedicated to a plateau, the last — the tenth — the travelers spend in Norilsk.
The cost of the return trip is slightly higher: rates start from 87 thousand rubles for single occupancy will have to pay around 10 thousand, for the transfers will require additional payment.
Explore the rivers of the Krasnoyarsk territory
The Krasnoyarsk hydroelectric power station
Photo: evgeny75 / Depositphotos
One of the longest cruises in the Russian North is called “Beauty of the river Yenisei” will start in Krasnoyarsk. The 12-day route, as the name implies, all the attention given to rivers, which means no journeys on buses and other modes of transport is not expected.
On the first day, after inspection of the Krasnoyarsk hydroelectric power station of Divnogorsk, tourists enjoy tours of the bays of the river of Hype and Biryusa, on the banks of which are caves, decorated with an intricate incrustations. In ancient times many of them were inhabited, as evidenced by the remains of hearths and utensils of stone and iron age, which is regularly found here by archaeologists.
Hence the ship heading to the rivers Ezagash, derbina and Sisim. The first day ends with arrival in the touristic village of Belahcene where you can pick berries and mushrooms, if the weather allows. Overnight guests will be accommodated in wooden huts, decorated with handmade furniture.
River Kill
Photo: Igor Zyryanov / Photobank Lori
The second day sailing on the river Kill. Here you can see the place where in 1749 was discovered meteorite “Palasova hardware, and large mines, where gold was extracted. On the banks of Wbea since the mid-nineteenth century to the 20-ies of XX century was Kazan distillery. It belonged to Lydia Osipovna Alloway, in the best years, worked here for 20 people every year the plant produced 100 thousand buckets (more than a million liters) of vodka.
On the fourth day the tourists return to Krasnoyarsk, visited the reserve “Stolby” and the Funpark “beaver log”.
On the fifth day they will have to master a new transport — rafts, which have rafting on mana river, traditionally used for rafting timber. In line with Mani many Islands, bends with clamps, reefs, shoals and shoals. Rafting will take nearly three days with stops and overnights.
On the eighth day, the tourists come to Yeniseisk, passing the confluence of the Angara into the Yenisei. After city tour another day on the boat depart to Krasnoyarsk, where we arrive in the middle of the tenth day of the journey.
The cost of this voyage starts from 53 thousand rubles. As in other cruises, provides additional payment for single accommodation and transfers.
To go to the Arctic
Yugorsky Shar
Photo: J. Kazlauskas / RIA Novosti
The longest cruise our rating is called “Pearls of the Russian Arctic” and lasts for 16 days.
The first part of the trip is Murmansk, from where travellers on the icebreaker heading towards New Lands. The first day introduces tourists with the device of the ship, conduct safety training and drills.
On the third day icebreaker arrives to the West coast of the North island of New Earth. A helicopter takes tourists to the Gulf Inostrantsev, highly jutting into the coastline.
After this the ship headed for the Isle of Visa, named after the Russian scientist-oceanographer, who predicted its existence for 18 years before the actual opening. Here travellers can visit one of the few surviving in the Islands of the Kara sea polar stations.
The sixth day icebreaker sailing to the great Arctic archipelago. Last tourist ship was here in 1998.
Further the tourists waiting for the Sedov archipelago and the island Golomyanny, where for more than 16 years living and working for two family explorers.
The mountains on the Northern island of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago
Photo: Sergey Gusev / Photobank Lori
On the eighth day, the icebreaker will take place in the Strait of the red Army, where possible encounters with polar bears, Laptev sea. Following the landing on Cape Baranov of the Bolshevik island, which is the modern polar station “prima”.
From there, the icebreaker dispatched in Shokalsky Strait. After returning to the Kara sea, the tourists will descend on the White island, which survived several polar stations, and from there go to the island of Vaygach, which are the ruins of the barracks Agachsky expedition of the OGPU engaged in the extraction of zinc and copper ores. Here tourists can get acquainted with the life of the local Nenets population.
The penultimate day of the voyage the ship will pass through the narrow Strait of yugorskiy Shar, and out in the Barents sea. In 1594 the court here took place the expedition of Barents. The cruise will end in Murmansk.
The cost of Arctic travel — from 280 thousand rubles.
To bargain on the Yenisei fair
Yeniseisk
Photo: Anna Bukharin / Photobank Lori
Another interesting event of the Yenisei cruise is dedicated to the fair. The journey starts from Krasnoyarsk, where the ship goes through the confluence of the Angara and Yenisei, overcomes on the way kazachinsky threshold, and night arrives at Yeniseisk. The second day is dedicated to sightseeing tour of city, visiting museums and exhibition halls.
The third day is actually fair, which during its heyday was collected from merchants of Moscow and St. Petersburg, Novgorod and Vologda, Kazan and Astrakhan, Irbit and Tobolsk. Now this event has shopping, but is gaining tourist importance. Here travelers will see the Yenisei regatta — an exhibition of small ships, visit the national homesteads, sample local dishes and beverages. The festival ends with a concert and fireworks.
The return journey from Yeniseisk to Krasnoyarsk tourists have to do on the bus (provided a picnic). The cost of the tour — 19 thousand rubles.
