Russia

Description

Mt Elbrus - by Grigory Petrov

Imagine a vast land of seemingly endless plains and plateaus, stretching out for thousands of miles. The south being mostly open steppes, changing into an ever more densely forested landscape as you travel north, and eventually ending in tundra bordering on the northern coast. Impressive mountain ranges of the Caucasus run along Russia's southwestern border with Georgia, featuring Mt.Elbrus (5642m), highest mountain of Russia, and of Europe for that matter.

Further east are the mighty Ural mountains running from north to south across the country, marking the border between European and Asian Russia. Beyond are more plains until you reach the Siberian plateau in Russia's far east. To the south the Altai mountains rise up, followed by a whole series of less well-known but equally awesome mountain ranges from west to east, until you reach Lake Baikal, the world's deepest freshwater lake.

And this isn't all. Continue northeastwards from Lake Baikal to encounter still more mountain ranges with mysteriously ringing names like Synnagyn, Stanovoy, Verkhoyansk, Kolymsk, Cherskogo and Dzhugdzhur. Then at last, you will look across the Sea of Okhotsk, towards the Kamchatka Peninsula with its volcanoes and geysers, and south towards the island of Sakhalin and Primorski region.

Although the Russians themselves tend to be hunters rather than hikers, there are obviously great opportunities for long distance hiking in Russia. There are numerous trails in the Caucasus, Karelia, the Ural mountains, the Khibiny (northern Ural) mountains located north of the polar circle, the Altai mountains, Kamchatka, and in the Siberian taiga. Also there is the Great Baikal Trail planned to fully circumvent Lake Baikal. It is still under development, but over 500km is ready.

Russia's climate is decidedly continental. Spring and autumn are very brief, summers are very hot and winters extremely cold. However, be prepared for sudden weather changes and drops in temperature even in summertime. Of course climate in the polar regions is arctic: mild summers and freezing cold and dark winters.

Keep in mind that remote areas in Russia are true wilderness, and trails are generally not marked if visible at all. Reliable maps and documentation are hard to come by, non-existant or in Russian only. Mountain huts are an exception and very basic. Villages can be many days hiking apart, so you will need to carry compass, camping gear, clothes, food and sometimes water for several days. It can be risky to venture out on your own. It is not uncommon to hire a local guide. Ascending some of the higher mountains such as Mt.Elbrus may require a special permit. In short: hiking in Russia can be truly exploratory, and all the more adventurous.

Trails

Regions

Mountains

Books

Stanfords
United Kingdom
  • The Way of a Pilgrim: Candid Tales of a Wanderer to His Spiritual Father
  • By the mercy of God I am a Christian, by my deeds a great sinner, by calling a homeless wanderer of the lowliest origins, roaming from place to place. Here, see my belongings: a bag of dry crusts on my back and the Holy Bible in my breast pocket; that`s it.In 1884 there appeared in Russia a slim volume containing four short tales. They told of... Read more
Stanfords
United Kingdom
  • Letters from Russia
  • Translated by Anka MuhlsteinThe Marquis de Custine`s record of his trip to Russia in 1839 is a brilliantly perceptive, even prophetic, account of one of the world`s most fascinating and troubled countries. It is also a wonderful piece of travel writing. Custine, who met with people in all walks of life, including the Czar himself, offers vivid... Read more
The Book Depository
United Kingdom
Bol.com
Netherlands
2018
  • Dominicus landengids - Georgië en Armenië
  • In Armenië en Georgië vind je de hoogste bergtoppen van Europa, er wonen de meest gastvrije mensen van de wereld en bovendien bevinden zich daar de oudste bouwwerken uit de christelijke cultuur. Deze landen liggen onder de rook van Rusland en aan de rand van Turkije. Mede dankzij het heerlijke subtropische klimaat leven de Armeniër en de... Read more
  • Also available from:
  • Bol.com, Belgium
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Bol.com
Belgium
2018
  • Dominicus landengids - Georgië en Armenië
  • In Armenië en Georgië vind je de hoogste bergtoppen van Europa, er wonen de meest gastvrije mensen van de wereld en bovendien bevinden zich daar de oudste bouwwerken uit de christelijke cultuur. Deze landen liggen onder de rook van Rusland en aan de rand van Turkije. Mede dankzij het heerlijke subtropische klimaat leven de Armeniër en de... Read more
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Bol.com
Netherlands
  • Free as the Dolphins Travel
  • This is a guide to methods and strategies for free travel by air, sea and land for people who want to travel for free or nearly for free.Want to learn French or English? This book is part of an educational series teaching travel vocabulary, compare and contrast, etc. A teaching guide can be found in the French "Voyager gratuitement ... ou... Read more
  • Also available from:
  • Bol.com, Belgium
» Click to open
Bol.com
Belgium
  • Free as the Dolphins Travel
  • This is a guide to methods and strategies for free travel by air, sea and land for people who want to travel for free or nearly for free.Want to learn French or English? This book is part of an educational series teaching travel vocabulary, compare and contrast, etc. A teaching guide can be found in the French "Voyager gratuitement ... ou... Read more
» Click to close
Bol.com
Netherlands
  • One Steppe Beyond
  • Traveling across the former Soviet Union is a challenge at the best of times?doing so in a dilapidated VW is just that much more of an adventureA chance job offer at a timber yard in Estonia gives Thom and his old pal Jo a taste for the unknown. So when Uncle Tony asks them to drive to Vladivostok for another job, they can t think of a good... Read more
  • Also available from:
  • Bol.com, Belgium
» Click to open
Bol.com
Belgium
  • One Steppe Beyond
  • Traveling across the former Soviet Union is a challenge at the best of times?doing so in a dilapidated VW is just that much more of an adventureA chance job offer at a timber yard in Estonia gives Thom and his old pal Jo a taste for the unknown. So when Uncle Tony asks them to drive to Vladivostok for another job, they can t think of a good... Read more
» Click to close
Bol.com
Netherlands
  • Giant Steps
  • In Punta Arenas, Chile, in November 1998, Karl Bushby set out on one of the most remarkable journeys of modern times. His plan is as simple as it is extraordinary: to walk up the Americas, across the Bering Strait, through Asia, Russia and Europe, back through the Channel Tunnel and returning to Britain in 2011. It is a journey of remarkable... Read more
  • Also available from:
  • Bol.com, Belgium
» Click to open
Bol.com
Belgium
  • Giant Steps
  • In Punta Arenas, Chile, in November 1998, Karl Bushby set out on one of the most remarkable journeys of modern times. His plan is as simple as it is extraordinary: to walk up the Americas, across the Bering Strait, through Asia, Russia and Europe, back through the Channel Tunnel and returning to Britain in 2011. It is a journey of remarkable... Read more
» Click to close
Bol.com
Netherlands
  • Finding Mojo
  • What does it take to finally let go of things that just aren t working in your life? The suffering of a broken heart? Losing a job? Or maybe the painful disintegration of a long-standing friendship?It is the cruel fusion of all these things and more that leads Natalie to believe the life she s living belongs to somebody else. On discovering... Read more
  • Also available from:
  • Bol.com, Belgium
» Click to open
Bol.com
Belgium
  • Finding Mojo
  • What does it take to finally let go of things that just aren t working in your life? The suffering of a broken heart? Losing a job? Or maybe the painful disintegration of a long-standing friendship?It is the cruel fusion of all these things and more that leads Natalie to believe the life she s living belongs to somebody else. On discovering... Read more
» Click to close
Bol.com
Netherlands
  • Black Dragon River
  • Black Dragon River is a personal journey down one of Asia’s great rivers that reveals the region’s essential history and culture. The world’s ninth largest river, the Amur serves as a large part of the border between Russia and China. As a crossroads for the great empires of Asia, this area offers journalist Dominic Ziegler a lens with which to... Read more
  • Also available from:
  • Bol.com, Belgium
» Click to open
Bol.com
Belgium
  • Black Dragon River
  • Black Dragon River is a personal journey down one of Asia’s great rivers that reveals the region’s essential history and culture. The world’s ninth largest river, the Amur serves as a large part of the border between Russia and China. As a crossroads for the great empires of Asia, this area offers journalist Dominic Ziegler a lens with which to... Read more
» Click to close
Bol.com
Netherlands
2015
  • Lonely Planet Russia
  • Lonely Planet: The world's leading travel guide publisherLonely Planet Russiais your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Take an awe-inspiring walk through Red Square, hike amongst the geysers and volcanoes of Kamchatka, or sweat it out in a traditional Russian banya... Read more
  • Also available from:
  • Bol.com, Belgium
» Click to open
Bol.com
Belgium
2015
  • Lonely Planet Russia
  • Lonely Planet: The world's leading travel guide publisherLonely Planet Russiais your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Take an awe-inspiring walk through Red Square, hike amongst the geysers and volcanoes of Kamchatka, or sweat it out in a traditional Russian banya... Read more
» Click to close
Bol.com
Netherlands
  • A Tramp's Sketches (Dodo Press)
  • Stephen Graham (1884-1975) was a British author, noted for his travel writing, though he also wrote novels. His most famous books recount his travels around pre-revolutionary Russia and his journey to Jerusalem with a group of Russian pilgrims. His works include: A Tramp's Sketches (1913), Russia and the World (1915), Through Russian Central... Read more
  • Also available from:
  • Bol.com, Belgium
» Click to open
Bol.com
Belgium
  • A Tramp's Sketches (Dodo Press)
  • Stephen Graham (1884-1975) was a British author, noted for his travel writing, though he also wrote novels. His most famous books recount his travels around pre-revolutionary Russia and his journey to Jerusalem with a group of Russian pilgrims. His works include: A Tramp's Sketches (1913), Russia and the World (1915), Through Russian Central... Read more
» Click to close
More books…

Maps

Stanfords
United Kingdom
  • Omsk
  • Street plan of Omsk with an enlargement showing the town centre in greater detail, plus a road map of the city’s environs. All place names are in the Cyrillic alphabet and all the information, including the map legend is in Russian only.The main map covers Omsk at of 1:20,000l the enlargement of the town centre at 1:10,000. Both show streets... Read more
Stanfords
United Kingdom
  • Kaliningrad Street Plan
  • Kaliningrad street plan at 1:20,000 with an enlargement of the city’s central districts including the port, plus a road map of the environs. All place names are in Cyrillic only. Map legend and all information are in Russian.On one side is a street plan at 1:20,000 covering the city within its administrative boundary, accompanied by an index.... Read more
Stanfords
United Kingdom
  • Arkhangelsk
  • Street map of Arkhangelsk with an enlargement showing the town centre in greater detail, plus a road map of the city’s environs. All place names are in the Cyrillic alphabet and map legend is in Russian only.On one side the city is shown at 1:20,000; on the reverse the town centre is presented in greater detail at 1:10,000. On both plans... Read more
Stanfords
United Kingdom
  • Irkutsk
  • Street map of Irkutsk with an enlargement showing the town centre in greater detail and with highlighting of its historic buildings and monuments, plus a road map of the city’s environs. Most place names are in the Cyrillic alphabet, but with names of districts and selected streets also transliterated; map legend includes English.On one side... Read more
More maps…

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