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

The Book Depository
United Kingdom
De Zwerver
Netherlands
2017
De Zwerver
Netherlands
2016
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
» Click to close
De Zwerver
Netherlands
2018
  • Opruiming - Reisgids Pocket Guide St. Petersburg | Berlitz
  • Pocket Guide Berlitz is een handzaam engelstalige reisgids met bezienswaardigheden, kaartjes, hotels en restaurants. Past makkelijk in de binnenzak. St Petersburg is Russia’s most beautiful city, its capital of culture and window on Europe. Built on 44 islands set amongst canals and rivers and crossed by over 300 bridges, the city is full of... Read more
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
  • 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
De Zwerver
Netherlands
2018
  • Reisgids Belarus - Wit Rusland | Bradt Travel Guides
  • Voor vele landen net zo goed, zo niet beter dan de Planet. Beduidend soberder uitgevoerd, maar ook met veel informatie voor backpackers en met veel kaartmateriaal. Een aanrader! This new, thoroughly updated edition of Bradt's Belarus remains the only full-blown standalone guide to the most westerly of the constituent republics that formed the... Read more
De Zwerver
Netherlands
2017
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
De Zwerver
Netherlands
2018
  • Reisgids City Guide St. Petersburg | Lonely Planet
  • De perfecte reisgids voor zowel de georganiseerde als de zelfstandige reiziger. Naast een algemene inleiding van de stad vol met praktische informatie over hoe je er het beste kunt reizen: slapen, eten, vervoer, excursies ... alles kun je er in vinden. The sheer grandeur and history of Russia’s imperial capital never fail to amaze, but this is... Read more
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
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More books…

Maps

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
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
De Zwerver
Netherlands
De Zwerver
Netherlands
De Zwerver
Netherlands
More maps…

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