| Where is Siberia?

Siberia is essentially all of Russia east of the Ural Mountains, which are 1400km east of Moscow. First let’s dispel some myths about Siberia:

Siberia covers 77% of Russia, yet has a population of less than 36 million people. That’s 3 people per square kilometre.

| How to get around Siberia?

It all depends on how far off the beaten track you want to go. The simplest way of getting around Siberia is to take the Trans-Siberian Railway which starts in Moscow and runs all the way to the Pacific Ocean. There are different branches, allowing you to personalise your route a little, but if you really want to explore you’re going to need a car or go as part of a tour.

TIP… Use the website Real Russia to see the routes available, book tickets and answer all your questions. (This company are also able to help with your visa)

1 | Karelia’s Church of the Transfiguration

In the centre of Lake Onega is the the Island of Kizhi, one of 1,650 islands, which is home to two of Russia’s most beautiful churches in my opinion. The two 18th century churches have a total of 31 domes between them. The Church of the Transfiguration which shelters under 22 of those domes is considered by Lake Onega’s residents to be ‘The true Eighth Wonder of the World’. The church was built without any nails, solely by Master Nestor (now a local legend) using only an axe to cut and shape the wood that forms this ‘multi-cupola’ UNESCO listed church.

If you find these wooden churches beautiful, click here to read about Norways beautiful Stave churches

Kizhi by Alexxx1979 is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

IMG_0260 Karelia, Russia by Ninara is licensed under CC BY 2.0

2 | Rabocheostrovsk

To visitors, this remote village in the Solovetsky Islands looks tranquil, like a return to Russia before modernisation. However, for Russians, the name Solovetsky is synonymous with the concentration camp known as ‘Mother of the Gulags’. It was here that the first Gulag was set up in 1923, setting the precedent for what was to come. The monks of the Solovetsky monastery were killed or sent to camps themselves so that Stalin could turn the beautiful monastery in to a camp. Today, very little evidence remains of the camp and monks have returned to the walled monastery to restore its walls and faith. You could easily enjoy the picturesque remote islands without being any the wiser. They are beautiful. The islands are littered with weathered huts and houses, mingled with rusty boats and tin framed porches.

Rabocheostrovsk by sergei.gussev is licensed under CC BY 2.0

3 |Kenozyorsky National Park

The picturesque park is renowned for its lakes and wooden churches that can rival the painted monasteries of Bucovina. The villages are largely deserted but the park maintains the houses as they are classical examples of northern Russia architecture. Most importantly, the churches are preserved for their unique blend of Russian Orthodox and paganism. You will find icons painted on the ceilings so beautiful they bear the name ‘nebesa’ (meaning heavens) and floors and walls draped in scarves and offerings made by pagan visitors.

Visitors base themselves in Vershinino, but you should make sure to take a boat to Tyryshkino, Ryzhkovo and Zekhnovo villages.

Закат в Глазово by Mpr89 licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

Ажурные наличники в старинном доме деревни Вершинино by Natalia Beshkareva is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

4 | Rostov Veliky

The most glorious of Russia’s Golden Ring cities is also its oldest, dating as far back as the 12th Century. Dominated by the Kremlin and Dominion Cathedral, anyone on Nero lake can’t help feel their eyes turn towards the shore. Walk around the edge of the lake outside the city walls to find the perfect view of the onion domes layered infront of your eyes before tall grass and ramshackle lakeside huts. Though not on Russia’s main tourist path, the city still has a relaxed tourism industry, which travellers may crave after the further reaches of the country.

5 | Poliashov’s House

Until about 25 years ago, between Suda and Chukhloma there was a village named Pogorelovo. Today, all that remains is a beautiful abandoned house. The hundred year old wooden house still stands in much the same condition as it was when it was built by local peasant Ivan Polyashov. Despite the local villages being stripped of all their property during the communist revolution, Polyashov’s family managed to cling to their home. After Polyashov died, the house was deserted and left vacant until an aspiring artist from Moscow bought the family home in the 70s. He owns it to this day, but has decided not to live there. This beautiful piece of history is all that remains of an entire village.

The nearby village of Ooo Kostromadom, four miles outside Chukhloma and Galich, on edge of lake Galichskoye, just 45 minutes from the house is also worth visiting whilst in the area. It gives valuable clues as to what Poliashov’s village may have looked like.

6 | Kazan’s Temple of all religions

The Temple of All Religions, otherwise known as the Universal Temple, is a eccentric building in a small district of Kazan. The complex conjures up the 16 major religions of the world, including those no longer practised. It has a mosque, a synagogue, an orthodox church as well as other temples under construction. It was the brainchild of Kazan artist, Ildar Khanov, who died before it could be completed in 2013. His brother and sister have now taken up residence here to carry on their late brother’s work. They not just care for the complex, but provide a rehabilitation centre for addicts who help them maintain the temples. For this reason, Khanov described the Universal Temple not as a place of active worship, but a ‘temple of culture and truth’. It represents the best of every culture, living together in peace.

7 | Tomsk’s Wooden Houses

Considered to be the reigning town of Siberia’s wooden architecture, the city of Tomsk decorates its houses with ‘Siberian lace’, an intricate carving pattern typical of eastern Russia. One of the most magical houses in the city is ‘House with the Pavilion’ on Krasnoarmeiskaya ul. 71. However, the city is in a race to save the houses from development and desertion. More than 100 old wooden houses have been demolished just in the past decade, at least another 50 are in critical condition. 

The government has introduced the ‘Rent for a Ruble’ program to try and save the houses, but so far only 3 have been restored and saved. Under the program anyone can pay 1 Rubble per square metre of the building for 49 years after restoration is completed to keep it safe from demolition. The man behind the restoration of Tomsk is Belikov, who wants to open the city’s eyes to the history on its doorstep. Whilst following up lists of properties to be saved, Belikov found documents declaring that the wooden house on Pushkina Street was originally a teahouse, which served travellers frequenting the Great Siberian Tea Road, a road which ran through Tomsk, transporting tea from China to western Europe. Hopefully more gems such as this will be saved and honoured before it’s too late.

8 | Altai Mountains

The lakes of the Altai Mountains and the ridges between them form a UNESCO World Heritage Site, proudly known to Russians as the ‘Golden Mountains of Altai’ (the mountains are rich in mineral deposits). The enormous Altai Mountain Range crosses the borders of Russia, China, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan and is the source of the Asian Continent’s two major rivers, the Irtysh and Ob. It is here you can also find the highest peak in all of Russia, Mount Belukha which staggers towards the skies at a height of 4506m, a gaping 1000m higher than any other mountains in the Altai Range.

Сказка,Мечта,Красавица by Александр Лещёнок licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

But it’s not just the rugged peaks which draw adventure tourists and climbers, but the lakes. One in particular, Lake Kucherla (below) sits at the foot of the northern Katun Ridge, where the upper branches of the Kucherla River form a glacial lake at an elevation of 1790m. The beautiful emerald colour comes from the soft limestone rock the river erodes as it funnels into the 3 mile long lake. The trails leading around the lake and the paths following the flow of the rushing river make for a perfect day hike.

Кучерлинское озеро, Алтай by Tatters is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Bridge over Kucherla River.мостик by Tatters is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Since you are unlikely to be ‘in the area’ again, stop of at the geyser lake near the village of Aktash. The geysers beneath the lake constantly create pools of emerald silt which pools up from the bottom of the lake and forms concentric circles of pure azure and turquoise.

Geiser Lake, Altay Russia by Alexey | Ekaterinburg, Russia is licensed under CC BY 2.0

9 | Ergaki National Park

The highlight of Ergaki NP is the perfectly formed scoop out of the mountain, formed of two peaks connected via a low slung stone bridge. Mostly referred to as Parabola rock, the rock formation has another name, ‘Brother’. Local folklore has described the formation as two brothers reaching for each other with outstretched hands. Another wonderful creation of nature, is the rock formation ‘Brothers’. It looks like two brothers with joined hands. Beneath the shaking hands is an emerald lake, known as the ‘Lake of Mountain Spirits’ which supposedly turned the two brothers to stone, so they could guard the natural wonders of the park. Wether or not you are fascinated by local folklore and legend, this is a beautiful spot for camping!

“File:Ергаки, перевал Птица.JPG” by Andrea Gennad is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

10 | Kinzelyuk Waterfall

The Kinzelyuk Waterfall is the third highest waterfall in all of Russia’s 11 time zones. The 1076ft high falls borders Irkutsk Oblast along the Kinzelyuk Ridge. It’s famous amongst Russians and Siberians, but few have clapped eyes on it due to the difficult terrain and extremely remote location. The best point to see the falls from is Bear’s Lake. The lake is 260km from the closest village accessible by road, so a helicopter or fan boat is needed to reach the starting point for the 4 hour trek up to the lake. This is a pristine land, known as Tofalaria who’s residents, the Tofas, are reindeer herders. They were restricted to three villages in the 1920s by new Soviet policy demanding settlement of nomadic peoples. The remoteness of the entire zone keeps the waterfall akin to a myth in the minds of Russians.

Кинзелюкский Водопад by Olegjihc licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

11 | Lake Baikal

Few know what to expect to find in Siberia other than the world’s largest lake, Lake Baikal. A staggering 5,500ft deep lake, stretching across the wilds of Siberia for more than 350km. Geologists believe it is gradually consuming even more land for Baikal’s underwater wilderness as it becomes a sea. The highlights of the lake, aside from timidly walking across the winter ice and staring at the enormous bubbles trapped in the ice, are the outcrop of Shaman Rock and Ogoy Island.

Olkhon Island is one of the most sacred places on the lake, still home to Shamans and considered the most sacred place for the Shamans of the north. Shaman Rock is so named because this is allegedly where the first Shaman was born. Since then, Shamans who have died have been placed on a funeral pyre atop the rock. Above the outcrop there are 13 totem poles which guard and protect the rock below. Each pole is covered in brightly coloured flags, to which visitors can add their own, green flags bring you good health, red bring you love and yellow flags bring you wealth. Collectively the poles are known as Mys Burkhan. Unsurprisingly, Olkhon Island has an official status as a place of sacred power.

Ogoy Island is the largest island within the lake and yet uninhabited. The only construction on the island is a small buddhist stupa . Once you have climbed down from the stupa you can visit the ice grottoes around Cape Kobylia Head and get a photo like the one below of the Island’s southern cape.

Ice cave on Olkhon island by Sergey Pesterev is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

12 | Lena Pillars

The Lena Pillars are a forest of 650ft high rock pillars towering along the edge of the River Lena. These ancient stone monoliths are an impressive half a billion years old and encase fossils of now extinct animal species from both land and sea. To see the towering pillars up close you can take a boat ride down the river Lena from Yakutsk, or a snowmobile in winter. There is also the option to hike up to the top of the rocky outcrops, which stretch almost as far as the river herself.

Yakutia by Eugene Kaspersky is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

13 | Yakutsk

I’m not going to lie to you, there is absolutely nothing to see here except for the experience itself. Ok, possibly seeing reindeers on World Indigenous People’s Day and giant frozen fish stacked like jumbo jenga at the market, but that’s about it.

Yakutsk is the capital of Sakha province in Russia’s far east. It is one of the coldest inhabited cities in the world, so cold infant the houses and buildings are built on piles made of concrete which are drilled in to the permafrost, to prevent the houses from subsiding when the permafrost thaws. In winter temperatures plummet as far as -56°C before climbing steadily back up to summer days of 21°C. For this reason, Yakutsk holds records as both the world’s coldest city and the city with the greatest polar opposites in temperature.

To get an idea of what life in Yakutsk is like, I suggest reading Dervla Murphy’s book ‘Accidentally Travelling Through Siberia’ or checking out @lekon_v on Instagram.

Yakutsk by Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna- CAFF is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.

14 | Kuril Islands

The Kuril Archipelago is an island chain of 56 volcanoes dripping from the southern tip of the Kamchatka Peninsula for 745 miles, reaching all the way across the Othotsk Sea to Hokkaido. Japan’s northernmost island. Whilst many scientists come here to study the diverse indigenous wildlife, what attracts me is the surreal landscape. The volcanic islands are draped in a velvet green blanket, wrapped around indigo crater lakes.

To reach the Kuril Islands you need to fly as far east as possible to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, but this will only possible via an organised package tour, partly because this is Russia and partly because the unique ecology of the islands needs protection. Below is a selection of the best sights to include in your itinerary.

Ushishir Island

Kuril islands, Ushishir by Eugene Kaspersky is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

Kuril Islands by Eugene Kaspersky is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Iturup Island

Kamchatka-2015 by Eugene Kaspersky is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

Onekotan Island

Krenitsyn volcano, Onekotan island by Eugene Kaspersky is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

15 | Kamchatka

Before 1991, not a single foreigner was allowed to set foot in Kamchatka, even less knew it existed. Despite being the size of France, the peninsula is home to less than 400,000 residents, the majority of which grew up in western Russia. Although this adds to the mystery of the land, it’s also valuable as the entire outcrop is a UNESCO heritage site. A geological hotspot, responsible for producing 20% of all magma, lava and volcanic ash in the world! The peninsula’s 160 volcanoes make Kamchatka’s scenery unique, geyser valleys lead to streams bubbling with volcanic gases, which course over the rumbling earth beneath any hiker’s feet. However, this seemingly uninhabitable land also gives way to teal crater lakes, ice caves and dramatic volcanic rock formations.

Kamchata by Eugene Kaspersky is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Those hoping to explore Kamchatka, must start out from Petropavlosk-Kamchatsky, the main city where half the population lives. From here, all adventures are made on helicopters and military-style trucks hired by private companies. The most well known of which is Kamchatka Lost World, which has lead tours since 1993. However, I’d advise you to look around and find a company you feel most secure with.

Kamchatka has other reasons for fame though, it’s home to the largest concentration of bears in the world. The ‘bear state’ has between 15,000 to 30,000 bears. The best place to see them is by Lake Kurile, where the bears fish for salmon. One photographer famously managed to get 17 bears in his panorama shot of the lake!

Kurile Lake, Kamchatka by Eugene Kaspersky is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

Beware of the prices for a trip to Kamchatka. A return flight to the peninsula from Moscow starts at €220. In the summer, the cheapest ticket you will find costs €650. Once there, a helicopter ride to the geysers costs up to €1,000!  This is a trip usually only made by private photographers and rich tourists, but that doesn’t mean you can’t save and go!

16 | Painted House of Kunara

The painted house, known locally as Kirllov’s House, is a beautifully hand carved and decorated dacha in Kunara village. Painted in the naive style, the paintings combine traditional Russian design with childlike art and imagery once found in Soviet propaganda. It’s a private home, but that hasn’t stopped many people in the region visiting to get a photo of the fairytale house. Kirillov built the dacha in the 1960s, as a blacksmith in the village. It started out as repairs on the house, which he had inherited from his grandfather. It soon turned into a lifelong project. An inscription is carved in to the eaves of the roof stating ‘Work started in 1954 and was completed in 1967 on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution!‘.

Unfortunately, Kirillov died in 2001, but his wife and daughter have kept up the house with help from locals and even the mayor of Yekaterinburg. The mayor helped the house to become registered as a site of cultural heritage. However, Kirllov’s family are not pleased, as now they are unable to make changes to the house and even its upkeep without permission!

Image by ph1l74 is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.