Autumn expedition with an ethnologist to Cape Schmidt: to a walrus rookery, polar bears and Chukchi reindeer breeders

CHUKOTKA

Tour September 8 – 21, 2021
Тур Chukotka, Russia

тур на Чукотку с этнологом зимнее путешествие к оленеводам тур к чукчам экспедиция жить в яранге с чукчами Мыс Дежнева Лорино Лаврентия Уэлен Анадырь

Having overcome tens of thousands of kilometers, we will go to the permafrost zone beyond the Arctic Circle, to the shores of the Chukchi Sea, where the ice of the Arctic Ocean breaks, to the Long Strait, where the dateline passes, to the village of Cape Schmidt, where for a long time, Chukchi - live side by side with wild animals, where thousands of walrus flocks have chosen rookeries, and polar bears visit them.

In addition to photo hunting for these northern animals, we will be initiated into polar explorers, we will spend a whole day with reindeer breeders and get acquainted with the Chukchi, fish for salmon, drive along with the "bear" route, and taste local delicacies.

Throughout the expedition we are accompanied by ethnologist, big professional in indigenous peoples of Chukotka.

Оказаться там, где день поменялся с ночью, где из восточного полушария в западное – один шаг, где в условиях полярной тундры выживают культуры оленеводов чукчей и морских зверобоев эскимосов.
Почувствовать себя настоящим первооткрывателем, самостоятельно в роли каюра дойдя по полуострову до Мыса Дежнёва, и увидеть через пролив Америку…
Это настоящая дикая экспедиция. Помимо зимней полярной погоды и аутентичной культуры, у нас будет отличный шанс увидеть северное сияние и белых медведей.
На протяжении всей экспедиции с нами путешествует и читает лекции учёный-этнолог, специалист в области коренных племён Чукотки.

SСHEDULE AND COST:


Dates: September 8 – 21, 2021

Duration: 14 days / 13 nights

Number of participants: 4 – 7

Cost per person (double/twin accommodation):
- 259.000 rubles subject to 7 participants,
- 269.000 rubles subject to 6 participants,
- 279.000 rubles subject to 5 participants,
- 299.900 rubles subject to 4 participants.

10% early booking discount (in case you book before May 8, 2021)

Everything is included (incl. domestic flights in Chukotka and full board meals) except for:
- international flight to Anadyr (roundtrip),
- international medical insurance,
- Russian visa (if needed).
The estimated cost of the flight Moscow – Anadyr – Moscow: 50 000 rubles (to be purchased on your own).

Single supplement: upon request.


TRAVEL PROGRAM:
ФОТОТУР НА ЧУКОТКУ

Day 1. September 8, 2021 (Wednesday). ANADYR
Arrival in Anadyr at 12:40 pm (UTair flight 533 from Moscow).
Meeting with a guide at the airport, crossing the estuary by ferry, and entering the city of Anadyr.
City tour: monuments to Grinevetsky, Rytkheu, Mandrikov, St. Nicholas, and an observation deck overlooking Anadyr.
In the evening, over dinner, listen to stories about local rituals and traditions, such as the ritual of feeding the spirits.
Meals: dinner
Accommodation: hotel "Anadyr" in double/twin rooms

Day 2. September 9, 2021 (Thursday). ANADYR
Breakfast. We continue our acquaintance with Anadyr. We will visit the Chukotka Heritage Museum complex and buy souvenirs. We will go to the coast, where we will watch salmon fishing.
After lunch, we will walk to the passenger pier, where at low tide beluga whales and seals (a species of seals) catch salmon, standing against the current.
Dinner and exchange of impressions.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation: hotel "Anadyr" in double/twin rooms


Day 3. September 10, 2021 (Friday). ANADYR – EGVEKINOT
Early breakfast and at 7.30 am transfer to the airport. Crossing the estuary to the Ugolny Airport.
At 10 am flight to Egvekinot (Kresta Gulf).
Arrival in Egvekinot, accommodation in cottages or apartments. Lunch at Cafe 13.
Walking tour of the village, visiting the local museum. Photographing the Kresta Gulf - one of the most beautiful places in Chukotka.
Dinner at a cafe or at home. Tasting of local delicacies: redfish and caviar.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation: cottage or apartment

Day 4. September 11, 2021 (Friday). EGVEKINOT– AMGUEMA – EGVEKINOT
After breakfast, departure on the route Egvekinot - Amguema (90 km).
Stop at the Arctic Circle sign, picnic, sprinkling to the spirits, initiation into polar explorers, issuance of certificates.
Arrival at Amguema. Acquaintance with the village, visit to school, lunch.
Return to Egvekinot. Dinner and overnight in Egvekinot.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation: cottage or apartment


Day 5. September 12, 2021 (Sunday). KRESTA GULF
After breakfast, we will go fishing where we will try fishing for salmon or whitefish. We will have a picnic and tasting of freshly made caviar.
Bath and dinner in the evening.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation: cottage or apartment


Day 6. September 13, 2021 (Monday). EGVEKINOT – CAPE SCHMIDT – RYRKAYPIY
After breakfast, departure on the route Egvekinot - Cape Schmidt.
Meeting at Cape Schmidt airport, taxi to the village of Ryrkaypiy.
There are only two settlements on Cape Schmidt: the closed urban-type settlement Cape Schmidt and the national village of Ryrkaypiy, which has only 400 inhabitants.
We will settle in Ryrkaypiy, strategically close to a large walrus rookery.
Accommodation in a small house. Dinner. Excursion around the village and meeting the guides. Overnight in Ryrkaipija.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation: house


Days 7 – 12. September 14 – 19, 2021 (Tuesday – Sunday). RYRKAYPIY, CAPE SCHMIDT, REINDEER HERDING BRIGADE IN TUNDRA
We will spend these days in the vicinity of the village of Ryrkaipiy. Ryrkaypiy is located next to the Kozhevnikov cliff, which juts deep into the Chukchi Sea.
On this cliff, there is one of the largest walrus rookeries in Chukotka, several thousand heads.

Therefore, Ryrkaypiy will be our base in this expedition, to ensure the possibility of daily access to the Kozhevnikov cliff to observe the animals at close range. These days we will go out every day at dawn or dusk from the village to the Ryrkaipi walrus rookery. The way to the rookery is about 1 km along the spit - we will walk on foot.
Polar bears periodically approach the walrus rookery. We will be able to observe them through binoculars and conduct a photo-hunt for wild animals from a distance of 30-50 meters. We will also travel along the bear route to search for and observe polar bears, accompanied by the staff of the WWF Bear Patrol.
Just a remind that this is wild nature, and although the tendency for the approach of animals (walruses and polar bears) has been observed here for a decade this season, the presence of animals cannot be 100% guaranteed.

One day we will go on an excursion and see the abandoned village of Cape Schmidt. We will also get acquainted with the local Chukchi community - sea hunters.

One day we will make a trip to the tundra to a reindeer herding brigade, spend a day with reindeer herders, and take an active part in the daily life of the brigade.
Drive to the herd.
Lasso throwing master class. It is possible to order a ritual deer slaughter. Reindeer cooking master class. For lunch and dinner - traditional food of reindeer herders. Communication with reindeer breeders, sitting by the fire, listening to their stories about life in the tundra. If the reindeer herding team is located relatively close to Cape Schmidt, it is possible to return to Ryrkaypiy for the night or, if necessary, overnight in very simple conditions of the traditional yaranga.

Chukchi is an indigenous people inhabiting the Chukotka Peninsula, the shores of the Chukchi and Bering Seas, as well as the shores of the Arctic Ocean in Russia. They speak the Chukchi language. The Chukchi came from the shores of the Sea of Okhotsk. According to the most recent studies of the human genome, the Chukchi are the closest relatives of the first Americans in Asia. The Chukchi were traditionally divided into the coastal Chukchi, who built their houses on the coast and lived by hunting sea mammals, and the Chukchi reindeer herders (tundra), who roamed the tundra far from the sea, migrating with their herds of reindeer. The Russian name "Chukchi" comes from the Chukchi word "chauchu" ("rich with deers"), which was also used by the Chukchi reindeer herders to distinguish themselves from the coastal Chukchi called "Ankallit" ("people of the sea").
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation: house


Day 13. September 20 сентября, 2021 (Monday). CAPE SCHMIDT – ANADYR
In the morning we say goodbye to Cape Schmidt. Departure by helicopter on the Schmidt-Anadyr system.
Transfer through the estuary and arrival in Anadyr. Accommodation at the Anadyr hotel.
Sauna. Farewell dinner, a concert of the folklore group.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation: hotel "Anadyr", double rooms


Day 14. September 21, 2021 (Tuesday). ANADYR – GYDYM – DEPARTURE HOME
After breakfast, we will cross the estuary and visit the abandoned military base of Gudym. Gudym, built in the late 1950s, served as a nuclear weapons base during the Cold War, completely hidden underground. Exploration of secret tunnels. A picnic at a military base, specially packed army rations.
Transfer to the airport and flight Anadyr - Moscow by UTair (departure at 15:30 by flight UT-534).
Meals: breakfast, lunch
Accommodation: no

* The operator reserves the right to change the order of execution of the program subject to keeping of all activities.
** The program depends on the local flight schedule and availability of flying weather.


Cost includes:

- local flight from Anadyr to Egvekinot
- local flight from Egvekinot to Cape Schmidt
- local helicopter flight from Cape Schmidt to Anadyr
- transport services according to the program (transfers, taxis, ferries, boats, all-terrain vehicles)
- accommodation in hotels, cottages, apartments and houses, on the basis of a double
- accommodation in yaranga
- Three meals a day
- permission to enter the border zone
- permits and entrance tickets to protected areas, tickets to museums, all entrance tickets according to the program
- registration of passes to the border zone
- English-speaking and Russian-speaking ethnologist and team leader, local guides
- lectures by an ethnologist about Chukotka


Cost excludes (to be additionally paid):

  • tickets to Anadyr roundtrip,
  • medical insurance,
  • Russian visa (if required),
  • additional extra food, alcohol, and souvenirs,
  • tips to the guides,
  • additional optional activities which are not listed in the program.


To take with:

- very warm winter feather coat with windstopper
- very warm winter hat with windstopper (2 pieces), gloves with windstopper (2 pairs) andwarm winter trousers with windstopper (2 pairs)
- warm boots, warm and waterproof high boots (2 pairs of very warm winter shoes is a must)
- winter wear sets (warm wool socks, cotton socks, wool sweater, warm winter jacket)
- thermal underwear,
- sleeping bag for -5/-10 degrees Celsius comfort temperature (can be freezing in the morning in yaranga)
- inflating tourist mattress
- sunglasses (is a must)
- alpine skiing glasses (up to you)
- buff / balaclava
- thermos
- head torch
- personal hygiene products (incl. towel, hygiene wet tissues, soap)
- minimum set of favorite snacks and drinks (nowhere to buy)
- personal medical kit (analgetic, antiseptic, antibiotic, antiviral, intestinal, multivitamins, rehydron, court plaster, your personal medications)
- sun and wind protection
- cameras, spare batteries, tripod
- gifts for the locals
    KEY FEATURES:
    Chukotka peninsula, Russia

    Best season: July - September

    • Visit to the Kresta Gulf - one of the most beautiful places in Chukotka
    • Departure along the "bear" route to search and observe polar bears, accompanied by representatives of the "Bear Patrol" at the WWF
    • Visiting Kozhevnikov cliff - one of the largest walrus rookeries in Chukotka, several thousand heads
    • Photo hunting for polar bears and walruses
    • Acquaintance with the local Chukchi community - sea hunters
    • Full day trip to the tundra to the reindeer herding brigade
    • Reindeer Cooking & Lasso Throwing Workshops
    • Initiation into polar explorers
    • Fishing for salmon or whitefish
    • Tasting of local delicacies: redfish, freshly cooked caviar, and traditional reindeer breeders' food.
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