Hi Birdchatters and Birding-ausers,
Can I find six people who are interested in seeing birds such as Emperor Goose
and Yellow-billed Loon at
a fraction of the the cost involved in an Alaska trip, where many of these
birds are either not possible or very unlikely.
A decription of the trip is below.
For Australian birders, It will cost something like A$2400 to fly Emirates
Sydney Moscow,
Then US$1000 for the return flights Moscow Anadyr.
If you are interested, please let me know within the next week.
John Penhallurick
The cruise starts from Anadyr, the capital of Chukotka, with a population
of 15,000 people. Anadyr used to be the military headquarters of the region
and its airport now connects Chukotka with the rest of Russia. This area is
rich in natural resources, with an economy based on gold, oil and mineral
mining, the fur trade, and reindeer herding. Chukotka and its native
inhabitants, the Chukchi, are named after a Russian word meaning "reindeer
people" or "rich with reindeer."
In recent years due to the work and personal financial contribution of
Chukotka's young governor, Roman Abramovich, the city has changed
dramatically. It has become a modern day northern Russian city with good
roads and an improving infrastructure. His influence also affected the
coastal villages where houses and schools have been built in remote areas.
Suggested Day by Day Itinerary in Chukotka (10 days at sea):
Day 1 - Arrival in Chukotka, city of Anadyr, Anadyr River
After your arrival we will take a small ferry across the Anadyr River to the
city of Anadyr. After exploring the city for a few hours, we will board the
M/V Tayfun. We will sail down the Anadyr River into the Bering Sea. The
mighty Anadyr River flows to the Bering Sea in this land of tundra and
permafrost.
Day 2 - Nuniamo and Enmelen villages, Achen Lake
This morning we will have the opportunity to explore Nuniamo or Enmelen
Eskimo and Chukchi villages, meeting and interacting with the local people.
In the afternoon we plan to explore the Achen Lagoon. Here we hope to a
variety of sea and shore birds and visit a fishing camp. There may be an
opportunity to do some fishing. Grey whales and Orcas have been seen
cruising the waters around this area.
We hope to see the following birds: Crested and Least Auklets, Tufted
Puffins, Red Phalarope, Arctic Skua, Northern Fulmars, Thick-billed and
Common Murres, Black-Legged Kittiwake, Pelagic Cormorant, Pigeon Guillemots,
Shart-tailed Sherwater, Pomarine and Parasitic and Long-Tailed Jaegers,
Arctic Tern, Black Guillemot, Kittlitz's and Ancient Murrelet
Day 3 - Ittygran and Arakamchechen Islands, Yanrakkinot village
In the morning we stop at Ittigran Island. We take our Zodiac ashore where
only decades ago, in 1976, a team of Russian anthropologists discovered an
astonishing ancient memorial site nicknamed "whale bone alley," where whale
bones stretch along the beach for nearly a half-kilometer. These ceremonial
sites have immense jawbones and ribs of bowhead whales, some placed together
in a stunning arch formation. This is a UNESCO site and an area of great
importance for Eskimo culture. We will have the opportunity to do some long
hikes across the Island. After lunch we will cruise through the
Seniavinskie straits searching for Brown Bears and Grey Whales and then we
will head for Yanrakkinot Village. We will spend the afternoon exploring
this small (150 people) Chuchi village. In the evening we will head for
Arakamchechen Island. This island has a walrus rookery and if we are lucky,
we will get to see and photograph them. This is also home to the Reindeer
herders from Yanrakkinot village and we may have the chance to see how these
subsistence herders live.
We hope to see the following birds: Sandhill Cranes, Steller's Eiders,
Spectacled Eiders, Common Eiders, King Eiders, Red Phalarope, Arctic Skua,
Northern Fulmars, Thick-billed and Common Murres, Black-Legged Kittiwakes,
Pelagic Cormorant, Glaucous and Herring Galls, Pigeon Guillemots,
Shart-tailed Sherwater, Pomarine and Parasitic and Long-Tailed Jaegers,
Day 4 - Deznev cape, Naukan village, Uelen village, Big Diomide Island
Today we plan to explore Big Diomide Island. This is the closest Russian
Island to the USA and the International Date Line - only 2.5 miles away. On
a clear day, the North American coast is visible across the strait. We will
have the opportunity to do a zodiac cruise around a walrus rookery. This
island is renowned for a variety of auklets. After lunch we plan to sail to
the Chukchi sea / Russian Arctic and visit the Chukchi village of Uelen.
This village is well known for it's museum of walrus ivory carvings made by
the walrus hunters. In the evening we will explore Cape Deznev, the
easternmost point of the Asian continent. Conditions permitting, we will
hike up the hillside, visiting the now-deserted village of Naukan, with its
housepits, meat caches, and Eskimo grave sites. We will also visit the
lighthouse, Semen Deznev memorial and the abandoned Russian Polar Station.
We hope to see the following birds: Lesser White-Fronted Goose, Emperor
Goose, Least Auklets, Crested Auklets, Tufted puffins, Steller's Eiders,
Spectacled Eiders, Common Eiders, King Eiders, Red Phalarope, Arctic Skua,
Northern Fulmars, Thick-billed and Common Murres, Black-Legged Kittiwakes,
Pelagic Cormorant, Glaucous and Herring Galls, Pigeon Guillemots,
Shart-tailed Sherwater, Pomarine and Parasitic and Long-Tailed Jaegers,
Sabine's Gull,
Day 5 - Mechegmenskiy bay, Lorino village, Getliangen Lagoon
Arrive at Mechegmenskiy Bay, the main feeding ground for walrus and gray
whales in Chukotka. We will visit Lorino Village and drive to the hot
springs nearby. Lorino is a very traditional Chukchi village. We will learn
about their marine subsistence, hunting, and reindeer herding, which
provides their livelihood. The village maintains a herd of about 4,000
animals, which circulate between the seaside village and their tundra
feeding grounds. In the evening we will sail to Getliangen Lagoon and
visit a Chukchi fishing camp. There may be an opportunity to do some
fishing.
We hope to see the following birds: Lesser White-Fronted Goose, Emperor
Goose, Sandhill Cranes, Steller's Eiders, Spectacled Eiders, Common Eiders,
King Eiders, Spoon-billed sandpiper, Red Phalarope, Yellow-Billed loon,
Arctic Skua, Northern Fulmars, Thick-billed and Common Murres, Black-Legged
Kittiwakes, Brant, Pelagic Cormorant, Glaucous and Herring Galls, Pigeon
Guillemots, Shart-tailed Sherwater, Pomarine and Parasitic and Long-Tailed
Jaegers,
Day 6 - Tkachen bay, Kivak lagoon, port Provideniya
Today we will visit Tkachen bay, a scenic fjord where we will be able to do
some long hikes to the Kivak Lagoon and visit Chaplino Chukchu village. The
afternoon will be spent exploring the port of Provideniya. The city of
Provideniya is a small town of about 3,000 inhabitants, and is a regular
seaport used by vessels preparing to traverse the Northeast Passage. There
may be an opportunity to do some fishing.
We hope to see the following birds: Steller's Eiders, Spectacled Eiders,
Common Eiders, King Eiders, Red Phalarope, Arctic Skua, Northern Fulmars,
Thick-billed and Common Murres, Black-Legged Kittiwakes, Pelagic Cormorant,
Glaucous and Herring Galls, Crested and Least Auklets, Pigeon Guillemots,
Shart-tailed Sherwater, Pomarine and Parasitic and Long-Tailed Jaegers.
Day 7 - Sireniki village, Imtook Lagoon, Preobrazheniya Bay
This morning we will visit Sireniki Eskimo village. This is the oldest
Eskimo village in Chukotka, 2500 years old. The afternoon will be spent
doing some scenic cruising along the coast with a lot of birding
opportunities. We will keep our eyes open for orcas, walrus and gray whales
in the area. There may be an opportunity to do some fishing.
We hope to see the following birds: Sandhill Cranes, Crested and Least
Auklets, Tufted puffins, Steller's Eiders, Spectacled Eiders, Common Eiders,
King Eiders, Red Phalarope, Yellow-Billed loon, Arctic Skua, Northern
Fulmars, Thick-billed and Common Murres, Black-Legged Kittiwakes, Pelagic
Cormorant, Glaucous and Herring Galls, Pigeon Guillemots, Shart-tailed
Sherwater, Pomarine and Parasitic and Long-Tailed Jaegers.
Day 8 - Kresta bay, port Egvekinot
The next day we visit Kresta Bay and the port of Egvekinot. We go ashore by
Zodiac for nature walks amid a landscape surrounded by conical peaks and
jagged cliffs separated by valleys with waterfalls and tumbling freshwater
streams. There may be an opportunity to do some fishing.
We hope to see the following birds: Lesser White-Fronted Goose, Emperor
Goose, Sandhill Cranes, Steller's Eiders, Spectacled Eiders, Common Eiders,
King Eiders, Spoon-billed sandpiper, Red Phalarope, Yellow-Billed loon,
Arctic Skua, Northern Fulmars, Thick-billed and Common Murres, Black-Legged
Kittiwakes, Brant, Pelagic Cormorant, Glaucous and Herring Galls, Pigeon
Guillemots, Shart-tailed Sherwater, Pomarine and Parasitic and Long-Tailed
Jaegers.
Day 9 - Russkiy and Geka cape, Anadyr river
Today we arrive back at the mouth of Anadyr River and make a landing at Geka
or Russkiy cape. Today we will enjoy a tundra walk, where wildflowers such
as Arctic poppies will be blooming, while birders search for the elusive
spoonbill sandpiper and looking for Beluga whales.
We hope to see the following birds: Lesser White-Fronted Goose, Emperor
Goose, Sandhill Cranes, Steller's Eiders, Spoon-billed sandpiper, Red
Phalarope, Yellow-Billed loon, Arctic Skua, Pigeon Guillemots, Shart-tailed
Sherwater, Pomarine and Parasitic and Long-Tailed Jaegers.
Day 10 - Anadyr city, Departure
This morning we will be spent in the city of Anadyr. On our walking tour of
town we will visit the museum, shop for whale bone carvings and meet some of
the local Russian people. In the afternoon we depart for Moscow.
If there are any tour groups interested in chartering a plane from Nome,
Alaska to Provideniya, Russia the above cruises could be started from
Provideniya instead of Anadyr.
Timings and Rates:
5 - 16 August
CHUKOTKA - RUSSIAN ARCTIC WILD ADVENTURE
Number of days: 12 days (10 days at sea)
Expedition Ship: Tayfun
Prices per person: 3430 USD (minimum of 7 people is required to operate this
cruise)
Itinerary: Anadyr/Chukotka - Lorino - Bering Strait - Uelen - Kaluchin
Island - Neshkan - Big Diomide Island - Yanrakkinot - Provideniya -
Sireniki - Kresta Bay - Anadyr
Activities: Birding, Whale, Walrus and Orca Watching, Hiking, Natural
history, Photography, Sightseeing, Fishing and Zodiac cruises.
All departure and arrival days to Anadyr according to the flight schedule of
DOMODEDOVO AILINES.
Below please find the summer schedule for the flights to Anadyr and return
from Moscow. Cost for the flight (around ticket) approximately 1000 USD
DOMODEDOVO AIRLINES
Departure Moscow 16.45 - Monday/Thursday
Arrival Anadyr 13.30 - Tuesday/Friday
Departure Anadyr 16.45 - Tuesday/Friday
Arrival Moscow 16.45 - Tuesday/Friday
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