Valley of Geysers description and photos - Russia - Far East: Kamchatka (Topic)

Valley of Geysers description and photos - Russia - Far East: Kamchatka. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The name in English is Valley of Geysers.

Photo and description

The Valley of Geysers is the pearl of Kamchatka, one of the wonders not only of Russia, but also of the world. The valley is located in the Kronotsky Nature Reserve, in the basin of one of the tributaries of the Shumnaya River, among the mountains of the Eastern Volcanic Belt. In the bowl of an ancient lake that disappeared many centuries ago, fountains and jets of boiling water burst out from the hot bowels of the earth.

The Valley of Geysers is one of the largest geographical discoveries of the 20th century. In 1941, Tatyana Ivanovna Ustinova, a geologist of the Kronotsky Nature Reserve and guide Anisifor Krupenin, conducted research on why the water in one of the rivers is warmer than in others. During a halt, a stream of boiling water unexpectedly burst out of the ground, accompanied by puffs of steam and an underground rumble, pretty much frightening the travelers. It was a geyser which later received the name "Firstborn". Today, on an area of almost 7 square kilometers, there are more than 20 large geysers. Each geyser has a name, character, periods of sleep and wakefulness, each of them is unique, inimitable and each has its own "life", the rhythm of eruptions. Some geysers emit fountains of boiling water and steam every 10-12 minutes, others erupt once every 4-5 hours.

The largest geyser of the Giant Valley erupts 30 tons of water per minute to the height of a nine-story building. "Triple" lives up to its name - it gushes with jets of steam from three holes. The "Pervenets" geyser throws a stream of boiling water directly into the river, increasing the temperature in it. The Sugar Geyser sparkles in the sun with an iridescent crown, and the Fountain geyser gushes upward in a thin stream. The jets of the "Crystal" geyser sparkle, like a precious rock, the "Grotto" is silent for years, so as to unexpectedly drop tens of tons of muddy water from the slope into the river, while the "Leshy" geyser, on the other hand, is very "talkative" - it moans and hoots in a semi-submerged state. The fabulousness of this place is complemented by hundreds of gushing springs, hot and warm water lakes and acidic lakes, thermophilic algae, streams, waterfalls, gas-steam jets erupting from the ground, boilers of boiling red clay. This is truly unearthly, frightening, and at the same time mesmerizing with its primitiveness spectacle. In this place, it is better for a tourist to be careful and extremely attentive, so as not to get burned by falling under a stream of boiling water, or by falling with his foot into a scalding slurry masked by a clearing of bright green grass. You can only trust wormwood in the Valley. This familiar and unprepossessing-looking plant has chosen absolutely reliable places where a tourist can fearlessly arrange a halt and rest, admiring the enchanting sight around. Tourists are taken to the Valley by helicopter. During the flight, the helicopter will circle over the Karymsky volcano, spitting out ash clouds, and will fly around the Maly Semyachik volcano with a turquoise acid lake in the crater.

Spring comes to the valley a month earlier than usual, and then everything around comes alive and flourishes. Many species of plants, animals, birds, some species of which live only here - all this is the unique ecosystem of the Valley of Geysers. The landscape of the valley in late autumn and early winter is peculiar - snow falling from the sky, and steam and boiling water escaping from the depths of the earth. It is recommended to visit the Valley of Geysers in the summer-autumn period.

We also recommend reading Stopera description and photos - Netherlands: Amsterdam

Topic: Valley of Geysers description and photos - Russia - Far East: Kamchatka.