The Russian North: whales, Game of Thrones-like landscapes and aurora borealis

You are standing in a boat, the sea is anxious, the seagulls are screaming and suddenly a loud sigh is heard from the water. You turn around and literally a meter from the side a dark, shiny fin pops up. No, this isn’t the movie “Jaws” and you’re not in the book “Moby Dick” and there’s a real whale swimming underneath it, not a sea monster. During eight hours at sea, you will see dozens or even a variation of the synchronized swimming of two or three animals, both near and far. But for the first time it will be memorable only because the leader of the Lena group will shout loudly: “Congratulations, your first mink whale has come to you!”. And if you are lucky, then the second largest animal in the world will appear – a fin whale (and then the whole group will already scream and cry with joy, it was confirmed).

You’re driving through severe terrain for five hours, no phone pickup, no internet and all that? And then, outside your window is an endless tundra, mirror-smooth lakes, ship cemeteries, and a cove where whales sing (yes, that’s what those sounds are called). Pauses for photos and unity with nature – on request.

The road to the “Many brides” camp on the Rybachy Peninsula is indeed a tough hurdle, but it filters out hundreds of tourists and leaves these places very wild and untouched beautiful. Let’s say right away that it is worth driving in specially prepared cars only with local professionals, otherwise there is a chance to leave your car or rented car in the nearest valley.

“What comfort can there be in these circumstances?” You will say and you will be wrong. Of course, there are no hotels or hostels on the peninsula, only tented options. But such a campsite can be arranged that will satisfy a fastidious city traveler.

First, the “Many brides” camp is beautiful. Clean orange double and triple tents with wooden floors, heating and mattresses stand right on the seashore.

So you will fall asleep and wake up to the sound of the waves. In the summer, admire the endless sunrise of the polar day even at night, and from the end of August to October 20 – catch flashes of the aurora. The camp also has a huge dome-living room where you can gather, eat and sing along to the guitar, a tent-bath in the distance, and a few restrooms, which is important in such wild conditions. What’s there to eat? Here you will also be surprised: for breakfast, boiled eggs with salmon as in Patriky (this is how it is served in this camp), for lunch, a branded “northern burger” (you will be served in one of the picturesque capes), for dinner Finnish fish soup is cooked on an open fire and this It is only a small part of the menu.

And there will also be: the northernmost continental point of the European part of Russia (try to pronounce it for the first time) – The German Cape opens boldly with a picturesque lighthouse and a beached ship with the best view from its mast; Snow-white sandy beaches surrounded by steep cliffs on the Skorbeevskaya Bay (you will learn that “lip” is the name of the sea bay that goes all the way to the land); chasing flocks of seagulls in jeeps; the rocks resembling a giant stone tower are the “Two Brothers” and according to one of the legends these are two shamans frozen after a magical battle; a beach full of red stones that will instantly take you to Iceland, and loads of beautiful scenery at every turn. And most importantly: don’t forget to lie down like a seal on a tundra carpet as soft as a feather bed, where you can eat a couple of blueberries and take a close look at a two-centimeter dwarf birch.