Discover Russia’s top five national parks and nature reserves which are widely considered as travel destinations for food nature lovers to visit:

Pechora-Ilych Nature Reserve

The Manpupuner rock formations in the northern Ural Mountains — seven pillars of rock, the highest of which reaches a towering 42 meters in height — are the result of millions of years of weathering and erosion, and they are worth a visit. “Manpupuner” can be translated from the Mansi language as “a small mountain of idols”. The Manpupuner Plateau has been officially named as one of the seven wonders of Russia. Moreover, the Pechora-Ilych Nature Reserve is part of the Virgin Komi Forests, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the last large area of virgin forest left in Europe.

In summer 2018, the forest ranger’s lodge in the nature reserve received internet access, which is a kilometer away from the Manpupuner rock formations. The signal is available several dozen meters in and around the vicinity of the lodge. Tourists can access the internet for free. Before 2018, the only way to communicate was by walkie-talkie.

The best time to plan a trip to the Seven Strong Men Rock Formations is 2020, when there will be a new runway and a 90-kilometer hiking trail for tourists. The Ediniy Ural (or United Ural) hiking trail will pass through two nature reserves in the northern Ural slopes — the Pechora-Ilychsky Nature Reserve (which stretches from the Dyatlov Pass to the Manpupuner Plateau) and Ivdelsky. There will be lodges every 10-15 kilometers along the trail, where tourists can spend the night. The plan is to create a route that will be accessible in all seasons. The runway is going to be built on the outskirts of Vologda, where the shortest hiking route with the best infrastructure on the Manpupuner Plateau begins. According to early estimates, a helicopter tour to the Manpupuner Plateau will cost 20 thousand rubles per person in a couple of years, which is almost a quarter of the current price.

How to reach the Pechora-Ilych Nature Reserve: By helicopter from Ukhta or Perm. If you are on a tighter budget, you can get there by train, from Ukhta to Troitsk, and then take a bus, taxi, or book another form of transport to the reserve. The best time to travel is from June to September. Only organized groups accompanied by a ranger can visit the reserve, and must stick to the routes that have been approved. The hike to the Manpupuner Plateau takes five days (the starting point is Yaksha village). However, there are also short hiking trails through the reserve that only take a few hours to cover.

You can also visit Manpupuner in winter: the Pechora-Ilych Nature Reserve started running snowmobile tours in 2018. These tours cover a 300-kilometer route, and the tours generally last three to four days. The starting point is the village Komsomolsk-na-Pechora. Part of the tour passes through the forest, and part of it follows the Pechora River. Travelers will enjoy spending the night at hotels overlooking the scenic Kordon Sezhim-Pechora and the Manpupuner Plateau.

Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve

These places are off the beaten track, and will delight even the most experienced travelers: the Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve is difficult to access and little research has been carried out there so far. The Sikhote-Alin mountain range consists of three winding chains of mountains.

A trip to Sikhote-Alin is a real expedition: there is no infrastructure for accommodation and nowhere you can buy food in the nature reserve. You need to come prepared and carry everything with you.

One of the first researchers to visit the reserve was ethnologist and writer Vladimir Arsenyev. In 1908-1910, he embarked on an expedition to explore the northern slopes of the Sikhote-Alin mountain range: “I spotted a large flat basaltic rock along the trail. I sat down on it and began to admire the nature. The air was clean and transparent. There were bushes, flowering plants, sand on the trail, and dry coniferous needles on the ground. In short, all the small objects could be seen just as well in the moonlight as during the day. There was a thorny amur rose bush growing nearby, and a rowan shrub next to it, and behind it were mountain ash and cedar shrubs, and then honeysuckle and sorbaria sorbifolia.”

The Sikhote-Alin reserve is home to the lynx, the brown bear and the Himalayan brown bear. You can see the seal rookeries on the rocky north cape. And ecological walking trails leading to the nesting places of birds have been created by lake Blagodatnoye. Before visiting the reserve, visitors are advised to get vaccinated against tick-borne encephalitis.

The Sikhote-Alin range is the last place on earth where Amur tigers can be found, the last natural habitat of the world’s largest cat.

How to reach the Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve: the reserve is not an easy place to reach. First you need to fly to Vladivostok or take the Trans-Siberian Express “Rossiya” (which departs from Yaroslavsky Railway Station in Moscow). From Vladivostok, you need to travel about 700 kilometers northeast to the village of Terney on the Pacific coast. The journey takes 14 hours by bus, which departs twice a day.

Stolby Nature Reserve

Taiga, snow, coniferous forest, and breath-taking cliffs, veiled in an ashy mountain dew. The Stolby Nature Reserve in located on the right bank of the Yenisei River and just south of Krasnoyarsk, a city of stone that looks as if it were carved out of the Siberian landscape by nature itself.

The reserve covers an area roughly the size of Andorra at just under 500 square kilometers. “Stolby” is Russian for “pillars”, and describes the dramatic rock formations the reserve is famous for. People visit the reserve to either admire the gigantic pillars and take in the stunning views from these watchtowers, overlooking the taiga, or to climb and conquer them. A total of almost two hundred rocks are suitable for climbing. Almost all of these pillars have names: These include Manskaya Baba (lit. the Old Lady from Mana), Feathers, Lion’s Gate, the Savage, the Fortress, the Vulture, the Monk, Cain and Abel, the Sinner, Mitre (the Bishop’s Hat), the Sparrows, Yermak, the Guard, and the Chinese Wall. The highest pillar is called the Second Pillar (Vtoroy), and reaches 100 meters. In addition to these pillars, there are also huge stone boulders scattered all over the reserve, and they also have names (the most famous one is the Little Elephant).

The rocky part of the reserve is divided into four districts: Tsentralny (Central District), Takmakovsky District, Kalgansky District and “Dikiye Stolby” (Wild Pillars). Central District receives the most visitors; its walking trail follows a circular route and is the most popular with tourists. The trail starts at the First Pillar, and passes the Granddaughter, Grandmother and Grandfather pillars, then Feathers, Lion’s Gate, and the Fourth, Third and Second pillars, before looping back to the First Pillar and the Little Elephant Boulder.

The reserve has excellent infrastructure: tourist trails are well-marked, there are signs everywhere. However, it is still a good idea to familiarize yourself with the map and all the trails before setting out. Ideally, you should also take a picture of the map and key for the color-coded routes. Make sure you do not forget to download the Krasnoyarsk “Stolby” app in advance, which will help you navigate the terrain on hikes. 

No special permits are needed to visit the reserve. But there are a few rules that you must follow for your own safety. Firstly, do not try to climb the rocks in rainy or snowy weather — they will be very slippery and dangerous. Secondly, do not try to feed or approach wild animals. Not even the foxes! Thirdly, you should only visit the reserve at daytime. Trekking poles are recommended. You can rent them from Krasnoyarsk Sports and Tourism Center’s shop at the reserve. Fourthly, book a tour! This will help you save time: tours include transport that can take you up to the rocky area of the reserve. Fifthly, remember that camping is forbidden on the territory of the Stolby Nature Reserve.

One of the unwritten rules when visiting Stolby is that you have to try the hot donuts or the Russian Pirozhki (small pies) at Cordon Laletino. After a long walk, they are the most delicious thing in the world!

They also sell hot tea and cookies there. Make sure you try the local sbiten, a traditional hot drink Russians drank before they had tea and coffee, which is brewed with Siberian herbs. You can try it at Laletino on 2-aya Poperechnaya Street or at the “Pereval” tourist center. You can charge your phone and dry off any clothes that got wet during your hike in the tourist center’s special drying cabinets. You can find more information about the center’s working hours on the official website of the Stolby Nature Reserve.

If you take a snack and a thermos of hot tea with you, you can enjoy a lunch break with absolutely stunning views!

How to reach Stolby National Park: regular bus routes run from Krasnoyarsk. Take no. 19, 50, or 78 (no. 80 on weekends) to the “Turbaza” bus stop. To reach the reserve’s Central District and the First Pillar, you need to pass the welcome sign marking the start of the reserve, and walk about seven kilometers up Laletinskaya Road. First you will pass Cordon Laletino (two kilometers into the climb) on your way up, then continue on to the Mikha Taigish Forest Theater (a competition was held to choose a name for the theater. Mikha Taigish was the witty competition-winning name, which sounds something like “Mr. Teddy Taiga” in Russian). Next you will see the “Retroploshchadka” viewing platform (1-aya Poperechnaya Street) and “detskiy gorodok”, or children’s town (2-aya Poperechnaya Street). After that, there is the steep climb that locals have dubbed “Pykhtun”, which roughly translates to being out of breath, and then up on to Pereval. After that, there are only 317 steps left to climb, and you’ve made it to the top.

The Curonian Spit in the Kurshskaya National Park

The Epha Dune, Miller’s Height, the Fringilla Ornithological Station, white beaches, the curved and intertwining trees of the Dancing Forest and the heady scent of pine trees: The Curonian Spit National Park in Russia is the country’s smallest national park, but it’s full of gems. And it also receives the most visitors!

The Curonian Spit is a narrow sandy peninsula separating the Baltic Sea from the freshwater Curonian Lagoon. It is almost 100 kilometers long.

It is a good idea to arrive there early in the morning to completely immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the reserve before the crowds of tourists get there. You can find pieces of amber on a walk along the beach! Follow the Epha Height trail, which leads to the crest of the Orechovaya Dune (Petshch). In windy weather you can hear the song of singing sand.

Comfortable walking shoes are an essential for this trip: you will be doing plenty of walking. However, it is easier to go barefoot across the high dunes, which rise a few dozen meters above sea level. And bring something to eat and a thermos of tea or coffee with you: the local roadside cuisine is fairly mediocre and expensive.

How to reach the Curonian Spit: regular buses run several times a day from Kaliningrad, Zelenogradsk and Svetlogorsk. If you travel to the reserve by car, you will be charged 150 rubles to enter the reserve. There is also an extra fee of 150 rubles per passenger, including the driver.

Valdaysky National Park

The lakes and the southern taiga of Valdaysky National Park are just a few hours away from St. Petersburg and Moscow. The entire nature reserve is part of the Pechora River basin — the main continental divide between Europe and Asia.

Great rivers — the Volga, Dnepr and Western Dvina — originate in the Valdai Hills. There are two hundred lakes in this wildlife reserve, the most popular of which are Lake Seliger and Vejle. Hunting for sport and fishing are allowed. However, you need to obtain a license before going on one of these trips.

The mighty armada of pines, dark green spruce and graceful birch trees line the picturesque hills, and a necklace of crystal-clear lakes create a landscape of extraordinary beauty. You can spot rare birds on the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species in the National Park — from the black stork to the golden eagle. There are also fifty species of mammals: wolves, foxes, elks, wild boars and lynxes.

One of the main advantages of the Valdaysky National Park is that there is a hotel located on the territory near the visitor center. This is convenient for tourists travelling by car.

How to reach the Valdaysky National Park: the most convenient way is by car. The National Park is on the M10 Highway connecting Moscow and St. Petersburg. Railway lines also link Valday with Moscow and St. Petersburg. You can also travel there on the bus from St. Petersburg — from the coach station on the Obvodny Canal embankment.

They also sell hot tea and cookies there. Make sure you try the local sbiten, a traditional hot drink Russians drank before they had tea and coffee, which is brewed with Siberian herbs. You can try it at Laletino on 2-aya Poperechnaya Street or at the “Pereval” tourist center. You can charge your phone and dry off any clothes that got wet during your hike in the tourist center’s special drying cabinets. You can find more information about the center’s working hours on the official website of the Stolby Nature Reserve.

If you take a snack and a thermos of hot tea with you, you can enjoy a lunch break with absolutely stunning views!

How to reach Stolby National Park: regular bus routes run from Krasnoyarsk. Take no. 19, 50, or 78 (no. 80 on weekends) to the “Turbaza” bus stop. To reach the reserve’s Central District and the First Pillar, you need to pass the welcome sign marking the start of the reserve, and walk about seven kilometers up Laletinskaya Road. First you will pass Cordon Laletino (two kilometers into the climb) on your way up, then continue on to the Mikha Taigish Forest Theater (a competition was held to choose a name for the theater. Mikha Taigish was the witty competition-winning name, which sounds something like “Mr. Teddy Taiga” in Russian). Next you will see the “Retroploshchadka” viewing platform (1-aya Poperechnaya Street) and “detskiy gorodok”, or children’s town (2-aya Poperechnaya Street). After that, there is the steep climb that locals have dubbed “Pychtun”, which roughly translates to being out of breath, and then up on to Pereval. After that, there are only 317 steps left to climb, and you’ve made it to the top.

(Based on a research into Russian sources)