Add to favorite
(Source: http://lastnewsonline.com)
Steaming Earth
Today, the valley demonstrates visitors the thermal fields, colored clay cauldrons, mud volcanoes, steam-water fountains of erupting geysers, numerous bubbling noisy fountains of boiling springs and small geysers, streams and waterfalls and all these against the background of a unique mountainous landscape. Each geyser has its own rate and its eruption characteristics. The tour guides know their "schedules" and bring the group to the right geyser at right time, so when visiting the valley there is a feeling that you are watching a well-rehearsed show with expensive special effects. However, this feeling quickly fades away when the aboriginal resident, the bear visits the show and never acts according to the scenario. This is why it is strictly forbidden to turn away from paved trails and walk on them alone and without blue light.
World Heritage
Tourists can get into the valley only by helicopter. After one-hour flight over the lava fields and volcanic cones, Mi-8 approaches the canyon from which flocks the steam. The valley suddenly spreads before the eyes. You can see the curved arc of Geyzernaya River, the lake and puffing "nostrils" of the canyon. Helicopter dives down and lands near the inspectors' house at the place where the landslide stopped in 2007.
It is hard to believe, but at that very moment the helicopter just dropped another group of tourists who came down into the canyon and did not hear anything. When climbed up they saw already a scarred landscape. In order to take off people had to cut tree branches that coughed the helicopter. Inspectors inside the house were lucky, because the mudflow stopped a meter away from the house, standing on the edge of the canyon. Today, the animated picture of the landslide can be seen both at the exposition in the valley itself and on the Kronotsky reserve's website.
Here you can take a look at the most famous attraction of the country through the webcam's peephole or to explore the virtual 3D-model. But it is better to see it once live than a hundred times on the Internet, because no screen can give all the greatness of our Kamchatka and the most important natural attractions of our country, which is also part of the UNESCO's "Volcanoes of Kamchatka" World Heritage Site.
Author: Anna Dorozhkina
