Eight time zones away to the east of Moscow and even further away than Siberia lies the Russian Far East. One of the world’s most inaccessible places there are almost no roads and very few people over this vast tract of wilderness. Endless taiga forest and tundra hold enticing but elusive wildlife while the cold oceans bordering it support some of the most spectacular concentrations of marine mammals and seabirds found on Earth.

The Shantar Islands lie within the Sea of Okhotsk, a water body that is icebound for much of the year allowing it to support disjunct populations of mighty Bowhead Whales and several species of ice seals including Bearded, Ringed, Largha and even Ribbons. Orcas are common in the area and feast on the bounty of wildlife that congregates in the region during the brief open-water period of late summer and early fall. The shorelines support an important population of Brown Bears, here of one of the largest subspecies in the world. Birdlife in the region is also impressively prolific especially during the summer months when one can find massive Steller’s Sea Eagle, many species of alcids including Long-billed Murrelet, Tufted Puffin and many others, along with a fantastic assortment of waterbirds and breeding songbirds.

One of the best-kept secrets of wildlife travel anywhere on the globe, that is quickly changing and there has never been a better time to visit the Russian Far East!