Russia is amazing not only with world famous beauties and monuments. The main asset of our country is its vast expanses, the ability to travel in places where there are no crowds of tourists. One such remote corner is the Commander Islands. It is quite difficult to find them on the map right away, and you can get here only from Kamchatka, on a small plane flying once a week, and then only in case of good weather, which is rare here. And yet, despite all the difficulties, this region is worth seeing!
Commander Islands: geographical location
Commanders are located off the eastern coast of Kamchatka in the Bering Sea, in the geological sense they are a continuation of the Aleutian Islands. The archipelago formally consists of a large number of land areas surrounded by water, but only four of them can be called fully islands: Copper, Bering, Ariy Kamen and Toporkov. The rest of the Commander Islands are rocks sticking out of the water (they are also called stones), unsuitable for human life. There are ten such stones in total, but these are only those that have their own names, because in the adjacent waters there are dozens of nameless cliffs. The relief of the Commanders is mostly mountainous, with insignificant lowland zones and very sparse vegetation characteristic of tundra regions. But there are also small fresh rivers and lakes, berries and cereal crops grow.
Climatic features
Since the archipelago is located in the cold Bering Sea, the weather here is very moody and severe. No wonder the land of winds and fogs is called the Komandorski Islands! The climate in the region is rainy and windy, while the weather can change several times a day and vary from island to island. Summer is usually cool, up to 15 degrees Celsius (over the entire observation period, the maximum temperature value was 24 degrees), winters are cold, with temperatures up to -24 degrees, which, combined with a piercing wind blowing from the Pacific Ocean, creates very difficult conditions for local residents . Despite this weather, the ocean does not freeze in winter.
Commander Islands Attractions
Commanders are not at all a place to come to look at city life. There is only one settlement on the archipelago - the village of Nikolskoye, and the population of all the islands does not reach even a thousand people. But with confidence we can say that these places are a natural pantry. There are no big centers, industry is not developed, and people peacefully coexist with nature. Back in 1993, a biosphere reserve was opened on the archipelago, and today it has about four hundred species and forty subspecies of vascular plants. There are also unique endemic species of fish, birds and animals.
Ethnographic objects
The Commander Islands also have a number of historical sights. It was here, at Cape Commander, that the ship "Saint Peter" of the Kamchatka expedition, anchored by the famous associate of Emperor Peter the Great - Vitus Bering, anchored. As conceived by the ruler, he had to find an isthmus or strait, which is the natural border of the two continents. The crew of the ship was forced to linger here for a long nine months and all this time to fight for survival. Adversity could not stand Vitus Bering himself - he was buried on one of the islands. Later, the subsequent expedition found the grave, a memorial cross was erected on it, and a piece of land was named for the famous traveler and captain. It is worthwhile to warn those who are going to come to the Commander Islands and want to personally see the grave of the Danes, who served the Russian sovereign, that the memorial is easily confused with the nearby established ordinary memorial cross.
What else is interesting about the history of the Commander Islands? Vacationers are invited to view the houses that were built by American sailors in the early 20th century. They, like the Russian sailors, arrived in these places for fish and sea animals, because here every year there pass the ways of sea otters, fur seals, whales, so there is nothing to profit from.
Flora and fauna
Every year the Komandorski Islands become the object of ornithological expeditions. The fact is that dozens of species of seabirds nest on the archipelago, as well as establish rookeries and breed offspring of individual species of marine mammals. The most diverse representatives of birds flock to the islands, and their whine spreads across the ocean for hundreds of meters around. There are unique animals listed in the Red Book. This is a commander arctic fox, Aleutian tern, pulmonary lobaria, Canadian goose and others. The most striking (in all senses of the word) representatives of the local fauna are rightfully hatchets, also called commander's parrots. Against the background of dull, gray island landscapes, their coloring is especially bright. In honor of these birds, one of the largest islands in the archipelago was named Toporkov.
Types of tourism
The village of Nikolskoye is the “capital” of the Commanders and, as already noted, the only settlement on the archipelago. This is the place where the Aleuts live compactly - the people who had settled the Commander Islands even before the arrival of the Russians. Tourism here is aimed specifically at studying the indigenous traditions and life of the indigenous people, although they had long ago (at the beginning of the 19th century) adopted Russian culture and Orthodoxy. For visitors in Nikolsky, performances are arranged: the Aleuts put on national clothes from skins and play musical instruments made from parts of the body of animals. Everyone can try on beads from shells, look at the hunting tools and household items of the islanders.
Endangered culture
Modern commanders live exactly like their ancestors - fur and sea fishing. But, unfortunately, a sad tendency has recently been noticed: the number of speakers of the Aleutian language decreases every year in a natural way, traditions are lost and replaced by modern ones, the local population ceases to pass on the folk treasures of its people to young generations. Therefore, it is worth hurrying to visit the Komandorski Islands in order to still have time to catch a real native island culture.
Aleutian Museum of Local Lore
This is the main center of the scientific life of the archipelago. Here is one of the eleven skeletons of a sea cow remaining in the world that lived on the Commanders before they became a fishing place: animals were literally exterminated in forty years. Sea cows did not have the means to fight for existence, and therefore could not survive. According to various expeditions, they weighed up to two hundred pounds, and the length of their body reached nine meters.
Art Museum of S. Pasenyuk
In Nikolsky there is a private museum of the famous traveler on the islands of the Pacific Ocean and the Far East - Sergey Pasenyuk. Here are collected all kinds of exhibits from the places where he visited. On all the souvenir and printing products dedicated to the Commanders, one can see sketches and photographs of Pasenyuk, showing that signpost with a seal skull at the top - a symbol of the islands; that is the “Running on the Waves” sculpture depicting an angel who brings light to ships in sailing.
Hard to reach Commanders
What else can you do during a trip along the archipelago, except for contemplating the bewitching beauties of the ocean and wildlife? It is difficult to find the answer to this question. There are no other holiday options on the Commander Islands. Here you can hardly get acquainted with exotic and colorful cuisine, because all products are imported from Kamchatka. The maximum you can count on is to buy a few kilograms of red caviar or the meat of any pinniped at a relatively low price. Elementary tourist infrastructure on the archipelago is also absent, so visitors do not stay here for more than one or two days. Travelers live either in self-brought tents, or in dilapidated houses. The Commander Islands is a border zone, this should not be forgotten. There is a fairly strict access control. In addition, it is for the most part a nature reserve, therefore it is forbidden to sail boats and ships here without permission. So diving does not work either. And the weather, I must say, does not have.
Finally
Commanders are a place for those who are really attracted to the true wildlife without any civilization around. These are islands that are less hospitable and inaccessible, but nevertheless they are beautiful! A seething ocean rolling over rocks with its mighty waves; thousands of birds and sea animals - all this allows desperate wanderers to feel like robinsons, real pioneers. Undoubtedly, a trip to the Komandorski Islands will remain in the memory of everyone who has spent at least several hours here.