As I approach retirement in next sixty days I want to start the bucket list with a trip to Kamchatka. Best /cheapest flight information would be appreciated. Via Anchorage quickest I assume. Any advice?
As I approach retirement in next sixty days I want to start the bucket list with a trip to Kamchatka. Best /cheapest flight information would be appreciated. Via Anchorage quickest I assume. Any advice?
Robert
I do think via Anchorage is the quickest but it is not cheap. Also, the last time I spoke with Will Blair he said it is always a crap shoot each year if the Russian Airline will fly in the summer.
BTW, I have a friend that has been several times with Best of Kamchatka (Will Blair). He said it was fantastic. This is a trip I have often considered, but since I live in Alaska I decided it was not sufficiently different to warrant the expense. For what it would cost to fish for 6 days, I could go fish Bristol Bay and stay in a nice lodge for a month. I think I'll start another thread on bucket lists.
I've been to Kamchatka several times. My last trip was in 2011 for the Kamchatka Steelhead Project. At the time, the only option was to fly around the world. I did my research on flight fares and discovered that a quick flight to LAX would allow me to fly Aeroflot to Moscow and then on to Petropavlosk. The entire Aeroflot flight was cheaper than a Delta flight to Moscow. I don't know if this will still be the cheapest route in '15 or '16, but it's worth looking into. BTW, the airline is fine. They actually provide food and amenities like US airlines did in the old days.
The whole charter flight thing through AK is touch and go as mentioned by Fisheye. I did that one year with Magadan Air and the next year they were out. Same thing happened with Vladivostok Air. Speaking of Vladivostok, it is possible to fly to Seoul, then to Vladivostok and then on to Petro but there are long layovers and I wouldn't recommend that route.
Bottom line: Take the long way 'round. Spend some time in Moscow or St. Petersburg going or coming back. Both cities are well worth the visit, though expensive.
I have a friend that s goes to Kamchatka once or twice a year, first for trout then the steelhead program, It's a nice adventure, then i asked about how many fish he caught per day.........FORGET IT $11000.00 per trip for a few fish per day...that's a joke
Anyone who fishes for Steelhead and counts the number of fish/day doesn't get it. Most people I know who have been there were very satisfied with numbers and size of trout caught. It's very much about fishing an area that's primitive and unspoiled, not numbers and sizes.
Robert
Robert,
Please don't tell me "I don't get it" I do get it, I just don't agree with your philosophy on tip toeing through the tulips, I would rather be casting and catching. Also I don't know of any fisherman who doesn't count fish
In one sense, I do I half way agrees with you, However I don't want to pay 11 K to look at scenery, if that were the case I'll buy a post card. I want to catch some fish while I am their, after all that's why I went in the first place.
The one good thing about the Steelhead program is 100% of your trip can be a write off because it's a science project......the above is my opinion and I am sure you have yours.
John
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