The peninsula of Kamchatka is situated in the far east of Russia, nine time zones from Moscow and almost on the international dateline. Under Soviet rule the area was closed to foreigners until 1991, and this has helped to maintain one of the last pristine wilderness areas on earth. It is a land of stark natural beauty that still retains its feeling of being a last frontier.

The peninsula is on the Pacific 'Ring of Fire', and so practically percolates with geothermal activity, containing over 200 volcanoes, many of them still active, huge calderas, geysers and natural thermal springs, as well as lush forests, salmon filled rivers, mountain ranges, remote lakes, rocky coastlines and vast tundra.