The Valley of the Geysers

The Valley of the Geysers is Kamchatka’s literal and figurative hotspot. One to three thousand tourists visit the compact valley with its more than 20 large geysers each year, mostly from July to September. They arrive by helicopter from Petropavlovsk for a three-hour tour that costs about $500 per person. Because the Valley is nestled in the center of the strictly-protected Kronotsky Nature Reserve, tourism is limited and visitors hike only in designated areas along wooden boardwalks. 

The Valley of the Geysers is one of only four geyser fields in the world (the others being in Yellowstone National Park, New Zealand, and Iceland). The Valley, an eight-kilometer long canyon carved by a mountain river, was once the basin of an ancient lake, which disappeared centuries ago. The geysers originate from currents of boiling water busting out of the depths at the foot of the Kikhpinnich Volcano.

Each of the Valley’s geysers has its own name and personality. The Velikan (Giant) Geyser erupts every 10 hours, spouting water nine-stories high at a rate of 30 tons per minute. Troinoy (Triple) Geyser spouts water from its three openings at once. Water jets bursting from the giant basin of Bolshoy (Great) Geyser create an unmatched cascade. From beneath a massive stone, Pervenets (Firstborn) ejects its stream of boiling water directly into the river. This rumba of geysers and fountains is accompanied by over 200 spouting, steaming and boiling thermal springs, vapor-steam jets, boiling mud-pots, echoing cavities, hot and warm lakes, and creeks with falls.