Klochkov Oleg
Director of the Center for Tourism Development
Klochkov Oleg, Managing Director of the Center for Tourism Development (an autonomous non-profit organization, ANO) in the Polar Urals, told the EcoTourism EXPERT about the tourism anchors in the Yamal peninsula.
- Many people think of Yamal as the vast Arctic expanses, the northern lights and herds of deer. What else can tourists see in your region?
- Right, Yamal is really the best place to admire the fascinating Arctic nature and admire the Polar lights, Aurora Borealis. Salekhard is the only city on Earth located directly at the latitude of the Arctic Circle. This explains that we see the Polar lights more often than the people in other regions. And the ‘season’ of the stunning arctic lights in Yamal lasts from August to April!
Today, Salekhard is a beautiful modern city with breathtaking views of the Ob River and the Ural Mountains, which are clearly seen in clear weather from the windows of the upper floors in the buildings. At the Salekhard restaurants, travelers can taste ‘stroganina’ (slices of freshly frozen fish or meat served cold), cloudberries with pine (pignolia) nuts, fish soup cooked using a wide assortment of northern fish, and other cooked specialties that are finger licking good.
On the very spot where Salekhard once was founded, the historical and architectural complex Obdorsky Fortress was built without a single nail using the old traditional technology; it looks like the ancient fortress of the 16th century. Various festivals, fairs, competitions in national sports, as well as performances of ethnic groups and festive events are held there, the main of which for the northerners is Reindeer Herder’s Day.
The number of deer in our region is the largest in the world amounting to 620 thousand, just imagine! And these herds consisting of many thousands of animals roam right around the city. It is no coincidence that we have preserved an interesting culture of nomadic reindeer herders. Various ethnic tours are offered to tourists and invite them to stay in a real ‘chum’ (reindeer skin tent) of one of the local families in a reindeer herding camp. Tourists have a chance to get to know the ways of dressing the skins for ‘chums’ and making national clothes, lifehacks helping in starting and maintaining a fire, as well as to practice lassoing and harnessing a reindeer and enjoy traveling across the polar wastes on a sledge pulled by a reindeer team. Travelers taste traditional meals cooked in a ‘chum’. A very interesting experience, I recommend every traveler to have it.
I can also advise to visit the museum called ‘Yamal. Recent History’. And it’s very interesting to take part in the events of the international competition of young musicians Yamal Symphony that is a memorable experience. Travelers should definitely go to the village of Gornoknyazevsk located 15 km from the capital of the region where the Natural Ethnographic Complex is located dedicated to the preservation and popularization of the cultures of the indigenous peoples of the North. And during the New Year holidays, the residence of the Yamal Iri (Yamal Santa Claus) is also located here.
- The amazing natural beauty of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District is very impressive. What attractions would you recommend to visit first?
- First of all, it’s interesting to visit the Ingilor Natural Park in the Polar Urals. Its area is over 920 thousand hectares. In the Ingilor Park, tourists can go hiking, rafting or fishing, they can visit reindeer herders’ camps and watch herds of reindeer, as well as go to the old weather station. The ‘pearl’ of the Ingilor Natural Park is Bolshoye Shchuchye, the deepest lake in the Urals, often called ‘Yamal Baikal’.
Another tourism attraction of the Ingilor Natural Park is the Yangana-Pe mountainous area on the eastern slope of the Polar Urals. It’s hard to imagine, but the warm water of the Devonian Sea was at this place 400 million years ago. Yangana-Pe is a coral reef indicating that the Yamal peninsula was once the bottom of the ocean.
At the Morozov Station, there is the world’s largest musk ox farm (for breeding and raising the animals) - now there are over 200 animals. Tourists can also look at yaks, horses and other inhabitants of the Ingilor Natural Park.
The Jade Valley is a very interesting part of the Ingilor Natural Park, it is called so due to the abundance of minerals - nephrite and jade - in its area. The main attraction is the Jade Falls shimmering in all shades of green.
Fans of active tourism during vacations have something to do in the Ingilor Natural Park, for example, climb the Romantics Glacier, one of the easy-accessible glaciers in the world, to enjoy the fantastic view of the surrounding area, or SUP surfing (stand-up paddleboarding).
Probably, it’s worth mentioning that tourists must obtain a permit to visit the Ingilor Natural Park as it’s a specially protected natural area. This procedure is very quick and simple, and it’s definitely interesting to see the untouched northern nature.
- What promising tourism projects are planned to be developed in Yamal?
One of the most ambitious projects is an Arctic all-season mountain resort, including the construction of skiing infrastructure facilities and everything required for year-round recreation in the north of the Rai-Iz mountain range next to the Sob River. The mountain ski resort will be built in the coming years using concession mechanisms and attracting private investors.
This mountain ski resort will be a unique one. Thanks to the climatic conditions, the skiing season in Yamal is the longest in the world, it lasts 9 months a year - from October to May. Ski slopes of varying difficulty, chairlifts, hotels, restaurants, as well as a service and tourist center with a mountain skiing school, a spa complex, and other facilities for vacations and leisure time will be built at the Rai-Iz mountain ski resort.
The plans are that in the future, the Rai-Iz ski resort will become part of a large tourist cluster in the Polar Urals area. It will also include the Kharbey recreational complex, the international Arctic scientific station Snezhinka and the Ingilor Natural Park.
- ‘Yamal’ means the ‘end of the Earth’ in the Nenets language. Many people want to know how to travel around the region and what transportation means to use?
Travelers can get around Yamal by car, but they have to rent all-terrain vehicles to visit the most interesting natural locations. By the way, new interesting hiking and all-terrain routes will appear in the near future, as well as rental points.
Tourists can get to some hard-to-reach places by helicopter. Water transportation is well developed because coastal routes have been laid along the Ob, Malaya Ob, Nadym, Taz and Pur rivers where arctic motorships are used during the warmer season. And in winter, travelers can choose a reindeer sleigh, and this trip will give additional memorable experience.
The choice of vehicles depends on what travelers want to see and what part of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District they want to go to. In any case, they can choose a tour, decide on the transportation means, and select excursions of interest on our official website yamal.travel.ru
Photos courtesy of the ANO Tourism Development Center in the Polar Urals
