Taras Fomchenkov
for EcoToutism Expert 
The most popular travel destinations in the spring of 2024, the same as of 2022 will be making tours of Russia. Such a forecast was voiced by travel-experts, talked with EcoTourism EXPERT. According to them, the most popular destinations for short trips will traditionally be Moscow and St. Petersburg, as well as Sochi and Kazan. At the same time, the experts believe, the tourists from the regions where winter weather still prevails in early spring can prefer to travel to the Crimea. They assume that more expensive and longer trips from the category of recreational tourism to Baikal and Altai, as well as to Kamchatka and Sakhalin, will also remain popular.
In the spring, a serious revival of demand for recreation in those health centres is expected that can offer the programmes for rehabilitation after season deceases and the Covid-19, industry experts suggest.
EcoTourism EXPERT found out that the health centres offering such a profile of treatment and rehabilitation are mostly located in the Crimea and the Krasnodar Territory. I should say, the cost of rehabilitation can vary greatly ranging from 3,600 to 8,500 roubles and more per person per day in a double room for 12 to 14 days. There is an opportunity for the residents of the Urals and Siberia to undergo a full rehabilitation cycle without a need to fly to the sea, for example, at the Belokurikha (Altai Territory) resorts.
As for other destinations for spring vacations, first let’s talk about the exotic events. Such and event, for example, is the Reindeer Herder Day traditionally celebrated in the Russia’s Far North, for example, in the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District (Okrug). And the dates of this festival are very convenient as it is not tied to one specific day but is celebrated from early March to late April, smoothly passing the “baton” of the event from village to village in the District. The tourists can fly to Salekhard, the capital of Yamal, for a weekend. And then, to immerse themselves in the fun, fantastic, magical atmosphere of the festival, tasting the local cuisine, riding a dog sled, and getting acquainted with the life of families who still keep on watching herds of reindeer in the tundra. By the way, despite the low temperature, which in these places in the calendar spring is still low - around minus 15oC - the Reindeer Herder Day is the most “spring” festival as it marks the day of the spring solstice when the polar night begins to change into a polar day.
A trip to Vladimir and, of course, to Suzdal in spring can be less extreme, but certainly no less interesting experience. Suzdal is located just 37 kilometres away from the capital of the Vladimir Region. Almost everyone knows about the attractions of Vladimir where the travellers can enjoy their visit to the Assumption Cathedral with the frescoes of Andrei Rublev in it and the viewing deck behind it, and take a picture against the backdrop of the Golden Gate as well as the attractions of Suzdal where the tourists can’t help tasting delicious mead (honeywine) sold directly on the viewing deck. In spring one more, a seasonal attraction becomes available to tourists.
This is the Bogolyubovsky meadow. The village of Bogolyubovo with the Church of the Intercession of the Holy Virgin on the Nerl built in the 12th century and included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites is located in the Suzdal District. The easiest way to get into it is by driving around Vladimir not along the official by-pass road, but from the left.
The Bogolyubovsky meadow is not a monument in the truest sense of the word, but as a historical landscape complex, it serves as a kind of the church’s protective zone. At the same time, this is one of the famous attractions among ecotourism lovers, as it is a piece of pristine wilderness where white-tailed eagles listed in the Red Book nest, as well as about 290 species of so-called vascular plants grow, some of which are rare species. To avoid damaging the untouched flora by numerous tourists and disturbing the cautious fauna, two walking trails are laid across this meadow.
As for the tourist destinations interesting in spring, the Vladimir Region is worth visiting in this time of the year to see spring high water when the landscapes along the Nerl and Klyazma rivers are very beautiful.
Daghestan is a very hospitable region for spring travellimg, its importance as a tourist destination is undeservedly underestimated. In March, snow in this Republic seen scarce on the plains is beginning to melt, and average temperatures range from minus 1 to minus 7 degrees. Although, of course, it will not be as sunny as the travellers would like, and the warm weather comes to the Republic in mid-April.
Nevertheless, even in the first month of spring there is much to see in Daghestan as the region is full of various natural and man-made amazing attractions. For example, the travellers can enjoy their visit in March to the capital of Daghestan, Makhachkala, and to Derbent, a city on the Caspian Sea coast where the famous Naryn-Kala fortress included in the UNESCO World Heritage List is located. As for Makhachkala, it is worth visiting the National Museum where people can discover the history of Daghestan, from the time of dinosaurs and the Silk Road to the present day, as well as the Juma Mosque where 15 to 17 thousand people can pray at the same time, which makes it the largest mosque in Russia.
As for weather and road conditions, it is safe to travel about all the Daghestan area from mid-April and May. And in this time, a tourist has a big list of must-visit attractions. There is a natural monument, the Sary-Kum dune, not far from Makhachkala; by the way, it is the largest 213 to 263 metres high barchan (crescent-shaped sand dune) in Europe. In this area, a good hotel room starts at an average of 3,500 thousand roubles a day. Boardwalks are laid along the sand dune, and visiting this place, you get to know that the scene from the famous “The White Sun of the Desert” was filmed here - showing how Comrade Sukhov gave some water to Said (“buried” in the sand) from a teapot - and you sympathize with Spartak Mishulin who played the role of Said. Higher in the mountains, the visitors see a majestic panorama of the 1,920-metre Sulak Canyon (even the American Grand Canyon is about 200 hundred metre smaller), and go down to the flatland and return closer to the sea, to the village of Kubachi, one of the largest traditional centres of metal art and of stone- and wood-carving in the Caucasus.
In a word, the geography of Russia is worth making many spring journeys to discover the beauties of the country. And you can see everything, from the polar lights (aurora borealis) on the Kola Peninsula to the palm trees at the Black Sea coast. Make your plans in advance as just a little time is left before the spring comes!
