Excursion by nature of the Primorsky Territory. What to visit if you come to the Primorye Region (Vladivostok). Eco-tours and hiking.

Hello, foreign guest! If you are love hiking or another leisure and you don`t know what to do in the Primorsky Krai, then this article was written for you.

По­лез­но­сти и лай­фх­а­ки


Hello, I am the creator of this blog and group, my name is Vitaly Baryshnikov. First, I will tell a little about us, about the WildMen.ru group. We are a group of young humans from the Primorye (24-35 years old) who like to spend time outdoors, away from the city bustle, we like wild trips, camping, hiking and resting the sea. In ordinary life we are engaged in different activities, we work on ordinary jobs, but we are united by a common hobby - to be in beautiful places.

We do not make business and do everything for ourselves, and you can join us. For any offers, we are always open.

I apologize if you find many grammatical mistakes in the text, my English is rather weak. Please help me correct the mistakes and make the text better.

A bit of geography

Now let's get outside of and talk about Primorsky Region and the geographical positioning as a whole.

The Vladivostok city is located in the southern district of the Primorsky region, on the largest Peninsula of Maravyova-Amurskogo, in the Peter-the-Great Bay. In the same bay are all the major islands of the region, there are about 15 (four of them inhabited), all islands are different sizes, some of them are as part of national parks.

Far Eastern Map (Central and Southern areas)

The Maravyova-Amurskogo Peninsula (on which Vladivostok port is located) divides the Bay of Peter the Great into two bays: from the west - the Amur Bay, from the east - the Ussuri Bay. In the Bay of Peter the Great, there are also other large ports, for example, the Nakhodka city and one of the largest ports of Russia - the Vostochny port.

The length of the region from north to south is about 900 kilometers, however, the bulk of the population lives in the south. The fact is that all economic centers and ports are in the south. The northern climate is quite severe, there is very hot in summer and very cold in winter.

In the south there is a warm sea, this is the most important thing, that's why tourists come here from other regions in summer, and all the popular beaches are occupied by huge crowds, they arrange booze and discos, leaving tons of rubbish and shit after self.

We categorically despise this kind of rest, therefore we don`t go to such areas, preferring more wild places.

The northern areas are the wildest areas and very popular with fishermen and hunters. In the northern regions, agriculture, logging, and hunting are developed.

The southern area and the South-East area are the most interesting from the point of view of nature and beauty of places, there are preserves.

The main part of the picturesque mountains is on the Sikhote-Alin’ Range, which passes by through these areas. The most beautiful seashores are located here too.

The most of the natural attractions are within a radius of 350 kilometers from Vladivostok, but mostly mass tourists travel within a radius of 150 kilometers.

If you came to Vladivostok, then you probably already found any tours around the Primorye, but you will never see the real beauty of the region and are not taken to a wild hike that you will remember. In basically, these tours are designed for a mass tourist, so tour firms are carrying crowds of tourists for simple excursions, without overnight staying and for one day. Unlike of them, we do not like to rush and we like to enjoy nature, that's why we are preparing with an overnight stay for 1-3 days.

Beautiful places

The most beautiful places are of course in the reserves, where it is not so easy to get into, it is necessary to coordinate the visit with the administration of reserve (but not for all).


In the Primorye Territory there are several nature preserves, here are the most interesting:

1. The National Park "Land of the Leopard" (Rus. "Zemlya Leoparda"), also includes the national park "Kedrovaya pad'". It is located on South-West in the Khasan district. Tourists are free to go here (without agreement), there are eco trails and routes, and it’s a fairly large nature reserve. It the reserve is inhabited by Far Eastern leopards, bears, ungulates and other animals. To the reserve, you must drive from Vladivostok about 2.5 hours along the good road. The preserve is considered the most developed in terms of infrastructure for tourism.

Far Eastern Leopard

2. The National Park "Call of the Tiger" (Rus. "Zov Tigra"). Do you guess why this preserve had been called like that? Yes, this is the habitat of the largest striped cat, the Amur Tiger. It is a very beautiful nature reserve, there are includes the highest mountains of the region, the most picturesque river of the Primorskiy Krai - Milogradovka (also called Van-Chin). The area of the preserve is more than 83,000 hectares. It is quite far from Vladivostok, about 5 hours on the road, along the bad road. This reserve does not border the sea and is located inside of taiga forest.

The Milogradovka river
The Milogradovka river

3. The Lazovsky reserve named of LG Kaplanov is a rather popular reserve in the Lazovsky District (located on South-Eastern of the region), which covers an area of more than 115,000 hectares. The reserve is known for its two parts.

The first part (Southern area) is a unique island of Petrov, where there are plants that do not grow anywhere else in the Primorsky Territory. The place is mostly famous for its yew grove. Yew-trees make shadows that the sunlight almost doesn’t pass to the land. Yew-trees is not alone, there are many rare plants and trees. The island is located in a beautiful environment of sand beaches, white granite rocks, and blue-green transparent water.

The Lazovskiy reserve: Petrova Island. Fly view.
The Lazovskiy reserve: The Yew Grove on the Petrova Island
The Lazovskiy reserve: The Petrova bay (opposite placed beach)

The Second part (Northern area), these are wild picturesque bays of the northern part of the Lazovsky reserve, where wild animals live: bears, tigers, deer and other. The animals sometimes show up on the seashore and hunt.

Not far from outside the reserve (nearly opposite), there is a picturesque island called "Opasniyi" (eng. "Dangerous"), where you can freely walking and enjoyment of nature. The island is uninhabited, has interesting relief of granite rocks, also there is big rookery of birds on the long sandy spit.

The underwater world is also very interesting to dive here, there are octopuses, sea perches, seals, sea stars, sea anemones, and sometimes there are killer whales.

The Lazovskiy reserve (Northern area)
The Lazovskiy reserve (Northern area): the Tachingouza Bay
The Lazovskiy reserve (Northern area): the Tachingouza Bay

4. Far Eastern Marine Biosphere Reserve - protects the marine and insular parts of Peter the Great Bay, it includes the islands: Popov (partially), Stenin, De Livrov, Hildebrandt, Durnovo, Matveev, Big Pelis, Furugelma, Vera, and the island-cape "Ostrovok Opasnyi".

Nesting places of seabirds, rookeries of the seals, sometimes there are killer whales concentrated.

The main wealth of the reserve is marine invertebrates, including 450 species of crustaceans, 200 species of mollusks (octopus, squid, scallops, and mussels), 30 species of echinoderms, among which the Far Eastern trepang is the most famous.

Also in the reserve is a beautiful unique flora, there are species of plants rarely found on the mainland. A special aesthetic value is represented by the densely flowered pine and rhododendron of Schlippenbach. These plants grow very beautifully on the steep white rocks near the sea and very much resemble Japanese bonsai.

Far Eastern Marine Biosphere Reserve
Far Eastern Marine Biosphere Reserve

Beautiful places of the Primorsky Region which you can visit freely

In addition to the preserves in the Primorsky Krai, you can visit no less beautiful places absolutely free.

Firstly, these are all the same neighborhoods of preserves that are not under protection. The most beautiful places are near the Lazovsky Reserve (Lazovskiy Region) and the Far Eastern Marine Biosphere Reserve (Khasanskiy Region).

Secondly, there is at a distance about 160 kilometers from Vladivostok, is located the Nakhodka city, in the vicinity of which there are beautiful places with rocks, beaches, and lagoons.

These places are not too hard for visiting. The main thing is to get to the destination on a car (about 2-hour drive from Vladivostok). You must have to walk about 1-4 hours to the place (5 kilometers is a maximum to the one way).

View from the Sister Mount (Nakhodka city area)
View from the Sister Mount

- The bays “Spokoynaya” and “Aviatorov”, in these places are beautiful white rocks and gorgeous underwater views, you can find octopuses, flounder, sea bass and terpug.

- in the same neighborhood, there is the so-called "Valley of Atlantes" and an outcrop called the "The Devil's Finger", this rocky granite picturesque mountain range of unusual shape, from which you can see stunning views of the “Spokoynaya” bay and the surrounding mountains, valleys, and lagoons.

The Devil's Finger area
The Devil's Finger area

- If you walk a little more along the ridges along the coast from the "Aviatorov" Bay about 5 kilometers on foot, then you can walk to Cape Lisuchenko, the strong wind strikes in it. The cape is surrounded by steep cliffs, and from above there is a view of the open sea, and all nearby bays. There is wanted to stay here longer and just look around. It is too difficult to describe in words its beauty. You need to see it personally.

Way to the Lisuchenko cape
The Lisuchenko cape way

The popular mountains of the Primorsky Region

So, let’s quickly go through some mountains, do it very short.

All the mountains of the Primorsky Krai are at an altitude below 2000 meters, but it does not mean that they are not interesting to visit.

Basically, all the mountains are part of one large mountain system, called Sikhote-Alin Range, its length is about 1200 kilometers, and in the north, it extends beyond the Primorsky Krai.

The highest Sikhote-Alin Mountains are in the center of the region.

The highest mountain in the Primorsky Krai is in the preserve "Zov Tigra" (eng. "Call of the Tiger"), the "Oblachnaya" (eng. "Cloudy Mount") mountain, its height is 1855 meters and next to it there is another mountain - the "Sestra" (the third highest in the region after the "Oblachnaya" and "Snezhnaya"). The "Oblachnaya" is not so popular with mass tourists, as it is far enough from Vladivostok. The route will take about 400 kilometers to drive and the one day will not be enough.

Fortunately, on much closer, there are mountains with beautiful views, which can be visited in one day.

The most known to tourists are about 12-15 peaks of the Primorsky Krai.

The most accessible nearest mountains

1. The "Livadiyskaya" mount (better known as "Peedan")

It is one of the most famous in the Primorsky Krai. This mountain is considered a "place of power" or an "energy place", i.e. say that their people are charging with energy. At along the way to the top, you are walking near the picturesque channel of the "Sukhodol" river. The height of the "Peedan" is 1332 meters.

There is also a possible route with crossing along the ridges to other peaks. Such routes are designed for two and more days.

The trail to the Peedan Mountain passes beside the source Sukhodol river.
The Peedan Mount: The last climb to the top
The Peedan Mount: Views from the mountain top

2. The "Leetovka" mount (or better known as "Falaza")

It is the second most popular mountain after the "Peedan" and is located near. There is a route (traverse) to go from Falaza to Pidan. The height of the Falaza is 1279 meters.

The top of Falaza mount
The Falaza: Dead forest

3. The "Tumannaya" mount (or better known as "Vorobey")

It is the mountain, which you can drive on a car almost to the very top, and on foot, you need to walk just about a couple of kilometers to the peak. This mountain is located on the opposite side of the valley from the Pidan and Falaza, with it, a beautiful view of the valley and the mountain range opens. The "Tumannaya" height is 1230 meters.

The Tumannaya Mount: Views from the mountain top
The Tumannaya Mount: Views from the mountain top

4. The "Chandalaz"

The "Chandalaz" mountain is a rock massif, with its multiple caves known to all local cave explorers. The height of the mountain is only 760 meters, but nothing like the "Chandalaz" in Primorye is anymore.

The Chandalaz Mount: Views from the mountain top

That's basically all the available mountains, only four pieces, which you can visit without much effort for one day, for the other mountains you need more passable transport and to overcome a more longer way.

5. The "Olkhovaya" mountain

It is located in a difficult terrain, after leaving the asphalt road, you need to drive over 20 kilometers off-road, and on the way, you need to cross the river several times. In addition, the mountain itself is in a far area (relative to Vladivostok) - in the Lazovsky district (South-East of the region).

The height of the Mount "Olkhovaya" is 1669 meters. At the top of you waiting for - a surprise, there is a small lake where you can even swim. You can pass the Olkhovaya for a one day, but for this, you need to leave Vladivostok very early and you will return late.

The Alekseevskoe lake on the peak of Olkhovaya mount
The Olkhovaya peak

6. The "Lyisaya" mountain (1560 meters)

It is located opposite the "Olkhovaya" and if you wish, both of these peaks can be visited in one day. But there is another way to "Lysaya" through the Benevskoye village, with visiting waterfalls. The route through the waterfalls is harder and you will spend two days.

The Lysaya mount: The top is near
The top of the Lysaya mount

So, I wrote here about mountains briefly, and not about all. If you are interested in learning more about other mountains or other things - please, write this in the comments, I will supplement this article or write a new one.


Keep in mind that in the Primorskiy region there are also waterfalls, rivers and of course the sea with islands. Therefore, if you are interested in know about sea adventures or river rafting, then also let me know.

I would like to know if there are foreign tourists among visitors to this site, so if you came to stay in Russia and are interested in tourism or hike in Primorsky Krai, then you can ask questions in the comments below, or through Instagram Direct, Facebook or VK.

Visit the @wildmen.ru on Instagram, where you can see the photos taken by us in the Primorsky Region.

Also, you can contact me personally by WhatsApp or Telegram, by number +7-914-663-4445.

Thank you for reading my article. Bye!

Виталий Барышников

Виталий Барышников

Группа: Administrator

Автор идеи и разработчик сайта, а также любитель активного отдыха, спорта и природы.

Комментарии ()

Chuan Yee
Chuan Yee

I am Chuan, from Singapore. I am considering a trip to Vladivostok. I am thinking of going hiking and camping around in the Primorsky region for 3-4 days in August 2020.

Are there any great places that are accessible by train, from Vladivostok?

Thank you.
Виталий Барышников
Виталий Барышников
Hi, Chuan. Yes, there is that places. Some mountains: Pidan, Falaza, Chandolaz and Chitinza. You can visit any place in one day, without overnight staying. It's one train Vladivostok — Nakhodka. If you want more info please send me your questions to Instagram or WhatsApp or Telegram
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