The mountainous Chukotka Peninsula, located on the north-east tip of Russia, has over 200 recorded bird species. To the east lies the Bering Strait, which supports a huge diversity of marine mammals.
The peninsula is bordered by the Chukchi Sea, the Bering Strait, and the Bering Sea, which ensure highly variable weather conditions. Numerous cetaceans, including grey, bowhead, humpback, orca and beluga whales, pass through the Bering Strait, which separates Russia and Alaska and connects the Pacific and Arctic Oceans. Pacific walrus are also abundant along the Chukotka coast.
Chukotka’s fauna is similar to Alaska’s, and many species found here exist nowhere else in Russia. The majority of Chukotka’s 200 or so bird species are migratory, and include the critically endangered spoon-billed sandpiper, horned and tufted puffins, lesser and crested auks, and Brünnich’s guillemot.
Chukotka is Russia’s sixth largest administrative area, measuring approximately half the size of Alaska, with the colourful port town of Anadyr at its centre.
Explore the diverse assemblage of wildlife and habitats of Kamchatka, home to one of the world’s most endangered waders: the spoon-billed sandpiper. This 13-night cruise aboard a vessel explores the stunning volcanic landscapes, coastlines and remote wilderness of the Commander Islands. Find out more about Kamchatka’s Forgotten Coast
