Bering Sea Explorer tracks through a wildlife wilderness. Kamchatka’s 120 or so volcanoes rise above bird-filled forests. Koryak culture and geological wonders are set amidst a stunning landscape. Commander Islands captivate with Aleut cultural performances, sea lions, fur seals, otters, extensive bird cliffs and Vitus Bering’s grave. We encounter Chukchi fishermen, brown bears, walrus and whales.

Sweet summer days stretch well into night as snow-capped volcanoes blush with alpenglow and pine-scent fills the air. Lush vegetation reclaims abandoned fish processing plants, now bear-cub playgrounds. Hot springs beckon along Kamchatka’s coast, while waterfalls thunder nearby. Aleut cultural performances brighten subarctic Commander Islands, where bird cliffs pulsate with puffins, murres, auklets and kittiwakes. Explorer Vitus Bering’s tragic grave stands near waters alive with sea lions, fur seals and otters. In Chukotka’s glacier-carved fjords and jagged mountains, we may meet Chukchi fishermen and hike to alpine lakes. Hidden for so long, Kamchatka and Chukotka now reveal their treasures.

Petropavlovsk, cultural centre of Kamchatka, sports a lively buzz as we pass through to board Akademik Shokalskiy in the evening. Our staff and Russian crew usher us aboard before a late departure down beautiful Avacha Bay, suitably bordered by symmetric volcanoes.

Wake to the wild beauty of Kamchatka’s east coast. Careful Zodiac navigation takes us past salmon fishing camps into the powerful Zhupanova River, as far upstream as we can go. Look for brown bears, Steller’s sea eagles and distant mountains.

Kronotskiy Biosphere Reserve protects stunning volcanoes, dwarf pine thickets, hundreds of brown bears, a Steller’s sea lion rookery, salmon-rich rivers, eagles, gyrfalcons and wolverines. Soak in the soothing hot springs of Kamenistaya Bay and trek through lowlands covered in cottongrass, aspens and birch. As we turn towards the Commander Islands, our naturalists and lecturers share their enthusiasm with informative talks about what we hope to see.

Spectacular sea cliffs, arches and stacks, signal our arrival in the Commander Islands. Pay tribute to explorer Vitus Bering and visit his grave and memorial. Highlights include: Peregegrebnaya Bay, summer nesting site for red-legged and black-legged kittiwakes; Cape Monati, to spot albatross and whales; northern fur seals and Steller’s sea lions; cruising around volcanic Ariy Kamen, surrounded by thousands of kittiwakes, puffins and murres. At Nikolskoe village, Russia’s remaining Aleut community entertains us with lively performances. A small museum features Bering memorabilia and some of the world’s only remains of the extinct Steller’s sea cow.

We ramble across the fantastic, terraced, recently uplifted coastline of Soldatskaya Bay. Thick vegetation draws a variety of wildlife, including long-billed murrelets and salmon-fishing bears.

Small, narrow Verkhoturova Island hosts cormorants, gulls, kittiwakes and auklets, while Steller’s sea lions adorn nearby rocky islets. A heartfelt greeting awaits us at Tymlat Bay, a Koryak village, along with a feast of senses, as these wonderful, hardy folk display their unique culture through dance, games and deliciously fresh food.

A Zodiac cruise along Govena Peninsula takes us into stunning Lavrova Bay fjord where abandoned herring factory attracts bears. Orcas and Bryde’s whales frequent these waters. Afternoon hike through Uznaya Glubokaya Bay’s fields reveals succulent roseroot, diminutive but fragrant; magenta-colored pixie eyes; and cheery purple-blue-colored Jacob’s ladder. Continue past waterfalls to glacial moraine and a spectacular vista of jagged peaks.

Wake to spectacular mountains rising above Natalya Bay. Zodiac cruise beneath Bogoslov Island’s sea cliffs, where puffins, kittiwakes, murres and cormorants breed, and climbing bears raid their nests. Walrus haul out nearby. Hike to hidden alpine lakes and gaze upon the dramatic glacier-carved valleys of St Peter Bay, or Glybokaya Bay. Scattered stands of birch and alder hide singing bluethroat, while golden rhododendron and dwarf azaleas carpet the tundra.

Lush valleys and dramatic mountains feature in the Koriakskiy Reserve, one of the planet’s greatest waterfowl reserves where some 700,000 white-fronted and bean geese, whooper swans, little brown cranes and shore birds come to nest. Dezhneva Bay offers a coastal lagoon for birders and, possibly, grey whales. In Anastasia Bay are walrus haulouts and birdlife, including the bluethroat and Siberian rubythroat.

Explore Gabriel Bay’s wide river mouth and lagoon, classic stone tundra country dotted with cheery pale-blue blossoms of forget-me-not. We may meet local Chukchi fisherman living a traditional lifestyle and inspect an abandoned polar weather station. Watch for brown bears, wolves, and beluga whales.

Putting the Bering Sea behind us, we arrive early in Anadyr and after breakfast, bid farewell to staff and crew before being transferred to the airport for onward adventures.