Day 1: Sunday
Depart Nome on a Bering Air charter flight
Departure time: Nome 12:30 p.m. (Sunday)
-----Cross the International Date Line ----
Day 2: Monday
Arrival at the Provideniya Airport. After clearing Russian customs and immigration, there will be a short excursion trip (9 km) from the airport to Provideniya along Emma Bay with a short presentation about the history, economy and the people inhabiting Ureliki village and Provideniya town. Settle into your accommodations. These are personal apartments where you will have a traditional Russian home-style lunch followed by a visit to the local museum and a walking tour in town to the Bering monument. Dinner will be at a local cafeteria or in the apartment. There will be an outdoor equipment check, and a briefing regarding your trip.
Day 3: Tuesday
After breakfast, we travel by ATV bus (25 km) to the native village of New Chaplino (population of 425) for a village tour and meeting with local residents (Siberian Yupiks). We then drive (12 km) to the local hunters’ camp at Inahpak point for lunch at a hunter’s cabin. After lunch, we proceed by boat to the Gil’mimil’ lagoon (around the Sinyavina hot springs) for dinner and to overnight. We will travel in two aluminum skiffs “Lund-18 boats, equipped with 40 h/p outboard motors, CB radios, GPS, safety vests and rain gear. During the boat ride (about 1 hour), look for gray whales, walrus, seals, and sea birds. We then enjoy the hot springs before dinner and overnight.
Day 4: Wednesday
After breakfast, we travel by boat to Ytygran Island (14 km) to explore Whale Bone Alley. After lunch, we go on to Nunengan Island (9 km), one of the richest sea bird colonies (mural, kittiwake, puffin and cormorant). After lunch we proceed by boat along the Sinyavina strait to the entry to the Penkignei Bay and Merninkan Island (Toporkovyi), home to colonies of horned and tufted puffins, and pigeon guillemots. Then it is on to the native village of Yanrakynnot whose 360 residents engage primarily in reindeer herding and marine mammal hunting. As long as the weather is good we will proceed by boat to Lorino (32 km) with a possible stop along the way to visit with reindeer herdsmen. We spend the night in an apartment in Lorino.
Day 5: Thursday
After breakfast we will tour the village of Lorino and their collective farm to and visit with walrus and whale hunters. We drive through the local landscape and stop at the hot springs baths. We return to Lorino for dinner and overnight.
Day 6: Friday
After an early breakfast, we travel by boat to Yanrakynnot where we will have lunch and then proceed by boat to Senyavina hot springs for dinner and overnight.
Day 7: Saturday
After another early breakfast, we proceed by boat to the hunters’ camp at Inahpak point. After a stop for tea and a snack, we load our bus and drive to Provideniya for lunch. We will then relax with a typical Russian steam bath followed by a farewell dinner.
Day 8: Sunday
This will be an extra day reserved for bad weather during our trip.
Day 9: Monday
After breakfast in our apartment, we drive by bus to the Provideniya airport. We then depart Provideniya on our Bering Air charter and return to Nome, Alaska.
Departure time: Provideniya 12:30 PM
