Wanderlust World Wanderlust World The first activity is a weekend tour that encourages people to escape from city life. It allows people to go fishing, swimming or berry picking. The forest's calmness and silence is a place to listen to the birds sing or read a book. There are places outside cities such as Moscow that are untouched by humans (i.e., reserves and national parks). If you're interested in a weekend eco-tour, there are several to choose from, including the Central Forest Reserve, Oksky Reserve and Prioksko-Terrasny Reserve.
Green Ring extended eco-tours include three nature reserves (Central-Forest, Prioksko-Terrasny and Oksky) and four national parks (Ugra, Meschera, Pleshcheevo Lake and Smolenskoe Poozerye). Visitors to the Green Ring will find features such as a spruce forests, rare plant life and rare bird species. Tourists can visit ancient Russian towns, museums, monasteries and numerous churches. These tours last nine days and visitors can customize their own programs. An example of a Green Ring tour is Fishing in Central Siberia tour that lasts eight days. As of May 2009, that tour costs $2,000 USD with four people.
Birdwatchers, who typically need binoculars, will enjoy noting the appearances, behaviors and locations of encountered birds. Birdwatchers will enjoy bird searching for birds near swamps and lakes. Russia has about 800 bird species. Those interested in birdwatching activities in Russia can plan a trip and create competitions among themselves or join in some established competitions. Those interested in this activity should consider visiting Kamchatka and Commanders, which is a birdwatching wonderland. As of May 2009, the price to go on a 14-day birdwatching adventure with six people is $3,200 USD.
The Russian Union of Nature Photographers and Ecological Travel Center have created three photo tours for those seeking areas for nature shooting. The Safari School is a tour where beginners can learn from skilled photographers. The Guru Safari takes photographers to some of the most difficult-to-access and interesting regions of the world. Pro Safari is a tour for experienced photographers. An example of a photo tour is the Photo Safari to Olkhon (Baikal Lake). As of May 2009, the price for that tour was about $550 USD.
Explorer's expeditions are designed to have tourists investigate nature. Those who choose this activity will be given a group leader, who can point out interesting features of nature and answer any questions. The group leader is educated in the lives of the wildlife and how flowers and trees grow. The areas visited are in protected natural areas, which are some of the least developed inhabitable places in the world. An example of such an expedition is the 12-day Natural Mysteries of Baikal. As of May 2009, the cost of this expedition was about $850 USD.