At Ural mountains they are considered the natural border between Europe and Asia. They are beautiful mountains that cover about 2500 kilometers and belong to Russia and Kazakhstan. Its soils hide treasures for the modern world such as coal, oil or iron, so the entire area is extremely important for both countries.
The highest point in the Urals is Mount Narodnaya which reaches 1895 meters of altitude. Yes, it is not a mountain range with very high peaks, but it is high enough so that its crest stands out among the plains that, on one side and the other, extend around it. Today we are going to learn more about the Ural Mountains and their touristic offer.
The Ural Mountains
The hills they range from the kara sea, part of the Arctic Ocean, north of Siberia, to the kazakh steppe, open grasslands north of Kazakhstan and part of Russia. There are two islands in the north that are part of the mountains, an extension of them: New Zembla Island and Vaygach Island.
As we said, the highest peak is Mount Narodnaya at 1895 meters, with some glaciers on top. The Ural Mountains are divided into five sectors: The Arctic Urals, well to the north, the Subarctic Urals, where is the Narodnaya; the Northern Urals, parallel chains; the Central Urals, lower, and Southern Urals, with valleys.
The Ural Mountains have caves, sharp rocks, many rivers ... Their landscapes are varied depending on the altitude and the length of the terrain, so steppes abound but also forests. In terms of fauna, the Urals are home to lynx, squirrels, martens, foxes, wolves, bears, badgers, grouse, marmots, owls, partridges, pheasants, reindeer ....
The Urals they are one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world and according to geologists they were formed some 250 to 300 million years ago when the supercontinent Euroamerica collided with the much newer and weaker continent of Kazakhstan. They estimate that the crash occurred over 90 million years.
Tourism in the Ural Mountains
The mountainous landscapes of the Ural Mountains are a wonder to do outdoor tourism. There are many tourist agencies on the Russian side, in the Perm province, who can organize a tour with all the equipment and transportation required. The offer of tours is varied: there are river rides, extreme trekking, cross-country skiing, horseback riding, and fishing and hunting trips. Perm is a very large industrial center, founded in 1723.
The river walks They are in a catamaran for four people and allow you to appreciate the beauty of the mountains from the water course, enjoying nature well, seeing infinite villages and forests. Perm has at least 40 rivers that are suitable for these types of walks, but among the most popular are the Koiva River and the Vishera.
At the time of doing trekking in Russia you have to take into account that it is demanding. The distances are long, there is a lot of untouched nature, tremendously beautiful, where sometimes the weather changes in a single day. The best places for trekking is the Basegi National Park, 200 kilometers from Perm, with three mountains and very diverse landscapes and the Vishersky State Reserve. In both destinations the excursions last days.
For the walks of Cross country keep in mind that winter here is very hard. Frozen. Tours can last from four days to ten, when it includes Moscow. They also usually include the border between Europe and Asia, the Mount Toplaya Gora, the call Tsar's Gate karst rock, the Koiva River, the Chudesnitsa Caves, the frozen waterfalls of Khrustalny… Another popular cross-country region is the Krasnovishersky area, 300 kilometers from Perm.
Much closer to Perm, the base of operations on the Russian side, we could say, on the other side of the Kama River, is the small Nizhnaya Kurya village and here is a horse farm that organizes horseback rides. There are 30 animals of different sizes and breeds and passes with guides are offered for tourists who know how to ride or not. There are even multi-day routes for more experienced people.
In terms of fishing and hunting Perm is one of the best destinations on the European side of Russia. There are many hunting grounds that offer the possibility of hunting different animals (wolves, foxes, lynx). The infrastructure can also be very top. The same in terms of fishing since the province has the largest number of rivers and streams in Russia and you can fish from trout to carp. The easiest option for fishing is the Kama River, from June to October.
Finally, the Perm tourism agencies also offer to experience the dacha experience, the typical Russian summer house. Dacha season is from May to September and they usually accommodate up to four people. Staying two days and one night at a dacha can include boating, fishing, picking mushrooms in the forest, sunbathing, swimming. All this is what tourism offers in Perm, but of course it is not the only destination in the Ural Mountains.
What other places are there in the Ural Mountains? Well you can visit the city of Yekaterinburg, with a million and a half people, only relatively touristy since the '90s. It is the largest Russian city in Asia and is surrounded by forests. The industrial part is on the outskirts so the city itself has a smoother profile, with wide avenues lined with trees and buildings. Here is the beautiful Church of the Blood of All Saints, with a golden dome that stands where Tsar Nicholas II and his wife Alejandra were assassinated with their five children.
The fortress of chelyabinks It is from 1736 and gave birth to the city of the same name, also with more than a million inhabitants. It is south of the Urals and has a handful of interesting art museums. Orenburg It is a smaller industrial center, dating from 1735. It also has several museums and in its surroundings you can hunt, go fishing or visit caves, mines and quarries.
The truth is that the Ural Mountains are a great destination to experience nature fully, so if you like walking through forests, gazing at the stars, stopping in front of huge lakes and feeling that the world is the most beautiful place in the universe, the Ural Mountains are there waiting for you.