Commander Islands

The Commanders are the westernmost of the Aleutian chain, four islands in the Bering Sea, of which only Bering island is inhabited - about seven hundred people at Nikolskoye, mostly Aleut and Russian. Vitus Bering's expedition was wrecked here in 1741 on the return from Alaska and he died on the island that now carries his name; his grave and the wreck site are marked. The islands are a federal reserve and one of the great marine wildlife sites in Russia: northern fur seal and Steller sea lion rookeries with tens of thousands of animals, sea otters, over two hundred bird species with enormous cliff colonies, and whales offshore including humpback, fin and orca. It is also where Steller's sea cow was described in 1741 and hunted to extinction within twenty-seven years, which the reserve does not soften. Access is by limited flights or cruise, with permits and border paperwork.

History

The islands are named after Commander Vitus Bering, whose ship St Peter was wrecked on the uninhabited Bering Island on the voyage back from Alaska in 1741; Bering died there with much of the crew, and his grave is marked by a modest monument. The Russian-American Company brought Aleut people here from the Aleutians early in 1825 for the seal trade, and a mixed language, Mednyj Aleut, grew up among them (Wikipedia, Commander Islands).

What's there

• The rookeries - northern fur seal and Steller sea lion haul-outs in tens of thousands.
• Bering's grave - the marked site where the navigator died in 1741.
• The bird cliffs - over two hundred species with large colonies.
• The sea cow record - a species described here in 1741 and extinct within twenty-seven years.

When to go

July to September, when rookeries are occupied and flights are most likely. A week or more, since flights are cancelled routinely.

Things to know

Flights to Nikolskoye are few, small and cancelled constantly by weather - being stuck for days at either end is normal. Permits and border zone paperwork are compulsory. Rookery viewing is from hides at set distances. Facilities on the island are minimal.

Nearby

Kamchatka is seven hundred and fifty kilometres west; the Aleutians run east.

Key facts