Esso Village

Esso sits in a valley in the middle of Kamchatka, surrounded by mountains and larch forest, and it runs on geothermal water: houses, greenhouses and the school are heated from hot springs, and an open-air pool in the middle of the village is used all year, including at minus thirty. The population is mixed Even, Koryak and Russian, and the Bystrinsky district is the main centre of Even culture on the peninsula - reindeer herding, an ethnographic museum with a good collection of clothing and household material, craft workshops working hide and fur, and summer festivals. The Beringia sled dog race, the longest in Russia, passes through or finishes here in spring. Around the village are trails, hot springs in the forest, and access to the Bystrinsky nature park. Getting there means a day on a rough road from Petropavlovsk or a small plane, and both are weather-dependent.

What you actually see

• The geothermal village - houses, greenhouses and the pool heated from hot springs.
• The open-air pool - used through the winter at deep sub-zero temperatures.
• The Even museum - clothing, tools and reindeer herding material of the district.
• The Beringia race - the long-distance sled dog event that runs through in spring.

When to go

June to September for hiking; March for the sled dog race and winter conditions. Two to three days.

Honest expectations

The road from Petropavlovsk takes most of a day and is rough; flights are small and cancelled by weather. Accommodation is guesthouses with basic facilities. Bears are present around the village and food storage rules matter. Mosquitoes in summer are severe.

Nearby

Bystrinsky nature park surrounds the village; Anavgai is a short way north.