Amur River Border Canoe, Russia

Blagoveshchensk · Russia

Extreme30 daysAsia~£3,000 est.

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Overview

The Amur drains a wilderness most maps leave blank: for 4,444 kilometres it traces the Russia-China border from the steppe to the Sea of Okhotsk, and a month's canoeing on its Russian bank passes more fishing camps than towns. Below Blagoveshchensk the river braids through wetlands loud with cranes and white-tailed eagles; by Khabarovsk it runs kilometres wide; downstream, Nanai villages keep a salmon-fishing culture older than either empire, and the Sikhote-Alin ranges rising to the east are the last stronghold of the Amur tiger. You will not see one -- but knowing they are there changes how the forest feels. June to August gives long days and warm water, at the price of mosquitoes that demand a head net. This is an expedition inside a strict border zone: paddling permits must be arranged months ahead, camping is Russian-bank only, and you must be self-sufficient between resupply towns. Check FCDO travel advice for Russia before committing -- access and insurance are currently the hardest parts of the whole undertaking. Budget about 3,000 pounds for the month.