Sibérie et Oussouri

(Cliquer sur cartes et photos pour un meilleur effet !)

Comme en 2010, l’ALF, en association avec Yuri Berezhnoi, propose des séjours ou périples en Sibérie. Les dates précises n’en sont pas encore fixées : elles le seront prochainement en fonction des choix des inscrits (déjà plusieurs participants). Il va sans dire que les mois de juin et de juillet sont les plus propices avec une entomofaune plus abondante et plus diversifiée.

Mr. Yuri Ivanovich Berezhnoi
Speaks Russian & English

5-35 Lipovskaya Street, Lipetsk 398 002, Russia
Phone: +7-916-373-5774
e-mail: butterflies@mail.ru

18-26, Safonov Street, Vladivostok 690 011, Russia.
Phone: +7-916-373-5774
e-mail : butterflies@mail.ru

Pour l’été 2011, les destinations envisagées sont les suivantes :

– Oussouri (Primorie)
– Yakoutie : la région de Magadan
– Un périple de Vladisvostok à Krasnojarsk
– Le Caucase
– l’Altaï

L’Oussouri

En 2011, les propositions sont globalement les mêmes que celles formulées pour l’été 2010. C’est pourquoi, nous renvoyons les candidats vers ces deux articles :

– Voyage entomologique en Oussouri où l’on trouvera le descriptif complet (faune, localités, climat, hébergement, coûts) du voyage projeté

– Rhopalocères de l’Oussouri (Primorye) : le compte rendu du voyage de juillet 2010.

La carte ci-dessous indique l’emplacement des lieux de prospection entomologique.

1. La région de Vladivostok et les îles proches

Landscapes: broad-leaved (90%) and coniferous (10%) forest, river banks, marshes, seacoast rocks and vast meadows. Staying in a hotel or private flat of Vladivostok and visit collecting places by bus, electric train, taxi, sea ferry or/and the hired car.

2. La côte au Sud de Vladivostok et la Péninsule de Gamova

80 km south-west of Vladivostok. Landscapes: broad-leaved forest with inclusion at seacoast the pine trees, high rocks, sea beaches and vast meadows. Staying at a local guesthouse and getting places by step or/and the hired car.

3. Autour d’Anisimovka : les Monts Livadijskij et le sommet du Grand Vorobei

60 km East of Vladivostok. Landscapes: broad-leaved (70%) and coniferous (30%) forest, meadows (including sub-alpine zone), river banks, marshes and rocks. Staying will be provided in a mountain-forest at a comfortable guesthouses or/and tour bases, with sharing a room for one or two persons. Collecting is by step and getting remote localities by local electricity train. You can hire also the car with driver for some days or the all tour time.

4. Les Monts Sinij

150 north-east of Vladivostok. Landscapes: big meadows, broad-leaved (60%) and coniferous (40%) forest, river banks and marshes among. Staying in a hotel or guesthouse of Spassk and Arsenjev cities and visit collecting places by local taxi, bus or/and the hired car.

5. Région de Dal’negorsk

Two areas of Sikhote-Alin Mts, to your choice : in a middle and northern part of Ussuri region. Landscapes: broad-leaved (40%) and coniferous (60%) forest, meadows (including sub-alpine zone), rocks, river banks, marshes and small lakes. You will stay in a hotel of Dalnegorsk city (northern Ussuri) and guesthouse in Topolevyi village (middle Ussuri). Collecting localities are available by step, local bus, taxi or/and the hired car.

6. Le Lac Khanka

Khanka Lake area, 150 km north of Vladivostok. Landscapes: forest-steppe, meadows, marshes, river banks and vast lake. You will stay a local tour base or guesthouse and intended to collect by step or/and the hired car.

Yakoutie : la région de Magadan

12 juin au 5 juillet

East Siberia is a country of magnificent and wild Nature, still very little studied by naturalists and entomologists. We invite you to visit the great part of that country: Magadan region, with our entomological and Nature History tour.

About the region

See on the map of Russia the territory between Yakutia and Kamchatka – this is Magadan region. Local nature belongs to a polar zone, with larch forests and tundra, many marshes and lakes. Most areas are mountainous, at 700-1000 m altitude and maximum to 2300 m. Okhotsk Sea is an eastern frontier of the region, stretching 2700 km rocky seacoast. Magadan fauna is remarkable and presented by northern deer, snow sheep, brown bear, a plenty of small mammals, birds, fishes and insects. Flora is a «garden» of testy berries and nice flowers. This region of a France size populated just about by 130 000 citizens – a one of most not habited areas over the world!

Weather

Magadan summer is warm: 18-23° C daytime at seacoast and to 5-6° degrees higher in interior areas. Sunny weather takes usually about 70 % of the season time.

Local insects

Not many species but most are interesting! – the definition of local entomofauna. It includes a complex of Polar-Asian taxons and many endemics. Magadan butterflies number about 130 species, including the only of genus Parnassius (5 species), Colias (7 species), Erebia (14 species!), Oeneis (6 species), Clossiana (8 species), Boloria and others. Quantity of adults is lower, than in southern regions but you can take a day an easy their 5-6 dozen batch. Moths are presented by rare Arctiidae, Geometriidae, Noctuidae and other families, numbering more than 1000 species. Collecting at lamp is a not beneficial, because of polar light nights, but you can get many interesting moths in a day time. Beetles, dragonflies and other local insects are also splendid and rare, and many of them still not described. The best collecting period in the region will be from June till middle July.

Tour plan

We will arrange your visit during the tour several collecting areas, which have difference of insect fauna, meeting you in a first tour day in the airport and sending off there in the last day. It will be provided for the all tour time your lodging at comfortable apartments, feeding, guiding and entomology consultancy services, visa and registration. We can arrange on request your delivery by car with driver to and from insect localities. We are ready to help in collecting specimens, photographing and other member events. It may be organized on request a culture and shopping program in Magadan and other cities of stay. Note that two tour days will be spent in driving to and from remote collecting areas but it will be a possible to stop for catching insects 2-3 hours each time during the journey. Quantity of members: 1-4.

Equipment

You have to take all your collecting and photographic equipment. If your tour program foresees a camping, bring please a tent, a sleeping bag and mat or airbed. Take some warm clothes, because the local evenings and cyclone days sometimes are very cold. Put to a baggage a small backpack for carrying equipment, lunch and water during collecting excursions. Bring trainers or sandals to walk by forest roads, boots, if you have plan of visit stony localities, and top-boots for the excursions after rain. Take a pack of a mosquito repellent, as gnats and midges are very numerous in that region. Have an umbrella or rain coat. Do not forget to take a little bell… (see under).

Safety

Magadan points are safe for tourist but note some dangers in a wild. The region has big population of brown bears. They are avoid to meet a man and usually not aggressive but fasten little bell to your backpack, which scaring them, for safety. There are many rapid streams in mountains. Do not cross the big ones without help of guide! The region has Nature protecting service. To meet its officer is very scant probability but put aside your net if sound car and man in area!

How to get Magadan

There are no railways in the region, and ground or sea ways are very hard and slow, so we recommend you to get the Magadan by plane. You can travel via Moscow, Vladivostok and other big cities in Russia, which have regular flights to and from the region, and order tickets through Internet cities of some air-companies, working there: www.aeroflot.ru, www.transaero.ru and www.vladivostokavia.ru. If you have a problem on ordering tickets, do not hesitate to inquire for our support and we will try to help you. Please inform us soon after you booked the tickets about your flight number, date and local time of your arrival, so that we got enough time to arrange your meeting.

Dernières informations (au 1er mars 2011) : Tour with Yuri Berezhnoi in Yakutia, Momskyi Mts.

Those mountains of Pyrenees size is not investigated by entomologists. There is a chance to find new butterfly species and 100% chance for new subspecies. Travel is possible by helicopter by steps. In second case a tourist should have good physical conditions with experience in mountain tourism (about 80 km of hard way and same for return). Tour time is from 10 June to 5 July. By helicopter it may be shorter. Yuri can give more information on a such tour to any interesting person. He can collect specimens in reward for any investment for my tour to those mountains.

Le périple Vladivostok – Krasnojarsk

«Butterfly rally» tour, or travel by car from Vladivostok to Krasnoyarsk (about 5000 km), with collecting butterflies in several remote areas.

Tour plan is intended driving by comfortable car across east Russia, with seeing and photographing the sights along the road and places of  stay, plus collecting different butterflies and other insects. Butterfly fauna of the tour area is very different, including various Parnassius, Colias, Erebia, Oeneis, Clossiana, Boloria, Limenitis, Neptis and other. Total you will collect about 70 species during the tour… and even more !

Staying is in road and city hotels and feeding in cafes and restaurants, and in hotels common foods from shops. It is possible on request of tour members to stay in some places also in tents. Tourist equipment for such events should be brought by tourist. The driver will be also your guide. He speaks English only with phrase book but it will be enough for a such tour.

The date of tour is any on the tourist choice, from 15 May till 1 August. The best time for collecting butterflies is from 1 June till 10 July, moths – from middle June till September (and in Ussuri till October).

Areas of stay :

Ussuri : 4 days
Khabarovsk region : 3 days
Amur : 3 days
Transbaikalien : 4 days
South Siberia : 4 days.

It will be visited several points in each area. You will see following big cities during the tour : Vladivostok, Khabarovsk, Ulan-Ude, Chita, Irkutsk and Krasnoyarsk. Total tour time is 18 days, including about 5 days for driving.

Tour cost will be following :

– transport from a home place to Vladivostok and return from Krasnoyarsk ; cost of car, including gasoline : 1700 euros a group a tour ;
– lodging at hotels and tour bases in collecting areas : about 450 euros a person a tour ; staying a tent – no cost or $4-5 a person a day in some camping areas ;
– feeding – at the choice of tourist and at 15 euros a person a day ;
– visa, registration, meeting and sending off, all tour arrangements and guide : 750 euros a person a tour, with discount 10% for a second and each other member.

Group size is maximum 6 persons. One car is for 3 persons. More than 3 persons : two cars.

Total tour cost a person in group of one member will be about 3150 euros ;
two members : 2250 euros
three members : 2000 euros
Cost calculated for staying all days in hotels (no tent).

Tour may be arranged on request at a shorter or longer time.

Les montagnes de l’Altaï

Le programme 2011 est le même que celui proposé en 2010. Pour en savoir plus, voir le compte rendu du voyage de juillet 2010.

Dernières informations (1er mars 2011) :

It will be arranged at the same program as last year : a car with driver, staying hotels and guest houses (but on request also in tents) and feeding in cafes and shop foods. This year the staying do not reserved before the tour, that permits to change program during the tour, according the tourist requests. Good place – staying longer, bad – shorter… By the way, it is no problem to have apartments in Altai without booking. The driver will be other and better. Also he will be a guide. He speaks English only with phrase book but it will be enough for a such tour. You can hire an English-Russian interpreter at 65 euros a group a day.

The date of tour is any on the tourist choice, from 15 May till 10 July. The best time from collecting butterflies is from 5 June till 10 July, moth is from 15 June till middle August. Total tour time is 15 days, including about 2 days for driving. Group size is maximum 6 persons. One car is for 3 persons. More than 3 persons : two cars.

Total tour cost a person in group of one member will be about 2750 euros
– two members : 2000 euros
– three members : 1650 euros
Cost calculated for staying all days in hotels (no tent). Tour may be arranged on request at a shorter or longer time.

Le Caucase

Le voyage proposé concerne la région du Mont Elbrouz (Caucase occidental) du 5 au 20 août. Fin février 2011, nous n’avons reçu aucune candidature pour cette destination.