Only a few hundred kilometers from the bustling Moscow city life goes in a completely different pace.

Let’s look at Russian countryside, for example, these tranquil rural landscapes of Yaroslavl region, located in the north of European Russia, in the center of the East European Plain. The photos were taken by Alexey Lobanov.

classic Russian province

Tags: landscapes · Yaroslavl oblast

Lake Baikal, located in Irkutsk region and Buryatia Republic, is known not only because it is the deepest lake in the world and the largest natural reservoir of fresh water, but also for its fantastically beautiful ice fields formed in winter time. The photos were taken by Anton Petrus.

magnificent ice of Lake Baikal

Tags: Buryat Republic · Irkutsk oblast

Karachay-Cherkessia Republic is a subject of the Russian Federation (population about 470 thousand people), a part of the North Caucasian Federal District.

The region is located in the foothills of the north-western Caucasus. About 80% of Karachay-Cherkessia Republic territory is situated in mountainous terrain providing favourable conditions for development of tourism, mountaineering and resort activities. The photos were taken by Timur Agirov.

fly over the mountains

Tags: Karachay-Cherkessia Republic · landscapes

About two years ago, we published a post with beautiful photos of an amazing natural phenomenon – snow caves formed near Mutnovsky volcano in Kamchatka.

Last year, access to the cave was blocked with snow, but this year things were better and we can again see this beauty. Mutnovsky volcano on Google Maps. The photos were taken by Denis Budkov.

let’s get into the cave

Tags: Kamchatka krai

Baikal is a lake of tectonic origin located in the southern part of Eastern Siberia (Irkutsk region and Buryat Republic). It is the deepest lake in the world (maximum depth – over 1600 meters) and the largest natural reservoir of fresh water.

The lake and coastal areas feature a unique variety of flora and fauna. Baikal is one of the most beautiful lakes in Russia. The photos were taken by Anna Anikina.

stunningly beautiful scenery

Tags: Buryat Republic · Irkutsk oblast · landscapes

Lake Kezenoyam is a lake located on the border of Vedensky district of Chechen Republic and Botlikhsky district of Dagestan Republic. This alpine lake, situated at an altitude of about 1,800 meters above sea level, is the largest and deepest lake in the North Caucasus.

The maximum depth of the lake is 74 meters, the length from north to south – 2 km, from west to east – 2.7 km, the maximum width – 735 meters.

very scenic lake

Tags: Chechnya Republic · Dagestan Republic · landscapes

Klyuchevskaya Sopka is an active volcano located in the east of Kamchatka. It is the highest active volcano in Eurasia. The height of the volcano varies from 4750 to 4850 meters above sea level.

It is also the highest peak in Russia outside the Caucasus. January 1, 2015, the regular eruption of Klyuchevskaya Sopka began. Klyuchevskaya Sopka on Google Maps. The photos were taken by Denis Budkov.

look at the volcanic eruption closer

Tags: Kamchatka krai

Baskunchak is a salt lake, with an area of about 115 square km, located in Akhtubinskiy district of Astrakhan region, about 270 km north of the Caspian Sea and 53 km to the east of the Volga River.

Salt extraction on the lake began in the 8th century. Lake Baskunchak was officially mentioned first time in 1627 in the first geographical description of Russia as a place “where they mine salt as pure as ice.” The view of the lake from the satellite. The photos were taken by Richard Zorge.

two in one – the lake and the desert

Tags: Astrakhan oblast · landscapes

Kurilskoye Lake, located in the southern part of the Kamchatka Peninsula, on the territory of the South Kamchatka Federal Preserve, is the place with the highest density of bears in Russia.

The lake area is about 77 square kilometers (the third largest lake of Kamchatka), the average depth is 195 meters, the maximum depth is 316 meters.

bears, they are everywhere

Tags: Kamchatka krai

Yesterday, “Leviathan”, a Russian drama film directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev, won the Golden Globe for best foreign language film. It happened for the first time in almost fifty years. Probably, it can even win an Oscar for best foreign language film.

In the film, you can see the wonderful landscapes of northern Russia. Let’s see how these places look through the camera lens. The following photos were taken in Karelia Republic and Murmansk region (the Kola Peninsula) by Andrey Grachev.

fantastic northern nature

Tags: Karelia Republic · landscapes · Murmansk oblast