Magadan Oblast: Lakes, Nature and Culture

Magadan Oblast offers a range of travel experiences: mountain ranges and lakes in a protected area, an island with forests and rocky beaches, and culture and events in Magadan and other locations. If you are looking for a holiday apartment, it helps to first consider which landscapes or experiences you want to shape your stay. The natural areas and cultural attractions offer different ways to plan your trip.

Lakes and protected areas

The area around Lake Dzheka Londona has been part of Cherskiy National Park since December 2022. The protected-area cluster includes the Bolshoy Anngachag and Maly Anngachag mountain ranges, Lakes Elgenya and Lebedinoye, the Vosmiozyornyy stream and the Elgenya River. As well as lakes, this area therefore encompasses named mountain ranges and bodies of water. A permit from the authorities is required to visit the area around the lake; it is issued by the head of the Magadanskiy State Nature Reserve. Check the current permit procedure before travelling.

The Elikchanskiye ozera offer a different landscape: they form a chain of several picturesque glacial-tectonic lakes on the main watershed of the Kolymskoye nagorye. The lakes lie halfway along the shortest route between the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk and the Kolyma River basin. Diving ducks and gulls use the area during their seasonal migrations. By contrast, the landscape of Zavyalova Island is shaped by largely untouched forests, rocks and rocky beaches. The island covers almost 40,000 hectares.

Regional orientation

The Kolyma Reservoir is an artificial reservoir on the Kolyma River in Magadan Oblast. It lies in the upper reaches of the river, between river kilometres 1,894 and 2,042 measured from the mouth, in the Yagodninskiy and Tenkinskiy districts. The reservoir was created during construction of the Kolyma Hydroelectric Power Station, at the site of the settlement of Vetrennyy, which was flooded in 1988. This history connects today’s waterscape with the creation of the power station.

The Kolyma Highway is also important for getting around the wider region: officially designated the R-504 “Kolyma”, the road connects Magadan Oblast with Yakutia and the rest of mainland Russia. Its route passes through the Susumanskiy, Yagodninskiy and Khasynskiy districts. Another protected natural site is the Shirokinskiye istochniki in the Severo-Evenskiy okrug, between the Shirokaya and Khiendya rivers. Established in 1975 as a geological natural monument, it protects thermal waters of balneological value.

Culture, history and events

In Magadan, the museum pavilion in Mayak Park explores several aspects of the region: its exhibitions cover the founding of Magadan, prominent figures and events in the history of Kolyma, commemorative days and holidays from the Russian folk calendar, and the nature of Magadan Oblast. The Maska skorbi memorial focuses on a different aspect of history. It commemorates the victims of political repression in Magadan and was opened on Krutaya Hill on 12 June 1996.

Event dates also vary considerably. Held every two years in March, the Dzyalbu festival takes place at the Dyukcha Ethnopark in Magadan and celebrates the beginning of the year according to the Even calendar. The Even festival Khebdenék also celebrates the beginning of the year: it takes place in June, on the eve of the summer solstice, in a ritual clearing on the Dukcha River. The Far Eastern water tourism competitions are also held on this river in June. The Klyovaya Kolyma summer festival takes place every year on the Ola River near Nyuklya.

The Gold Festival is held every year in July at Dyukcha Park. The Kolyma Cuisine gastronomic festival is also usually held in Magadan in July, where you can sample dishes prepared by chefs from Magadan. If a festival or competition is central to your trip, check the latest event dates and programmes in advance.

Find a holiday apartment to suit your travel interests

When choosing where to stay, it is worth first deciding which places you want to visit: Are you mainly interested in exploring landscapes and protected areas, learning about the history of Magadan, or planning your trip around a festival? Your answers will help guide your search for a holiday apartment. Then focus your search on the place you want to explore during your planned stay.

Discover more destinations

Yagodnoye, Yagodninskiy District, City of Magadan, Magadan

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