A number of people, who prefers ecological tourism, increases every year. This kind of tourism helps tired of big cities people to get energy and life-power during being in close contact with nature. Ecological tourism helps to protect environment from destroying human influence. Also it stimulates an economy growth of regions, which have nature objects.
On the great territory of Russia an ordinary eco-tourist can freely visit one of the 41 national parks or one of the 103 wildlife sanctuaries. UNESCO made a special list of world nature reserves, in which are present 5 Russian nature objects: untouched forests in Komi, crystal clear lake Baikal, volcanoes of Kamchatka, golden Altai Mountains, Western Caucasus.
Great opportunities are opened for tours to Russia in north-west regions of country - Karelia, Murmansk and Arkhangelsk. Karelia is worldwide known as "the lungs of Europe ".
In Central Russia there are many attractive places for eco-tourists. Among them is the State Central Forest Biosphere Reserve, located on the Valdai Hills in the west of the Tver region.
Kaliningrad region is the most western part of Russia. In this area tourists can visit a wonderful place - a national park Curonian Spit. It is a narrow strip of land that separates the Curonian Lagoon from the Baltic Sea. It’s sand dunes sometimes grow to 60 meters in height.
South Russia is beloved by a great number of Russian eco-tourists for a long time. For example, in Astrakhan everyone can visit a famous State Biosphere Reserve, which protects about 20 species of rare and endangered plants. If you take tour to Moscow, it is easy to combine with a visit to this region.
Eco-tourists can connect tourism with alpinism in the mountains of the highest mountain range — North Caucasus, which has five peaks above five thousand meters above sea level. Among them are Elbrus and Kazbek. The nature of this place is unique and that’s why there are four reserves and two national parks that preserve for our descendants hundreds of sky-blue glacial lakes and mountain rivers with tinkling waterfalls, flowering alpine meadows, picturesque gorges.
Far East regions (Primorsky and Khabarovsk) are rich in untouched forests with wild animals and rare plants, scenic rivers and mountain spurs. Only here grow relict yew and Amur velvet, gold and precious ginseng root Aralia. Just here meet in one place north conifers and south vines. In the depths of rivers in the Siberian taiga lives salmon trout. The Sikhote-Alin Nature Biosphere Reserve is a home for the world-famous Siberian tiger.
