Kazan citizens are invited to cross the Polar Circle, see the Polar lights, and visit reindeer herding camps.

The tourist potential of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug and a unique tour “Yamal. Edge of a thousand deer” was presented in Kazan

(KZN.RU, February 19, Alena Miroshnichenko). Fr om March 1, Kazan citizens are invited to cross the Polar Circle, visit the reindeer herding camps and the tents of the indigenous people of the north, try authentic deer meat, planed and northern berries, as well as see the Polar lights. Today, representatives of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug presented the potential of the region and the unique tour “Yamal. The edge of a thousand deer”.

YaNAO is one of the largest regions in the far north of Russia. Its area is about 1.5 times larger than the area of France or Spain, and the population is only 540 thousand people. 40 thousand of them are indigenous peoples of the north. There you can see the taiga and the arctic tundra, swampy plains and mountains of the Polar Urals.

Ksenia Lukianova, the head of the tourist product promotion department “Yamaltur”, noted that the region is one of the few in Russia wh ere the indigenous people can lead a traditional lifestyle and engage in reindeer herding. “This is an ethnically developing industry”, she marked. “The number of deer in Yamal is the largest in the world and counts to more than 780 thousand ones. That is, we have more deer than residents”, she added with a smile.

“Yamal has an opportunity to develop ethnographic tourism with a visit to a camp, acquaintance with traditions, culture, and life of reindeer breeders. Event tourism follows from ethnographic tourism. Thus, the most vivid and colorful holiday is the Day of the Reindeer Breeder, which is held in the whole district from the end of February to mid-April. The Polar Urals in our region gives us the opportunity to develop active tourism. In winter, skis and snowboards, in summer, rafting and mountain climbing. A large number of reservoirs attracts waterfowl hunters”, said K. Lukianova. She added that another Polar light is another feature of the region, which is also actively attracting the tourists’ attention.

Tourists can enjoy all the delights of the northern region in just 4 days in Salekhard, the administrative center of YaNAO, as well as in the Priuralsky district. Guests will cross the Polar Circle, see the famous mammoth Luba and the remains of other ancient animals, visit Obdorsky Town. Also, they can try dishes of national cuisine in restaurants and authentic reindeer camp, as well as get acquainted with the life of traditional peoples of the northern region, and if lucky even see real Polar lights.

The direct flights between cities launched since January 18 will also contribute to the growth of tourist flows between Kazan and the YaNAO, in particular, Salekhard.

“We have good transport, logistics. We really have a lot in common, because the peoples of the Republic of Tatarstan and the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug also pay great attention to the preservation of national culture and its broadcast for guests from other regions and countries”, summed up Anastasia Sofyina, the head of the Tourism Industry Development Department of the State Committee of the RT on Tourism. In addition, Kazan guests assured that in Salekhard, they are also interested in traveling to the capital of Tatarstan.