Places · Russia

Natural Wonders of Russia: The 4 Most Beautiful Places to Visit

4 places in the atlas

Spanning eleven time zones across northern Asia and eastern Europe, Russia holds some of the planet's greatest wildernesses. Siberia's taiga and tundra stretch almost beyond comprehension, cradling Lake Baikal — the deepest and oldest lake on Earth, holding a fifth of the world's unfrozen fresh water. In the far east, the Kamchatka Peninsula bristles with active volcanoes and geysers along the Ring of Fire, its salmon rivers feeding one of the densest brown-bear populations anywhere. It is a country of immense scale, extreme climate, and remote, little-touched nature. Below are the 4 natural wonders of Russia in the atlas — the most beautiful places to build a trip around, each with what makes it remarkable, when to go, and how to reach it. Best overall time: Summer (roughly June–September) for most wilderness travel; late winter (February–March) for Lake Baikal's famous clear ice.

Kamchatka Volcanoes

Kamchatka Peninsula, Russian Far East

A remote peninsula bristling with snow-capped volcanoes, geysers, and hot springs — one of the most volcanically active places on Earth, roamed by some of the world's largest brown bears.

Volcano East Asia

Lake Baikal

Siberia, Russia

The deepest and oldest lake on Earth — a vast Siberian sea holding a fifth of the world's unfrozen fresh water, its waters so clear you can see 40 metres down, and freezing each winter into sheets of turquoise ice.

Lake East Asia

Golden Mountains of Altai

Altai Republic, southern Siberia

Where Siberia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, and China meet — glaciated peaks above turquoise rivers and steppe, holding the most complete sequence of vegetation zones in the region.

Mountain Central Asia