National parks are a comparatively new form of environment protection in Russia. Creation of national parks on the territory of the country started in the early 80`s of the 20th century, and at the moment there are 35 parks of this type. The majority of Russian national parks are located in the European part of the country; the westernmost park – the Curonian Spit – is in the Kaliningrad Region. There are 6 national parks in Siberia with half of them concentrated in the Baikal Region but in the Far East, for instance, there are no national parks at all.

Unlike nature sanctuaries, national parks have not only nature protection functions, but also recreational ones. A holiday in national parks is one of the most popular directions for European and American citizens while in Russia tourists have a slight idea about the differences between ecological tourism and simple outdoor rest. Classic ecological tours are generally aimed at ecological enlightenment of tourists, although it also implies getting acquainted with the historical past of the dwellers of the region, with their traditional way of life, folklore. Oriented on various types of travellers ecological tours may include both elements of active tourism with camping or “civilized” accommodation in holiday hotels and tourist bases including multiple excursions.

The period of national park establishment in Russia is not long enough to boast a variety of educational routes, and in a number of parks the sphere of tourist services is in the formation state. The access to the territory of national parks is regulated according to location of natural and historical-cultural objects. There are nature zones unavailable for tourists; zones of educational tourism – for organization of ecological enlightenment and getting acquainted with the main sightseeings of the national park; there are also special zones for recreation providing licensed fishing; zones of accommodation and informational services where one usually can find guest houses and tourist bases.

The first national park was created in Russia in 1983 – it is Sochi National Park. Located in the north-western part of the Bigger Caucasus, the park is unique due to the fact that no elsewhere in Russia subtropics and uplands coexist so closely. Multiple excursions organized by the Sochi resorts have made the national park a leader in the number of annual visits. More than one hundred of monuments of history and culture are registered on the park’s territory: from the Old Stone Age to the medieval ages, including ancient settlements, dolmens, and ruins.

Prielbrusye National Park situated in Caucasus is recognized as one of the mountain skiing centres. There are also excursions to Narzans Valley and mineral water sources for the guests of the mineral water resorts. In the area of the Azau meadow on the territory of the national park there is an ecological path where tourists can get geological knowledge have a chance to enjoy a variety of changing landscapes. In order to get acquainted with some other of the Russian national parks read a sequel of this article soon.

Source:     www.adrenalinetour.ru

Lavrentyeva Natalya