Russia

For keen adventurers, fishing in Russia means exploring vast forested areas in search of lakes, rivers and streams. The best fishing regions are thinly inhabited, even by fishermen, but dense with wildlife. The region of choice depends on what type of fishing visitors prefer.In the far northwest, the Kola Peninsula and its famed Ponoi River is a known destination for top Atlantic salmon fishing. It has many miles of fishable river and great camps and lodges along the way. The Kamchatka Peninsula stretches out the other side of Russia into the Pacific and is an ideal place for fly-fishing, with rainbow trout, Arctic char, grayling and Pacific salmon all available. Flights from Anchorage Alaska have opened these streams to more business but visitors can still be assured that they will see few people and have little to no competition. Camps transfer anglers (via helicopter) to favoured fishing spots that are usually kept secret.Farther into the Pacific is Sakhalin Island, stretching from the continent 589 miles (950km) to Japan. Float trips take fishermen past days of wilderness to do battle with the Sakhalin taimen, the strong and battle-ready prize of Russian catches (anglers should note that Sakhalin taimen are now critically endangered and should take care to learn about the legality and ethics of fishing for these fascinating creatures). The island is also reachable from Korea.

The Trans-Siberian Railway is one of the most famous of the world's great train journeys, a six-day trip covering 5,869 miles (9,446km) and eight time zones from Moscow in Europe to Vladivostok on the Asian Pacific Coast. It is the longest continuous railway on earth and is the best way to experience the vast expanse of Russia, passing small isolated farmhouses and pastoral lands, churches and brightly painted log-cabin settlements, rolling hills and forests, steppes, rivers and lakes.The train only stops briefly several times a day, but it is possible to arrange a stopover at any of the main cities or towns along the way. After the appealing city of Irkutsk, the 'capital of Siberia', the route passes the magnificent Lake Baikal, with a surface area as large as Belgium and the Netherlands combined, and pure, crystal-clear waters that are the deepest in the world. This is the most attractive part of the journey, running along the shores of the 25-million-year-old lake and passing through numerous tunnels blasted into the cliffs, beneath arches and over bridges. Vladivostok, the final destination, with its picturesque hills overlooking the impressive natural harbour, is Russia's major international trading port, and is a lively and interesting city.The Trans-Siberian Railway was started in 1891 to link the western cities in European Russia to its Far Eastern provinces and the important Pacific port of Vladivostok. It took 26 years to build and remains one of the most outstanding engineering achievements of its time. Other popular routes are branches of the Trans-Siberian Railway, the Trans-Mongolian or Trans-Manchurian railways, which travel from Moscow to Beijing.

A romantic and relaxing way to see some of the most interesting cities in Russia, river cruises on the Volga are an increasingly popular activity on any Russian holiday. In fact, Volga River cruises are consistently ranked among the world's best river cruises.Volga River cruises generally spend several nights in Moscow and St Petersburg, giving passengers the chance to explore those fascinating cities. While some shorter cruises stay in the north, there are others, including 14-day itineraries, which travel all the way down the Volga River to Astrakhan, near the Caspian Sea. Along the way, passengers stop in various ports and are given time to explore cities. Many of the cruise ships also offer on-board entertainment such as historical lectures and traditional folk music and dance performances.Other towns visited by Volga River cruises include Uglich, Yaroslavl, Nizhniy Novgorod, Cheboksary, Kazan, Samara, Saratov, Volgograd (formerly Stalingrad), Goritzy, Kizhi Island, and Mandrogi. River cruises operate on the Volga during the summer months from May to September.