Sea of Okhotsk

In the language of its indigenous people, the Sea of Okhotsk translates as something like the 'Sea of Hunters' or 'Hunters Sea'. It's our first indication of the abundance of wildlife in the region. And despite the hunting that has gone on over the years, this sea remains one of the richest in the world - but there is so little known about it. To our knowledge, this is only the second expedition of its kind to visit the region: the freshwaters of the Amur River flow into the vast, naturally-sheltered sea and freeze into ice-floes that make it impassable for much of the year. Dominating the Northwest Pacific, the sea is bounded to the north and west by the Russian continent and the Kamchatka Peninsula to the east, while the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin Island guard its southern border. Its coasts were home to a number of indigenous peoples: the Nivikh, Oroki and the Even - mostly now displaced by the advance of the modern world, though descendants can still be found practising a way of life handed down by their ancestors. The great 17th century explorer Vitus Bering launched two expeditions from the town of Okhotsk which he established on the western shores of the sea in order to explore the coasts of the Russian Empire. The town remains to this day, seemingly frozen in time. Our expedition also visits the town of Magadan, once upon a time the gateway to the Kolyma Goldfields. Thousands of political prisoners were shipped here under Stalin's regime to work in the mines. Many never made it back from the infamous Gulags, succumbing to brutal treatment and the bitterly cold winters of the region.

And man's treatment of the region's wildlife wasn't much better: in 1854 no fewer than 160 American and British whaling ships were here, hunting the Bowhead Whale. Hunted almost to extinction, whales are now returning to the Sea of Okhotsk and it is possible to see a number of species including a rare western population of the Grey Whale, plus Bowhead Whales. The beautiful and rare Ribbon Seal may also be found, shambling on craggy rocks, as can Steller's Sea Lions and Northern Fur Seals. Our expedition will unlock many secrets of this virtually unexplored region. Millions more breed on the islands scattered across the sea. On Talan Island we visit a huge colony of Tufted Puffins and on the cliffs tumbling round the back of forgotten islands, we'll find thousands of seabirds. Soaring above the archipelagos is the huge and beautiful Steller's Sea Eagle. But birds compose only part of the rich wildlife tapestry of the region: we will see rivers churning with salmon as they roar through taiga forests, wild hills roamed by Wolves, Big Horned Sheep, Arctic Fox and, with luck, we'll catch sight of the mighty Kamchatka Brown Bear.