RECREATION

It may be hard to believe when you are stuck in an air-conditioned office block in central Moscow, but just a short train-ride away from the city are numerous places where you can get back in touch with nature, feed exotic animals or even spend the night in a yurt.

Animal fun

© RIA Novosti. / Mikhail Fomichev

The Ecological Travel Center offers weekend tours to nature spots near Moscow

An hour and a half to the south of the city (75 kilometers past the Moscow Ring Road, on Kaluzhskoye Shosse) is Voroby (Sparrow) Bird Park with a vast collection of domestic and exotic birds. Of particular note are the park’s 70 species of parrot, but there are also owls, ostriches and peacocks.

The park’s mini-zoo has antelopes, lynxes and monkeys and there is also a farm area with rabbits, sheep, calves and miniature pigs. The complex offers paintball facilities, fishing and horseracing.

The park is fairly accessible for a day trip, but if you fancy getting away for the weekend, there is a hotel on the premises with rooms that start from 3,000 rubles ($110) a night. There is also a campsite with tents and barbecues for rent.

The park entrance fee is 250 rubles ($9) for adults and free for kids under seven. It can be reached by bus from the Tyoply Stan metro station in the south of the city.

Off the beaten track

© RIA Novosti. / Mikhail Fomichev

Voroby Bird Park has over 70 species of parrot

The Ecological Travel Center provides weekend tours to nature spots within a day’s traveling distance of Moscow. Prices range from around 2,000 rubles ($70) to 10,000 rubles ($350), depending on the program and hotel category. Tour groups are generally transported to wildlife parks by bus, but individuals are also free to travel on private transport.

One of the spots on offer is Bio Station in the west of the Tver region, where visitors get the chance to see wolves in the wild, fish in local rivers and lakes and go on hiking, cycling, and horse riding tours. The excursions are led by local guides and Russian-English translators can be provided.

Another area is the Oksky forest reserve in the Vladimir region. The reserve has a wide range of birds and animals as well as a herd of bison, which visitors are allowed to feed.

Ethnic culture

© RIA Novosti. / Mikhail Fomichev

A Chukotkan tent at EthnoMir

EthnoMir in the Kaluga region, 90 kilometers southwest of Moscow along Minskoye Shosse, is an openair hotel complex that offers visitors the chance to stay in the traditional accommodation of the region of their choice. On offer are traditional Belorussian and Ukrainian cottages, North Siberian yurts, log cabins from the Russian Far East and Chukotkan tents (Chumi). The collection is widening, with Central Asian and Caucasus cottages currently under construction.

The complex also has a Russian banya, a free rope park, traditional Russian games and a children’s puppet theatre.

On July 29-31 EthnoMir will host a vegetarian festival (called ‘Vegfest’) where guests can take part in culinary masterclasses and outdoor yoga and dance classes.

One night’s accommodation at EthnoMir costs from 1,000 to 2,000 rubles ($35-$70). Unfortunately, the park has no public transport links, so can only be reached by car.

Contacts:

Voroby (Sparrow) Bird Park
Voroby village, Kaluga region – www.birdspark.ru

Ecological Travel Center
www.ecotravel.ru

EthnoMir

Petrovo village, Kaluga region – www.ethnomir.ru