The Pechora-Ilych Reserve was the fist specially protected area settled in the Komi Republic. The reserve was organized in 1930. The initial area of the reserve (1 156 thousand ha) changed repeatedly. At present, it is 721.3 thousand ha.
The reserve consists of two isolated sites. One site is situated in the south-western part of the interfluve between the Pechora River and the Kozhim River on plain and is called ‘Yakshinsky’ (15.8 thousand ha). The second site lies within submontane and montane areas of the Northern Urals and is called ‘Uralsky’ (70.6 thousand ha). Division into two parts is related to logging of former-reserved forests on a large part of the plain interfluve.
The outcrops of parent rocks along the Pechora and Ilych Rivers form picturesque mountains (the Ispered, the Lek-iz, the Tatarskoe Vichko, the Ambar-kyrta, etc.). The karst ravine Iordanskogo is situated in the submontane landscape zone on the right shore of the Pechora River. The zone has several caves. The Medvezhya is the most valuable cave among them as hosts the North-European biggest area of Pleistocene fauna remnants and the northmost Upper Paleolithic ancient encampment.
The average elevations of the Northern Urals within the reserve are 750-850 m a.s.l. Only few peaks are over 1000 m a.s.l. The Yanypupuner Ridge, the Manpupuner Ridge, and the Torreporreiz Mountain host picturesque weathering residual rocks.
The vegetation cover of the reserve is dominated by forests. The Yakshinsky site is rich in pine forests. They develop naturally affected by a pyrogenic factor. The spruce forests intermixed with fir and cedar occupy small areas in the Pechora floodplain. Eastwards they become replaced by dark-coniferous forests composed of Siberian spruce and intermixed with Siberian fir and Siberian cedar.
The flora of vascular plants in the reserve is well studied and counts about 800 species at present. The list of mosses includes 410 species, among them 90 species of liverworts. Lichens count 859 species. These values take about 80 % of totally registered species for the Komi Republic. The diversity of agaric (301 species) and aphyllophoroid (295 species) fungi is studied in-detail. The fauna of the reserve includes 50 species of mammals, 238 species of birds, 4 species of amphibians, 1 species of reptiles, 23 fish species.
The Pechora–Ilych Reserve plays a major role in conservation of diverse landscapes and ecosystems, flora and fauna complexes, licheno- and mycobiotas of the Northern Urals, cenopopulations of rare plants, including endemics. The condition of ecosystems in the reserve is accessed as a near-natural condition. The largest river of the European North, the Pechora River, originates on the territory of the reserve. The last years see development of ecological tourism in the reserve. Interesting for tourists are the museum and the test elk farm.
Dates: 09.12.2019 – 09.17.2019
Charge:160 Euro.
Visit the Manpupuner Plateau – 365 Euro per person. Attention! If you want take part in the excursion to the Manpupuner Plateau, you must select the “Pechora-Ilychsky Reserve” during registration for the excursion and then check the box “Plan to visit the ridge Manpupuner”. And for you will be sent an additional registration form later. This registration form is required for the flight organizers – travel company “Northern Ural”.
During the trip, you will visit ecotrail «Sanctuary labyrinth», The Museum of Nature and the Moos Farm, and the Gusinoe mire 10 km noth-ward from the Yaksha. Trip to the Gusinoe mire will be organized by motor boats.
Under favorable weather conditions, you will be able to take part in a one-day helicopter excursion to the mountainous part of the reserve on the Manpupuner Plateau (excursion is charged separately).
Accommodation will be organized in the guest house in Yaksha; 4-6 people rooms, electricity and water pipes, bedding, daily bath and food are included.
The maximum number of participants in the tour is 20 people.
A detailed exursion program of the stay in the Pechora–Ilych Reserve be found here