IMPORTANT VISA AND TRAVEL INFORMATION FOR SEASON 2014

IMPORTANT VISA AND TRAVEL INFORMATION FOR SEASON 2014

Welcome to the Salmon Junkies’ program for in Umba and Grand Varzuga. The following information aims to give you a clear picture of the unique and thrilling Salmon venture you have signed up for. To get a good start to your dream trip we kindly ask you to read this information carefully. Thank you.

IMPORTANT VISA INFORMATION

To obtain a Russian Tourist Visa you will need an invitation letter from Salmon Junkies which we will email to you during the month of April. Those attending the Umba autumn program will receive their invitation letter in the period late July – middle of August. Points to note:

• It is IMPORTANT that you fill out the electronic Booking Confirmation on the home page of our website (www.salmonjunkies.com) to enable us to place the correct details on the invitation letter.
• Guests travelling to Russia are responsible for obtaining their own visa. Please note: Regulations stipulate that you can only do so within three months of the start of your Russian holiday.
• To process your visa application it must be sent to an embassy/consulate or local visa agent. The Russian Embassy or similar authorities will then stamp the visa directly onto your passport.
• Salmon Junkies strongly recommend that you send your visa application and documents to one of the many specialist travel companies in your country handling these visa procedures.
• It normally takes 7 working days plus mailing time to obtain a visa, so about 2 weeks.
• Please do not hesitate to contact us immediately if you encounter any problems with your invitation or visa documents,.

You will need the following to obtain a Russian visa:

• Russian invitation letter. (Salmon Junkies will provide you with this no later than one month before your departure).
• Questionnaire form to be filled out and signed at the bottom. This questionnaire can vary from country to country, so please contactyour local Russian embassy/consulate or visa support for further information. You can usually download the questionnaire from your local consulate or travel agency web page.
• Your passport.
• 4 passport photos. (Some embassies/consulates may only require 2 photos).
• Health insurance certificate or a clear letter of confirmation from your insurance company stating your name, period of validity andcoverage area. The medical insurance should ensure the coverage of the following types of medical care and medical transportation.
• Medical assistance provided by medical stations, ambulances;
medical care at outpatient departments and hospitals in case of aaccident or sudden deterioration of health, to the extent necessary to eliminate threat to life and/or pain.
• Transportation by medical transport or other vehicle including the costs of medical assistance (medical team, nurse, etc) from the placeof incident to the medical institution, as well as transfer to another medical facility.
• Please double-check your passport and visa in good time. Your passport must be valid for 6 months after the date of your scheduled departure from Russia. Your visa must display your name exactly as it is written in your passport and the dates on your visa must cover the entire length of your stay in Russia. If these details are not correct you may be refused entry into Russia.

TRAVEL & ITINERARY

UMBA RIVER

Travel: For Umba guests we recommend that you arrive at Murmansk Airport on the Friday evening. You will be greeted by a Salmon Junkies representative and guided to a meeting place at the airport as the group is assembled. The journey to Umba is by coach and takes about five hours. It will provide you with an interesting picture of the region along the main road to St. Petersburg. There will be a short stop In Kandalaksha where you can enjoy some light refreshments. After Kandalaksha there is only 105 km to go. This last part of the drive goes deep into the Taiga and you will quickly notice just how far away from everything we are; there is a reason why Umba is called “the end of the world”. In general the drive to Umba is pretty comfortable as the road has been improved considerably lately. You will arrive at the Umba Lodge early Saturday morning around 06.00 AM. We will start fishing Saturday around noon after a few hours sleep. If you prefer to arrive in Murmansk on the Saturday, you will be required to pay the extra cost for the transportation. (For more info. please contact our office). Departure from Umba on the Friday evening will depart about midnight in order to catch the first morning flights to Moscow and St. Petersburg

Itinerary:

• Friday (Day 1): Arrival at Murmansk Airport in the evening. Coach departs about midnight and arrives in Umba about 5 hours later.
• Saturday (Day 2): Salmon fishing from noon – Umba/ Krivetz River . Euro 30 per rod for the guide as Saturday is normally a day off.
• Sunday (Day 3) – Friday (Day 8) Inclusive: Salmon fishing – Umba / Krivetz River.

Saturday (Day 9): The coach departs Umba Lodge on Saturday morning at 01:00 am and arrives in Murmansk about 06.00 AM in orderto catch the first flights back to Moscow or St. Petersburg.

Grand Varzuga

• Travel: For our Grand Varzuga guests we recommend that you arrive at Murmansk Airport on the Saturday evening. You will have to stay one night in Murmansk and will need to hire a taxi to your down-town hotel. (Taxi cost is 20–30 Euro, although Roubles are preferable). A Salmon Junkies representative will pick you up at your hotel at about 9:00 AM on the Sunday, so please let our office know which hotel you will be staying at. You will be taken by coach to Kirovsk Airport which takes about 21⁄2 hours. The journey continues from Kirovsk by helicopter to Grand Varzuga and the flight lasts about 50 minutes.

  Itinerary:

• Sunday (Day 1): Coach departs from hotels for Kirovsk Airport at about 9:00 AM. 2 1⁄2 hours drive followed by 50 minute helicopter ride to Grand Varzuga. Evening fishing 1–4 km upstream from the camp with rotations under the camp manager’s direction.
• Monday (Day 2) – Saturday (Day 7) Inclusive: Salmon fishing – Grand Varzuga Approx 15Km up and down stream the Camp
• Sunday morning (Day 8): Return to Murmansk via Kirovsk Airport., arriving about 3:00 PM.
• FLIGHTS & HOTEL
• FLIGHTS
• For Grand Varzuga and Umba we recommend that you use Moscow or St. Petersburg as a gateway to Murmansk. If you are travelling over Moscow or St. Petersburg you will need to spend one night in Murmansk. Airline contacts:
• Rossiya Airline. St. Petersburg – Murmansk
• For info and booking contact – http://www.rossiya-airlines.com/en/ Aeroflot Airline. Moscow – Murmansk
• For info and booking contact – http://www.aeroflot.ru/cms/en
• Please notify our office of your travelling route to Murmansk. Thank you.
• When travelling to Murmansk we strongly recommend that you lock your Luggage and Rod Case, or wrap them in plastic/duct-tape. Expensive fly-reels, Fly boxes and cameras should be carried in your hand baggage.

HOTELS IN MURMANSK
If you need to spend the night in Murmansk, we strongly recommend the Hotel Meridian in downtown Murmansk. A taxi from the airport to downtown Murmansk costs approx USD 30–40. You can make your hotel reservation by contacting: http://www.meridian-hotel.ru/?lang=eng Another recommendable hotel in Murmansk is Hotel Park Inn Poliarnie Zori – http://www.parkinn.com/hotel-murmansk

OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION & DETAILS

GRATUITIESThe guides and staff at Umba and Grand Varzuga work hard to provide you with the best experience possible during your trip. Gratuities are discretionary, but show your appreciation of the standard of service. They are much appreciated by all. A typical weekly gratuity for guides and camp staff ranges from Euro 300 to Euro 350 per person. The tip pool will be divided amongst all the staff members by Salmon Junkies managers. This is in order to ensure that all members in the staff group are remunerated. For the extra day’s fishing on Saturday in Umba, we recommend that you pay your fishing guide Euro 30 per person as Saturday normally a non-working day. Euro 30 per boat is normally given for additional evening fishing after dinner with a guide on both Ponoi and Umba.

PAYMENTS IN THE CAMPS:

We would very much appreciate that all transactions in the camp (bar, tackle, flies, gratuities etc.) are paid in cash in Euros.

HEALTH/MEDICAL

• No inoculations/vaccinations are required to enter Russia.
• The sun and wind can be strong on the Kola Peninsula. Sun block is HIGHLY recommended.
• There are no problems with the drinking water and the lodge serves drinkable water. Bottled water is always available.
• Mosquitoes and bugs can be a nuisance from the end of June until the end of August. A good mosquito repellent is required. Also, from August until the middle of September on the Umba it is recommended that you to bring mosquito repellent as we are sometimes bothered by black flies.
• If you have a health condition, please make sure to bring ALL the medication you will require for your stay.
• Please notify the lodge of any health conditions or concerns that we should be aware of.
• The lodge has a basic first aid supply, but do please bring any items you feel that you might need. As with all destination travel, youshould be covered by a general Health and Travel Insurance policy before you fly.
• Travellers should always pack medication for such common complaints as diarrhoea, upset stomach, motion sickness, headache etc. aswell as prescriptions. Most visitors to Russia don’t experience stomach problems, but it is worthwhile to have treatment available just in case.

CLOTHING:

The summer climate of this region of Russia is extremely changeable. A wide range of temperatures and weather conditions should be expected. We recommend layering clothing, enabling you to add or remove layers during the day. Bring Polar fleece jackets, thermal underwear, Polar neck, wool socks and a wool cap to be prepared for the extreme. Flannel or chamois cloth shirts and fleece vests/jackets are ideal for the river, although you’ll no doubt change to something lighter in the lodge. Also take a reliable wind-stopper/rain jacket. Gore Tex is excellent. It is waterproof, yet breathable, and is comfortable on sunny, windy afternoons. Simms Gore-Tex and Patagonia SST wading jackets are popular and have withstood the strain of harsh weather time and time again. (For further information regarding what to bring please also read our Pre-Trip Information).

For Grand Varzuga and Umba Salmon Junkies camp manager will establish a weekly fishing schedule adjusted to the conditions and numbers of guests in camp. Normally there will be a mid-day-rotation after lunch. This system is tried and tested, and every guest will usually fish all pools more than once. The manager’s fishing schedule is set up with the main purpose to provide equal opportunity to all. The schedule can be amended if all guests concerned agree and present the change to the camp manager. Fishing after dinner is usually free around camp, but is still under the direction and supervision of the camp manager. If necessary a schedule for evening fishing will be made. Early morning fishing is restricted to the beats you are going to fish after breakfast on the same day. For an extra gratuity/tip (see above), guides will also be available for evening fishing on the beats further away from camp. Make these agreements before dinner directly with your guide and/or camp manager.

• At Umba Lodge regular GSM phone works
  At Grand Varzuga a Satellite Phone will be available for emergency call. You can always leave our office number to you family, as we daily will be in contact with the office – Please use this number +45 – 30 70 25 90

  I hope you have found this information useful – however if you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact Steffen Juhl –

  sj@salmonjunkies.com

  Salmon Junkies would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude for your booking of one of our salmon programs in Russia 2014. We look forward to see you out there
  Best regards.
  Steffen Juhl