A world of wildlife in Russia

Tourism has been gradually growing in the sleeping giant that is Russia, with roughly a million more tourists visiting the country every year.

Russia's growing popularity, which saw visitor figures rise to 9.2 million in 2004, from 7.9 million in 2002, is not difficult to understand. The former Soviet Union is has a fascinating history, which is borne out in many of its biggest cities, such as Moscow and St Petersburg.

However, away from the grand marble palaces, serious culture and cheap vodka, there is a rich natural world to be explored in Russia, too.

Perhaps this is to be expected for a country of Russia's massive size, but adventurous tourists will discover an immensely diverse array of ecological attractions during their visit.

Russia is home to a number of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites, including Lake Baikal and the forests of Komi.

Lake Baikal, or the Blue Eye of Siberia, can be found in southern Siberia in Russia, and is the largest (by volume), deepest and oldest freshwater lake on the planet. In addition to its staggering size – do not seriously entertain walking around it as it is 636 km long – it is also home to an unequalled abundance of wildlife.

Ideal for the nature lover, there are more than 1,000 different species of plantlife and 1,550 species of animal life, including bear and deer, around the lake.

The Virgin Komi Forests in the Urals are also grandiose in their size, and a beautiful place to clear one's head in the mass of conifers, aspens, birches, peat bogs, rivers and natural lakes.

But it is not just lakes and sprawling forests, as a fascinating trip can be made to another World Heritage Site, the volcanoes of Kamchatka. Widely regarded as one of the world's most beautiful active volcanic regions, it is striking in the aesthetic contrast between glaciers and volcanoes.

Thanks to the rich nutrients that come from the volcanic earth, there is plenty of wildlife to see too, with sea otters, bears, eagles and masses of fish.

Russia is also one of the few places in the world you can go to see the dazzling and bizarre 'midnight sun', especially towards Siberia.

Midnight sun is where the sun is visible to 24 hours a day, while in St Petersburg, visitors and locals enjoy a month of 'midnight twilight' every year, between June and July.

This is where the sun never goes fully down, and is just below the horizon. It is celebrated in the city for the last ten days of June. XXX