Pechora-Ilych Nature Reserve

The Pechora-Ilych Reserve is one of the oldest in Russia, created in 1930 to protect the sable habitats of the country's north-east. Its area is 721,322 hectares; its IUCN category is Ia, the strictest regime. Since 1985 it has been a UNESCO biosphere reserve, and since 1995 part of the 'Virgin Komi Forests' World Heritage site. The reserve's world fame is twofold. First, the Manpupuner ridge with its 'idol' pillars — one of Russia's most recognisable landscapes — stands on its territory. Second, in the settlement of Yaksha, where the administration sits, the world's first moose farm has operated since before the war, created on Professor Pyotr Manteifel's idea to domesticate the moose: the experiment continues after decades, and visitors are admitted to the tame moose. Getting here is a journey in itself: the nearest town is Troitsko-Pechorsk, then by helicopter or boat along the Pechora and Ilych to Yaksha. The reserve requires an agreed visit through its official website — but it is exactly this difficulty that preserves its wild nature.