More and more people travel independently to Russian cities between trips to ski resorts and coasts.
Perm Krai is not the most popular region among tourists yet. Nevertheless, he has something to offer even to the sophisticated traveler. Most of all, tourists are attracted here by natural attractions: on the one hand, wild, untamed forests and the harsh, mysterious, beautiful Urals on the other. But there are also quite mysterious, fascinating places, interesting for their color and strangeness.
· Kungur Ice Cave
The ice cave is considered not only the main pearl of the Perm Region, but also one of the most impressive in the world. The interior of the cave consists of about 50 large and huge ice caves, 60 crystal—clear underground lakes and 146 through shafts connecting the cavity to the surface, extending over 5,700 m. The air passing through the mines creates wonderful sounds, for which the phenomenon was called "organ pipes." The tallest of them, 22-meter high, is located in the Ethereal Grotto.
The tourist route has a length of about 1,500 m. Paths are equipped along the way for the convenience of travelers and lighting is organized to enhance the impression of a magical spectacle.
· Stone City
The unique landscape monument of the Urals is known to tourists by this name. Although it has an older name — the Devil's hillfort, which the locals gave it, considering it unclean.
The stones are millions of years old. You can get to the Stone City through an arch called the "Gate", and there are rocky remnants that resemble frozen animals. There is a Seal and a Turtle, a Rat, and even an Idol, the permanent guardian of the city.
The stone City regularly becomes a natural setting for filming films, however, it will be almost perfect as a backdrop for selfies. It is good both in winter and in summer.
· The Usvinsky pillars
The ancient limestone massif on the right bank of the Usva stretches for several kilometers. Today it is part of the land, but the age of the fossils, which are still found here during excavations, indicate that thousands of years ago there was a sea here.
The pillars have had the status of a Natural monument of regional importance since 1965. Many people come specifically to see this natural wonder.
The height of the Usvinsky pillars reaches 120 m. They offer a beautiful view of the stormy Usva, the stones of the Big Log and Panoramic. And rock climbers are attracted by a free-standing 70-meter rock called the Devil's Finger.
· The Kvarkush Plateau
The attraction is located in the Krasnovishersky district of the Perm Territory and is considered one of the most popular and visited. She is especially loved by fans of wild tourism. The Kvarkush stretches from north to south for about 60 km. There is practically no vegetation on its stone placers, except for creeping shrubs, mosses and northern berries.
The nature here resembles the tundra, sometimes there are even reindeer and bears. But the most interesting are the picturesque peaks and cliffs located at different heights. The most important one is the Vogul Stone— which is 1066 km high. The rest are impressive with just one name – Quarkushonki, Three brothers, Coffin… They are definitely worth seeing.
· Zhigalan waterfalls
This waterfall cascade, the most beautiful in the Perm Region, is located on the Zhigalan mountain River, originating on the eastern peaks of the Kvarkush range. Their total length is about half a kilometer, and the height difference between the sources of the river and its mouth is 630 m.
There are several of the most powerful waterfalls, but the lower cascade is considered the most beautiful. It falls into the valley from a height of 15 meters, rumbling, jumping over huge boulders and scattering snow-white foam in front of it.
The water here is always clean and cold, because Zhigalan originates on peaks covered with eternal snow. In 1991, the Zhigalan Waterfalls received the status of a hydrological natural monument of regional importance.
· The Chusovaya River
This river is the most famous in the Perm Region, the only one that came from beyond the Ural Mountains and made its way through them. The river valley is considered one of the most ancient in the region, and its name, according to one version, means "Sacred River".
Both experienced tourists and families with children go rafting on the Chusovaya River. Local companies organize weekend camping trips, river trips, and walks to nearby attractions such as the Miracle Cave and the Blue Lakes. Rafting routes pass by picturesque rocks-"stones": Robber, Four Brothers, Markysh, Guselny stone, Holey ribs, Plakun, Ponysh.
· Salt Museum (Ust-Borovsk Salt Factory) in Solikamsk
A 17th-century salt factory has been turned into an open-air museum. This is the only opportunity in Russia to see the full cycle of salt extraction in the form of salt solution from underground. In addition, the architectural ensemble of the once merchant city of Solikamsk, through which the Babinovskaya road, the "dry way" to Siberia, passed in the 17th century, is noteworthy. The Governor's House, the oldest brick civil building in the Urals, the Epiphany Church, famous for its iconostasis made from icons of the 17th and 19th centuries, the Trinity and Holy Cross Cathedrals and other historical sites have been preserved and restored here.
· Usolye Stroganovskoe
The historical and Architectural Museum-reserve "Usolye Stroganovskoe" is a unique complex that occupies an entire island. It was once the capital of the Ural possessions of Russia's richest men, the Stroganovs. There are no modern buildings on the island, which is connected to modern Usolye by a road bridge. There are only 49 architectural monuments (chambers, cathedral, bell tower, mansions and shopping malls), a walk among which takes guests to merchant Russia of the XVI-XVII centuries. Exhibitions, workshops and costumed excursions are held in the museum premises.
· Khokhlovka Open-air Museum
The museum, located on the Varnach peninsula near Perm, contains 23 monuments of wooden architecture. Ancient buildings (houses, farmsteads, churches, barns, a rural fire station, a hunter's cottage) were brought here from all the surrounding areas, bought out and saved from extinction. The museum is located on a large territory and offers not only acquaintance with the peculiarities of everyday life of several epochs of life in the Urals, but also walks along the picturesque peninsula, and at the same time tea drinking in a tea house.
· Cherdyn
Once the capital of Perm the Great, Cherdyn stood at the intersection of trade routes to Iran, Moscow, Siberia and the northern peoples. Now the city seems to have fallen asleep, people come here to reboot, listen to the silence, walk along the ancient streets past temples and churches (more than 100 buildings in the city have the status of cultural monuments).
