Are you ready to join in a true adventure to the far northwest of Russia - the Kola peninsula, to visit some of the most important rare mineral localities in the world?

Join us on the Mindat Adventure to the Kola Peninsula this August 21st to September 4th.

What is a Mindat Adventure

As you may already know we have organized Mindat Conferences to Poland (2011), Morocco (2012), Madagascar (2014) and Myanmar (2016). We are now running our official conferences every two years, and we are now complementing this with a program of Mindat Adventures - we will be announcing a number of trips in different parts of the world suitable for different levels of experience and different budgets, short and long, some for ten people, some for fifty.

Each Adventure will be run with the same care and dedication as our Conferences - and managed by the same team. Our Conference will remain the flagship event every two years - but in between we'll have some amazing adventures together.

Who is this for?

Whether you're an experienced field collector or an absolute beginner, you'll be equally welcome on the trip. Guided by local and international experts our group of 40 people will visit some of the most exciting and remote mineral localities in the world. Kola in Russia is home to a huge number of rare mineral species, many of them found nowhere else on Earth.

We do expect you to have a reasonable level of physical fitness (one locality requires a walk of 3.5km to reach) and the trip is not really suitable for those under 13.

But those who come will remember this as an adventure of a lifetime, for sure.

Some of the places we'll visit include (list subject to change of course)

Where are we going?

We're visiting many of the most important localities in Kola:

Apatity

Visit to dumps of Kirovski Mine: We can find some Eudialyte, Titanite, Nepheline, Lamprophyllite, Aegirine, Natrolite, unusual ‘sugary’ Apatite and other rarer minerals.



and at least one of the following:

Koashva Apatite Mine - Alkaline massif apatite with a large number of rare species.



Astrophzllitovoe Gorge - Type locality for fersmanite

Afrikanda

The Titanomagnetitovy quarry where we can find some Perovskite, Schorlomite, Titanite and other mineral specimens.

Kovdor

The dumps of the Kovdor Phlogopite quarry and the massive Iron (magnetite) quarry are the two main attractions here.

Lovozero

Karnarsurt - One of the most famous alkaline mineral localities in the world. A large number of rare minerals - Belovite-(Ce), Beryllite, Komarovite, Murmanite, Narsarsukite, Raite, and Zorite just to name a very few!



Umbozero mine - another locality for alkaline minerals, Bykovaite, Caryochroite, Litvinskite and Korobitsynite are some of the minerals that were first found here.

But also...

The trip starts and ends in Moscow, with all internal flights, transportation, hotels and meals covered within the cost. And while we're in Moscow we'll also get an opportunity to visit the Earth Science Museum at the Moscow State Museum and of course the Fersman Mineralogical Museum which hosts one of the most significant mineral collections on display anywhere in the world - guided by the curators.

Optional extension: St Petersburg

If you have extra time you may want to add on an additional 3-day trip to see St Petersburg. We'll take you by high-speed train from Moscow to St Petersburg where you'll visit the world-famous Hermitage Museum as well as seeing the fabulous Peterhof palace and the incredible mineral collection at the St Petersburg Mining Institute (not usually open to the public.) For this you'll need to arrive in Moscow on August 18th.

How much does it cost?

The cost is $2,750 for 14 days - that's under $200 a day including all accommodation, transportation in Russia (including flights between Moscow and Murmansk), meals and of course arrangement of permissions for getting to all of these incredible sites. If you wish to do the additional trip to St Petersburg that will cost an additional $450 including high-speed train from and returning to Moscow.

As you may know export of mineral specimens from Russia is strictly controlled, so the price also includes arrangements for export of up to 5kg (11lb) of specimens per person. Specimens can either be collected in person at the Munich Show in October 2017 or can be shipped worldwide from there (at cost) direct to you. If you wish to take more than 5kg you can arrange this for an additional cost.


What else do I need to know?

Most people need a visa for Russia. Check the website for the Russian Embassy in your country. Once you sign up we'll provide you with all the paperwork you need to apply for a visa.

You can ask any questions to adventures@mindat.org

Photos used here are representative photos from mindat.org, not from a previous Mindat Adventure.

How do I sign up?

Do hurry, there are limited spaces and they are filling fast.

Contact: adventures@mindat.org