The Aleutian Islands, are an archipelago with a majesty worthy of admiration, consisting of more than 300 volcanic islands that extend from southwest of Alaska – United States – to the Kamchatka peninsula in Russia, they have a relevant historical importance for humanity and ecosystem.
The story says that these islands were recognized from 1996, as the Historic Site of the Second World War, for having been discussed the famous Forgotten Battle -name that was given to it because it is little known in the history of this devastating world war- being invaded two of their islands by the Japanese that were later recovered in 1943 by the U.S. It represented the first battle in North American land, with a strong confrontation and an important bloodshed from the soldiers that debated in that battle.
Their name comes from the indigenous ethnic group that once lived there, known as the Aleuti, and who have inhabited it for more than ten thousand years, of the total of its inhabitants, less than half are Eskimo aborigines, keeping up themselves with all the resources that the ocean provides them.
In this sense, the icy waters of the Bering Sea that connect with the North Pacific form one of the richest ocean environments on the planet and represent the origin of the biodiversity of this earthly space.
If you are attracted to remote places, these islands are for you. As for the weather you should know that it rains almost every day and when it is not, there is a lot of fog or a volcano is activated. However, that is offset by the impressive nature that can be seen in this region, whose brown green colors remind us the Scottish Highlands. As well as the feeling of peace and being away from the urban stress.
If you want to visit any of these islands, there are flights from Anchorage throughout the year; also, between May and September, there is a ferry that sails two or three times a month from the mainland to Dutch Harbor, in Unalaska. This ship needs at least four days for the trip, even though its arrival at the destination cannot always be guaranteed. In the same way, it is the “Silver Shadow” cruise from Vancouver to Tokyo with a stopover in Unalaska that allows you to stop and enjoy certain activities.
Among the tourist activities that can be done in these beautiful islands is picking flowers, a very emotional and contrasting activity in this wild territory surrounded by frozen seas and volcanoes. At the foot of the mountains you will find lilies, lupins and oleanders. Another suggestion is to visit the Russian-Orthodox church of 1825, which is a temple, characterized by a small white wooden building with two green onion-shape domes, idyllically located in the bay of Iliuliuk. From there you can see sea lions submerging in the water to catch fish.
ALFA