safari animal cookies

Safari Animal Cookies

Unleash your inner artist with safari animal cookies and discover your creative side. Learn to decorate cute animals like a pro and impress your friends. No experience necessary, just a passion for cookies and fun! Check out the Beginner Safari Animals online class here.

A small selection of the sets I’ve made are offered as online cookie decorating classes . For a full selection of all cookie sets I’ve made (both those that are classes and those that are detailed in full on the blog), click here .

Just one cookie cutter (you could even use a water glass!) and just one icing consistency means fewer products to purchase and less time spent prepping icing. Who doesn’t want cookie decorating that is more streamlined, fun AND efficient 😉 

This class is great for little ones as well. Need something to entertain the kiddos during vacation or a an activity to do with grandma/grandpa? Look no further!

Pair this class with the  Beginner Barnyard Animals  class for double the fun!

What makes these Safari Animal Cookies so special?

These Beginner Safari Animal cookies are the perfect adorable animal fun to make for the kids in your life, or even WITH them!

The best parts of this class?

First…  ONE shape!! And it’s a circle! Which means you can even use a water glass instead of a cookie cookie 😉

Second…  One consistency! That means less time spent prepping 🙂

Third…  As limited of a color palette as you can get with animals (it’s harder than you might think!)

Royal icing skills covered in this class:

• 1 consistency outline and flood
• crackle icing technique
• detail piping with flood consistency
• flooding in sections
• crackle technique

You will learn how to decorate (from start to finish) EIGHT Safari Animal Cookies

Hippo Cookie

This hippo took me at least 4 tries, but bow and I so glad I kept trying!! He’s my favorite from the set 🙂

Monkey Cookie

Okay… monkeys might technically have ears on the sides of their heads. But I thought this was the cuter option in circle cookie form 😉

Rhino Cookie

There’s just something so cute about his enormous nose/horn!

Lion Cookie

Couldn’t do a beginner set without some crackle… and might I say this lion mane is the perfect application!

Leopard Cookie

It took me a couple tries to get the placement of these spots juuuuust right 🙂  

Tiger Cookie

Learn how to pipe just enough stripes to be effective but not compete with the eyes!

Giraffe Cookie

There’s definitely an art to piping these huge spots without the icing overflooding!

Zebra Cookie

Did you know that zebras are technically black with white stripes?

Where to learn how to make these Safari Animal Cookies

Click here to learn more about making these safari animal cookies with the Beginner Safari Animal online class . The online class purchase includes access to a PDF workbook and a private class video.

This 1 hour class recording is delivered as if it was a live class, so you’re transported right into my energy and will finish the class having completed the entire set of cookies.

By purchasing the class, you’ll have access to the class recording, as well as a 78 page workbook to make this cookie journey as seamless and fun as possible. 

The workbook and video walk you through step-by-step how to make these safari animal cookies from start to finish (including supplies to purchase, cookie and icing recipes, how to prep the cookies and icing, how to decorate the cookies and beyond!).

My classes are designed for success no matter how much experience you have with royal icing. Whether you’ve never touched it before or you’ve been working with royal icing for years, you are SURE to impress all of your friends and family with your edible creations thanks to my detailed instructions and warm approach! 

Questions about my online classes?

• General FAQs on classes
• Why take my classes?
• My ultimate class recommendation list

Free Resources for this Set

For every class set, I still produce my usual YouTube videos. One is a sped-up compilation of the full set (at a more reasonable pace than the fast video above) and the second is a tutorial. This tutorial video is *not* at all like the class video.

The free YouTube tutorial video (below) shows each cookie in real-time with a voiceover, however, it is much shorter than the class videos and does not include any additional resources (classes include a 60+ page workbook).

I deliver my class videos as if I was teaching a live class, so a 20 minute YouTube tutorial can easily be a 2 hour class video. Either way, I like to provide different levels of information with different levels of investment. Choose the path that best suits you!

Want to dive into resources on the blog? Start here:

• What Is Royal Icing: A Beginner’s Guide
• Royal Icing Recipe
• Sugar Cookie Recipe
• How to store royal icing (more detailed instructions)
• Royal icing consistencies
• All of my favorite cookie decorating supplies
• How much royal icing do you need?

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Home » Cookies » Animal Cookies » Simple Tropical Leaf Cookies

Simple Tropical Leaf Cookies

Simple accent cookies are a great way to stretch cookie platters.  They’re tasty and adorable but far less labor intensive than other designs.

One of my favorites are these simple tropical leaves.  They only take a minute to make and work with a variety of themes.  They can be made with a few different cutters such as a paisley, simple leaf, or football.

• Green 20-second icing

Begin by outlining half of the leaf with 20-second icing.

After the icing has set repeat the previous steps on the second half of the cookie.

For fun coordinating cookie ideas, check out the helpful tutorials below:

• Tropical Luau Cookies via Glorious Treats
• Grass Skirts and Flip Flop Cookies via Glorious Treats
• Tropical Luau Cookies Via Glorious Treats
• Giraffe Face Cookies with Common Cutters
• How to Make Giraffe Print with Royal Icing
• How to Make Zebra Print on Cookies
• How to Make Leopard Print Cookies
• Creative Hibiscus Cookies
• Bamboo Border Cookies
• Hawaiian Shirt Cookies
• Mini Luau Cookies
• Flip Flop Cookies

Have a great weekend cookie friends!

I love this design! I can’t wait to use it next time I do some tropical or luau themed cookies!

Dang it, I wish I had seen these cookies this morning, while I was making palm trees. They are sooo pretty, you’re so creative!

Fabulous design, Callye! 🙂

Love the designs! Do you have any info on the cutters you used to make the monkey and elephant? I love the whole platter. Thanks for sharing.

Was curious about the mixer contest. Did I miss the announcement of the winners? Said it would be announced either yesterday or valentines day I think. Just wondering, thx. :] and of course cute cookies. I made my first batch last night. Have to put eyes, nose, mouth and other facial details on them. They are faces for a play date party on Tuesday.

Great idea!! I made your cookie recipe a month ago and ran out of time to add icing for an event. So they have been sitting in a closed tupperware container. I pulled one out and tasted it and I couldn’t believe how good it was!! After a month. Still yummee!! Not stale at all.

When I saw the title of this post, I couldn’t believe that I was seeing the word ‘simple’ with these leaves which I’ve always LOVED! Somehow, you always know exactly what I’m dying to learn! Thank you SO much….Can’t wait to try!

So. Freakin’. Talented.

This is awesome! It makes me want to make jungle cookies so I can try it out.

you make it looks so simple:)

Oh, I wish that I had seen this before I did mine! Love these, Callye! Your whole set is wonderful!

These are perfect! Thanks for the leaf tutorial!

posts…gosh tried several times…and here i m…cookies love goeruogs …hridays fav things car,airplane and above all BALL…haha

Hi Callye! We love these cookies! What cutter/cutters did you use for the zebra heads?

Used this last night to create minis! I love the way yours look Callye! They are just perfect!

I’ve been thinking about Lion cookies for something fun to bring to one of my LIONS CLUB meetings. While not at all what your tutorial is about, this set gives me a good guide for making the lions. Can’t wait to give it a try! Thanks so much for all that you share with us! Kirsten

Can you tell me what Cookie cutters you used to make these jungle animal faces? They are so cute but I cannot find anything like the elephant face or zebra to work with. Thank you for your time.

What a plesruae to find someone who thinks through the issues

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Awesome work! What amazes me the most is how identical your cookie designs are! Lions looks exactly the same, just as the elephants do….that is serious art talent!

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Hello, I am wanting to have a jungle theme for my sons 2nd birthday and would like to try to make the lion cookies, do you have a recipe posted anywhere?

Did anyone find out which cookie cutters were used to do the above cookies? I know they are often not ones you would think that could be transformed into amazing animals like these. Just curious as I have safari animal cookies due next week. Thanks everyone.

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I was wondering what cookie cutters you used for these cute animals. 

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Treks & Bites

Adventures in Food & Travel

Frosted Animal Shortbread Cookies

Courtsie and I felt like school kids one day and got this crazy idea to make giant-sized frosted shortbread animal cracker cookies! They just sounded so delicious and so much fun with pink and white icing and rainbow sprinkles! 🐪🦒🐘 There is nothing wrong with good old-fashioned sugar cookies, but simple shortbread is the ultimate in sweet treats. Think Walker’s Shortbread … so subtly sweet, crispy and buttery! Then we were getting such a kick out ourselves and how cute the cookies were that we decided to serve them in our own little jungle, kind of like they were roaming about! This seemed like such a fun thing to do for a kids’ birthday party … or really any party where you have animal lovers! It was super easy to find the safari cookie cutters, but the tricky part was figuring out how we were going to make the darn animals stand up for the photo! A trip to Home Depot for field turf proved futile, but on the way home, a fortuitous stop at Home Goods, where we found some potted fake grasses was just the ticket! We have a little video of how we made this all come together so you can do this with your kids or grandkids!

To be fair, these cookies are really based more on the frosted Mother’s Circus Animal cookies, but since we all remember the excitement of opening a box of the original animal Barnum’s Animal Crackers, we decided to do a little deeper dive into the history of Animal Crackers. We were really surprised to learn that since 1902, fifty-three different animals have been represented in each box of crackers! We had no idea there had been so many over the years! The latest addition to the collection was the koala bear, introduced in 2002! It kind of seems like a good time to add another new animal, since it’s already been 20 years since the koala bear!

Our collection of safari animals includes a giraffe, a hippo, a camel, a polar bear and an elephant and we loved the way they turned out! If you have kids, grown up or not, or grandchildren, this is such a fun project to do together!

Be sure to add sprinkles right after you frost them, and gently press them into the frosting so they stick! Then, before you place them into the scene, to let them sit, uncovered, until the frosting is hardened enough to handle. Then you can start the fun of arranging them in your own creative jungle! We hope you have as much fun with this project as we did!

Frosted Shortbread Animal Cookies

• 4-inch animal cookie cutters
• 1 jar classic rainbow sprinkles
• 1 bottle pink food gel coloring
• 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Pink & White Icing

• 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 2 tbsp. milk
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1-3 drops pink gel food coloring We use “Deep Pink” gel food coloring from Sunny Side Up Bakery, but you can use any pink food coloring you like!

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with powdered sugar until creamy. Add salt, and vanilla and mix well. Finally, blend in flour. Form dough into a ball and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about 20 minutes, or until fairly firm.

• Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden-brown. Don’t underbake … you want these cookies crispy. Remove from oven and cool completely.
• Then, using a spoon or a knife, frost half the cookies with pink icing and the other half with white icing. Immediately, sprinkle with the rainbow sprinkles and gently push them into the frosting.
• Allow the frosting to harden before storing them or arranging them in your own little jungle scene.

• Tint one of the bowls with pink food coloring until you get to the pink you like. We use a “Deep Pink” gel food coloring from Sunny Side Up Bakery, which works great for this!

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Safari Animal Cookies

*This listing is for one dozen (12) safari theme sugar cookies. Designs will be random cookies unless you specify what design would you like to receive !!!

  Description:

Hand rolled, hand cut and hand decorated sugar cookies.

You will love these delicious sugar cookies decorated with royal icing and edible images. This can be customized to your event, please specify during checkout or contact me to create your own custom order.

*Each cookie will be bagged in a clear cellophane bag

My cookies are baked fresh to order, so please allow 1-2 weeks lead time so that we may deliver the freshest cookies right to your doorstep.

I ship using USPS Priority Mail. Please specify the date of your party to have your cookies delivered just in time for your event.I gladly accept cancellations

Request a cancellation: within 24 hours of purchase

 I don't accept returns or exchanges

But please contact me if you have any problems with your order.

Returns and exchange details

Since the cookies are perishable items, returns and exchanges are not accepted.

I take great care in packaging my cookies to ensure that they will arrive intact. However, no refunds will be given for broken or damaged cookies; no refunds will be given due to carrier delays. Once the package has left my possession, the shipping and handling of the package is no longer in my control.

If they do, please file a complaint with the carrier. We are not the ones responsible for any inconveniences regarding that and we unfortunately can not offer refunds in those cases.

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Colleen Michele

Invites & Ideas for Cute Parties & Showers!

Safari baby shower ideas: cute, creative and easy!

January 30, 2020 by Colleen 4 Comments

Looking to host a safari theme baby shower? You’ve come to the right place. We have scoured the internet for the cutest, creative and most of all easy ideas to make your jungle baby shower a hit. Here’s a look at what’s inside:

Jungle Shower cakes / sweets Safari Themed Invitations – gender neutral, girl and boy version Jungle shower decor Safari themed food and drink ideas Party with a purpose – how to give back to the jungl e FREE Welcome Poster Thank you favor tags and more

Jungle theme baby shower cakes make a wonderful centerpiece.

This adorable baby shower cake is perfect for the new mom celebrating with a jungle or safari theme. The jungle animals (even a little hippo) surround the cake to make an amazing centerpiece for your party.

You could also have several little cakes – like this three some featuring a giraffe, lion and elephant. Each one could be a different flavor to add to the variety. You can find the cute toppers here.

The elephant topper on this baby shower cake is adorable! And the cute giraffe is super sweet too. Yes, the kangaroo is generally not found in the jungle but somehow mom and joey hopped on for the ride.

Here’s a different take on a jungle theme cake – a three tiered cake featuring animal prints and jungle leaves.

Make the cake the centerpiece!

This cake is a standout and needs to be front and center. Mint green and gold are a perfect combination for a jungle shower. The decorations surrounding the cake are as creative as the cake itself.

If you like golden safari showers, there are plenty of options available. Here’s some inspiration for you to set the tone. This cake and dessert spread showcases the golden theme perfectly.

Jungle theme cookies and cupcakes – sweet as can be.

Are you a cookie baker with animal theme cookie cutters ? You can make your own jungle themed cookies and decorate with colored frosting and a steady hand. If not, just head on over to etsy and get these sweet faced jungle animal cookies delivered in time for your shower. Sweet elephant, spotted giraffe, curious monkey, orange tigers, cute zebra and baby lion cookies will accent your shower perfectly!

Are these the cutest jungle cupcakes you’ve ever seen? Monkeys, tigers and zebra make their debut on chelseasmessyapron . Head on over for complete step by step instructions.

Safari and Jungle theme baby shower invitations. Lions and tigers and so much more!

Unique jungle animals take front and center on this safari theme shower. I love the colorful toucan, the napping lion and the cougar on the prowl.

We’re wild with excitement! This is one of my most recent designs featuring playful baby safari animals. I have a swinging monkey hanging from a vine, a baby zebra, jumping lion, a sprinkling elephant and smiling giraffe all front and center. This is also available as an instant download – so you can download, edit and print on your home computer today! Can also be emailed too 🙂

I also have this design and quite a few matching pieces in this theme (such as this cute baby elephant with sprinkling water thank you favor tags ). Head on over to see the entire collection .

Baby girl safari themed invitations

I also had a request for a “girl” version of the safari themed baby shower invitation. I added a bit of pink, some ferns and flowers and of course, a pink elephant 🙂

You can also customize this baby shower invitation via Corjl – change background colors, fonts and more!

If you’ve never used Corjl before, here’s a quick video with the “how to”.

Super cute jungle animals hiding among the ferns. The elephant, hippo, lion and giraffe are soft watercolor versions – perfect for a gender neutral shower.

Here’s a creative touch to the lion king theme – multi colored jungle leaves surround the baby lion. And too, these are easy to customize for your own lion themed shower.

Fun jungle animals including a not too scary lion, blue elephant, spotted giraffe, hungry hippo, crazy crocodile and ready to party palm tree! Back has a repeating jungle pattern featuring the cast of safari characters.

Here’s a baby girl shower invitation featuring some jungle animals with cute flowers in their hair: a zebra, tiger, elephant and giraffe all join the party. Love the creativity!

Baby boy shower invitations

These safari animals are heading out on a hot air balloon with “It’s a boy” in the banner. So sweet!

Twin elephant safari themed invitations

Is your mom to be having twins? There are plenty of designs available for the twin theme – including these adorable baby elephants.

Jungle theme baby shower decoration ideas.

There is such a variety in jungle themes – your creativity and imagination can bring your ideas to life. Whether you’re hanging palm leaves from the ceiling or adding boho accents, you can’t go wrong with this crowd pleasing theme.

The animal prints above or those shown below can be showcased at the shower on the food table, gift table, or sprinkled around the room. Then when the shower is over, off to the nursery for the baby’s wall. This is a really inexpensive way to add cute jungle decorations throughout the shower.

An adorable stuffed animal always adds sweetness to the party – like this super cute stuffed lion . Plus he would look darling in the nursery after the shower. You can find tigers , zebras and elephants too

Safari theme welcome sign

There are plenty of welcome baby flags but this one is super cute. I love the accents on the flag and the fun animals – from My Happy Party shop on etsy.

Safari theme baby shower guest book

Greet your guests with a smile and a pen – and have them sign this adorable baby shower guest book. This sweet book gives guests the opportunity to add wishes and make predictions. It also includes a gift tracker log (great for mom!) and blank pages for notes or other mementos. Best of all, it’s less than $10!

If you’re handy with a needle and thread, these jungle animals would also be fun to decorate at the shower. You can find patterns and other beautiful fabrics with a safari theme.

These cute baby blocks will instantly add to your safari theme shower. Don’t forget the tropical balloon arch !

Safari theme balloons instantly set the tone with very little effort. These decorative balloons from evescraft at etsy include patterns for cheetah, tiger, zebra and giraffe.

Stuffed animals are always a great hit at a baby shower. I love this elephant rocking chair idea! Or you could also have a large giraffe at the entrance to really set the mood when guests arrive. Both also make great baby gifts once the wild one arrives!

Diaper cakes with a jungle theme

There are plenty of creative jungle theme diaper cakes on etsy but this one stands out for his simplicity and creativity. Another perfect accent for the popular golden safari baby showers.

It’s about to get wild! Featuring an ever so cute elephant, lion and giraffe, this diaper cake is sure to get the admiration of your guests.

So simple – safari themed food ideas!

How fun are these pretzel sticks with animal print patterns? You can find the basics on creating chocolate covered pretzels here . For the white chocolate, you’ll need some food coloring to create the giraffe, cheetah and tiger patterns. What’s even easier? Just order them from dalicakesweetshop and she will ship them to you!

This adorable tiger dip works perfectly for a jungle themed baby shower. Just cut up some red, orange and yellow peppers for the mane, arrange a few black olives for the face and crackers for the ears. You can use store bought dip or hummus – or if you’re feeling brave, you can create your own homemade hummus .

Ok – it really doesn’t get any easier than this to create a cute snack for your shower. Cheese cubes on a skewer with a little decorative jungle animal (or two) and a sign. These are poked into the side of a melon. Fun – and simple!

Love this pineapple palm tree! It looks pretty simple to do too – just stack up some pineapples (have a rod to hold them straight). Next add some palm leaves on the top. Lastly, surround the base with tropical fruit. So creative – and such a dramatic display!

Other fun food ideas for the party are:

Fruit skewers Sausage rolls Little Debbie Zebra cakes Finger sandwiches Animal crackers (make cute thank you favors as shown below)

Jungle Juice – fruity, flavorful and fun!

For drinks, what could be easier? Add some tropical fruit and ice to your water pitchers and you have instant jungle juice – perfect tropical drinks for the party. Super easy – and flavorful too!

Parties with a purpose!

Since you’re having an African theme, why not give the mom to be this so cute “ Save Elephants from Extinction ” from the Elephant Cooperation with cute mom and baby elephant. There’s also one for the kiddo with Jungle Love featuring two elephants with cute hearts. What’s more, this could be a great gift idea for the big brother or sister. Best of all, 100% of profits from the sales of the tees goes directly to protecting the gentle giants.  Buy a tshirt, save an elephant. ?

There are many more charitable organizations you can showcase at your party. I love this Wild in Africa store with beautiful bracelets. What’s more, they donate 50% of all profits to the charities such as the Wild Tomorrow Fund , the Rhino Rescue project and more!.

Free safari welcome poster printable

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Thanks for coming!

This is such a cute saying on the favor tag – the sentiment is so sweet. It reads “Please light me up when you hear the news that baby Sawyer has made his debut. The flame will glow to celebrate little Sawyer’s arrival date.” It’s easy to do too … get your candle votives with lids ( or without lids ) next add some twine, punch a hole in your note card and lastly, add to your candle favors. You can customize the tags with your own wording or poem too!

The Thank You Card features the golden safari animals. What’s more, there’s plenty of room inside to add your special notes.

More Jungle safari ideas – Jungle themed balloons, Welcome Sign and Baby shower favors!

Did you know that you can create a Baby Registry on Amazon ? It’s super easy!

These baby shower favors from Kate Aspen are adorable too. Jungle shower candle animals 🙂

We hope you enjoyed our safari themed shower ideas! If you have photos or ideas to share, we’d love to hear them. If you’re still looking for party themes, we have plenty more too … our baby bee shower and forest animals just to name a few!

ColleenMichele - Founder

ColleenMichele is a smile maker and graphic designer at colleenmichele.com. Her designs have been featured on national sites including Martha Stewart Wedding, Country Living Magazine, Bride’s Magazine, Reader’s Digest, Pop Sugar and BuzzFeed.

Reader Interactions

February 28, 2022 at 3:43 am

Hello. Can you tell me where I can get the elephant and giraffe cake toppers?

February 28, 2022 at 2:00 pm

Hi Ima! Those little cake toppers are so cute! You can find the cute toppers here.

February 9, 2023 at 3:17 pm

Do you know where I can get cutters or templates for fondant cut outs for the animals in the cake with the kangaroo?

February 11, 2023 at 2:25 pm

Hi Tracy – It appears that the templates were handmade with fondant. The cookie cutouts I’ve seen are similar – but not the same. There are a lot of cute ones out there though on etsy – you may find something you like!

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• Places - European, Western and Northern Russia

YEKATERINBURG: FACTORIES, URAL SIGHTS, YELTSIN AND THE WHERE NICHOLAS II WAS KILLED

Sverdlovsk oblast.

Sverdlovsk Oblast is the largest region in the Urals; it lies in the foothills of mountains and contains a monument indicating the border between Europe and Asia. The region covers 194,800 square kilometers (75,200 square miles), is home to about 4.3 million people and has a population density of 22 people per square kilometer. About 83 percent of the population live in urban areas. Yekaterinburg is the capital and largest city, with 1.5 million people. For Russians, the Ural Mountains are closely associated with Pavel Bazhov's tales and known for folk crafts such as Kasli iron sculpture, Tagil painting, and copper embossing. Yekaterinburg is the birthplace of Russia’s iron and steel industry, taking advantage of the large iron deposits in the Ural mountains. The popular Silver Ring of the Urals tourist route starts here.

In the summer you can follow in the tracks of Yermak, climb relatively low Ural mountain peaks and look for boulders seemingly with human faces on them. You can head to the Gemstone Belt of the Ural mountains, which used to house emerald, amethyst and topaz mines. In the winter you can go ice fishing, ski and cross-country ski.

Sverdlovsk Oblast and Yekaterinburg are located near the center of Russia, at the crossroads between Europe and Asia and also the southern and northern parts of Russia. Winters are longer and colder than in western section of European Russia. Snowfalls can be heavy. Winter temperatures occasionally drop as low as - 40 degrees C (-40 degrees F) and the first snow usually falls in October. A heavy winter coat, long underwear and good boots are essential. Snow and ice make the sidewalks very slippery, so footwear with a good grip is important. Since the climate is very dry during the winter months, skin moisturizer plus lip balm are recommended. Be alert for mud on street surfaces when snow cover is melting (April-May). Patches of mud create slippery road conditions.

Yekaterinburg

Yekaterinburg (kilometer 1818 on the Trans-Siberian Railway) is the fourth largest city in Russia, with of 1.5 million and growth rate of about 12 percent, high for Russia. Located in the southern Ural mountains, it was founded by Peter the Great and named after his wife Catherine, it was used by the tsars as a summer retreat and is where tsar Nicholas II and his family were executed and President Boris Yeltsin lived most of his life and began his political career. The city is near the border between Europe and Asia.

Yekaterinburg (also spelled Ekaterinburg) is located on the eastern slope of the Ural Mountains in the headwaters of the Iset and Pyshma Rivers. The Iset runs through the city center. Three ponds — Verkh-Isetsky, Gorodskoy and Nizhne-Isetsky — were created on it. Yekaterinburg has traditionally been a city of mining and was once the center of the mining industry of the Urals and Siberia. Yekaterinburg remains a major center of the Russian armaments industry and is sometimes called the "Pittsburgh of Russia.". A few ornate, pastel mansions and wide boulevards are reminders of the tsarist era. The city is large enough that it has its own Metro system but is characterized mostly by blocky Soviet-era apartment buildings. The city has advanced under President Vladimir Putin and is now one of the fastest growing places in Russia, a country otherwise characterized by population declines

Yekaterinburg is technically an Asian city as it lies 32 kilometers east of the continental divide between Europe and Asia. The unofficial capital of the Urals, a key region in the Russian heartland, it is second only to Moscow in terms of industrial production and capital of Sverdlovsk oblast. Among the important industries are ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, machine building and metalworking, chemical and petrochemicals, construction materials and medical, light and food industries. On top of being home of numerous heavy industries and mining concerns, Yekaterinburg is also a major center for industrial research and development and power engineering as well as home to numerous institutes of higher education, technical training, and scientific research. In addition, Yekaterinburg is the largest railway junction in Russia: the Trans-Siberian Railway passes through it, the southern, northern, western and eastern routes merge in the city.

Accommodation: There are two good and affordable hotels — the 3-star Emerald and Parus hotels — located close to the city's most popular landmarks and main transport interchanges in the center of Yekaterinburg. Room prices start at RUB 1,800 per night.

History of Yekaterinburg

Yekaterinburg was founded in 1723 by Peter the Great and named after his wife Catherine I. It was used by the tsars as a summer retreat but was mainly developed as metalworking and manufacturing center to take advantage of the large deposits of iron and other minerals in the Ural mountains. It is best known to Americans as the place where the last Tsar and his family were murdered by the Bolsheviks in 1918 and near where American U-2 spy plane, piloted by Gary Powers, was shot down in 1960.

Peter the Great recognized the importance of the iron and copper-rich Urals region for Imperial Russia's industrial and military development. In November 1723, he ordered the construction of a fortress factory and an ironworks in the Iset River Valley, which required a dam for its operation. In its early years Yekaterinburg grew rich from gold and other minerals and later coal. The Yekaterinburg gold rush of 1745 created such a huge amount of wealth that one rich baron of that time hosted a wedding party that lasted a year. By the mid-18th century, metallurgical plants had sprung up across the Urals to cast cannons, swords, guns and other weapons to arm Russia’s expansionist ambitions. The Yekaterinburg mint produced most of Russia's coins. Explorations of the Trans-Baikal and Altai regions began here in the 18th century.

Iron, cast iron and copper were the main products. Even though Iron from the region went into the Eiffel Tower, the main plant in Yekaterinburg itself was shut down in 1808. The city still kept going through a mountain factory control system of the Urals. The first railway in the Urals was built here: in 1878, the Yekaterinburg-Perm railway branch connected the province's capital with the factories of the Middle Urals.

In the Soviet era the city was called Sverdlovsk (named after Yakov Sverdlov, the man who organized Nicholas II's execution). During the first five-year plans the city became industrial — old plants were reconstructed, new ones were built. The center of Yekaterinburg was formed to conform to the historical general plan of 1829 but was the layout was adjusted around plants and factories. In the Stalin era the city was a major gulag transhipment center. In World War II, many defense-related industries were moved here. It and the surrounding area were a center of the Soviet Union's military industrial complex. Soviet tanks, missiles and aircraft engines were made in the Urals. During the Cold War era, Yekaterinburg was a center of weapons-grade uranium enrichment and processing, warhead assembly and dismantlement. In 1979, 64 people died when anthrax leaked from a biological weapons facility. Yekaterinburg was a “Closed City” for 40 years during the Cold Soviet era and was not open to foreigners until 1991

In the early post-Soviet era, much like Pittsburgh in the 1970s, Yekaterinburg had a hard struggle d to cope with dramatic economic changes that have made its heavy industries uncompetitive on the world market. Huge defense plants struggled to survive and the city was notorious as an organized crime center in the 1990s, when its hometown boy Boris Yeltsin was President of Russia. By the 2000s, Yekaterinburg’s retail and service was taking off, the defense industry was reviving and it was attracting tech industries and investments related to the Urals’ natural resources. By the 2010s it was vying to host a world exhibition in 2020 (it lost, Dubai won) and it had McDonald’s, Subway, sushi restaurants, and Gucci, Chanel and Armani. There were Bentley and Ferrari dealerships but they closed down

Transportation in Yekaterinburg

Getting There: By Plane: Yekaterinburg is a three-hour flight from Moscow with prices starting at RUB 8,000, or a 3-hour flight from Saint Petersburg starting from RUB 9,422 (direct round-trip flight tickets for one adult passenger). There are also flights from Frankfurt, Istanbul, China and major cities in the former Soviet Union.

By Train: Yekaterinburg is a major stop on the Trans-Siberian Railway. Daily train service is available to Moscow and many other Russian cities.Yekaterinburg is a 32-hour train ride from Moscow (tickets RUB 8,380 and above) or a 36-hour train ride from Saint Petersburg (RUB 10,300 and above). The ticket prices are round trip for a berth in a sleeper compartment for one adult passenger). By Car: a car trip from Moscow to Yekateringburg is 1,787 kilometers long and takes about 18 hours. The road from Saint Petersburg is 2,294 kilometers and takes about 28 hours.

Regional Transport: The region's public transport includes buses and suburban electric trains. Regional trains provide transport to larger cities in the Ural region. Buses depart from Yekaterinburg’s two bus stations: the Southern Bus Station and the Northern Bus Station.

Regional Transport: According the to Association for Safe International Road Travel (ASIRT): “Public transportation is well developed. Overcrowding is common. Fares are low. Service is efficient. Buses are the main form of public transport. Tram network is extensive. Fares are reasonable; service is regular. Trams are heavily used by residents, overcrowding is common. Purchase ticket after boarding. Metro runs from city center to Uralmash, an industrial area south of the city. Metro ends near the main railway station. Fares are inexpensive.

“Traffic is congested in city center. Getting around by car can be difficult. Route taxis (minivans) provide the fastest transport. They generally run on specific routes, but do not have specific stops. Drivers stop where passengers request. Route taxis can be hailed. Travel by bus or trolleybuses may be slow in rush hour. Trams are less affected by traffic jams. Trolley buses (electric buses) cannot run when temperatures drop below freezing.”

Entertainment, Sports and Recreation in Yekaterinburg

The performing arts in Yekaterinburg are first rate. The city has an excellent symphony orchestra, opera and ballet theater, and many other performing arts venues. Tickets are inexpensive. The Yekaterinburg Opera and Ballet Theater is lavishly designed and richly decorated building in the city center of Yekaterinburg. The theater was established in 1912 and building was designed by architect Vladimir Semyonov and inspired by the Vienna Opera House and the Theater of Opera and Ballet in Odessa.

Vaynera Street is a pedestrian only shopping street in city center with restaurants, cafes and some bars. But otherwise Yekaterinburg's nightlife options are limited. There are a handful of expensive Western-style restaurants and bars, none of them that great. Nightclubs serve the city's nouveau riche clientele. Its casinos have closed down. Some of them had links with organized crime. New dance clubs have sprung up that are popular with Yekaterinburg's more affluent youth.

Yekaterinburg's most popular spectator sports are hockey, basketball, and soccer. There are stadiums and arenas that host all three that have fairly cheap tickets. There is an indoor water park and lots of parks and green spaces. The Urals have many lakes, forests and mountains are great for hiking, boating, berry and mushroom hunting, swimming and fishing. Winter sports include cross-country skiing and ice skating. Winter lasts about six months and there’s usually plenty of snow. The nearby Ural Mountains however are not very high and the downhill skiing opportunities are limited..

Sights in Yekaterinburg

Sights in Yekaterinburg include the Museum of City Architecture and Ural Industry, with an old water tower and mineral collection with emeralds. malachite, tourmaline, jasper and other precious stone; Geological Alley, a small park with labeled samples of minerals found in the Urals region; the Ural Geology Museum, which houses an extensive collection of stones, gold and gems from the Urals; a monument marking the border between Europe and Asia; a memorial for gulag victims; and a graveyard with outlandish memorials for slain mafia members.

The Military History Museum houses the remains of the U-2 spy plane shot down in 1960 and locally made tanks and rocket launchers. The fine arts museum contains paintings by some of Russia's 19th-century masters. Also worth a look are the History an Local Studies Museum; the Political History and Youth Museum; and the University and Arboretum. Old wooden houses can be seen around Zatoutstovsya ulitsa and ulitsa Belinskogo. Around the city are wooded parks, lakes and quarries used to harvest a variety of minerals. Weiner Street is the main street of Yekaterinburg. Along it are lovely sculptures and 19th century architecture. Take a walk around the unique Literary Quarter

Plotinka is a local meeting spot, where you will often find street musicians performing. Plotinka can be described as the center of the city's center. This is where Yekaterinburg holds its biggest events: festivals, seasonal fairs, regional holiday celebrations, carnivals and musical fountain shows. There are many museums and open-air exhibitions on Plotinka. Plotinka is named after an actual dam of the city pond located nearby (“plotinka” means “a small dam” in Russian).In November 1723, Peter the Great ordered the construction of an ironworks in the Iset River Valley, which required a dam for its operation. “Iset” can be translated from Finnish as “abundant with fish”. This name was given to the river by the Mansi — the Finno-Ugric people dwelling on the eastern slope of the Northern Urals.

Vysotsky and Iset are skyscrapers that are 188.3 meters and 209 meters high, respectively. Fifty-story-high Iset has been described by locals as the world’s northernmost skyscraper. Before the construction of Iset, Vysotsky was the tallest building of Yekaterinburg and Russia (excluding Moscow). A popular vote has decided to name the skyscraper after the famous Soviet songwriter, singer and actor Vladimir Vysotsky. and the building was opened on November 25, 2011. There is a lookout at the top of the building, and the Vysotsky museum on its second floor. The annual “Vysotsky climb” (1137 steps) is held there, with a prize of RUB 100,000. While Vysotsky serves as an office building, Iset, owned by the Ural Mining and Metallurgical Company, houses 225 premium residential apartments ranging from 80 to 490 square meters in size.

Boris Yeltsin Presidential Center

The Boris Yeltsin Presidential Center (in the city center: ul. Yeltsina, 3) is a non-governmental organization named after the first president of the Russian Federation. The Museum of the First President of Russia as well as his archives are located in the Center. There is also a library, educational and children's centers, and exposition halls. Yeltsin lived most of his life and began his political career in Yekaterinburg. He was born in Butka about 200 kilometers east of Yekaterinburg.

The core of the Center is the Museum. Modern multimedia technologies help animate the documents, photos from the archives, and artifacts. The Yeltsin Museum holds collections of: propaganda posters, leaflets, and photos of the first years of the Soviet regime; portraits and portrait sculptures of members of Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of various years; U.S.S.R. government bonds and other items of the Soviet era; a copy of “One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich” by Alexander Solzhenitsyn, published in the “Novy Mir” magazine (#11, 1962); perestroika-era editions of books by Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Vasily Grossman, and other authors; theater, concert, and cinema posters, programs, and tickets — in short, all of the artifacts of the perestroika era.

The Yeltsin Center opened in 2012. Inside you will also find an art gallery, a bookstore, a gift shop, a food court, concert stages and a theater. There are regular screenings of unique films that you will not find anywhere else. Also operating inside the center, is a scientific exploritorium for children. The center was designed by Boris Bernaskoni. Almost from the its very opening, the Yeltsin Center has been accused by members of different political entities of various ideological crimes. The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday, from 10:00am to 9:00pm.

Where Nicholas II was Executed

On July, 17, 1918, during this reign of terror of the Russian Civil War, former-tsar Nicholas II, his wife, five children (the 13-year-old Alexis, 22-year-old Olga, 19-year-old Maria and 17-year-old Anastasia)the family physician, the cook, maid, and valet were shot to death by a Red Army firing squad in the cellar of the house they were staying at in Yekaterinburg.

Ipatiev House (near Church on the Blood, Ulitsa Libknekhta) was a merchant's house where Nicholas II and his family were executed. The house was demolished in 1977, on the orders of an up and coming communist politician named Boris Yeltsin. Yeltsin later said that the destruction of the house was an "act of barbarism" and he had no choice because he had been ordered to do it by the Politburo,

The site is marked with s cross with the photos of the family members and cross bearing their names. A small wooden church was built at the site. It contains paintings of the family. For a while there were seven traditional wooden churches. Mass is given ay noon everyday in an open-air museum. The Church on the Blood — constructed to honor Nicholas II and his family — was built on the part of the site in 1991 and is now a major place of pilgrimage.

Nicholas and his family where killed during the Russian civil war. It is thought the Bolsheviks figured that Nicholas and his family gave the Whites figureheads to rally around and they were better of dead. Even though the death orders were signed Yakov Sverdlov, the assassination was personally ordered by Lenin, who wanted to get them out of sight and out of mind. Trotsky suggested a trial. Lenin nixed the idea, deciding something had to be done about the Romanovs before White troops approached Yekaterinburg. Trotsky later wrote: "The decision was not only expedient but necessary. The severity of he punishment showed everyone that we would continue to fight on mercilessly, stopping at nothing."

Ian Frazier wrote in The New Yorker: “Having read a lot about the end of Tsar Nicholas II and his family and servants, I wanted to see the place in Yekaterinburg where that event occurred. The gloomy quality of this quest depressed Sergei’s spirits, but he drove all over Yekaterinburg searching for the site nonetheless. Whenever he stopped and asked a pedestrian how to get to the house where Nicholas II was murdered, the reaction was a wince. Several people simply walked away. But eventually, after a lot of asking, Sergei found the location. It was on a low ridge near the edge of town, above railroad tracks and the Iset River. The house, known as the Ipatiev House, was no longer standing, and the basement where the actual killings happened had been filled in. I found the blankness of the place sinister and dizzying. It reminded me of an erasure done so determinedly that it had worn a hole through the page. [Source: Ian Frazier, The New Yorker, August 3, 2009, Frazier is author of “Travels in Siberia” (2010)]

“The street next to the site is called Karl Liebknecht Street. A building near where the house used to be had a large green advertisement that said, in English, “LG—Digitally Yours.” On an adjoining lot, a small chapel kept the memory of the Tsar and his family; beneath a pedestal holding an Orthodox cross, peonies and pansies grew. The inscription on the pedestal read, “We go down on our knees, Russia, at the foot of the tsarist cross.”

Books: The Romanovs: The Final Chapter by Robert K. Massie (Random House, 1995); The Fall of the Romanovs by Mark D. Steinberg and Vladimir Khrustalëv (Yale, 1995);

See Separate Article END OF NICHOLAS II factsanddetails.com

Execution of Nicholas II

According to Robert Massie K. Massie, author of Nicholas and Alexandra, Nicholas II and his family were awakened from their bedrooms around midnight and taken to the basement. They were told they were to going to take some photographs of them and were told to stand behind a row of chairs.

Suddenly, a group of 11 Russians and Latvians, each with a revolver, burst into the room with orders to kill a specific person. Yakob Yurovsky, a member of the Soviet executive committee, reportedly shouted "your relatives are continuing to attack the Soviet Union.” After firing, bullets bouncing off gemstones hidden in the corsets of Alexandra and her daughters ricocheted around the room like "a shower of hail," the soldiers said. Those that were still breathing were killed with point black shots to the head.

The three sisters and the maid survived the first round thanks to their gems. They were pressed up against a wall and killed with a second round of bullets. The maid was the only one that survived. She was pursued by the executioners who stabbed her more than 30 times with their bayonets. The still writhing body of Alexis was made still by a kick to the head and two bullets in the ear delivered by Yurovsky himself.

Yurovsky wrote: "When the party entered I told the Romanovs that in view of the fact their relatives continued their offensive against Soviet Russia, the Executive Committee of the Urals Soviet had decided to shoot them. Nicholas turned his back to the detachment and faced his family. Then, as if collecting himself, he turned around, asking, 'What? What?'"

"[I] ordered the detachment to prepare. Its members had been previously instructed whom to shoot and to am directly at the heart to avoid much blood and to end more quickly. Nicholas said no more. he turned again to his family. The others shouted some incoherent exclamations. All this lasted a few seconds. Then commenced the shooting, which went on for two or three minutes. [I] killed Nicholas on the spot."

Nicholas II’s Initial Burial Site in Yekaterinburg

Ganina Yama Monastery (near the village of Koptyaki, 15 kilometers northwest of Yekaterinburg) stands near the three-meter-deep pit where some the remains of Nicholas II and his family were initially buried. The second burial site — where most of the remains were — is in a field known as Porosyonkov (56.9113628°N 60.4954326°E), seven kilometers from Ganina Yama.

On visiting Ganina Yama Monastery, one person posted in Trip Advisor: “We visited this set of churches in a pretty park with Konstantin from Ekaterinburg Guide Centre. He really brought it to life with his extensive knowledge of the history of the events surrounding their terrible end. The story is so moving so unless you speak Russian, it is best to come here with a guide or else you will have no idea of what is what.”

In 1991, the acid-burned remains of Nicholas II and his family were exhumed from a shallow roadside mass grave in a swampy area 12 miles northwest of Yekaterinburg. The remains had been found in 1979 by geologist and amateur archeologist Alexander Avdonin, who kept the location secret out of fear that they would be destroyed by Soviet authorities. The location was disclosed to a magazine by one his fellow discovers.

The original plan was to throw the Romanovs down a mine shaft and disposes of their remains with acid. They were thrown in a mine with some grenades but the mine didn't collapse. They were then carried by horse cart. The vats of acid fell off and broke. When the carriage carrying the bodies broke down it was decided the bury the bodies then and there. The remaining acid was poured on the bones, but most of it was soaked up the ground and the bones largely survived.

After this their pulses were then checked, their faces were crushed to make them unrecognizable and the bodies were wrapped in bed sheets loaded onto a truck. The "whole procedure," Yurovsky said took 20 minutes. One soldiers later bragged than he could "die in peace because he had squeezed the Empress's -------."

The bodies were taken to a forest and stripped, burned with acid and gasoline, and thrown into abandoned mine shafts and buried under railroad ties near a country road near the village of Koptyaki. "The bodies were put in the hole," Yurovsky wrote, "and the faces and all the bodies, generally doused with sulfuric acid, both so they couldn't be recognized and prevent a stink from them rotting...We scattered it with branches and lime, put boards on top and drove over it several times—no traces of the hole remained.

Shortly afterwards, the government in Moscow announced that Nicholas II had been shot because of "a counterrevolutionary conspiracy." There was no immediate word on the other members of the family which gave rise to rumors that other members of the family had escaped. Yekaterinburg was renamed Sverdlov in honor of the man who signed the death orders.

For seven years the remains of Nicholas II, Alexandra, three of their daughters and four servants were stored in polyethylene bags on shelves in the old criminal morgue in Yekaterunburg. On July 17, 1998, Nicholas II and his family and servants who were murdered with him were buried Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg along with the other Romanov tsars, who have been buried there starting with Peter the Great. Nicholas II had a side chapel built for himself at the fortress in 1913 but was buried in a new crypt.

Near Yekaterinburg

Factory-Museum of Iron and Steel Metallurgy (in Niznhy Tagil 80 kilometers north of Yekaterinburg) a museum with old mining equipment made at the site of huge abandoned iron and steel factory. Officially known as the Factory-Museum of the History of the Development of Iron and Steel Metallurgy, it covers an area of 30 hectares and contains a factory founded by the Demidov family in 1725 that specialized mainly in the production of high-quality cast iron and steel. Later, the foundry was renamed after Valerian Kuybyshev, a prominent figure of the Communist Party.

The first Russian factory museum, the unusual museum demonstrates all stages of metallurgy and metal working. There is even a blast furnace and an open-hearth furnace. The display of factory equipment includes bridge crane from 1892) and rolling stock equipment from the 19th-20th centuries. In Niznhy Tagil contains some huge blocks of malachite and

Nizhnyaya Sinyachikha (180 kilometers east-northeast of Yekaterinburg) has an open air architecture museum with log buildings, a stone church and other pre-revolutionary architecture. The village is the creation of Ivan Samoilov, a local activist who loved his village so much he dedicated 40 years of his life to recreating it as the open-air museum of wooden architecture.

The stone Savior Church, a good example of Siberian baroque architecture. The interior and exterior of the church are exhibition spaces of design. The houses are very colorful. In tsarist times, rich villagers hired serfs to paint the walls of their wooden izbas (houses) bright colors. Old neglected buildings from the 17th to 19th centuries have been brought to Nizhnyaya Sinyachikha from all over the Urals. You will see the interior design of the houses and hear stories about traditions and customs of the Ural farmers.

Verkhoturye (330 kilometers road from Yekaterinburg) is the home a 400-year-old monastery that served as 16th century capital of the Urals. Verkhoturye is a small town on the Tura River knows as the Jerusalem of the Urals for its many holy places, churches and monasteries. The town's main landmark is its Kremlin — the smallest in Russia. Pilgrims visit the St. Nicholas Monastery to see the remains of St. Simeon of Verkhoturye, the patron saint of fishermen.

Ural Mountains

Ural Mountains are the traditional dividing line between Europe and Asia and have been a crossroads of Russian history. Stretching from Kazakhstan to the fringes of the Arctic Kara Sea, the Urals lie almost exactly along the 60 degree meridian of longitude and extend for about 2,000 kilometers (1,300 miles) from north to south and varies in width from about 50 kilometers (30 miles) in the north and 160 kilometers (100 miles) the south. At kilometers 1777 on the Trans-Siberian Railway there is white obelisk with "Europe" carved in Russian on one side and "Asia" carved on the other.

The eastern side of the Urals contains a lot of granite and igneous rock. The western side is primarily sandstone and limestones. A number of precious stones can be found in the southern part of the Urals, including emeralds. malachite, tourmaline, jasper and aquamarines. The highest peaks are in the north. Mount Narodnaya is the highest of all but is only 1884 meters (6,184 feet) high. The northern Urals are covered in thick forests and home to relatively few people.

Like the Appalachian Mountains in the eastern United States, the Urals are very old mountains — with rocks and sediments that are hundreds of millions years old — that were one much taller than they are now and have been steadily eroded down over millions of years by weather and other natural processes to their current size. According to Encyclopedia Britannica: “The rock composition helps shape the topography: the high ranges and low, broad-topped ridges consist of quartzites, schists, and gabbro, all weather-resistant. Buttes are frequent, and there are north–south troughs of limestone, nearly all containing river valleys. Karst topography is highly developed on the western slopes of the Urals, with many caves, basins, and underground streams. The eastern slopes, on the other hand, have fewer karst formations; instead, rocky outliers rise above the flattened surfaces. Broad foothills, reduced to peneplain, adjoin the Central and Southern Urals on the east.

“The Urals date from the structural upheavals of the Hercynian orogeny (about 250 million years ago). About 280 million years ago there arose a high mountainous region, which was eroded to a peneplain. Alpine folding resulted in new mountains, the most marked upheaval being that of the Nether-Polar Urals...The western slope of the Urals is composed of middle Paleozoic sedimentary rocks (sandstones and limestones) that are about 350 million years old. In many places it descends in terraces to the Cis-Ural depression (west of the Urals), to which much of the eroded matter was carried during the late Paleozoic (about 300 million years ago). Found there are widespread karst (a starkly eroded limestone region) and gypsum, with large caverns and subterranean streams. On the eastern slope, volcanic layers alternate with sedimentary strata, all dating from middle Paleozoic times.”

Southern Urals

The southern Urals are characterized by grassy slopes and fertile valleys. The middle Urals are a rolling platform that barely rises above 300 meters (1,000 feet). This region is rich in minerals and has been heavily industrialized. This is where you can find Yekaterinburg (formally Sverdlovsk), the largest city in the Urals.

Most of the Southern Urals are is covered with forests, with 50 percent of that pine-woods, 44 percent birch woods, and the rest are deciduous aspen and alder forests. In the north, typical taiga forests are the norm. There are patches of herbal-poaceous steppes, northem sphagnous marshes and bushy steppes, light birch forests and shady riparian forests, tall-grass mountainous meadows, lowland ling marshes and stony placers with lichen stains. In some places there are no large areas of homogeneous forests, rather they are forests with numerous glades and meadows of different size.

In the Ilmensky Mountains Reserve in the Southern Urals, scientists counted 927 vascular plants (50 relicts, 23 endemic species), about 140 moss species, 483 algae species and 566 mushroom species. Among the species included into the Red Book of Russia are feather grass, downy-leaved feather grass, Zalessky feather grass, moccasin flower, ladies'-slipper, neottianthe cucullata, Baltic orchis, fen orchis, helmeted orchis, dark-winged orchis, Gelma sandwart, Krasheninnikov sandwart, Clare astragalus.

The fauna of the vertebrate animals in the Reserve includes 19 fish, 5 amphibian and 5 reptile. Among the 48 mammal species are elks, roe deer, boars, foxes, wolves, lynxes, badgers, common weasels, least weasels, forest ferrets, Siberian striped weasel, common marten, American mink. Squirrels, beavers, muskrats, hares, dibblers, moles, hedgehogs, voles are quite common, as well as chiropterans: pond bat, water bat, Brandt's bat, whiskered bat, northern bat, long-eared bat, parti-coloured bat, Nathusius' pipistrelle. The 174 bird bird species include white-tailed eagles, honey hawks, boreal owls, gnome owls, hawk owls, tawny owls, common scoters, cuckoos, wookcocks, common grouses, wood grouses, hazel grouses, common partridges, shrikes, goldenmountain thrushes, black- throated loons and others.

Activities and Places in the Ural Mountains

The Urals possess beautiful natural scenery that can be accessed from Yekaterinburg with a rent-a-car, hired taxi and tour. Travel agencies arrange rafting, kayaking and hiking trips. Hikes are available in the taiga forest and the Urals. Trips often include walks through the taiga to small lakes and hikes into the mountains and excursions to collect mushrooms and berries and climb in underground caves. Mellow rafting is offered in a relatively calm six kilometer section of the River Serga. In the winter visitor can enjoy cross-mountains skiing, downhill skiing, ice fishing, dog sledding, snow-shoeing and winter hiking through the forest to a cave covered with ice crystals.

Lake Shartash (10 kilometers from Yekaterinburg) is where the first Ural gold was found, setting in motion the Yekaterinburg gold rush of 1745, which created so much wealth one rich baron of that time hosted a wedding party that lasted a year. The area around Shartash Lake is a favorite picnic and barbecue spot of the locals. Getting There: by bus route No. 50, 054 or 54, with a transfer to suburban commuter bus route No. 112, 120 or 121 (the whole trip takes about an hour), or by car (10 kilometers drive from the city center, 40 minutes).

Revun Rapids (90 kilometers road from Yekaterinburg near Beklenishcheva village) is a popular white water rafting places On the nearby cliffs you can see the remains of a mysterious petroglyph from the Paleolithic period. Along the steep banks, you may notice the dark entrance of Smolinskaya Cave. There are legends of a sorceress who lived in there. The rocks at the riverside are suited for competitive rock climbers and beginners. Climbing hooks and rings are hammered into rocks. The most fun rafting is generally in May and June.

Olenii Ruchii National Park (100 kilometers west of Yekaterinburg) is the most popular nature park in Sverdlovsk Oblast and popular weekend getaway for Yekaterinburg residents. Visitors are attracted by the beautiful forests, the crystal clear Serga River and picturesque rocks caves. There are some easy hiking routes: the six-kilometer Lesser Ring and the 15-kilometer Greater Ring. Another route extends for 18 km and passes by the Mitkinsky Mine, which operated in the 18th-19th centuries. It's a kind of an open-air museum — you can still view mining an enrichment equipment here. There is also a genuine beaver dam nearby.

Among the other attractions at Olenii Ruchii are Druzhba (Friendship) Cave, with passages that extend for about 500 meters; Dyrovaty Kamen (Holed Stone), created over time by water of Serga River eroding rock; and Utoplennik (Drowned Man), where you can see “The Angel of Sole Hope”., created by the Swedish artist Lehna Edwall, who has placed seven angels figures in different parts of the world to “embrace the planet, protecting it from fear, despair, and disasters.”

Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons

Text Sources: Federal Agency for Tourism of the Russian Federation (official Russia tourism website russiatourism.ru ), Russian government websites, UNESCO, Wikipedia, Lonely Planet guides, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, National Geographic, The New Yorker, Bloomberg, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, Yomiuri Shimbun and various books and other publications.

Updated in September 2020

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