This can be partly explained by the isolation of the peninsula and by its rigorous climate with its long snowy winters. The Kronotsky Preserve, located on the east central coast, is a mountainous wilderness of nearly 2.5 million acres. The Valley of the Geysers is a small ravine in the Kronotsky Preserve and is alive with about 300 geysers. Smaller geysers spout every five to six minutes. The Valley was discovered by geologist Tatyana Ustinova in 1941 and was only recently opened for visitors and is closed during certain time periods to protect animal life.
Wooden walkways protect the natural environment from tourists who visit the Valley.
The Valley is only accessible by helicopter and only forty tourists are allowed at one time. The Kronotsky Preserve was established as a wildlife refuge, primarily for its concentration of sables. The refuge became a full nature preserve in 1934. In recognition of its great biodiversity, the United Nations established it as a World Heritage Site. Petropavlovsk About 300,000 of the 500,000 people living in Kamchatka live in Petropavlovsk.