How I paddled down the Volga from source to sea – The Calvert Journal

Once in Volgograd, I walked to the Mamayev Kurgan, the dominant hill overlooking the city, where I visited the Second World War mausoleum. Further down the river, I stopped by Tsagan Aman, the only kalmyk town located on the Volga. After visiting the Buddhist temple, locals took me to a restaurant, where I drank traditional milk tea, and berk, meat dumplings with yak butter.

During my last days of paddling, I was getting closer to the city of Astrakhan. Here, far away from any nearby reservoirs, the river regains its independence, its ardour, and draws voluptuous meanders as it curls around innumerable islands dusted with fine sand. I saw fishermen, wild horses, and white-tailed eagles flying above. By mid-November, I reached Astrakhan, and followed the river delta. On one of my final stops, a group of local fishermen invited me to a delicious lunch of ukha, fish soup. On 15 November, 82 days after starting the trip, and 3,690 km later, I reached Vyzhka. Here, at the southernmost point of the delta, by the shores of the Caspian sea, my journey came to an end.

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How I paddled down the Volga from source to sea - The Calvert Journal