Yugyd Va National Park

Listen first. Water runs over grey stones somewhere below you. Wind moves through dark spruce. Underfoot, the ground gives a little, soft with moss and lichen and many seasons of fallen needles. The air smells of resin and cold river. This is Yugyd Va, in the far north-east of European Russia, and you are standing in one of the largest stretches of untouched forest left on the continent.

The name comes from the Komi language. Komi is a Finno-Ugric tongue, distantly related to Finnish and Hungarian, and spoken by the people who have lived in this region for centuries. Yugyd Va is usually translated as clear water or bright water. Spend an hour beside any river here and the name makes sense. On a calm day you can see every pebble on the riverbed, even where the water runs deep.

The park was created in 1994. It covers close to nineteen thousand square kilometres, which makes it one of the biggest national parks in Europe. That is larger than many small countries. It stretches along the western slopes of the Northern and Sub-Polar Urals, the low, ancient mountain chain that is often described as the border between Europe and Asia. On the far side of the ridge, the rivers drain toward Siberia.

Here is the first surprise for many visitors. In 1995, this park and the neighbouring Pechora-Ilych Nature Reserve were listed together by UNESCO as the Virgin Komi Forests. It was the first natural World Heritage Site in Russia. The forests earned that status for a simple reason. Large parts of this taiga have never been logged, roaded or farmed on any scale.

Taiga is the Russian word for the vast northern forest of conifers that circles the top of the planet. Look closely at the trees around you. The dark, pointed crowns are mostly spruce and fir. Larch grows here too, the one conifer that turns gold and drops its needles every autumn. You may also find Siberian pine, which locals often call cedar. Its cones hold small, rich nuts that animals and people have gathered for generations.

The landscape changes with height, almost like the floors of a building. Down in the valleys, the forest is thick and shadowed. Higher up, the trees thin out and shrink. Then they give way to mountain tundra, a open world of dwarf birch, berries, lichen and bare stone. Above that, in the high Urals, there are rocky summits and small patches of snow that can last deep into summer. The highest peaks of the whole Ural range rise near the park's eastern edge.

Rivers are the true roads of Yugyd Va. The best known include the Kozhim, the Kosyu, the Bolshaya Synya and the Shchugor. They all flow west, toward the great Pechora River, and on to the Arctic Ocean. On the Shchugor, the water cuts through limestone and forms narrow passages with tall cliffs on both sides. Locals call these passages gates. Paddling between those walls of stone is one of the strongest memories many travellers take home.

The water here supports more than scenery. Grayling, a silver fish with a tall, sail-like back fin, holds in the clear currents. The wider Pechora basin is also known for wild salmon that travel upriver from the sea to spawn. Fishing rules in the park are strict, and they can change. If you plan to cast a line, check the current regulations with the park office before you begin.

And now the animals. Brown bears live throughout these forests, along with elk, wolves, wolverines and sable, a small, dark-furred relative of the weasel. Reindeer move across the higher ground. Most of these animals are shy, and you are far more likely to see their tracks in mud than the animals themselves. Still, this is bear country. Keep food sealed, keep camps clean, and make some noise as you walk through thick brush.

Here is the second surprise. Even a place this remote has known conflict. The northern part of the park holds gold deposits, and for years there was a long and public dispute over mining inside the protected area. Conservation groups, the authorities and UNESCO all became involved. The story shows a simple truth about places like this one. Wild land stays wild only when people choose, again and again, to keep it that way.

Visiting Yugyd Va takes planning. There are very few roads inside the park. Most people arrive through towns on the edges of the region, such as Inta or Vuktyl, and then continue by off-road vehicle, by boat, or on foot. Visitors need to register with the park before entering. Many choose to travel with local guides who know the rivers, the weather and the safest crossing points.

The seasons here are short and sharp. Summer brings long days, with light that lingers late into the evening. It also brings mosquitoes and tiny biting midges in great numbers, so a head net is not a joke here. Late summer fills the tundra with berries and turns the larch slopes yellow. Winter arrives early and stays long, with deep snow and serious cold that only experienced travellers should face.

Before you move on, stop for a moment. Look at the water nearest to you and notice how clear it is. Listen for anything that is not wind, water or birds. Most of the time, you will hear nothing else at all. Very few places in Europe still offer that silence. As you walk away, watch the edges of the path for tracks in the soft ground, and for the bright red and blue of wild berries in the moss.