13:04 06.03.2026
A place where the famous Dersu Uzala regained his strength. The story of creating a unique tourist camp in the taiga
© Alexander Safronov
Thirty-three-year-old Alexander Safronov, a resident of Khabarovsk, has earned two first-class honors degrees in economics. However, five years ago, he chose an entirely different career and started building a VIP camp/glamping on the bank of a picturesque mountain river in the taiga together with his pal, Alexei Kolodezny. And when a nearby land plot became available under the Far Eastern Hectare program, there was no doubt left – they immediately decided to acquire it to expand their business. This story tells us how a full-fledged tourist recreation center sprouted in the taiga in just two years, and how it got its name.
In October 2021, Alexander Safronov started building the first homes of the future Dersu Uzala Hunting Lodge tourist camp. Fifteen months later, on New Year’s Eve, the houses were ready to receive their first guests. Alexander recalled how they noticed a vacant land plot nearby. After learning that it could be acquired under the Far Eastern Hectare program, he immediately submitted an application for it.
“We found an incredible place on the banks of a mountain river. Soon we learned that a nearby plot of land could be acquired free of charge under the Far Eastern Hectare program. We simply could not miss this chance,” he said.
The initial construction phases were the most difficult, because it is seldom possible to build anything on time. He was constantly plagued by force majeure circumstances, but his team coped with all problems. According to Safronov, they did not have to apply for subsidized loan programs and paid at their own expense. However, they did obtain some state support and werereimbursed twice for helping develop the tourism industry.
Guest houses
© Alexander Safronov
Today, almost four years on, the facility covers 4.5 hectares. It accommodates 11 guest houses, a restaurant, a steam-bath and an office building. There are four spacious glampings/hotel suites with an area of 52 square meters each built on the additional “hectare”. The last one opened in December 2025, and now all that still remains to be done is to put the finishing touches on the area around them.
From Blagoveshchensk to Moscow
The facility is filled to 85 percent during the peak season, from May until October. This is a very high indicator for suburban leisure activities in the Far East. Visitors arrive from across Russia, that is, from Blagoveshchensk to St. Petersburg and from Moscow to Arkhangelsk. They admire the pristine nature and enjoy the piping hot steam-bath in the middle of the taiga.
An outdoor plunge pool
© Alexander Safronov
The founders are especially proud of their restaurant serving local cuisine; the cooks use farm produce and home-made foods alone.
“The ingredients for virtually all dishes have been caught, collected and found in rivers and forests in accordance with the traditions of this pristine land’s indigenous dwellers,” Alexander added.
The restaurant is the first and only dining facility of this format in the Khabarovsk Territory. Visitors rank it among the top ten Khabarovsk restaurants in terms of cooking and serving quality.
A Russian writer, a Japanese film director, and an Oscar
The tourist recreation camp is named after taiga hunter Dersu Uzala who worked as a guide for the expeditions of renowned Russian explorer and writer Vladimir Arsenyev, who made him the main character of his books. Some time later, the story made it to the movie screens.
Vladimir Arsenyev and Dersu Uzala
© Russian Geographical Society’s Academic Archive
Famed Japanese film director Akira Kurosawa shot a film about the Far Eastern expedition of Vladimir Arsenyev and his friend, the wise hunter Dersu Uzala, their journeys and adventures. The Soviet-Japanese production received a multitude of international awards, including an Oscar Academy Award in the Best Foreign Language Film category, now Best International Feature Film.
The image of Dersu Uzala still symbolizes a person close to Mother Nature who has a profound spiritual bond with the world around him. Indicatively, the legendary hunter always stopped near the river, where the tourist facility is now located, in order to relax and to regain his strength. The founders of the Dersu Uzala Hunting Lodge are striving to turn their recreation center into a place where guests from across Russia can bond with nature and feel better.
