In Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, the range of subjects spans protected landscapes, cultural history and geology. Khanty-Mansiysk is home to Samarovsky Chugas Nature Park and several museums; in Surgut, two monuments provide historical points of interest. When planning your trip, first consider whether nature, Indigenous culture and collections, or the memory of city founders and explorers is your main focus.

Natural landscapes at the confluence

Samarovsky Chugas Nature Park is in Khanty-Mansiysk, at the confluence of the Ob and Irtysh rivers. It protects especially valuable natural complexes, rare plants and animals, pristine forests and unique landscapes. Its conservation focus therefore encompasses species as well as landscapes. If nature is your priority, you will find a clear focus here that differs from the collections and historical artefacts in the museums.

Museums: history, culture and geology

The collections of the Museum of Nature and Man in Khanty-Mansiysk include more than 100,000 records of the history and culture of Yugra. This gives the museum a broad cultural-historical scope: it focuses on both the history and culture of the region. The Museum of Geology, Oil and Gas offers a different perspective. It displays minerals, materials relating to geological exploration, palaeontological finds from the area, and equipment used by geologists and oil workers. This makes it easy to distinguish the cultural-historical collections from the geological exhibits.

Torum Maa: dwellings, rituals and hunting

The Torum Maa open-air museum in Khanty-Mansiysk presents reconstructions of dwellings and rituals of the Indigenous peoples of the North. An educational excursion follows a hunting trail and covers hunting tools used by Indigenous peoples. Reconstructed dwellings and rituals are thus presented alongside a specific aspect of hunting practices. Visitors interested in different aspects of Indigenous culture can explore these themes separately here.

Surgut: city founders and explorers

The monument to Surgut’s city founders is a bronze group of four figures: Prince Fyodor Boryatinsky, voivode Vladimir Onichkov, a Cossack carpenter and an unnamed priest. The group brings together two named individuals and two figures identified by their roles. A monument honouring explorers was also unveiled in Surgut. The specific depiction of the city’s founders and the tribute to explorers thus offer distinct historical perspectives.

Choose where to stay based on your interests

To choose where to stay, consider where the sights are located: the nature park and museums are in Khanty-Mansiysk, while the monuments mentioned are in Surgut. First decide which topics matter most to you, then choose your location accordingly. This way, your accommodation decision starts with the places that shape your itinerary.

Discover more destinations

Khanty-Mansiysk, Surgut, Nizhnevartovsk, Khanty-Mansiysky Rayon, Surgutsky Rayon, Nizhnevartovsky Rayon, Sovetsky District, Gorod Nyagan', Gorod Nizhnevartovsk, Nyagan, Izluchinsk, Promyshlennaya Zona Pionernaya, Belyarsky, Kogalym, Bazyany, Raduzhny, Beryozovo, Sovetsky, Mezhdurechensky, Uray, Nizhnesortymsky, Megion, Pyt-Yakh, Gorod Surgut, Gorod Yugorsk, Surgutskiy rayon, Berezovskiy rayon, Beryozovsky District

For the overview of the wider region: Russia.