A recent public poll has identified the most popular natural healing springs across Russia. The survey, conducted across the social media platforms of the Russian Geographical Society and the My Planet television network, allowed users to select their preferred destination from a curated list of ten distinct environmental sites.
The Boiling River thermal complex on Iturup Island in the Sakhalin region secured the top position, receiving 24 percent of the total votes. The hot springs of the Nalychevo Nature Park in the Kamchatka Krai followed closely in second place. The Stolbovskiye springs on Kunashir Island ranked third, while Lake Elton in the Volgograd region and the Shumak mineral springs in Buryatia took the fourth and fifth positions – completing the top five destinations.
These polling results indicate a shifting trend in modern ecotourism. Travelers and environmental enthusiasts are increasingly drawn to authentic interactions with the natural world rather than traditional leisure resort experiences. The growing interest in these remote thermal and mineral reserves highlights a broader public demand for direct engagement with diverse ecological environments.