I spent 14 days in late August in Yakutia (the Sakha Republic), nearly all of it on and along the Lena River, which stretches ... to the north – scattered fishing and reindeer herding villages ...

WHEN TO GO: The Lena River is navigable from May to September. Average temperatures rise above 68 degrees in July and stay above 60 degrees in early September. After that, winter sets in ...