Taymyr Nature Reserve, Nature reserve in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia.

The Taymyr Nature Reserve covers 1,781,928 ha (17,819 km2) on the Taymyr Peninsula in Krasnoyarsk Krai, about 120 km east of Norilsk. It is split into four sectors: the main tundra territory, the Ary-Mas and Lukunsky groves of Dahurian larch, and an Arctic coastal sector on the Laptev Sea near Pronchishchev Bay. The land runs from North Siberian Lowland bogs to the Byrranga Mountains, whose 96 glaciers rise to 1,000 m.

The reserve was created in February nineteen seventy-nine by Soviet authorities to protect Arctic ecosystems. UNESCO granted it biosphere reserve status in nineteen ninety-five.

The reserve is a strict zapovednik, so its cultural draw is the research and education work permitted there rather than indigenous hunting. Scientists and environmental-education groups arrange visits with the Norilsk office, and ecotourist routes in the Byrranga mountains and on the Laptev Sea coast are open with advance permits.

Access requires a special permit and travel through registered tour operators because of the remote Arctic location. Visitors should prepare for harsh climate and limited infrastructure.

The area shelters the largest wild reindeer herd on Earth with several hundred thousand animals migrating annually between summer and winter grounds. The animals cross rivers and wide tundra zones following established routes.