Kuril Iturup Kunashir Sakhalin

 

The easternmost part of Russia, the Far East is not without reason called the distant one — more than eight thousand kilometers separate it from Moscow, and local time is seven hours ahead of Moscow! And, according to reviews, the most benevolent and responsive people live in the Far East!

The Kuril Islands are located in the cold waters of the North-western Pacific Ocean between the Kamchatka Peninsula and Hokkaido. The chain consists of 22 main islands, most of which are volcanically active, and around 30 smaller islets.

There are at least 160 volcanoes amongst the islands, 40 of which can be described as currently active. The islands which form part of the ‘Pacific Ring of Fire’ provide the perfect backdrop for our Russian Far East cruises.

The island of Sakhalin is the 948-kilometre-long heart of the Sakhalinskaya Oblast (Sakhalin Region) which includes the disputed Kuril Islands and more than 50 smaller islands. Japan has long claimed the Kurils but since World War II they have come under the Russian rule. Travellers find getting around the region somewhat costly and difficult, but for those who make the effort there is a great deal of natural beauty to admire with three-quarters of Sakhalin covered in forests and mountains.

The name Sakhalin is derived from Sahaliyan, which means ‘black’ in Manchu. Viewed from space, the shape of the island is said to resemble a fish, with its many rivers and lakes likened to fish scales.

Being seven time zones from Moscow makes Sakhalin locals feel quite separate from the capital of the Russian Federation and complain that about 95% of all their revenue goes there. It is a regular grumble that the gas sourced in the Sakhalin region is sent to Komsomolsk and Khabarovsk by pipeline and then sold back to the island at inflated prices. Russians who have moved to Sakhalin from the west of the country complain that life is more costly than back in Moscow and St Petersburg. Despite this, most Sakhalin inhabitants, including the descendants of the Korean workers forcibly taken there as virtual ‘slave labourers’ by the Japanese during World War II, are politically ultra conservative.

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is the booming capital of the region, which is fuelled by the oil and gas industry. The landlocked city which sprawls between two mountain ranges benefits from the high spending business visitors who pass through en route to the rigs or large construction projects.

 

1 DAY: YUZHNO-SAKHALINSK

Arrive in the airport of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Transfer to the hotel. Accommodation.

City tour of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.

Dinner.

 

2 DAY: KUNASHIR ISLAND

Breakfast in the hotel.

Transfer to the airport.

Flight to Yuzhno-Kurilsk (Kunashir island).

Transfer to the hotel, accommodation.

Walk along the shore, scenic rocks (“kekur”) Devil’s Finger and Devil’s Gates.

Dinner.

 

3 DAY: KUNASHIR ISLAND

Breakfast in the hotel.

Itinerary of moderate-intensity physical activity. The walking part-trekking — lasts 8 km.

Tour of the caldera of Golovnin Volcano.

At the bottom of the caldera there are four small domes and two craters — Lake Kipyascheye (“Boiling”) and Lake Goryacheye (“Hot”). Swimming in Lake Goryacheye. On the slopes of Golovnin Volcano you can see the remains of Japanese sulphur-processing plants.

Boxed lunch.
Return to the hotel.

Dinner.

 

4 DAY: CAPE STOLBCHATY

Breakfast in the hotel.

Itinerary of moderate-intensity physical activity.

The cape is a UNESCO protected natural site.

The ecological route will lead you past thermal mud springs and the hedge of birch trees to the shore of the Okhotsk Sea. Cape Stolbchaty is a unique place where breathtaking views take turns to unfold in front of you, take for example, a canvas of paving stones, just like on the Red square, only laid by nature itself, or a forest of multifaceted stone pencils of the volcanic origin.

Lunch outdoors.

Return to the hotel.

Dinner.

 

5 DAY: MENDELEEV VOLCANO

Breakfast in the hotel.

Itinerary of moderate-intensity physical activity, one-way trekking distance — 3 km.

The active Mendeleev Volcano(called sometimes “The sleeping beauty”) is situated in the southern part of Kunashir and is named after the outstanding Russian chemist Dmitry Mendeleev. The slopes of the volcano are dotted with numerous fumaroles and hot springs. At the foot of the volcano you will find a recreation zone “Hot Beach” where the water out of volcanic springs is used for natural healing baths.

Lunch outdoors.

Dinner in the hotel.

Transfer to the sea port. Boarding the ship. Sailing to Iturup Island.

 

6 DAY: ITURUP ISLAND

Arrive in port Kurilsk (Iturup Island). Transfer to the hotel. Accommodation.

Leave for the tour of the lava plateau Yankito where you will also see a very unusual beach – it is a complexity of rocks formed by hardened lava on the sea shore.

Lunch outdoors.

Dinner in a local restaurant.

 

7 DAY: ITURUP ISLAND

Breakfast in the hotel.

Excursion to the White rocks.

The rocks are made of soft pumice left after the eruption of the volcano. The wind and storms from the Okhotsk Sea eroded the pumice stone and gave the rocks their curious forms. Another interesting touch to this landscape is the sand of a dark gray colour.

Lunch outdoors.

Bathing in hot springs.

Dinner in a local restaurant.

 

8 DAY: BARANSKY VOLCANO

Breakfast in the hotel.

Leave for the tour of Baransky Volcano.

It is one of the active volcanos within a relatively easy reach on Iturup island. At the foot of the volcano you will find picturesque landscapes: mud baths, fumaroles, hot lakes of a very unusual turquoise colour and hot mineral creeks. Ascend of the peak Trinoga. On top you will see an unforgettable panorama of Kuril Bay and Baransky Volcano. After descent you will have time to bathe in mineral springs.

Lunch outdoors.

Dinner in a local restaurant.

 

9 DAY:YUZHNO-SAKHALINSK

Breakfast in the hotel.

Transfer to the airport. Flight to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.

Transfer to the hotel and accommodation. Free time.

 

10 DAY: CAPE VELIKAN

Breakfast in the hotel.

Tour of Cape Velikan situated on one of the most beautiful shores of Sakhalin Island.

The distance between cape Ptichy till Cape Velikan is strewn with curiously shaped rocks. The rocks are homes to bird colonies of seagulls, cormorants and others. If you happen to travel here in July and August you might have a chance to watch spawning migration of Pacific salmon — a truly amazing natural phenomenon.

Lunch on the shore of the Okhotsk Sea.

Back to the city.

 

11 DAY: YUZHNO-SAKHALINSK

Breakfast in the hotel.

Transfer to the airport.

INFORMATION

 

Not included: Single supplement, meals on board the ship, flight Moscow – Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk — Moscow (starting from 22000 rbl for the flight from Moscow. There are direct flights from Vladivostok and Novosibirsk).

 

Comments:

• Visit to Kuril islands requires the issue of a pass (foreign citizens are to supply in the documents — copy of the passport and a Russian visa — not later than 30 days before the departure).
• Sakhalin Island and the Kuril islands area region with changing weather. The program of the tour is subject to change due to weather conditions.
• We recommend to add one extra day in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, due to possible changes in the schedule of flights and ships because of unstable weather conditions.

 

Please contact us for Price List and reservations

* If restrictions are imposed on the entrance to museums for a certain number of people, we can serve group requests with the division of groups into smaller ones, with the predominant use of the same transport (or with a different number and capacity of transport), but with a large number of guides.

** Some museums or excursions can be excluded from the program if circumstances beyond the control of the tour operator require it (time constraints due to covid-19 / bans on the operation of facilities). At the same time, as far as possible, we will offer an alternative replacement.