Dates:
- 17 — 25 August
- 25 August — 2 September
- 2 — 10 September
Duration: 9 days / 8 nights
Cost per person: 265 000 RUB for any number of participants
TRAVEL PROGRAM: TOUR TO SAKHALIN and SOUTHERN KURIL ISLANDSDay 0. ARRIVAL IN YUZHNO-SAKHALINSKIt is necessary to purchase a plane ticket from your city to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (Sakhalin Island) on your own.
Important: you need to arrive a day before the start of the tour and spend the night in Sakhalin. This means that if the tour starts on August 17, you need to arrive on August 16. Choose any flight that suits you.
The time margin is necessary so that you can take a local flight on the first day of the tour according to the scheduled time. Due to the weather conditions in the region, the exact departure time will be known only the day before.
We will purchase the second ticket from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk to Iturup (and back from Kunashir to Sakhalin, respectively) for you (paid separately). We will do this centrally for the entire group as soon as they go on sale.
Meals included: noAccommodation included: noDay 1. ITURUP ISLAND — YANKITO PLATEAU Welcome to Iturup Island! We will meet you at the airport and immediately take you to the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk for a walk along the frozen lava plateau of Yankito. We will explore the bizarre rocks that were formed after the eruption of the Bogdan Khmelnitsky volcano. We will admire the waves crashing against the rocks. This place is sure to leave a lasting impression!
Afterward, we will check into Kamui Kotan, a comfortable hotel with a view of the already familiar Khmelnitsky volcano. For dinner, we will enjoy a tasting set from the chef at the hotel's restaurant. We will taste Far Eastern seafood accompanied by homemade liqueurs and sparkling wine.
Meals included: tasting set from the chef at Kamui Kotan restaurant in IturupAccommodation included: Kamui Kotan (2-bedded with a neighbor/neighbor in the same room or house)Day 2. BLACK AND WHITE ROCKS — SAILING BAY — WATERFALL "MAIDEN'S TEARS" Today, we will visit the iconic sites of the island, including the Black Rocks and the basalt columns, as well as the main gem, the White Rocks. To the locations, we drive along the snow-white edge of the sand along the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk. Wind, seagulls, splashes and pure drive! On the White Rocks, we will make a short trek up the trail to admire the place from above and take spectacular photos.
We will drive to the Sail Bay, where we will walk to the waterfall "Maiden's Tears".
We will organize a picnic in a view location on the shore. We will eat our bowl with shrimp with a view of the volcanoes!
In the evening, we will have 2 hours of relaxation in the spa complex of the Kamui Kotan hotel.
Meals included: breakfast, lunch-picnicAccommodation included: Kamui Kotan (2-bedded with a neighbor/neighbor in one room or house)Day 3. KASATKA BAY — MIRROR BEACH — JAPANESE TUNNELSAfter breakfast, we get on the off-road vehicles and rush to the Pacific Ocean! Our goal is Kasatka Bay, one of the amazing natural places on the island. We drive along the beautiful road between the hills and volcanoes, stopping at the observation decks along the way, we will look at the former quarry.
In the bay, we will see the Mirror Beach and the abandoned tugboat Corund, the place where the ships started for Pearl Harbor! We will touch the history and the old Japanese tunnels, which are dug right in the rock, it is known as "Devil's Rock". The most daring can swim in the Pacific Ocean!
After lunch, optionally (for an additional fee), you can go out to sea on the Allure yacht. Go along the picturesque bays, admire the volcanoes and lava outlets, see some of the marine life (killer whales, sea lions, dolphins and whales). Make a landing at the fantastic location "Dragon's Eye" to see the stone arch from lava flows and volcanic rock in the shape of scales. It is possible to get here only from the sea. In the case of a sea trip, your lunch can be organized right on the yacht. Sounds perfect!
Meals included: breakfastAccommodation included: Kamui Kutan (2-bedded with a neighbor in the same room or house)Day 4. BARANSKY VOLCANO — BLUE EYES GEYSER — KIPYAUSHAYA RIVER FALLS — WATERFALLS WALL After breakfast, we will go to the foot of the active Baransky volcano. Along the way, we will stop at observation decks and see an abandoned geothermal station.
We will have an unusual picnic at the sulfur river Kipyayushchaya. We will cook eggs in it and eat them beautifully with red caviar.
Then we will go to the Blue Eyes geyser. Towards the end of the walk, we will swim in the Kipyayushchaya River spring. We will enjoy thermal baths in the open air, surrounded by bamboo and steam.
We will return to the hotel and have lunch. After that, we will go to a unique place, the Waterfalls Wall. Here, water flows out of the middle of the cliff and descends to the seashore in numerous streams. This creates a wall covered with a thin layer of water, almost a hundred meters wide.
Meals included: breakfast, picnic with caviar and eggs at the Kipyayushchaya River on the Baransky volcanoAccommodation included: Kamui Kotan (2-bedded with a neighbor/neighbor in the same room or house)Day 5. SEA VOYAGE TO KUNASHIR ISLANDAfter breakfast, we will go to the Kuril Museum of Local Lore, where we will add to our impressions of the island with an interesting collection of artifacts.
Next, we will go to the port, where we will take a high-speed boat to the next Kuril island, Kunashir. The journey will take about 4-5 hours. Along the way, we will enjoy the views, and if we are lucky, we will see orcas, whales, and sea lions. On the way, we will have a snack with fish and meat snacks, fruits, and sparkling wine. As we approach Kunashir, we will see the Tyatya volcano, one of the most beautiful and difficult-to-reach volcanoes on the island.
Upon arrival, we will check into the Kunashir Resort and SPA hotel.
If desired, you can visit the hotel's spa complex with outdoor thermal pools (for an additional fee).
Meals included: breakfastAccommodation included: Kunashir Resort and SPA. (2-bedded room with a neighbor/roommate in the same room or house)Day 6. KUNASHIR ISLAND — SOUTH KURIL CAPE — GOLOVNIN BAY — CAPE COLUMNARBreakfast with red caviar and sparkling wine, and we set off to explore the island. We will see kekur, a single cliff protruding from the water a dozen meters from the shore. We will take a walk along the South Kuril Cape to the abandoned lighthouse that served the island for more than 60 years. Along the way, we will admire the Golovnin and Yuzhno-Kuril bays that separate the cape, as well as see the Tyat and Mendeleev volcanoes.
Next, the Okhotsk side of the island awaits us, where we will see Japan in full view. There are old military dugouts on the observation deck, and the view of the sea and Lake Lagunnoe is incredible.
Then we will go for a walk to Cape Columnar. There are only a few dozen similar places around the world, while there are only two large and well-preserved ones - Cape Columnar in Russia and the Road of the Giants in Northern Ireland.
Meals included: breakfastAccommodation included: Kunashir Resort and SPA. (2-bedded room with a neighbor/roommate in the same room or house)Day 7. GOLONIN VOLCANO CALDERA — BIRD ISLANDAfter breakfast, we head to the Golovin Volcano caldera — the southernmost volcano of the Kuril Islands. The journey will take about an hour by off-road vehicle (we will drive as close as possible along a dirt road to the starting point of the hiking trail), followed by a two-kilometre walk on flat terrain.
We will observe how the landscape changes as we approach the lakes. We will see Boiling Lake, located in the former crater of the volcano. It is heated by volcanic gases, and the water temperature in some areas reaches up to +80°C. Here, it is possible to witness bursts of hot water, as well as emissions of sulfur and hydrogen sulfide gases.
Nearby is Hot Lake, where guests can swim if they wish. The average water temperature here is around +15°C.
Afterwards, we will travel to the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk and take a walk along the shoreline, where it is often possible to find the famous Japanese “kuchtyli” (traditional glass fishing floats). We will also see Gaynutdinov Bird Island. Here, we will enjoy a picnic with a view of Japan and taste local delicacies.
Meals included: breakfast, picnic with local delicacies overlooking JapanAccommodation included: Kunashir Resort & SPA (double accommodation sharing a room or cabin with a roommate)Day 8. MENDELEEV VOLCANOAfter breakfast, we set off towards the active Mendeleev Volcano.
We will prepare for a scenic hike. Our route will take us along a beautiful trail through dense bamboo thickets, followed by a short ascent to the volcano’s fumarole fields.
Fumaroles are cracks or openings in the Earth’s crust through which hot gases and steam escape. We will see many of these natural vents. Simply magical!
Meals included: breakfastAccommodation included: Kunashir Resort & SPA (double accommodation sharing a room or cabin with a roommate)Day 9. KUNASHIR ISLAND — YUZHNO-SAKHALINSKA final breakfast with caviar and sparkling wine. Group transfer to the airport and flight to Sakhalin.
The Kuril Islands will now remain forever in your heart!
Meals included: breakfastAccommodation included: no* Depending on the weather conditions, the tour operator has the right to change the order of excursions and visits during the trip without changing their composition. ** The program may be forced to change due to delays or cancellations of flights by the air carrier.