3 islands: Sakhalin — Kunashir — Iturup. A 14-day tour

Embark on an exciting and eventful journey through the Kuril Islands, where amazing landscapes, volcanoes, thermal springs, rich flora and fauna await you.

You will walk around Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, taste local seafood, swim in wild thermal springs, see Golovnin volcano, visit Cape Columnar and admire the White cliffs of Iturup Island. 

And also go on a boat trip and take memorable photos of frozen volcanic lava. 

Location

Russia, Sakhalin region, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
from
$2,224
+ tickets to the starting point of the tour
No need to pay now
Duration
14 Days
13 Nights
Departures
  • Group departures
    • Dates for next season
    • 12 – 25 June, 2025
    • 4 – 17 September, 2025
    • 11 – 24 September, 2025
or
Accommodation
  • Hotel
    11 nights
  • Cabin on the boat
    2 nights
Comfort
  • Midscale
  • Upscale
  • Premium
Difficulty
Moderate
Involves moderate physical activity
Group
Up to 25 people
Minimum age
7 years old
Group meet at
Russia, Sakhalin region, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
Contact the tour coordinator
Weekdays: 8am - 8pm
Weekends: 8am - 7pm (GMT +3)
Or text us in messengers

Tour highlights

The Alien Plateau
We will see the bizarre silhouettes and unusual shapes of once boiling lava on the Yankito plateau
Marine life
During the passage through the Sea of Okhotsk, we will be able to meet dolphins and killer whales
Thermal springs
Let's relax and recuperate in the relaxing hot baths
Cape Columnar
Let's explore a mystical place with our own music
Tastes of the Far East
Let's taste Sakhalin fish soup, local delicacies and caviar
Hello, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk!
Let's go on a sightseeing tour of the city

Itinerary

  • Day 1 - Sightseeing tour of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

    Arrival in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Meeting at the airport. 

    Transfer to the hotel, we leave our things.

    Please keep in mind that check-in at the hotel is at 14:00 (early check-in is booked and paid in advance if necessary).

    Welcome lunch at a Japanese restaurant.

    Sightseeing bus tour of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

    A visit to the viewport at the Mountain Air ski complex, which offers a magnificent view of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, located in a valley surrounded by hills and ridges. 

    Return to the hotel. 

    Dinner (on your own).

    There are many authentic cozy restaurants in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk with Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and European cuisine.

    3 more photos
  • Day 2 - The bay Is Quiet. The Island Is Noticeable. The eastern coast of the Sea of Okhotsk
  • Day 3 - Departure of the ship to Yuzhno-Kurilsk
  • Day 4 - The fumarole field of the Mendeleev volcano. Thermal springs of the Mendeleev volcano
  • Day 5 - Golovnin volcano. Lakes are Boiling and Hot
  • Day 6 - Cape Columnar, Stolbovsky springs, White Monks rocks. The Sea of Okhotsk
  • Day 7 - Golovninsky Cliff is the white cliffs of Kunashir Island. Veslovsky Peninsula. Pacific ocean
  • Day 8 - Mount Doggy. Lagunnoe Lake
  • Day 9 - The fumarole field and thermal springs of the Baransky volcano are a true SPA relaxation
  • Day 10 - Boat trip, Chirip Peninsula. White rocks, Sea of Okhotsk
  • Day 11 - Kasatka Bay, a rocky massif in Kasatka Bay. Pacific ocean
  • Day 12 - The Yankito Plateau. Departure
  • Day 13 - Free day
  • Day 14 - Flight home
Difficulty
Involves moderate physical activity

Accommodation

Accommodation
  • Hotel
    11 nights
  • Cabin on the boat
    2 nights
Comfort
  • Midscale
  • Upscale
  • Premium

The tour includes accommodation in hotels. 

The cost of the tour with dates 13.06–26.06 and 12.09–25.09 for 1 person, RUB.:

HotelsDouble occupancySurcharge for single occupancy
Gagarin 3* / Belka 3*224 00026 800
Mega Palace 4*226 00030 200

The cost of the tour with dates 05.09–18.09 for 1 person, RUB.:

HotelsDouble occupancySurcharge for single occupancy
Gagarin 3* / Belka 3*222 800It is being clarified
Mega Palace 4*224 800It is being clarified

Additional payments on Kunashir are optional (increased comfort level of accommodation):

  • for a double suite in the Flagship hotel (with amenities) on Kunashir island 6,600 rubles/person/4 nights;
  • for a single room in Iceberg 2 (with amenities) on Kunashir island 6,600 rubles/person/4 nights;
  • for a double suite in Iceberg 2 (with amenities) on Kunashir island 6,600 rubles/person/4 nights.

Extra day of stay in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (if necessary), RUB.: 

HotelsDouble RoomSingle Room
Gagarin 3* / Belka 3*7 2005 800
Mega Palace 4*8 3007 200
Mega Palace Hotel or Gagarin Hotel or 4 nights
Mega Palace Hotel

This hotel is located on the Far Eastern Sakhalin Island of Russia, at the foot of the Susunai Mountains. It offers an international restaurant, a spa and a nightclub. Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk city centre is a 15-minute drive away.

Mega Palace Hotel is a multi-storey building with modern rooms and apartments furnished with antique furniture. All rooms are equipped with cable TV, a safe and a minibar.

It offers a fitness center, a hot tub and a sauna. In the evenings, guests can visit the karaoke bar or a nightclub with a DJ.

A buffet breakfast is served every morning. The Marquis Restaurant serves Russian, European and Japanese cuisine. Serbian cuisine can be enjoyed at the Grill in the Sky restaurant. Asian cuisine restaurant "Asia" and Japanese restaurant Bambu are also available on site. Guests can relax at the Duke Karaoke Bar.

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Airport is a 30-minute drive away. Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Central Station can be reached in 20 minutes by car.

4 more photos
Another option
Gagarin Hotel

This hotel is located in a quiet location in the park area of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, a 15-minute drive from Khomutovo Airport. The Gagarin Hotel offers a sauna with a mini-pool.

The rooms of the Gagarin Hotel in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk are decorated using elements of Japanese and European styles. They are equipped with a work desk and a TV with over 100 satellite channels. Featuring a bath, the private bathroom also comes with a hairdryer, bathrobes and slippers.

A full buffet breakfast is served every morning at the hotel. The Gagarin restaurant specializes in European cuisine.

Guests can relax in the karaoke bar. A park named after him is located next to the hotel. Gagarina with a beautiful rock garden.

Free parking is available on site at the Gagarin Hotel. Staff at the 24-hour front desk can arrange a shuttle service for guests.

Another option
Belka Hotel

Built of wooden beams, this hotel is located in the business district, a 10-minute walk from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Main Station in the business center of the city. It offers free Wi-Fi and rooms with a flat-screen TV.

Rooms at the Belka Hotel are decorated in Alpine style and feature wooden walls and air conditioning. The rooms have a minibar and a bathroom with bathrobes, slippers, a hairdryer and toiletries.

The Belka Hotel's restaurant serves Russian cuisine. Guests can order a buffet breakfast. There are restaurants and bars within walking distance of the hotel.

3 more photos
Cabin 2 nights
The Flagship Hotel or The Iceberg Hotel 4 nights
The hotel "Tomori" 3 nights

Tour conditions

Group
up to 25 tourists
Minimum age
7 years old
Duration
14 days 13 nights
Group meets at
Russia, Sakhalin region, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

Included in price

  • airport – hotel – airport transfer;
  • accommodation in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, 2-bed accommodation;
  • services of a tour guide;
  • meals according to the program;
  • transfer Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk – airport/port Korsakov – Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk;
  • port charges;
  • bed linen on the ship;
  • accommodation in Yuzhno-Kurilsk at the Flagship hotel (b/w), 2-bed accommodation;
  • 3 meals a day on Kunashir;
  • accommodation in the hotel "Tomori" in Kurilsk, 2-bed accommodation;
  • 3 meals a day on Iturup;
  • boat and equipment rental;
  • transportation services according to the program;
  • escort by instructors-guides on the routes;
  • entrance tickets to the thermal complexes "Sources of the Baransky volcano" and "Hot Waters";
  • a pass to the Kurilsky Nature Reserve;
  • border crossing to the island of Kunashir and the island of Iturup.

Paid extra

  • flights to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and back;
  • ticket for the Korsakov — Yuzhno-Kurilsk motor ship, 4-bed cabin — 5400 rubles/person.;
  • ticket for the ship Yuzhno-Kurilsk — Kurilsk, 4-bed cabin — 2500 rubles/person.;
  • Kurilsk — Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk airfare — 7,500 rubles.;
  • meals on the ship;
  • dinners in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk;
  • early check-in to hotels and late check-out from hotels;
  • medical insurance.

It's important to know

Personal equipment you need for the tour
  • lightweight headdress for sun protection;
  • trekking waterproof sneakers/boots (Gore-Tex), or treated with a water repellent + a replaceable pair of shoes;
  • comfortable sports sandals with a rigid fixation on the foot, in which it is convenient to walk on water and stones (necessary on the route Tikhaya Bay, for visiting thermal springs / baths on the islands of Kunashir and Iturup);
  • sports trousers are comfortable for trekking (2 pairs). It is also preferable to have waterproof trousers. It is especially convenient on the side zippers to quickly put on over sweatpants if necessary. They are light and do not take up space at all;
  • comfortable, lightweight, wind and moisture proof(!) jacket;
  • warm clothes: sweater, fleece jacket or similar warm clothes;
  • T-shirt with short or long sleeves with moisture-repellent properties for trekking;
  • lightweight cotton clothing: shorts/capris, T-shirts;
  • bathing suit;
  • socks are warm and thick;
  • a small travel towel (quick-drying);
  • a small backpack of 25-30 liters for one-day radial routes for water, photo/video equipment, swimsuit, towel, raincoat, etc. It is mandatory to have a waterproof backpack cover;
  • sunscreen and sunglasses;
  • a sunscreen adapted for you with a protection factor (SPF) of at least 30 units;
  • plastic water bottle for routes;
  • gloves;
  • telescopic poles for hiking (personal necessity);
  • photo/video equipment;
  • mosquito and tick repellents (personal necessity).
Are plane tickets included in the price of the tour?
Is insurance included in the price of the tour?
What documents are required to obtain a pass to the Kuril Islands?
Are there any possible changes in the program?
What else is important to know?

Dates and Prices

The tour dates are not confirmed yet. Please, for clarification
  • from
    $2,236
    12 – 25 Jun, 2025 14 days 13 nights
    Submit request
    No need to pay now
  • from
    $2,224
    4 – 17 Sep, 2025 14 days 13 nights
    Submit request
    No need to pay now
  • from
    $2,236
    11 – 24 Sep, 2025 14 days 13 nights
    Submit request
    No need to pay now