Big Country Travel: Trips to Russia, Adventure Tours & Vacation Packages

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We invite you to the Kuril Islands!

Volcanic landscapes, fumaroles and thermal springs, and picturesque lakes await you.

You will immerse yourself in the wild nature, get acquainted with the cultural heritage of the region and enjoy the endless beauty of the Pacific Ocean.

Location

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

from

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Weekdays: 8am - 8pm
Weekends: 8am - 7pm (GMT +3)

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Tour highlights

Sea kayaking

Enjoy the incredible beauty of the coves with sandy beaches surrounded by sheer cliffs and jutting headlands

Unusual lakes

Explore the Boiling and Hot lakes at the bottom of the Golovnin volcano caldera

Impressive fumarole field

Embark on a medium-difficulty route to the fumarole field of the Mendeleev volcano

Cape "Edge of the World"

Walk in the footsteps of Robinson Crusoe and feel yourself at the edge of the world, where the Pacific Ocean stretches thousands of kilometers ahead

Volcanic heritage

Immerse yourself in the indescribable atmosphere of the mysterious Cape Columnar with its own music

Atmospheric Lighthouse

Get the opportunity to see the famous Aniva Lighthouse from aboard the ship

Itinerary

Day 1 - Departure by boat to Kunashir island
09:00 Transfer to Korsakov port.
Registration on the ship.
12:00 Departure of the motor ship "Igor Farkhutdinov" to the island of Kunashir.
The vessel leaves the port of Korsakov and follows the coastline of the Tonino-Aniva Peninsula for 4 hours.
You can see the Aniva Lighthouse from aboard the ship, and dolphins and killer whales are likely to be seen during the passage through the Sea of Okhotsk.
Lunch and dinner on the boat in a cafe on your own.
Day 2 - Arrival in Yuzhno-Kurilsk. Fumarole field and thermal springs of the Mendeleev volcano
09:00 The ship's approach to the port of Yuzhno-Kurilsk, Kunashir Island.
Meeting at the port.
Breakfast at the cafe.
Transfer to the hotel. We leave our things.
Departure to the route of medium difficulty "Large fumarole field of the Mendeleev volcano".
By car for 30 minutes, then trekking for 2-2.5 hours through bamboo with a constant climb, 3 km in one direction.
A path with stops for a short rest.
Parking on the fumarole field ~ 2 hours.
Fumaroles and solfatars are among the largest, if not the largest, on all the Kuril Islands. From the erupting hum and high-temperature gases, it's even scary to imagine what's going on inside.
Lunch (dry ration).
Bathing in wild thermal springs (optional).
Dinner at the cafe.
Return to the hotel.
Day 3 - Cape Columnar. Stolbovskie springs. White Monks Rocks
09:00 Breakfast at the cafe.
10:00 Departure for the route of medium difficulty "Cape Columnar" — one of the most amazing and unique places on earth.
Residents of Kunashir say, "Whoever has not seen Cape Columnar has not seen Kunashir." Millions of years ago, as a result of the eruption of the Mendeleev volcano, basalt lava flowed towards the sea.
Physico-chemical processes have created such columnar structures in the form of five-hexagonal columns. But once you get here, it's impossible to accept that nature created it.
A mystical place with its own music. The cape, open on three sides, is located on the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk.
A difficult passage through small shelves of broken pillars.
Relaxing at the cape, swimming in the sea.
There are many sea urchins in the littoral lagoons.
Then 2 km along the shore to our cozy parking lot, where a bonfire lunch will be organized – delicious fish soup.
Dinner at the cafe.
Return to the hotel.

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Day 4 - Golovnin volcano. Lakes are Boiling and Hot
09:00 Breakfast at the cafe.
10:00 Departure for the route of medium difficulty "Volcano Golovnina. The Lakes are Boiling and Hot."
40 minutes by car, then trekking 2.5–3 hours along the path, 7 km in one direction.
The entire journey is accompanied by beautiful fields of cedar elderberry and Kuril bamboo, completely impassable to humans.
The volcano is a caldera about 4 km in diameter, surrounded by a ridge with a maximum height of 541 m.
There are four small domes and two crater lakes at the bottom of the caldera, Boiling and Hot.
The parking time in the caldera is ~3 hours.
Lunch (dry ration).
You can not swim in Boiling lake, there are hot springs, mud boilers and hot steam at the bottom of the lake and along the shores. It's possible and necessary to have hot things in the lake.
Dinner at the cafe.
Return to the hotel.

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Day 5 - Departure of the ship to Shikotan Island. Arrival at Shikotan
Room release.
Breakfast at the cafe.
11:00 Registration on the ship.
Please note! For check-in on 25.06-03.07.2025 at 13:00 departure of the Admiral Nevelskoy motor ship to Shikotan Island.
For check-in 02.07-07.10.2025 at 13:00 departure of the Pavel Leonov motor ship to Shikotan Island.
17:00 Arrival in Malokurilskoye settlement, Shikotan island.
Meeting at the port, transfer to the hotel.
Shikotan is a special place, a small Kuril island in the ocean, unlike any other.
Shikotan – if the island has a soul, then it is here, among bamboo expanses, meadow terraces, juniper thickets and inaccessible cliffs with edelweiss blooming on them.
There are no volcanoes, thermal springs, bears or snakes on Shikotan.
Shikotan has the most beautiful coves! You can't find them anywhere in the Kuril Islands.
A trip around the neighborhood.
Dinner at the hotel.
Day 6 - Jeep tour of the most iconic places of Shikotan with local hiking
Breakfast at the hotel.
Cape Edge of the World is a long (protruding into the ocean at 800 m) and flat cape surface breaks off into the ocean on three sides with 40-meter walls. And you realize that you are really on the edge of the world... both literally and figuratively. There are 7,000 km of the Pacific Ocean ahead.
Bezymyannaya Bay – in these places S. Govorukhin shot the film "Robinson Crusoe" starring Leonid Kuravlev in 1972.
Cape Crab, the lighthouse of Shpanberg (1943) is the last lighthouse built by the Japanese on the Kuril Islands from the remaining large lighthouse construction program that was not implemented due to the war.
The lighthouse is named after the brave traveler and navigator Martin Petrovich Shpanberg, who explored the Kuril Islands.
Lunch is hot on the coast.
Return to the hotel in the evening.
Dinner at the hotel.

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Day 7 - Sea kayaking trip. Cape Trident. Dimitrov Bay and Airfield
Breakfast at the hotel.
On shore, briefing, boarding sea kayaks is a safe and comfortable vessel. There is always a boat with the group on insurance.
Shikotan has incredibly beautiful coves with sandy beaches, surrounded by steep cliffs and protruding capes, with multiple kekurs and arches.
A walk through such places will give you great pleasure from the pristine splendor and endless Pacific Ocean.
Lunch on the coast.
Then transfer to Dimitrova Bay and Aerodromnaya – incredibly beautiful places.
Small walks.
Dinner at the hotel.
According to the weather, the route can be arranged on another day.
Day 8 - Mount Shikotan. Departure to Sakhalin
Room release.
Early breakfast at the hotel.
Departure by jeep to the foot of the island's most important mountain, Shikotan (412 m), from the top of which you can enjoy a magnificent panorama of Shikotan Island and the neighboring islands of Kunashir and Iturup (in clear weather).
A simple hike up the mountain.
Transfer to the port, registration on the ship.
14:00 Departure of the Pavel Leonov motor ship.
Lunch and dinner on the boat on your own.
18:00 Transit stop on Kunashir.
Day 9 - Arrival on Sakhalin Island
Breakfast and lunch on the boat on your own.
20:00 Arrival at the port of Korsakov.
Transfer to the hotel.

Difficulty

Involves moderate physical activity

Tour organizer's comments

The tour provides hiking routes of moderate difficulty, including those with constant climbing, as well as jeep rides.

Accommodation

Hotel

6 nights
Cabin on the boat

2 nights

Comfort

Midscale
Upscale
Premium

The tour provides accommodation along the route:

2 nights on the ship (four-bed cabin with amenities);
3 nights in Yuzhno-Kurilsk at the Flagship Hotel (partial facilities);
3 nights at the Ostrovnoy motel on Shikotan.

The cost of the tour for 1 person, rub.:

Double room	Surcharge for single occupancy throughout the tour
170 000	21 000

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

for a double suite at the Flagship hotel (with amenities) on Kunashir Island – 7000 rubles/person. (3 nights);
for a single room in the Iceberg 2 hotel (with amenities) on Kunashir Island – 7000 rubles/person. (3 nights);
for a double suite at the Iceberg 2/Iceberg 1 hotel (with amenities) on Kunashir Island – 7000 rubles/person. (3 nights).

The Flagship Hotel has 7 rooms.

Breakfast is served in the village cafe, as there is no separate restaurant.

For an additional fee, you can choose an increased level of comfort – a double suite (with amenities).

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Tour conditions

Group

From 3 to 25 tourists

Minimum age

7 years old

Duration

9 days 8 nights

Group meets at

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

Included in price

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk – Korsakov Port – Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk transfer;
accommodation in Yuzhno-Kurilsk at the Flagship Hotel (partial facilities);
meals specified in the program, including three meals a day on Kunashir and Shikotan;
accommodation on Shikotan at the Ostrovnoy Motel;
kayak and equipment rental;
port charges;
bed linen on the ship;
transportation services according to the program;
accompanying instructors-guides on the routes;
Kurilsky Nature Reserve pass;
border pass to Kunashir Island and Shikotan Island.

Paid extra

flights to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and back;
tickets (the price is preliminary, the exact price will be announced in April):
- tickets for Korsakov – Yuzhno-Kurilsk, Yuzhno-Kurilsk – Malokurilskoye, Malokurilskoye – Korsakov (four–person cabin) - 37 500 RUB/person.;
meals on the ship;
surcharge for single occupancy;
additional payment for an increased comfort level of living on Kunashir (optional);
early check-in and late check-out;
medical insurance.

It's important to know

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).

Dates and Prices

from
$1,989

25 Jun – 3 Jul 9 days 8 nights

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No need to pay now
from
$1,989

2 – 10 Jul 9 days 8 nights

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No need to pay now

9 days on the islands: Kunashir — Shikotan