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

11 more

To be at the Edge of the World, to feel the powerful energy of the Pacific Ocean, to walk through a fumarole field — all this is possible on our autumn tour.

We will visit the iconic places of Kunashir and Shikotan, admire the picturesque bays and capes, go to two volcanoes and swim in wild thermal springs.

An unforgettable experience is guaranteed!

Location

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

from

Contact the tour coordinator

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

Or text us in messengers

Tour highlights

Jeep tour of Shikotan

Find yourself at the Edge of the World, in the filming locations of the film "Robinson Crusoe" and see the lighthouse of Spunberg

Volcanoes of Kunashir

Admire the fumarole field of the Mendeleev volcano and the lakes of the Golovnin volcano

Cape Columnar

You will see basalt lava frozen millions of years ago in the form of 5-6-faceted columns

Boat trip

Go on a Shikotan across the Sea of Okhotsk and, if you're lucky, you'll see dolphins and killer whales

Bizarre rocks

Take a walk along the coast of the Pacific Ocean and take memorable photos at the Kekurs

Itinerary

Day 1 - Departure of the ship to Shikotan
12:30 Transfer to Korsakov port. Registration on the ship.
16:00 Departure of the ship to Shikotan Island.
The ship leaves the port of Korsakov and follows the coastline of the Tonino-Aniva Peninsula for 4 hours.
From the ship you can see the Aniva lighthouse, and during the passage through the Sea of Okhotsk you will probably see dolphins and killer whales.
Lunch and dinner on the boat in a cafe (independently).
Day 2 - Arrival at Shikotan. Mount Shikotan
Breakfast and lunch on the ship (independently).
14:00 The ship's approach to the port of Malokurilskoye settlement, Shikotan island.
Shikotan is a special place, a small Kuril Island in the ocean unlike any other.
Shikotan is a poem! If the island has a soul, then it is here, among bamboo expanses, meadow terraces, juniper thickets and inaccessible rocks with edelweiss blooming on them.
There are no volcanoes, thermal springs, bears and snakes on Shikotan.
Meeting at the port. Transfer to the hotel, accommodation.
Departure by car to the main mountain of the island — Shikotan (412 m), from the top of which a panorama of the island of Shikotan and the neighboring islands of Kunashir and Iturup opens.
Supper.

1 more photo
Day 3 - Jeep tour of the most iconic places of Shikotan with local hiking
Jeep tour of the most iconic places of Shikotan island with local hiking.
Cape Edge of the World is long (protruding into the ocean at 800 m) and the flat surface of the cape breaks off into the ocean on three sides with 40-meter walls. And you realize that you are really at the edge of the world, both literally and figuratively. There are 7,000 km of the Pacific Ocean ahead…
Nameless Bay — in these places S. Govorukhin in 1972 shot the film "Robinson Crusoe" starring Leonid Kuravlev.
Cape Crab, the Spanberg Lighthouse (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 name of the lighthouse is given in honor of the brave traveler and navigator Martin Petrovich Shpanberg, who explored the Kuril Islands.
Lunch is hot on the coast — ukha.
Return to the hotel in the evening.
Supper.

1 more photo
Day 4 - Sea crossing to Kunashir
Room release. Breakfast at the hotel.
A short jeep ride around the surrounding area.
Transfer to the port.
13:00 Departure of the ship to Kunashir Island.
17:00 The ship's approach to Yuzhno-Kurilsk, Kunashir Island.
Meeting at the port, transfer to the hotel, accommodation.
Let's go say hello to the Pacific Ocean!
Boundless Quiet with a serious character and the most powerful energy.
A walk along the coast — kekur "Devil's finger", "Devil's Gate".
Dinner at the cafe.
Day 5 - The fumarole field of the Mendeleev volcano. Thermal springs
09:00 Breakfast at the cafe.
10:00 Departure for the route of medium difficulty "Large fumarole field of the Mendeleev volcano".
By car for 30 minutes, then trekking 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 in all the Kuril Islands. Portals to the bowels of the earth. From the erupting hum and high-temperature gases, it's even scary to imagine what's going on inside.
Lunch (dry rations).
Bathing in wild thermal springs.
Return to the hotel in the evening.
Dinner at the cafe.

1 more photo
Day 6 - Golovnin volcano. Lakes are Boiling and Hot
09:00 Breakfast at the cafe.
10:00 Departure for the route of medium difficulty "Golovnin Volcano. The Lakes are Boiling and Hot."
40 min by car, then trekking 2.5–3 hours along the path, 7 km in one direction.
The whole way is accompanied by beautiful fields of cedar elfin and Kuril bamboo, completely impassable for humans.
The volcano is a caldera about 4 km in diameter, surrounded by a ridge with a max. the height is 541 m. At the bottom of the caldera there are four small domes and two craters — lakes Boiling and Hot.
The parking time in the caldera is ~ 3 hours.
Lunch (dry rations).
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. But it's a great pleasure to swim in the Hot lake.
Return to the hotel in the evening.
Dinner at the cafe.

1 more photo
Day 7 - Cape Columnar. Stolbovsky sources. The White Monks Rocks. The Sea of Okhotsk
09:00 Breakfast at the cafe.
10:00 Departure for the route of medium difficulty "Cape Columnar" is 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 to the sea. Physico-chemical processes have created such columnar structures in the form of five-hexagonal columns.
But getting here, it is 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 / fragments of pillars.
Relaxing on the cape, swimming in the sea.
There are many sea urchins in the littoral lagoons. Then 2 km along the shore to the parking lot, where a bonfire lunch will be organized — delicious fish soup.
The total mileage of the walking part of the route is 6 km.
Return to the hotel in the evening.
Dinner at the cafe.

1 more photo
Day 8 - Flight to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
Room release. Breakfast in the cafe.
If there is time, a short trip to Mount Sobachka and Lake Lagunnoye will be organized.
Transfer to the airport.
Departure to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.
The flight schedule for the 2024 season will be released in March, after which the routes on flight days can be adjusted.
Meeting at the airport, transfer to the hotel.

Difficulty

Involves moderate physical activity

Accommodation

Hotel

6 nights
Cabin on the boat

1 night

Comfort

Midscale

The tour includes accommodation in hotels.

The cost of the tour for double occupancy is 117,000 rubles/person.

The surcharge for single occupancy is 12,000 rubles.

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

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

The hotel occupies the second floor in a 2-storey building. There are 7 rooms in total.

Shower, sauna — separately on the floor. Breakfast is served in the cafe of the village, as there is no separate restaurant.

Number of rooms:

four 2-bed rooms (sink and toilet);
two single rooms (sink and toilet);
one 3-bed suite (2-room, two 1.5-double beds in one room and a pull—out sofa in the living room, all amenities in the room).

1 more photo

Tour conditions

Group

up to 25 tourists

Minimum age

7 years old

Duration

8 days 7 nights

Group meets at

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

Included in price

transfer Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk — Korsakov port / airport — Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk;
accommodation in Yuzhno-Kurilsk at the Flagship hotel (b/w), 2-bed accommodation;
3 meals a day on Kunashir;
accommodation in a hotel on Shikotan, 2-bed accommodation;
3 meals a day on Shikotan;
port charges;
bed linen on the ship;
transportation services according to the program;
escort by instructors-guides on the routes;
a pass to the Kurilsky Nature Reserve;
border crossing to Kunashir Island and Shikotan Island.

Paid extra

flights to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and back;
ticket for the Korsakov — Malokurilskoye motor ship, 4-bed cabin — 5,400 rubles/person.;
ticket for the Malokurilskoye — Yuzhno-Kurilsk motor ship, 4-bed cabin — 2,500 rubles/person.;
air ticket Yuzhno-Kurilsk — Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk — 7,500 rubles/person.;
meals on the ship;
dinners in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk;
early check-in to hotels and late check-out from hotels;
surcharge for single occupancy;
an additional payment on Kunashir, if desired, for an increased level of comfort of living — 6,600 rubles / person / 4 nights;
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 necessary 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

The tour dates are not confirmed yet. Please, for clarification

$1,175

9 – 16 Oct, 2025 8 days 7 nights

Submit request
No need to pay now

A trip to Shikotan and Kunashir