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

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The Kuril Islands are one of the most remote and mysterious places in our country, lost in the waters of the Pacific Ocean.

Here you will find truly stunning landscapes: volcanoes and hot springs, places reminiscent of the former presence of the Japanese, coves, mountains and lakes.

In addition, on this tour you will be able to watch spectacular sunrises and sunsets from the deck of the ship, as well as taste delicious seafood dishes.

Location

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

from

Early
booking

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

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Tour highlights

Mysterious lakes

Admire the Hot and Boiling lakes in the Golovnin volcano caldera

Space landscapes

Take a walk through the fumarole field of the Mendeleev volcano, reminiscent of the Martian expanses

Breathtaking expanses

Take memorable photos at the top of Mount Shikotan and take part in a jeep tour to Dimitrov Bay.

The bay is Quiet

Enjoy the natural silence of the bay, where only noisy seagulls occasionally disturb the peace

At the edge of the world

Visit Shikotan Island and explore the mesmerizing beauty of Cape World's Edge

In search of a lighthouse

Take a boat trip to the famous Aniva Lighthouse

Itinerary

Day 1 - Arrival in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. City sightseeing tour
Arrival in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.
Meeting at Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk airport with a guide or company representative.
Transfer to the hotel.
Free time.
Check-in at the hotel from 14:00 (early check-in on request, with surcharge).
15:00 Information meeting in the hotel lobby: all about the upcoming trip.
16:00 Guided tour of the most beautiful and iconic places of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.
Transfer to the restaurant.
18:30 Welcome seafood dinner at one of the most popular restaurants in the city.
19:30 Transfer to the hotel.
Free time.

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Day 2 - Departure to Shikotan Island. A day at sea
Breakfast at the hotel.
09:00 Packing and transfer to the port city of Korsakov.
10:00 Arrival, check-in.
12:00 Departure to Shikotan Island.
We go to Shikotan Island through Kunashir Island. The total travel time is 30 hours.
What you can do in 30 hours before Shikotan:
Meet the beautiful sunrise and sunset in the sea;
get to know the band better;
Enjoy the fresh sea air;
see the landscapes of the coastline of the islands;
believe in luck and meet dolphin sea companions.
Self-catering on the ship.
Day 3 - Arrival at Shikotan Island
Breakfast and lunch on your own on the ship.
The first Kunashir views and the most important one are with the Tyat volcano.
Parking at the Yuzhno-Kurilsk port is 4 hours.
17:00 Arrival at Shikotan Island.
Transfer to the hotel.
Supper.
Free time.

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Day 4 - Nameless Bay and Cape World's Edge
Breakfast.
Departure for an excursion to Bezymyannaya Bay and Cape Edge of the World.
Jeep tour to Cape Edge of the World along the forest road.
Walking tour of Cape Edge of the World.
Cape Edge of the World is high, undulating and long, like a rolled–out scarf. Take a short walk, and the Pacific Ocean opens in front of you. This is the furthest point from the capital of Russia, the distance to Moscow in a straight line is just over 7,100 km.
That's it, Russia is over. Beyond that, beyond 8,000 km of water– there is only America. Underfoot, at the bottom of a sheer 50-meter chasm, heavy waves beat against the rocks. A strong wind makes itself felt, almost tearing it from its place, energizing this place.
A photo stop.
Transfer to Cape Crab, outdoor inspection of the lighthouse of Spangberg.
Lunch – lunch box.
Departure to Bezymyannaya Bay.
Nameless Bay – since the film was shot in 1972, it has been increasingly called Robinson Bay, but the name is unlikely to take root, because Nameless has already taken root. According to many eyewitnesses, this bay is the most beautiful natural place on the island.
A photo stop.
A walk along the coast of the Pacific Ocean.
Return to the hotel.
Dinner at the hotel.

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Day 5 - Mount Shikotan and Dimitrov Bay
Breakfast at the hotel.
Gathering and departure to the foot of Mount Shikotan.
The walking route is approximately 4 km in both directions, 1-1.5 hours on the way.
Mount Shikotan is the highest point of the island, due to this, military locators were located there during the Soviet period, today only remains of them remain.
The height of the mountain is 412 m above sea level.
In clear weather, you can see the islands of Kunashir and Iturup from the top of the mountain.
In 1994, during a strong earthquake, a rift formed on the mountain in a matter of seconds – it seemed to burst and burst.
As a result, a crevice with ragged edges and a narrow entrance appeared at the foot. At the bottom of the fault, columns of flagstone have formed a fantastic landscape that attracts the eyes of many travelers.
Photo stop at the top of the mountain.
Jeep tour to Dimitrov Bay.
Lunch in nature – ear. Depending on the weather conditions, lunch can be moved to the hotel.
Walking tour of the bay and the ocean coast. A photo stop.
Dimitrov Bay and the peninsula of the same name were named in honor of the outstanding figure of the Bulgarian labor movement and founder of the Bulgarian People's Republic Dimitrov Georgy Mikhailovich.

Japanese fishermen once lived in the area of Dimitrov Bay. Now this place is an exclusively natural attraction.

High rocky shores, ocean views, aromas of meadow grass – this bay is ideal for photo walks and solitude with nature.

Return to the hotel.

Supper.

Free time.

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Day 6 - Transfer to Kunashir Island
Breakfast.
Collecting things and transfer to the port.
Check-in for the flight.
14:00 Departure to Kunashir Island.
Lunch on your own on the ship.
18:00 Arrival at Kunashir Island.
Transfer to the hotel.
Supper.
Free time.
Day 7 - Golovninsky cliff. Golovnin volcano. Lakes are Hot and Boiling
Breakfast.
Departure to the beginning of the trekking route to the Golovnin volcano caldera.
Where cars can't handle it, we walk.
Trekking route to the Golovnin volcano caldera.
The distance from disembarkation from the transport to the destination is 7 km (round trip is 14 km).
Descent into the caldera.
Golovnin Volcano is named after the brave Russian traveler Vasily Golovnin, who explored the Kuril Islands in the early 19th century and made two trips around the world.

A characteristic feature of Golovnin volcano is the absence of a clearly defined cone — once upon a time, thousands of years ago, there was a giant explosion comparable to the explosion of Tambor or Krakatoa.

There are two lakes in the caldera, one of them is named Goryachye, and the second, which is located directly in one of the craters, is Boiling Lake.

There are large amounts of sulfur and sulfide compounds in lakes, and sulfide-sulfur foam floats on Boiling Water.

Inspection of the lakes is Hot and Boiling. A photo stop.

Lunch on the picnic route.

Return to the parking area of the transport. Boarding a transport.

Return to the hotel.

Dinner at the hotel.

Free time.

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Day 8 - The fumarole field of the Mendeleev volcano
Breakfast.
Transfer to the starting point of the route.
The route starts from the parking lot.
Departure on a route along a forest path through bamboo thickets.
The tracking route from the parking area to the fumarole fields is 3.5 km (7 km round trip).
The route passes through bamboo about 1.5–2 meters high.
Arrival at the fumarole field. Inspection of fumaroles.
Fumaroles are cracks from which volcanic gases come to the surface with loud exhaust. They contain sulfur, which crystallizes and decorates the outlets with yellow lace patterns. An extraordinary and spectacular sight, which is difficult to break away from!
On request, it is possible to take natural thermal baths.
Lunch – picnic on the route.
Return to the parking area of the transport. Boarding a transport.
Return to the hotel.
Dinner at the hotel.
Free time.

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Day 9 - Cape Columnar
Breakfast.
Jeep tour to the coast.
A 7 km long trekking route along the coast.
Cape Columnar tour. Let's give you the best angles separately.
Cape Columnar is one of the business cards of Kunashir Island and the entire Sakhalin region.
The cape was formed as a result of the eruption of the Mendeleev volcano. The whole breed consists of hexagonal and pentahedral regular columns, which are striking in their shape. In some places, the height of the pillars reaches 50 meters.
Cape Columnar is listed in the UNESCO register as a monument of world significance.
Lunch – picnic on the shore of the Sea of Okhotsk.
Return to the hotel.
Dinner at the hotel.
Free time.

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Day 10 - Departure to Sakhalin Island. A day at sea
Breakfast at the hotel.
Transfer to the port. Check-in for the flight.
13:00 Departure of the ship.
We go to Sakhalin Island through Shikotan.
Let's remember how our journey began. Parking at the port of Malokurilskoye is 5 hours.
Lunch and dinner by yourself on the ship.
Overnight on the ship
Day 11 - Arrival on Sakhalin Island
Breakfast, lunch and dinner by yourself on the ship.
20:00 Arrival of the vessel at the port of Korsakov.
Transfer to the hotel.
Free time.
Day 12 - Aniva Lighthouse. Gastroroujin on Lake Busse
Breakfast at the hotel in a lunch box format.
06:00 Departure to Novikovo village.
On the way there is a sanitary stop in the village. Ozerskoye.
08:45 Arrival in Novikovo village.
Briefing, boarding the boats and departure to Aniva Lighthouse. An excursion to the Aniva lighthouse is carried out as part of a team group on inflatable rubber boats.
Depending on the weather conditions, the arrival and departure times from the lighthouse may vary.
The Aniva Lighthouse was installed during the Karafuto governorate in 1939 on a small Sivuchya rock, near the inaccessible rocky Cape Aniva.
The Aniva Lighthouse is a unique historical site, which is the most complex technical structure on Sakhalin and one of the most interesting achievements of the world practice of lighthouse construction at that time.
Built during the period of Japanese rule on Sakhalin and successfully carried out its task during the Soviet period, the Aniva Lighthouse is currently one of the cards of the Sakhalin region.
10:30 Arrival at the lighthouse, inspection of the lighthouse from the sea. Disembarkation at the lighthouse is prohibited due to technical and restoration work.
12:00 Departure to Cape Marble, disembarkation, sightseeing, picnic lunch.
13:30 Departure to Novikovo village.
14:30 Arrival in Novikovo village, disembarkation, departure to Lake. Busse.
15:00 Arrival at the lake.
Early dinner with oysters on the lake shore.
16:30 Return to the hotel.
18:30 Arrival at the hotel, free time.

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Day 13 - The bay is Quiet
Breakfast at the hotel.
09:00 Departure to Starodubskoye settlement.
I. F. Kruzenshtern, the famous Russian navigator, called the bay Quiet for a reason. It is located in the east of Sakhalin, and from the west it is covered by the Zhdanko ridge. This is a truly heavenly place.
The attraction of this place can be called a free-standing rocky island. It has a wide base and a flat top. There is no approach to the island. However, it stands out very much and is noticeable even from afar, which is why it received such an eloquent name — Noticeable.
Noisy seagulls have chosen this place, but apart from them, no one and nothing breaks the natural silence here.
On the way to the Bay, we make a stop on the coast to collect amber and visit the famous Torii Gate from the Seaside, which during the Karafuto period turned the road into a Shinto temple.
Arrival in the village of Starodubskoye, stop at the Okhotsk coast, collecting amber.
Departure to the village of Vzmorye.
Arrival in the village of Vzmorye.
Stop, inspect the torii gate of the former Shinto temple.
Arrival in Tikhaya Bay.
Excursion — acquaintance with the bay.
Hot lunch with seafood.
Departure to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.
18:00 Arrival at the hotel.
Dinner on your own.

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Day 14 - Departure
Breakfast at the hotel.

Extract from the hotel.

A visit to the fish market (possible only upon departure after 11:00).

Transfer to the airport.

Difficulty

Does not require specific skills, but one must be in good health

Tour organizer's comments

It is assumed that a fairly serious physical load and endurance will be required, there are steep ascents and descents on the routes. For example, when climbing from the caldera of the Golovnin volcano, in addition to the load on the muscles, there is a load on the respiratory system, since the oxygen content in the caldera is slightly lower.

Accommodation

Hotel

7 nights
Cabin on the boat

2 nights
Guest House

4 nights

Comfort

Midscale
Upscale
Premium

The tour includes accommodation in hotels and in the cabin of the ship.

The cost of the tour:

double occupancy — 249,900 rubles/person.;
single occupancy — 296 700 RUB/person.

The Mega Palace Hotel is located on Sakhalin Island, in the Far Eastern region, at the foot of the Susunai Mountains. The city center is only 1.2 km away.

The hotel has all the conditions for a comfortable stay. It offers modern rooms and apartments decorated in a traditional style.

Each room has comfortable furniture, including beds, a large table where you can work or tidy up.

The rooms have a tea set and a mini-bar.

The Marquis Restaurant serves Russian, European and Japanese cuisine. Serbian cuisine can be enjoyed at the Grill on the Sky restaurant. The hotel also has an Asian cuisine restaurant "Asia" and a Japanese BamBoo restaurant.

For karaoke lovers, there is the Duke Karaoke Bar.

The spa area includes a fitness center, hot tub and sauna. In the evening, you can visit a karaoke bar or a nightclub with DJ performances. The Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ and Gagarin Park, as well as the Northern Ring ecotrope, are located near the hotel. Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Airport is 9.2 km away, and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Railway Station is 2.2 km away.

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Tour conditions

Group

From 8 to 12 tourists

Minimum age

14 years old

Duration

14 days 13 nights

Group meets at

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

Included in price

transfers according to the program;
meals included in the program (11 breakfasts, 7 lunches, 9 dinners);
sightseeing service on Sakhalin Island. Escort by a guide driver on the Kuril Islands (Shikotan and Kunashir);
habitation:
- Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk — double/single room at the 4-star Mega Palace Hotel (TWIN or DOUBLE room);
- Yuzhno-Kurilsk — double/single accommodation in the Kunashir Guest House (TWIN or DOUBLE room, room amenities);
- Malokurilskoye — double/single accommodation at the Zvezda Hotel (TWIN or DOUBLE, room facilities);
accident insurance (coverage up to 2,000,000 rubles);
registration of a border pass to the Kuril Islands.

Paid extra

flight ticket to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and back;
the ticket for the ship on the route port Korsakov — port Malokurilskoye — port Yuzhno-Kurilsk — port Korsakov in the cabin of the 3rd category (four—bed accommodation, cabin facilities) - the price is specified;
meals that are not included in the program, or specified "independently".

It's important to know

trekking shoes (preferably not wet) with good foot fixation;
sportswear is convenient for walking cross-country routes;
windbreaker;
change of clothes and shoes;
windproof suit;
photo camera;
a remedy for mosquito and tick bites;
gloves;
swimsuit;
flip-flops.

Dates and Prices

$2,835

11 – 24 Jul 14 days 13 nights

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No need to pay now
$2,835

25 Jul – 7 Aug 14 days 13 nights

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$2,835

8 – 21 Aug 14 days 13 nights

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$2,835

15 – 28 Aug 14 days 13 nights

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$2,835

22 Aug – 4 Sep 14 days 13 nights

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Reviews

ER
Elena Rachkova

30 Jan, 2025

An incredible three-day trip to Sakhalin, Kunashir and Shikotan!!! The tour was exceptionally well-organized! Each day brought breathtaking landscapes unlike anything we've seen before! No two days were the same!! We enjoyed delicious crabs, shrimp, scallops and a variety of other treats! We couldn’t be happier with the experience and highly recommend visiting these stunning islands!! Absolutely unforgettable!!!
ER
Elena Rachkova

about provider

31 Jan, 2025

The tour was exceptionally well-organized!! Absolutely flawless! The accommodations during the trip were also fantastic!!!
E
Elena

about provider

1 Nov, 2024

This tour operator is great! I wish every tour company were just as awesome!

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Adventures in the Kuril Islands: Sakhalin — Kunashir — Shikotan