Adventures in the Kuril Islands: Sakhalin — Kunashir — Shikotan

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The Kuril Islands are one of the most inaccessible places in Russia, lost in the Pacific Ocean.

You will discover truly fantastic landscapes: volcanoes and hot springs, monuments — traces of the Japanese, bays, mountains and lakes.

Be prepared for the abundance of seafood on the menu. Shrimp, crab, scallop and salmon are all fresh, cooked according to local recipes.

You will also be able to watch sunrises and sunsets from the deck of the ship, and, if you are lucky, you will meet dolphins.

Location

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

from

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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 caldera of the Golovnin volcano

Fumarole field

Take a walk through the fumarole field of the Mendeleev volcano

Hot mineral springs

Take a dip in natural springs

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 the island of Shikotan and get acquainted with the cape of the Edge of the World

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.
Transfer to the hotel.
Free time.
Check-in at the hotel from 14:00 (early check-in on request, with an additional fee).
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 can you do 30 hours before Shikotan:
Meet the beautiful sunrise and sunset at sea;
get to know the band better;
Enjoy the fresh sea air;
see the landscapes of the coastline of the islands;
to believe in luck and meet sea companions — dolphins.
Self-catering on the ship.
Day 3 - Arrival at Shikotan Island
The first Kunashir views and the most important one are with the Tyata volcano.
Parking at the port of Yuzhno-Kurilsk is 4 hours.
17:00 Arrival at Shikotan Island.
Transfer to the hotel.
Supper.
Free time.
Breakfast and lunch on your own on the ship.

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Day 4 - Nameless Bay and Cape World's Edge
Breakfast.
Departure for an excursion to Bezymyannaya Bay and Cape World's Edge.
Jeep tour to Cape World's End along a forest road.
Walking tour of Cape World's Edge.
Cape World's Edge is high, undulating and long, like a rolled—out scarf. Take a short walk and the Pacific Ocean opens up in front of you. This is the most remote 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. Then — for 8 thousand km of water — only America. Underfoot, at the bottom of a steep 50-meter chasm, heavy waves are beating against the rocks. A strong wind makes itself felt, almost tearing it from its place, energizing this place.
Photo stop.
Transfer to Cape Crab, an external inspection of the Spanberg lighthouse.
Lunch — lunch box.
Departure to Nameless Bay.
Nameless Bay — since the film was shot in 1972, it is increasingly called Robinson Bay, but this 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.
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 - Dolphin Bay
Breakfast at the hotel.
Collection and departure to Dolphin Bay.
Dolphin Bay is located in the southwest of the island, which juts into the shore for 2.4 miles.
The bay was named after the ship "Dolphin", which in 1912 was used to explore the northern coast of the Sea of Okhotsk, the Tatar Strait and Nagaev Bay.
Lunch in nature: bonfire soup.
Walking along the bay.
Spectacular views open from the height of the flat hills.
A real forest-steppe landscape with open bamboo expanses and mounds of conifers and stone birch.
Photo stop.
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. The caldera of the Golovnin volcano. The Lake is Hot and Boiling
Breakfast.
Departure by jeep to Golovninsky cliff.
Passage along the ebb tide.
Sightseeing and walking along the shore.
Breathtaking photos of the cliff's sheer shores and waterfalls.
Departure before the start of the trekking route to the Golovnin volcano caldera.
Where cars can't cope, 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.
There are two lakes in the caldera, one of them is named Hot, and the second, which is located directly in one of the craters, is Boiling Lake.
There are a large number of sulfur and sulfide compounds in lakes, and sulfide-sulfur foam floats on Boiling water.
Inspection of the lakes is Hot and Boiling.
Photo stop.
Lunch on the picnic route.
Return to the parking place 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 for the route along the forest path through the bamboo thickets.
The trekking route from the parking lot 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 exhausts. They contain sulfur, which crystallizes and decorates the outlets with yellow lace patterns. An unusual 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 place 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.
Trekking route along the coast, 7 km long.
A tour of Cape Columnar. We will tell 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 importance.
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 the island. Shikotan.
Parking at the port of Malokurilskoye is 5 hours.
Lunch and dinner on your own on the ship.
Overnight on the ship.
Day 11 - Arrival on Sakhalin Island
Breakfast, lunch and dinner on your own on the ship.
20:00 Arrival of the ship at the port of Korsakov.
Transfer to the hotel.
Free time.
Day 12 - Aniva Lighthouse
07:00 Departure from Novikovo village.
On the way there is a sanitary stop in the village. Ozersky.
09:00 Arrival in Novikovo village.
Snack, briefing, boarding boats and departure to the Aniva lighthouse.
A boat tour to the Aniva Lighthouse is carried out on inflatable rubber boats.
10:30 Arrival, inspection of the lighthouse.
The Aniva Lighthouse is a unique historical object, which is the most complex technical structure in the whole of 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 main business cards of the Sakhalin region.
12:00 Departure to Cape Marble, inspection, snack.
13:30 Departure to Novikovo village.
14:30 Arrival in Novikovo village, disembarkation, departure to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.
16:30 Arrival at the hotel, free time.
Dinner on your own.
An excursion to the Aniva lighthouse is carried out as part of a team group.
Depending on weather conditions, the time of arrival and departure from the lighthouse may vary.

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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.
An extract from the hotel.
Visit to the fish market.
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 — 197,500 rubles/person.;
single occupancy — 249,410 rubles/person.

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.

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Tour conditions

Group

up 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;
3 meals a day on the Kuril Islands (Shikotan and Kunashir), except for the period of stay on the ship;
excursion service on Sakhalin Island. Escort by a guide on the Kuril Islands (Shikotan and Kunashir);
habitation:
- Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk — double/single accommodation in the Mega Palace 4-star hotel (TWIN or DOUBLE room);
- Yuzhno-Kurilsk — double/single accommodation in the Kunashir Guest House (TWIN or DOUBLE room, room amenities);
- Malokurilskoe — double/single accommodation in the Zvezda Hotel (TWIN or DOUBLE, room amenities);
accident insurance (coverage amount up to 2,000,000 rubles);
registration of a border pass to the Kuril Islands.

Paid extra

flight ticket to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and back;
a ticket for the ship on the route port Korsakov — port Malokurilskoye — port Yuzhno-Kurilsk — port Korsakov in a cabin of 3 categories (four—person accommodation, cabin amenities) - the cost is being specified;
meals not included in the program.

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

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

$1,930

4 – 17 Jul, 2025 14 days 13 nights

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$1,930

25 Jul – 7 Aug, 2025 14 days 13 nights

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$1,930

8 – 21 Aug, 2025 14 days 13 nights

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$1,930

5 – 18 Sep, 2025 14 days 13 nights

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Reviews

E
Elena

1 Nov, 2024

about provider

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

1 Nov, 2024

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