Gastronomic tour to Sakhalin and Iturup

We have breakfast at the hotel and set ourselves up for a busy day!

Today we will have a fascinating journey to the legendary Aniva Lighthouse, a magnificent structure built by Japanese craftsmen in 1939.

The lighthouse stands on a sheer cliff, which is not easy to reach. Due to this complex location, the structure is considered one of the most impressive technical achievements of its time.

The round nine-storey tower with a bay window is organically inscribed into an oval base, as if growing out of the coastal cliffs.

It is impossible to get to the lighthouse by land, so we will cover part of the way by speedboats, enjoying the seascapes.

We will take our minibus to the small village of Novikovo, named after the legendary cruiser Novik, which heroically fought against the Japanese cruiser Tsushima in the Russian-Japanese War. Here we will get a briefing and transfer to the boats that will take us to the lighthouse.

Along the Aniva Bay, we will pass by the abandoned Yuzhnaya outpost and the beautiful capes of Marble and Mica.

There are magnificent mountains, crystal clear sea air and waterfalls falling from the coastal cliffs. And here is our goal — we are moored at the foot of the cliff.

We are located on the very edge of the country, where Japan is literally just a few hundred kilometers away.

On the way back, we will make a stop at Marble Cape and walk along the coast. There is an unusual rock here — it was formed from marble interspersed with various semiprecious stones. And we'll also watch the seals that come out of the water every now and then!

We return to Novikovo and drive to a gourmet restaurant overlooking the Aniva Bay.

For an appetizer, we will taste carpaccio made from local octopus, seasoned with fragrant olive oil and a spicy citrus dressing.

Then we will be served a rich fish soup made from selected wild fish with charcoal, which is very useful after an eventful trip to the Aniva lighthouse.

The main course will be an exquisite Far Eastern trumpeter, cooked with fragrant porcini mushrooms, golden onion caramel and a delicate mousse of smoked sour cream.

On the way back, we will stop in the historic city of Korsakov, one of the largest port cities in the Far East. Its history goes back to the past, when these lands belonged to Japan, and the city itself was called Oodomari.

We will go up to the observation deck with a view of the city and the bay.

We return to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, have a little rest and go to dinner at the island cuisine restaurant.

The first course will be a salad with juicy king crab meat, ripe avocado and delicate apple marmalade.

The main course of the evening will be a delicious wild salmon steak with sea vongole and crispy broccoli. The delicate creamy sauce combines all the ingredients into a harmonious composition. This combination of flavors will perfectly reveal itself in a duet with a glass of white wine from Sauvignon Blanc grapes.

We will end the evening with a sorbet of fragrant baked apples with melted milk and sour lingonberry foam.

After dinner, we return to the hotel.

Tomorrow we will have a flight to Iturup.

After breakfast at the hotel, we will have some free time to stroll through the Gagarin City Park, founded by the Japanese, enjoy the fresh air and take wonderful photos as a souvenir.

The park is very close to our hotel. A charming cascade of small waterfalls, a zoo with wild animals and a pond with the romantic name "Prince Lake", surrounded by a beautiful shore, deserve special attention here.

Before leaving for the airport, we will have lunch at a pan-Asian restaurant and get acquainted with Korean cuisine.

For an aperitif, we will be served a Korean-style fern, a delicious dish made from valuable wild plants. The young shoots are marinated, fried, boiled and stewed with onions, soy sauce and spicy hot pepper.

The next course is bibimbap, one of the most popular traditional Korean dishes. This dish consists of boiled white rice, juicy beef, harmoniously selected vegetables and fried eggs with a thin yolk. All ingredients are served separately and mixed immediately before use with a spicy pepper paste.

The final chord will be a delicate dessert with blackberries.

Enjoy and leave for the airport!

The flight from Sakhalin to Iturup will take only one hour. The flights are operated by Aurora Airlines on small and modern aircraft from the Canadian company Bombardier. During this time, we will cover about 450 kilometers over the vast expanses of the Sea of Okhotsk, watching breathtaking bird's-eye views.

Iturup Island welcomes us with a panorama of Bogdan Khmelnitsky, one of the highest Kuril volcanoes.

We are going to check into a hotel where we will stay for two nights.

Our hotel is one of the most comfortable on the island. It is located in a unique location: at the foot of a majestic volcano, on the shores of the endless Pacific Ocean. Here, on the edge of the earth, among the pristine nature, you can feel yourself in a real corner of peace and quiet.

After checking into the hotel and having a short rest, we will go to the Yankito lava plateau. Here, nature has created a truly unique sight: frozen lava flows meeting with sea waves.

The bizarre shapes of brown-red volcanic rocks create a unique landscape that appeared as a result of the eruption of the Bogdan Khmelnitsky volcano.

We will admire the fascinating landscapes and take memorable pictures to capture the emotions of the beauty of the northern expanses.

In the evening, we will have dinner at a local restaurant.

If the weather is sunny, we will sit on a cozy terrace with a magnificent view of the endless waters of the Sea of Okhotsk.

For an appetizer, we will be served a Japanese salad with wakame seaweed, tender octopus, scallop and juicy crab.

The main course of the dinner will be freshly caught halibut baked with an exquisite bisque sauce made from fragrant shrimp shells.

After a busy day, we return to our hotel.

Tomorrow we will have a new batch of impressions!

Today we are going on an off–road trip to see one of the most stunning natural wonders - the White Cliffs.

Our first stop is the amazing Waterfall Wall, also known as the Crying Rocks.

The majestic cliffs, covered with juicy bright green moss, are decorated with many miniature waterfalls that flow down and form a picturesque stream. This is a truly fascinating place!

We continue our journey and leave for the main goal of our trip — the White Cliffs.

A breathtaking sight opens up before us: snow-white giants, like guardians of the sea, rise right at the water's edge. Their wavy outlines, decorated with juicy moss greens, create a unique natural masterpiece.

These unique volcanic formations, formed from very light and soft pumice, stretch for 28 kilometers and go far beyond the horizon.

The beach here is surprisingly deserted, which creates a special, almost cosmic atmosphere. Time seems to stop, and the surrounding landscape resembles the surface of a distant planet.

While we are walking and admiring the scenery, our assistants will prepare dishes for lunch and serve delicious fish soup from freshly caught fish, snacks and fish cuts.

We have lunch, chat, and tell each other about the adventures of our travels.

An unforgettable lunch in the company of gourmet travelers in the most beautiful place on the edge of the earth!

After lunch, we head to the Black Rocks, unusual stone formations of dark basalt that resemble frozen lava flows. In fact, this is a small lava tongue, similar to the famous Cape Columnar on the island of Kunashir — only in miniature.

We will end the day with a visit to the cozy thermal complex. Wooden fonts with healing hot water are waiting for us here, surrounded by pristine nature, endless blue sky and peaceful silence. The perfect place to relax and enjoy harmony with nature.

In the evening, we will have a cozy dinner at a restaurant near the hotel. Let's enjoy the meat!

The main dish of the evening is stewed beef cheeks, served with fragrant potatoes and a glass of full—bodied red wine.

In the evening we return to the hotel, relax after an active and full of impressions day.

After a hearty breakfast at the hotel, we head to the observation deck of the Baransky volcano. It offers an incredible panorama of the island in the palm of your hand. The city stretches below, the airport is visible, and the endless waters of the Sea of Okhotsk stretch in the distance.

Then our way lies to the amazing thermal complex "Boiling River", located on the river of the same name. In its upper reaches, the water heats up to almost boiling point. This place impresses with its beauty and is considered one of the most photogenic corners of the island.

The river valley is shrouded in clouds of snow-white steam, and numerous fumaroles and bubbling mud cauldrons smoke on the slopes.

Along a picturesque wooden deck, we approach the source of a Boiling River and enter a fabulous world — emerald lakes of fantastic beauty await us here.

After the walk, we have a well—deserved rest - immersion in the cozy thermal pools, where you can completely relax and recuperate.

After that, we go to the airport and return to Sakhalin.

After a rest from the road, we will visit an exquisite Japanese restaurant, where a real master chef from Japan, Kudo Motoki, is responsible for culinary masterpieces.

We will open our dinner with a tasting of six types of sashimi. This dish is served in an authentic sushi boat, an elegant wooden model of a boat.

Next, we will have a traditional dish — crispy gyoza with fish, which resemble the usual dumplings, but have a unique Asian taste.

And the main gastronomic chord of the evening will be unanju — a generous portion of juicy eel laid on a fragrant rice pillow and garnished with traditional unagi sauce.

At the end of this unforgettable dinner, we will be served a delicious Japanese dessert mochi, a delicate delicacy made from rice flour.

Then we will take a short walk and go to rest.

After 18:00 we will have a free evening — a great opportunity to explore the city on our own, visit interesting places or just relax.

And tomorrow we will have a gastronomic trip to the famous oyster lake Busse!

We have breakfast at the hotel and go to one of the most delicious places on Sakhalin Island — Lake Busse! Its waters are home to giant oysters, scallops, sea urchins, trepangs, crabs and trumpeters.

During the spawning period, a huge migration of Pacific salmon passes through the lake: shima, pink salmon, chum salmon. Before the oyster harvest begins, we'll raise a glass of sparkling wine to a successful and delicious catch!

We go to the oyster jar (the habitat of bivalves).

First, we will walk directly across the water (boots will be provided on the spot), and then we will sail by boat with oars, since the use of any motor vehicles is prohibited in the lagoon. Here, the clams are literally under our feet: you just have to bend down to get a fresh oyster right out of the water.

We will open the freshly caught clams, decorate them with a drop of lemon juice and taste them with a glass of sparkling wine. An unforgettable experience for true gourmets! An oyster made with your own hands is a hundred times tastier than even in the most prestigious restaurant in the world.

We also won't leave the island empty—handed - we'll collect all the other seafood we find in special nets and take it with us.

We return to the shore — a hot lunch will be served for us here.

We will be served hemultan, a traditional Korean seafood soup and Far Eastern salads according to Korean recipes. There will also be sandwiches with red caviar and, of course, oysters: fresh and baked with garlic and grilled cheese.

During lunch, we will have a culinary master class: we will learn how to properly open and use oysters, get acquainted with the subtleties of their serving. And let's get straight to practice — we'll arrange a tasting of all the collected seafood delicacies.

In the evening, we will return to the city, where we will have dinner at one of the most prestigious restaurants in Sakhalin with the signature cuisine of the talented chef Ivan Stroitelev.

The heart of the restaurant is the open kitchen! We will have the opportunity to observe the cooking process and the unique atmosphere of well-coordinated work of professionals in their field.

Sakhalin scallop opens our dinner in an exquisite version: with selected northern shrimp and a bright sauce of fresh tomatoes and citrus fruits.

The main dish of the evening will be turpentine fillet with creamy sauce and a spicy mustard note. The meat has a special texture — both tender and dense.

At the end of the evening, we will be served an original dessert based on camembert cheese with berry filling.

It's time for heartfelt conversations and an exchange of impressions! Let's enjoy the moment and share the emotions of our amazing journey to the ends of the earth.

After breakfast, we are scheduled to visit the local fish market. Here you can buy the freshest delicacies (red caviar, salted fish, seafood) and choose original souvenirs for yourself and your loved ones.

Then we will escort you to the airport.

We wish you a safe journey! And see you in new gastronomic journeys.