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

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Join us on an exciting adventure through one of the most mysterious islands in Russia.: Sakhalin, Kunashir and Iturup.

Explore the volcanic landscapes and fumarole field, enjoy the thermal springs, immerse yourself in the rich cultural heritage of the region and experience the magic of the Pacific Ocean.

This trip will be unforgettable and full of discoveries!

Location

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

from

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

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Tour highlights

Thermal springs

Relax and recuperate in the relaxing hot baths.

Volcanic splendor

Appreciate the beauty of Baransky volcano with its fumarole field, Golovnin volcano with lakes, and the Yankito Plateau with its bizarre frozen lava flows.

Picturesque White Cliffs

Take a walk along the sandy beach and take beautiful photos against the background of the famous rocks that will stand out in your gallery.

Delicious cuisine

During the gastronomic lunch, you will taste Sakhalin fish soup with red fish, Far Eastern delicacies, caviar, tea with herbs and Sakhalin sweets.

Cape Columnar

You will see the results of the eruption of the Mendeleev volcano, which have survived to this day.

Meeting with sea lions

You will become a participant in a boat tour to the breakwater, where roaring sea lions will swim in your immediate vicinity.

Itinerary

Day 1 - Arrival in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. City Sightseeing Tour
Arrival in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Meeting at the airport.
If arrival is at 09:15, then transfer to the hotel, we leave our things. Free time ~2.5-3 hours.
Please keep in mind that check-in at the hotel is at 14:00. Early check-in can be booked and paid in advance, if necessary.
If arrival is at 12:30, then we immediately go to the restaurant.
Welcome lunch at one of the best Japanese restaurants.
Sightseeing bus tour of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, the capital of the Sakhalin region. A modern, beautiful city with a history.
Return to the hotel.
Dinner (on your own).

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Day 2 - The bay is Quiet. The island Is Noticeable. The eastern coast of the Sea of Okhotsk
08:00 Breakfast in the hotel restaurant.
09:00 Departure from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk by bus.
Travel time with stops is approximately 3 hours, 135 km, paved federal highway.
On the way, we will stop at the amber coast and collect amber, watch the seals resting on the rocks.
We will visit the Japanese Torii gates of the Karafuto governorate period, which were installed in front of Shinto temples.
An intermediate stop in the village of Rybakov Seaside, where you can buy freshly boiled crabs and taste them during lunch.
There is a quiet walk along the coast in the bay, after which you will have a hot gastronomic lunch — delicious Sakhalin fish soup with red fish, Far Eastern delicacies, caviar, tea with herbs, Sakhalin sweets.
19:00 Return to the hotel.
Dinner (on your own).

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Day 3 - Arrival to Iturup. Fumarole field and thermal springs of Baransky volcano
Breakfast in the hotel restaurant.
Transfer to the airport.
Departure to Iturup.
Arrival to Iturup. Meeting at the airport, transfer to the hotel. We leave our things.
Route: Fumarole field and thermal springs of the Baransky volcano.
Departure for the route, 20 km on the way.
Visit to the geothermal station, fumarole field (inspection of fumaroles and mud "volcanoes"), boiling small lakes "Blue Eyes", giving rise to the sulfuric acid river "Boiling".
Lunch on the route.
The thermal baths of the Baransky volcano are a beautiful paradise, an oasis among volcanoes and taiga. Bathing.
Dinner at the cafe.
Return to the hotel.
The flight schedule for the 2025 season will be released in March, after which routes on flight days can be adjusted.
Day 4 - White Rocks, Black Rocks, Prostor Bay, Sea of Okhotsk
09:00 Breakfast at the cafe.
10:00 Departure for the route.
The white cliffs are white crested ridges of bizarre shapes, cut by canyons.
The landscape is constantly changing due to the fact that the rock (volcanic glass and pumice) is soft and prone to weathering and erosion.
A wild deserted beach in white and black watercolor (white quartz and black titanium-magnetite sand), azure-colored water and volcanoes on the horizon.
"Black Rocks" is a basalt columnar structure of solidified lava.
Lunch on the route.
On the way back, visit the Hot Waters thermal complex.
Dinner at the cafe.
Return to the hotel.
Day 5 - The Yankito Plateau. Departure to Kunashir Island
Room release.
Breakfast at the cafe.
A trip to the Yankito plateau, Kuril Bay – frozen volcanic lava in the form of a pile of rocks on the seashore.
Bizarre silhouettes and unusual shapes of lava that was once boiling.
We visit another interesting place "Crying Rocks".
Transfer to the port.
12:00 Registration on the ship.
14:00 Departure of the motor ship "Igor Farkhutdinov" to Kunashir.
Dinner on a boat in a cafe on your own.

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Day 6 - Parking on Shikotan Island, arrival on Kunashir Island
Breakfast and lunch at the cafe on the ship (independently).
09:00 Arrival at Shikotan Island.
The vessel is parked for 4 hours, but is allowed ashore only for 2 hours strictly if there is a border pass.
Meeting at the port and an organized tour of the surrounding area.
You can also enjoy freshly brewed coffee in the cozy cafe.
17:00 Arrival in Yuzhno-Kurilsk, Kunashir Island.
Meeting at the seaport, transfer to the hotel, accommodation.
Let's go say hello to the Pacific Ocean! Endless Quiet... with a serious character and a powerful energy.
A short walk along the coast — kekur "Devil's finger", "Devil's Gate".
Dinner at the cafe.
Return to the hotel.

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Day 7 - Cape Columnar. The Sea of Okhotsk
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 when 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.
There are many sea urchins in the littoral lagoons.
From Cape Stolbchatyi, walk 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.
Dinner at the cafe.
Return to the hotel.
Day 8 - 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 max. height 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).
It is forbidden to swim in Boiling lake, there are hot springs, mud boilers and hot steam at the bottom of the lake and along the shores.
You can swim in the Hot lake. The water is cool, but it is not a hindrance to the brave. Moreover, nowhere else do you buy directly in the volcano caldera of a distant Pacific island.
Dinner at the cafe.
Return to the hotel.
Day 9 - Arrival in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
Room release.
Breakfast at the cafe.
Depending on the time of departure, the route will be determined.
Transfer to the airport.
Departure to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.
Meeting at the airport.
Transfer to the hotel.
The flight schedule for the 2025 season will be released in March, after which routes on flight days can be adjusted.

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Day 10 - Meeting with sea lions. the city of Nevelsk. Tatar Strait
The Tatar Strait separates Sakhalin Island from mainland Eurasia.
09:00 Breakfast in the hotel restaurant.
10:00 We are heading to Nevelsk with a guide, federal paved highway, 90 km.
Beautiful valleys and island hills will open up on the serpentine through Lovetsky Pass.
Nevelsk is a small port city.
Perhaps the only city that has been both a Russian and a Japanese city for twenty years.
From 1855 to 1875, Khonto (as Nevelsk was then called) had a dual administration.
This is one of three cities in the world where red—book sea lions, the largest representative of long-eared seals, rook in the city limits on the waterway from February to July.
And a boat trip to the breakwater will enhance your emotions.
These roaring sea lions will swim in your immediate vicinity.
City tour.
Lunch at a cafe.
18:00 Return to the hotel.
Dinner (on your own).
Day 11 - Departure
Breakfast at the hotel.
Transfer to the airport.
Departure.

Difficulty

Involves moderate physical activity

Tour organizer's comments

The tour includes a medium–difficulty route to Cape Columnar with a total walking distance of 6 km, as well as a medium-difficulty trekking route to Golovnin volcano (2.5-3 hours by footpath, 7 km one way).

Accommodation

Hotel

8 nights

Comfort

Midscale
Upscale
Premium

The tour includes accommodation in hotels and in the cabin of the ship (1 night).

The cost of the tour for 1 person:

for double occupancy – 227,000 rubles;
The surcharge for single occupancy throughout the tour is 31,200 rubles.

Mega Palace Hotel 4*

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

The multi-storey hotel offers modern rooms and apartments with antique-style furniture.

The Marquis Restaurant serves Russian, European and Japanese cuisine, while Serbian cuisine can be enjoyed at the Grill on the Sky Restaurant. There is also an Asian cuisine restaurant "Asia" and a Japanese BamBoo restaurant. Guests can relax at the Duke Karaoke Bar.

The spa facilities include a fitness center, hot tub and sauna. In the evening, guests have the opportunity to visit a karaoke bar or a nightclub with DJ performances.

Nearby you can also visit the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ, the park. Gagarina, the Northern Ring ecotrope. The distance to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Airport is 9.2 km, and to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Railway Station is 2.2 km.

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Another option

The Flagship Hotel

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

Shower, sauna — separate on the floor. Breakfast is served in the village cafe, 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, one room with two 1.5-double beds and a sofa bed in the living room, all amenities in the room).

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Another option

The Zarechnaya Hotel

The Zarechnaya Hotel is located on the banks of the Kurilka River, which flows into the Sea of Okhotsk on the island of Iturup.

The convenient location of the hotel allows guests to use the local structure of the city, quickly reach any place on foot or by various types of public transport.

Double accommodation is provided.

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Tour conditions

Group

From 3 to 25 tourists

Minimum age

7 years old

Duration

11 days 10 nights

Group meets at

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

Included in price

airport – hotel – airport transfer in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk;
Kurilsk Airport – hotel – seaport transfer;
seaport – hotel – airport transfer in Yuzhno-Kurilsk;
accommodation in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk at the Mega Palace Hotel 4*;
meals specified in the program (in Sakhalin, according to the program, three meals a day in Kunashir and Iturup);
accommodation on Iturup at the Zarechnaya Hotel;
accommodation at the Flagship Hotel in Yuzhno-Kurilsk (private);
transportation services according to the program;
tour guide services;
instructor-guide services;
entrance tickets to the thermal complexes "Springs of Baransky volcano" and "Hot Waters";
Kurilsky Nature Reserve pass;
registration of a border pass to O. Iturup, Kunashir Island, Shikotan Island.

Paid extra

flights to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and back;
flight Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk – Kurilsk/Yuzhno-Kurilsk – Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk – ~ 26,000 rubles/person.;
Kurilsk — Yuzhno-Kurilsk motor ship ticket — ~ 4000 RUB/person.;
meals on the ship;
early check-in and late check-out of hotels;
dinners in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk;
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

$2,575

1 – 11 May 11 days 10 nights

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Island Spring: Sakhalin — Iturup — Kunashir