Kunashir — Shikotan | Big Country Travel

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Trekking routes through thickets of Kuril bamboo, fumarole fields and thermal springs of volcanoes, lighthouses on steep headlands and the endless Pacific Ocean are waiting for us!

We will go on a sea trip to two Kuril Islands — Kunashir and Shikotan and visit their top locations!

Location

Russia, Sakhalin region, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

from

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

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Tour highlights

Boat trip

We will go along the Sea of Okhotsk to the Kuril Islands

The Breath of the Earth

Take a walk through the fumarole fields with Martian landscapes

Cape Columnar

We will see basalt lava, which has frozen in the form of 5-6-sided columns

Golovnin Volcano Lakes

We will reach the caldera of the volcano, admiring the fields of cedar elfin, see a Boiling lake and swim in the Hot Lake

A visit to the Edge of the World

We will find ourselves in the South-Easternmost place of Russia — many travelers dream of visiting here!

Picturesque bays of Shikotan

Enjoy the views of the islands and panoramas of Bezymyannaya Bay and Aivazovsky Bay

Itinerary

Day 1 - Departure to Kunashir
09:00 Gathering of the group.
Transfer to the seaport of Korsakov.
10:00 Registration on the ship.
After checking the tickets and documents, we board the ship and get to the lobby, where the check-in desk is located and the staff checks passengers into the appropriate cabins.
12:00 Departure of the ship to Yuzhno-Kurilsk (O. Kunashir).
Lunch and dinner on the ship (independently).
Important! It is necessary to have WhatsApp at the beginning of the tour and provide an up-to-date phone number. All information is sent to the chat group.
Day 2 - Arrival on Kunashir. Pacific ocean. South Kuril Cape
18:00 Arrival in Yuzhno-Kurilsk (O. Kunashir).
Meeting at the seaport, transfer to the hotel, accommodation.
Sunset meeting on the Pacific coast with a glass of sparkling wine!
One of the business cards of Kunashir is the South Kuril Cape, where an abandoned lighthouse is located.
Transfer to the hotel.
Dinner at the cafe.
Day 3 - The fumarole field of the Mendeleev volcano
10:00 Visit to the Museum of Local Lore, a tour of the museum.
11:00 Departure for the route "The Great fumarole field of the Mendeleev volcano".
The Mendeleeva volcano, located in the southern part of Kunashir Island, belongs to specially protected natural areas and in 1983 was awarded the status of a state natural monument.
At the foot of this active volcano, overgrown with bamboo, there are still Japanese thermal baths, where, according to legend, Emperor Hirohito bathed.
By transport up to 17 km, then a trekking route of about 3 km in one direction.
The route passes through a protected area. The nature of these places is unique. Centuries-old trees with trunks up to 2 meters in diameter, thickets of Kuril bamboo, the purest mountain streams.
The approach to the fumarole field.
Here you can feel the hot "breath" of the earth.
Its surface is more like a Martian landscape.
Small and large steaming fumaroles, cedar elfin and a view of the Hokkaido Mountains.
Parking is 2 hours.
Lunch (lunch box).
Optional bathing in wild hot springs.
Return to the 17th kilometer.
A trip to the cascade of waterfalls of the Sour River (swimming optional).
In the evening, return to Yuzhno-Kurilsk.
Dinner at the cafe.

1 more photo
Day 4 - Golovninsky cliff. The caldera of the Golovnin volcano. The Lakes are Boiling and Hot
09:00 Breakfast at the cafe.
10:00 Departure towards the village of Golovnino (Veslovsky Peninsula).
A path with a stop at the observation deck for a short rest and make the most beautiful shots.
Upon arrival, parking on the Golovninsky cliff for inspection and photography.
Moving towards the Golovnina caldera, the lake is Boiling and Hot.
A 2.5–3 hour walk along a dirt road, about 7 km. one way.
The whole way is accompanied by the most beautiful fields of cedar elfin.
The parking time in the caldera is about 2 hours.
Lunch (lunch box).
The volcano is a caldera about 4 km in diameter, surrounded by a ridge (541 m).
At the bottom of the caldera there are four small domes and two craters — lakes Boiling and Hot.
The Golovnin volcano caldera is unique for its ongoing volcanic activity.
A jet of superheated steam and boiling water can suddenly strike from the bottom of a Boiling lake — incredible
A sight!
One of the salt fields of Lake Goryachy once spewed a stream of liquid sulfur, which poured into the lake and froze there with a bizarre tongue.
Swimming in the lake is "Hot".
Return to the hotel in the evening.
Dinner at the cafe.

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Day 5 - Cape Columnar. Thermal springs
09:00 Breakfast at the cafe.
10:00 Departure for the route.
Cape Columnar on Kunashir is one of the most amazing and unique places on earth. It is a unique geological formation that arose as a result of fossilization of basalt lava.
Pouring out of the mouth of the Mendeleev volcano more than 6 million years ago, the lava got into the water column and, under the influence of certain temperatures, divided into absolutely regular 5-6-sided columns, and then rose from the ocean to the surface.
Residents of Kunashir say: "Whoever has not seen Cape Columnar, has not seen Kunashir."
Stolbovskaya ecological trail, exit to the coast.
Inspection of rocks of volcanic origin.
The cape, open on three sides, is located on the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk.
Beautiful "aquariums" and lagoons with crystal clear azure water.
Majestic "organs" made of frozen lava.
Return to Yuzhno-Kurilsk, visit the thermal springs of the village of Hot beach (slightly acidic, carbon dioxide-nitrogen, sulfate-chloride-sodium waters with a high content of methane, boron bromine).
Return to the hotel in the evening.
Dinner at the cafe.

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Day 6 - Departure to Shikotan
11:00 Transfer to the seaport of Yuzhno-Kurilsk (Kunashir island).
After checking the tickets and documents, we board the ship and get to the lobby where the reception is located.
The staff places passengers in the appropriate cabins (according to the tickets).
14:00 Departure of the ship to Shikotan Island.
Lunch on the boat on your own.
18:00 The approach of the ship to the port of Malokurilsky (Shikotan island).
Meeting at the port, transfer to the hotel, dinner.
Free time
Day 7 - The cape is the Edge of the World. Nameless Bay
Breakfast at the hotel.
10:00 Departure to cape "Edge of the world".
When you get here, the meaning of the name immediately becomes clear.
A breathtaking view of the vast expanses of the Pacific Ocean opens from above, and the thought involuntarily comes that you are really at the edge of the earth!
This is the farthest point from the capital of Russia — a distance of 7,400 km in a straight line.
A walk to Cape Crab, where the Spanberg Lighthouse is located.
Then transfer to Bezymyannaya Bay.
According to many eyewitnesses, this bay is the most beautiful natural place on the island because of the scattering of islets located inside the bay.
Lunch — lunch boxes.
Free time to relax.
In warm weather, you can sunbathe and swim in the Pacific Ocean.
Return to the hotel in the evening.
Rest.
Supper.

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Day 8 - Aivazovsky Bay (Church)
Breakfast in the hotel cafe.
10:00 Departure for the route to the village of Krabozavodskoye.
Then a walk to the Aivazovsky Bay, about 6 kilometers in one direction.
On the way we will see the mountains "Tomari" and "Natoro" covered with old fir trees and fir trees.
There are two islands in the bay itself — "Aivazovsky" and "Ninth Shaft".
The island "Ninth Shaft" and the lighthouse located on it were named after the famous painting by the Russian artist Aivazovsky. The island is not covered with bamboo, but with spruce trees pressed to the ground by strong ocean winds.
A walk along the bay.
Lunch.
After lunch, we move back.
Return to the hotel, dinner.

1 more photo
Day 9 - Departure to Sakhalin
Breakfast in the cafe.
Transfer to the Malokurilskoye seaport (Shikotan Island).
Check-in and baggage check-out.
14:00 Departure of the ship to the port of Korsakov (Sakhalin Island), the journey time is about 18 hours.
Self-catering on the ship.
Day 10 - Arrival to Sakhalin
20:00 Approach of the ship to the port of Korsakov (Sakhalin Island).
Meeting at the port, transfer to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.

Difficulty

Low physical intensity for amateurs and non-experienced travelers

Tour organizer's comments

The tour includes hiking, crosswalks and routes of medium difficulty (3-7 km one way)

Accommodation

Hotel

7 nights
Cabin on the boat

2 nights

Comfort

Basic+

The tour provides accommodation in hotels on Kunashir Island and Shikotan Island, in the cabins of the ship.

Double occupancy — 125,000 rubles/person.

The surcharge for single occupancy is 13,500 rubles/person.

In summer, all cabins on ships are quadruple.

The number of rooms on Kunashir Island is very limited.

Accommodation depends on the availability of a block of places in a particular hotel at the time of booking the tour, as well as the type of room (with one or two beds).

Basic accommodation on the tour: hotels of the Municipal Unitary Enterprise Docker ("House of Friendship", "Representative Center", "Breeze"). If there are no places in these hotels on the selected date of the tour, accommodation in other hotels without additional charges.

Please note that in most hotels the facilities are located on the floor.

Tour conditions

Group

up to 25 tourists

Minimum age

6 years old

Duration

10 days 9 nights

Group meets at

Russia, Sakhalin region, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

Included in price

transfers according to the program;
services of tour guides;
hotel accommodation in Yuzhno-Kurilsk;
hotel accommodation in Malokurilsky;
meals specified in the program;
transportation services on the routes;
accompanied by instructors and guides;
registration of a border permit.

Paid extra

flights to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and back;
a ticket for the ship on the route port Korsakov — Yuzhno-Kurilsk — Malokurilskoye — Korsakov (cabin of the second category, 4-bed accommodation with amenities; we purchase for you independently) — 13,500 rubles /person.;
meals at the cafe on the ship.

It's important to know

headdress;
sports sandals;
comfortable sports sandals in which you can walk on water and rocks;
trekking shoes with fluted soles, as well as replaceable dry shoes;
trekking poles;
towel;
sunscreen (SPF) of at least 30 units;
a small backpack for day trips (hands should be free!);
comfortable wind- and moisture-proof jacket;
bathing accessories;
mosquito and tick repellents;
gloves;
long sleeve shirt or sweatshirt;
individual first aid kit;
personal hygiene items.

Dates and Prices

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

$1,461

24 Jun – 3 Jul, 2025 10 days 9 nights

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No need to pay now
$1,461

8 – 17 Jul, 2025 10 days 9 nights

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No need to pay now

Kunashir — Shikotan