Kuril Islands from north to south. Expedition cruise

Air and railway tickets are not included in the price of the tour. You can purchase them yourself or contact us for help.

Insurance is required and is not included in the tour program. You need to get insurance covering emergency evacuation from hard-to-reach places. We also strongly recommend that you purchase insurance against "absenteeism".

You can purchase additional travel insurance on the website of a Large Country without commission directly from insurance companies.

The description of this route is the general plan of the expedition. The route may change under the influence of external factors: weather, ice conditions, etc.

The ship's crew and the expedition team make every effort to adhere to the planned route, but it is important to understand that the distinctive feature of expedition programs is the flexibility of the route and possible changes due to weather and ice conditions or other unforeseen circumstances.

Changes will only be made if they meet your interests, your safety or the requirements of maritime regulations.

We assure you that the captain and his team will always do their best to make your trip safe, interesting and memorable. 

Visa requirements depend on the region of your trip.

You may need a tourist visa to visit many regions.

Specify the need to obtain a visa in advance at the consulate of the country you plan to visit.

Please note that due to the latest changes in the procedures for obtaining tourist visas, despite the fact that we provide visa support in many areas, your personal submission of documents at the consulate/ visa center may be required, as well as the submission of biometric data. 

The level of physical fitness for expedition cruises is not important.

Anyone who is able to lift and descend the ship's ladder will go through any landing in the wildest places without difficulty.

On the contrary, those who want to get some exercise will be offered longer cross-country walks.

But it is worth remembering that you will find yourself in hard-to-reach places and the nearest hospital may be thousands of kilometers away from you, so if you suffer from chronic diseases, consult with your doctor before traveling.

The main factor in choosing clothes on board a ship is convenience.

Clothes can be casual and informal.

But if you travel on luxury ships and mega yachts, we recommend that you stick to the casual style on board and make an exception for evening festive events, for example, a cocktail with the captain, a farewell Gala dinner, celebrations of significant dates, for which it is worth choosing elegant evening clothes. 

A fixed daily schedule is never offered for expedition programs, since most routes run in remote, inaccessible and little-explored regions with extreme climatic conditions.

The suggested programs serve as an approximate guide of what you can see or visit during your trip, but visiting certain places or meeting certain animals cannot be guaranteed.

The program for the day, the schedule of drop-offs, lectures, and the restaurant's opening hours for the next day will be available the night before each day. 

Please remember that during polar expeditions, changes in the program and route occur every day, so we may have to adjust the program during the day. The captain or the expedition leader will inform you about all new changes over the speakerphone.

During the cruise, the captain and the expedition leader will constantly monitor the weather and ice conditions in order to create for you as many opportunities as possible to enjoy landings and cruises on the zodiac. 

Unlimited Wi-Fi internet access is available on luxury ships. The quality of satellite Internet is not comparable to the speed we are used to. Coverage may be lost in certain geographical areas, especially in the polar zones, or due to circumstances beyond our control.

Mobile communication will be unavailable in almost all regions of our expedition cruises. For an additional fee, you can make satellite calls on board. 

We strongly recommend that you take out medical insurance (insurance coverage should include, among other things, urgent evacuation from remote areas of the globe). We strongly recommend purchasing insurance policies that include travel cancellation insurance and baggage insurance.

All expedition participants, without exception, are required to have medical insurance covering search and rescue activities and evacuation from the ship from hard-to-reach regions. The amount of coverage depends on the region of travel and varies from $50,000 to $500,000.

When booking, our managers will provide you with detailed information about the insurance requirements for your travel region and, if necessary, will issue a medical insurance policy for you.

A medical room with basic first aid equipment is available on board. The doctor is available at any time, including accompanying travelers on landings. There is a fee for consultations and medical procedures carried out on board the ship, which is not covered by medical insurance. 

We may encounter unrest at sea on any expedition.

Choose in advance and take with you a suitable cure for seasickness: pills, Band-aids, bracelets for motion sickness.

Most preventive medications for seasickness should be taken in advance while you are feeling well.

If you are prone to motion sickness, avoid alcohol, tobacco, excess liquids and confined spaces. 

Of course, but you should notify your manager at the time of booking the trip and fill out a medical questionnaire. 

The route of the expedition may change during the cruise, including by the decision of the expedition leader for the safety of participants (no compensation is paid to passengers if the route and schedule are changed).

Expedition sea cruises are a type of vacation, not research projects. The main purpose of the existence of expedition cruises is to visit remote and hard-to-reach places without giving up an acceptable level of comfort, to learn and see in person what most can only get acquainted with in travel TV shows.

Expedition cruises can be sea and river cruises. The main purpose of such expeditions is to land as much as possible on wild shores where there is no infrastructure. Therefore, small vessels are used for expedition cruises, capable of visiting areas that are absolutely inaccessible to classic cruise liners.

Expedition cruises are designed for a small number of participants: from 12 to 200 people. A small number of passengers contributes to closer contact with nature, friendly communication between passengers, flexibility in daily schedules, as well as maintaining the stability of fragile ecosystems.

At the head of any cruise is an expedition leader – an experienced traveler or scientist and several naturalist guides. The expedition staff is chosen not only for their extensive knowledge of the region, but mainly for their desire and ability to share their experience with passengers.

A tour of a number of luxury trips to the most unusual destinations. Most cruise ships provide a fairly high level of accommodation. The cabins of the ships provide sufficient comfort in the conditions of polar travel, and mega-luxury yachts are in no way inferior in quality to the best 5* hotels. 

European chefs accompany each cruise and take great care of delicious and varied meals even far from civilization. 

First of all, the participants of our expedition programs are curious people who have already visited many countries.

Individual travelers, families, and friendly companies travel with us. They are all united by a love of comfort and adventure, a desire for vivid impressions and a desire to expand their life experience.

The average age of our travelers is 30-50 years old, although we do not set an age limit. People who have just turned 3 years old and those over 80 traveled with us.

Sure. We will be happy to arrange a single room for you.

Depending on the vessel, single occupancy can be provided without additional charges or with an additional payment from 25 to 100%.

On certain cruises, where a surcharge is charged for single occupancy, we can provide accommodation with a check-in. 

Sure. Children are taken on board from 6 years old, but there are no discounts for placing a third child in the cabin – the third child in the cabin with two adults will pay the full fare, the same as 1 and 2 passengers in the cabin. Triple accommodation is possible in a cabin of the standard, mini-suite and suite categories. There is no upper limit, but you need to understand that this is an expedition and long walking tours are possible.

Minor children must be under constant parental supervision. Perhaps for children under the age of 8, we will ask you to fill out a disclaimer. Please note that not all ships have life jackets and child-sized equipment. 

We use sturdy boats called zodiacs to land.

Since there are no ports in most places along the expedition cruise route, we use zodiacs to land on uninhabited shores.

There is no entertainment or animation on expedition cruises. The only exceptions are cruises on several luxury ships, where in the evenings you can enjoy live music and shows.

One of the main differences of expedition cruises is the holding of scientific and educational lectures on board by expedition guides - specialists and scientists in various scientific fields. 

Depending on the chosen expedition and the vessel, the average number of people on board varies from 12 to 200 people. 

English is the main language on the vast majority of expedition cruises.

But every year we recruit Russian groups on expedition cruises to different destinations and send our own Russian-speaking guides-scientists specializing in various scientific fields, mainly marine biology and history.

All of them are active employees of scientific institutes and research centers, have many years of research experience in their scientific field, are published in the most respected scientific publications, have an academic degree and continue research work in their field.

Russian Russian guides on board provide translation of all mandatory briefings into Russian, organize their own lecture program in Russian, accompany cruise participants on landings, organize general events for the Russian group, help solve problems on board and do everything possible to make your trip eventful and unforgettable.

Vaccinations are not required for the polar regions, but if you are traveling to other regions, check with your manager before booking a cruise.

According to the United Nations International Maritime Organization, sea cruises are the safest type of vacation in the world.

All cruise ships have passed the strictest international certification, the team regularly works out emergency situations, and there is a full set of emergency rescue equipment on board.

What is required of you? Be sure to participate in all briefings and exercises (and they are an indispensable attribute of sea travel), know where your life jacket is located and be able to use it, learn the escape route. Strictly follow all the rules, including those related to smoking.

If you are traveling with children, do not lose sight of them. 

When booking a cruise, a copy of the general passport (main page and registration) and copies of the main pages of the passport of all travelers are required to conclude a contract, if you are traveling outside of Russia.

A few months before your trip, we will ask you to fill out medical forms in which you must honestly indicate your state of health, past or existing illnesses, medications taken, allergies, etc.

At the same time with the medical form, you must provide a copy of the medical insurance policy that meets all the requirements of your expedition.

If you have booked flights and accommodation before and after the cruise yourself, we will also ask you to provide us with this information.