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

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The Kuril Islands are a unique place lost in the Pacific Ocean.

On this trip you will find volcanoes, thermal springs and mud baths, Hot and Boiling lakes, climbing Mount Shikotan, a variety of flavors and an unforgettable excursion to the White Cliffs.

Breathtaking landscapes, spectacular photos and unique impressions are guaranteed!

Location

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

Sightseeing tours

from

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

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Tour highlights

Exciting jeep tours

Embark on an exciting journey to Kasatka Bay and Chertovka Rock

Fumaroles of the Mendeleev volcano

Take a walk through the fumarole field of an active volcano

Relaxation in the thermal baths

Relax in several springs and recuperate in relaxing hot baths

Cape Columnar

You will see fossilized basalt lava, which has divided into regular 5-6-sided columns

Incredible panoramas

Visit remote corners of the Kuril Islands with picturesque headlands and coves

Visit to the "Edge of the World"

Visit a rocky outcrop extending far into the sea and ending in 40-meter walls

Itinerary

Day 1 - Departure by boat to Kunashir Island
12:00 Transfer to Korsakov seaport.
Likely gathering locations:
Megapalas Hotel;
The Belka Hotel;
the site of the historical park "Russia – my history" (St. Hilarion Troitskiy St., 4).
14:00 Check-in and boarding the ship.
16:00 Departure to Kunashir Island (Admiral Nevelskoy train station or Pavel Leonov train station).
Travel time ~22 hours.

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Day 2 - Arrival on Kunashir Island. Stolbovskaya ecological trail and thermal springs
14:00 Approach to Kunashir island. Disembarkation.
14:30 Transfer to the hotel. Placement.
15:00 Departure to the ecological trail and mud healing thermal springs Stolbovskiye.
15:30 Arrival at the parking place. Exit to the trail.
Along the forest path, there are thick hedges of white and stone birches, gray trunks of velvet trees, mountain ash, Sakhalin fir with whitish trunks. The Ayanskaya spruce glows with blue needles up the slope.
If you come in June, you can see the magnolia blooming and the scent of its large white flowers filling everything around!
Along the trail we descend to a tangle of streams of different temperatures.
The water from the streams is mixed in a depression in the ground, where you can take a warm sodium chloride mineral bath.
Nearby, a larger depression is filled with hot mineral mud.
The place is called Stolbovsky thermal springs.
It is necessary to soak up the thermal mud lake and rinse with the mineral water of the stream! It will take away all the fatigue of the past days!
16:30 Rest in the springs.
Camping snack (tea, vegetable, meat, fish, bread, biscuits, apple).
17:30 Departure on the way back along the path to the vehicle.
18:30 Boarding the transport, departure to Yuzhno-Kurilsk.
19:00 Arrival in Kurilsk.
19:30 Dinner at the hotel cafe.
Important information: Take vehicles to the exit point of the route, then walk 3 km along the trail downhill.
Recommendations: On this route, it is advisable to have comfortable sneakers or trekking shoes, mosquito repellent, bathing accessories, a towel, in case of adverse weather conditions, do not forget to take a raincoat and raincoats for shoes or rubber boots.
Day 3 - Golovnin volcano caldera. Lakes are Boiling and Hot
09:00 Breakfast in the hotel cafe.
09:30 Departure for a guided tour of the Golovnin volcano Caldera, Boiling Lake, Hot Lake.
10:00 Stop at the observation deck overlooking Golovninsky cliff.
10:30 Arrival at the beginning of the trail. Exit to the caldera on foot.
During the crossing, stop at an observation deck with a view of the caldera and the Japanese coast across the strait!
Don't forget to turn off the mobile transmission on your smartphone — you may receive a substantial bill for using the mobile Internet in Japan.
13:00 Arrival at the reserve cordon.
Camping snack (tea from a thermos, sliced vegetables, meat, fish, bread, biscuits, apple).
14:00 Departure to the lakes in the caldera. Visual inspection. Climb to the observation deck.
Passage along the "hot" trail of Boiling Lake.
15:00 Mud baths in the Boiling lake. Swimming in a hot lake.
16:00 Departure on the way back to the parking lot.
18:00 Departure to Yuzhno-Kurilsk.
19:00 Return to the hotel.
Dinner at the hotel cafe.
Attention! In the area of the fumarole zone on the lake. When boiling, it is necessary to take precautions, be sure to step in the wake of the attendant — you can fall into the hot mud, get chemical burns. You can only swim and take mud baths in certain places.
Important information: We travel by car from Yuzhno-Kurilsk to the reserve, then we walk to the Golovnin volcano caldera. The total walking time is ~16 km (round trip).
Recommendations: On this route, it is advisable to have comfortable sneakers or trekking shoes, mosquito repellent, bathing accessories, and a towel. In case of adverse weather conditions, do not forget to take a raincoat and raincoats for shoes.

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Day 4 - The fumarole field of the Mendeleev volcano. Kekura Damn Finger and Damn Gate
09:00 Breakfast in the hotel cafe.
10:00 Departure for the tour: fumarole field of the Mendeleev volcano.
An active volcano in the southern part of Kunashir Island. There are many fumaroles and hot springs on the slopes of the volcano, the surface of the slopes is covered with coniferous and deciduous forests with dense undergrowth of Kuril bamboo and cedar.
10:30 Arrival at the beginning of the trail. Exit to the fumarole field on foot.
Despite the difficulty of climbing the field, the path leading to it is very interesting.:
We walk among the thickets of tall bamboo, taller than a man;
we climb the steep, protracted ascents, as if on steps, walking along the roots of trees;
we cross the murmuring streams on a thrown log;
We will stop, and our guide will point out the insidious mustard gas (a very poisonous plant!), and offer to admire the beauty and majesty of the Ayan fir tree.;
let's go down into the ravine and move from one side to the other, gradually rising to the goal of our excursion: a spacious field where large and small fumaroles "breathe" in pairs here and there!
12:30 Arrival at the fumarole field.
Visual inspection. A walk through the field. PHOTOSESSION.
13:30 Bathing in the thermal stream of the Mendeleev volcano.
15:00 Camping snack (tea brewed in nature, sliced vegetables, meat, fish, bread, biscuits, apple).
16:00 Departure on the way back to the parking lot.
17:30 Departure to Yuzhno-Kurilsk.
18:00 Walk along the coast, sightseeing of the coast, kekura Devil's Finger and Devil's Gate.
19:00 Return to the hotel.
Dinner at the hotel cafe.
Attention! In the area of the fumarole field, precautions must be taken, be sure to follow the instructions of the attendant — you can fall into the fumarole, get chemical burns.
Important information: The route is of medium difficulty: 17 km by road from Yuzhno-Kurilsk, 3 km one-way from the road to the fumarole field over rough terrain. The duration of the tour is 6-7 hours.
Recommendations: On this route, it is advisable to have comfortable sneakers or trekking shoes, mosquito repellent, bathing accessories, towel, cotton gloves, in case of adverse weather conditions, do not forget to take a raincoat and rubber boots.

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Day 5 - Cape Columnar Tour
09:00 Breakfast in the hotel cafe.
10:00 Departure for the tour.
10:30 Arrival at the parking place of the transport. Access to Cape Columnar along the seashore.
Cape Columnar is a unique place where the natural paving stones of the "Red Square" are replaced by views of stone pencils weighing 40 tons and deep-sea fjords.
The bizarre cliffs where you can hear the sound of organ music are true thousand-year-old monuments. After all, they were the first pieces of land that emerged from the depths of the ocean, and they have been preserved almost in their original form to our era.
11:30 Approach to the cape. Cape Columnar tour: "Organ", "Turtle", "Paving stone".
PHOTOSESSION.
Free time. Those who wish can swim.
13:30 Return to the parking area by the sea.
14:30 Lunch of fresh Kuril delicacies by the sea.
Relaxing by the sea. Those who wish can swim!
16:30 Boarding of vehicles.
Transfer to Yuzhno-Kurilsk.
17:00 Return to the hotel.
18:00 Dinner at the hotel cafe.
Important information: Take vehicles to the exit point of the route, then walk along the seashore for about 40 minutes to Cape Columnar in one direction.
Recommendations: On this route, it is advisable to have comfortable sneakers or trekking shoes, rubber slippers for walking on a rocky bottom in water, mosquito repellent, bathing accessories, a towel, in case of adverse weather conditions, do not forget to take a raincoat and raincoats for shoes or rubber boots.

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Day 6 - Sea access to Malokurilskoye. Arrival at Shikotan Island
Breakfast in the hotel cafe.
Boarding vehicles.
Transfer to the port.
Exit from Yuzhno-Kurilsk on a flatbed.
The approach to the island of Shikotan. Disembarkation.
Transfer to the motel.
Accommodation at the motel.
Dinner at the motel cafe.
Attention! The exact time of the release of the die on the island of Shikotan at the time of publication of the program is unknown. In case of significant differences in the program timing with the actual exit schedule, the program can be changed, while the volume and content of excursions will remain unchanged.
Attention! When approaching Shikotan Island, prepare documents in advance for disembarkation from the ship: a passport and documents allowing you to stay in the border area (a pass or a contract).
Day 7 - Snezhkov Bay. The Shikotan Rift
09:00 Breakfast in the hotel cafe.
10:00 Departure to Snezhkova Bay.
To see the beauty of the bay, you need to walk for about two hours in one direction. But the path leading to the sea is also beautiful with its views.:
A low-growing stone-birch forest with bizarrely curved tree branches.
An open hilly landscape that looks plush because of the green and yellow stunted bamboo.
There are islands of juniper thickets, and you just want to lie down in the very middle and breathe in plenty of useful aromas!
So unnoticed, we will reach the top of the hill, from which a breathtaking panorama will open, covering the entire southeastern coast of the island.
13:00 Lunch camping (lunch box) in the bay.
18:00 Return to the village.
Excursion to the Rift.
A crevice with ragged edges and a narrow entrance, formed here in a matter of seconds during the earthquake in 1994, cuts through the slope of the hill.
The length of the well is about 200 m, the depth is up to 10-15 m. The width is about the same.
At the bottom of the fault are well-established pillars of flagstone, forming a fantastic landscape attractive to any tourist group coming to the island.
20:00 Dinner at the hotel cafe.
Important information: The route starts from the village of Krabozavodskoye. It is difficult because of the hilly terrain. The distance there and back is 14-15 km. The travel time there is ~2-2.40, and the return time is up to 3 hours. It will be much easier to walk along the trail with trekking poles.
Recommendations: On this route, it is advisable to have comfortable sneakers or trekking shoes, mosquito repellent, in case of adverse weather conditions, do not forget to take a raincoat and raincoats for shoes or rubber boots.

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Day 8 - Cape Edge of the World. Bezymyannaya Bay
09:00 Breakfast in the hotel cafe.
10:00 Departure to Cape Edge of the World. Perhaps the most popular place on the island of Shikotan.
It is a rocky outcrop extending far into the sea and ending in 40-meter walls. When you get here, the meaning of the name immediately becomes clear.
From above, you can enjoy a breathtaking view of the vast expanses of the Pacific Ocean, and you can't help but think that you are really on the edge of the earth!
14:00 Lunch camping (lunch box) in the bay.
There is an unnamed bay not far from cape "Edge of the World".
According to many eyewitnesses, this bay is the most beautiful natural place on the island due to the scattering of islands located inside the bay.
It was there, in 1972, that the film "The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe" starring Leonid Kuravlev was shot.
In the bay you will see the famous log that Robinson Crusoe chopped.
Our escorts will show you the most successful angles for creating photos!
19:00 Dinner at the hotel cafe.
The distance of about 24 km there and back is covered by transport, the passage between the bays up to 4 km is planned on foot. The duration of the tour is 6-7 hours.
Recommendations: on this route, it is advisable to have comfortable sneakers or trekking shoes, those who use trekking poles, mosquito repellent, in case of adverse weather conditions, do not forget to take a raincoat, wear waterproof shoes.

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Day 9 - Mount Shikotan. Sea access to the island Iturup
08:00 Breakfast in the hotel cafe. Check-in rooms.
08:30 Guided tour of Mount Shikotan.
The highest mountain on the island of Shikotan is 412 meters. It is located near the village of Malokurilskoye.
At the time of Karafuto, a Japanese sea observation post was located on the mountain, and later, during the Soviet era, military locators were abandoned at the present time.
Most of the island is visible from the mountain. The rift is clearly visible at the foot of the mountain. In clear weather, the islands of Kunashir and Iturup are visible.
12:30 Departure to the hotel.
13:00 Lunch at the hotel.
14:00 Transfer to the port. Boarding the ship.
16:00 Departure to Iturup Island (Admiral Nevelskoy train station or Pavel Leonov train station). Travel time is ~ 17 hours.
Important information:
Meals on the ship are paid additionally.
Stock up on drinking water and snacks for the trip. Drinks can be purchased on the ship, but they are much more expensive.
Payment by card on the ship is accepted, but the connection may be suspended.

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Day 10 - Jeep tour along the coast to the White Cliffs. Hot Waters thermal springs
09:00 Arrival at the island. Iturup. Disembarkation.
10:00 Transfer to the hotel, accommodation.
Transfer to the cafe for breakfast.
10:30 Breakfast at the cafe.
11:00 Departure for an excursion along the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk to the beach with White cliffs. The length of the cliffs is about 28 km.
They consist of porous volcanic glass and pumice, frozen as a result of a colossal eruption of a red-hot gas cloud. The beach sand consists of white quartz and black titanium-magnetite sand. Due to the mixture of these two sands, an extremely beautiful gray-graphite sandy beach is formed.
12:30 Stop at the beach with White cliffs. A walk through the canyon.
13:30 Departure to the Black Stones.
14:00 Arrival at the Black Stones. Walk. Vacation on the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk. Those who wish can swim.
15:00 Lunch on the shore of the Sea of Okhotsk (Iturup fish soup, tea, fish preserves, sliced vegetables, tea with bagels or the like).
16:00 Boarding the transport. Departure to the thermal springs.
17:00 Rest in the Hot Waters thermal springs (1 hour).
18:00 Boarding the transport. Return to Kurilsk, to the hotel.
19:00 Dinner at a cafe in the city.
Recommendations: clothes for the weather, bathing accessories for swimming in the sea and springs, bed sheets (can be taken at the hotel reception).
If it is impossible to cook lunch outdoors due to weather conditions, lunch will be provided in a cafe.

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Day 11 - Jeep tour to Kasatka Bay. The mirrored beach. The Devil's Rock. Jeep tour to the Yankito lava plateau. Thermal springs "Baths"
09:00 Breakfast in a cafe in the city.
10:00 Departure towards the Pacific Ocean.
11:30 Kasatka Bay. The first stop is at the "mirrored" beach, which looks like an endless sea mirror. A stranded fishing vessel is the most popular photo object among the island's guests.
12:00 You will definitely drive to the Chertovka rock. At one time, the Japanese pierced tunnels in it for through passage for military purposes, which have survived to this day.
You will walk (somewhere you will crawl) through the battlefields, you will see the site of the former "hospital", the so-called laboratory where the Japanese worked on the development of bacteriological weapons. In good weather, those who wish to swim in the Pacific Ocean.
13:30 Lunch on the shore of the Pacific Ocean (fried fish, boiled potatoes, canned fish, sliced vegetables, tea with bagels or the like).
Relaxing on the shore.
14:30 Departure on the way back.
15:30 Excursion to the foot of the Bogdan Khmelnitsky volcano in Yankito, which is a plateau of frozen lava flows of bizarre shape. Beautiful landscapes that open from any viewpoint. Bright, spectacular photos, unique impressions!
Dear ladies, feel like a fashion model, take your favorite dress with you and have an amazing photo shoot among the frozen lava flows!
16:30 Transfer to the thermal springs.
17:00 Visit to the thermal springs "Baths" (Rybaki village), 1 hour.
18:30 Transfer to the hotel.
Dinner on your own.
Recommendations:
If it is impossible to cook lunch outdoors due to weather conditions, lunch will be provided in a cafe.;
To visit the thermal springs, take bathing accessories, rubber slippers, and a bed sheet (at the hotel reception). In case of adverse weather conditions, do not forget to take a raincoat and rubber boots.

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Day 12 - The Museum of Local Lore. Jeep tour to the foot of Baransky volcano. Departure to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
09:00 Breakfast in a cafe in the city. Check-in rooms.

09:45 Transfer to the museum.

10:00 Visit to the Museum of Local lore, where you will be met by professionals who love their region and know the history of O. Iturup people.

11:00 Departure to Baransky volcano by car (duration 5 hours).

Baransky Volcano (1132 meters high) is one of the most accessible active volcanoes on Iturup Island with hot lakes of unusual turquoise color, fumaroles, mineral streams and healing springs.

You will enjoy the beauty and relaxation in the thermal baths, taste eggs with caviar, boiled directly in volcanic water.

11:30 Visit to the observation deck.

12:00 Visit to the mud cauldron field. Excursion. We cook eggs in a thermal stream.

13:00 Tasting of boiled eggs with red caviar and champagne. Camping snack (tea or coffee, fish preserves, vegetable and cheese cuts).

14:00 Departure to the complex with thermal springs.

14:30 Arrival at the thermal complex. Walk along the ecological trail to the turquoise lakes. PHOTOSESSION.

15:00 Return to the thermal complex. Bathing in thermal springs. Rest.

Transfer to the airport.

Check-in for the flight. Departure to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.

Arrival in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.

Attention! In the area of fumarole fields, precautions must be taken – you can fall into hot mud, and in the area of mineral springs you can get chemical burns. You can only swim in springs with a certain water temperature.

Recommendations: on this route, it is advisable to have bathing accessories, rubber slippers, and a sheet (you can take it at the hotel reception). The tour takes place by car.

The exact time of departure to Iturup is unknown at the time of the program's publication. In case of significant differences in the timing of the program with the actual flight schedule, the program may be changed, while the volume and content of excursions will remain unchanged.

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Difficulty

Involves moderate physical activity

Tour organizer's comments

Physical fitness and the absence of problems with the musculoskeletal system are important. Walking distance can be up to 20 km per day.

Accommodation

Hotel

6 nights
Guest House

3 nights
Cabin on the boat

1 night

Comfort

Upscale

The tour provides accommodation:

4 nights on Kunashir Island in standard rooms with facilities on the block at the Iceberg Hotel (building 1);
3 nights on Shikotan Island at the Ostrovnoy Motel (standard rooms with amenities);
2 nights on the island. Iturup in standard rooms at the Kasatka Guest House;
2 nights in a cabin on the ship Pavel Leonov or Admiral Nevelskoy.

The cost of the tour for 1 person, rub.:

For double occupancy	Surcharge for single occupancy	Child under 12 years old for double or triple occupancy
245 708	30 100	242 708

A place in a four-person cabin with Class III facilities.

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Tour conditions

Group

up to 12 tourists

Minimum age

9 years old

Duration

12 days 11 nights

Group meets at

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

Included in price

guided tours according to the program;
transfers according to the program;
accommodation on the island Iturup standard rooms at Kasatka Guest House;
accommodation on the island of Shikotan in the Ostrovnoy motel, standard rooms with amenities;
accommodation on the island of Kunashir in the Iceberg Hotel, building 1, standard rooms with amenities on the block;
meals included in the program (10 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 8 dinners);
transportation services on the routes;
guided tours to Kunashir Island, Shikotan Island, Iturup Island;
entrance tickets to the springs;
passage by flatboat Kunashir Island — Shikotan Island;
registration of permits for staying in the border area on the island Iturup, Shikotan Island, Kunashir Island;
accident insurance, insurance coverage up to 100,000 rubles.

Paid extra

flights to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and back;
air ticket on the Kurilsk — Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk route (surcharge when booking the tour). The price of the 2024 flight ticket is indicated. In case of an increase in the cost of the ticket, the difference is paid additionally.:
- adult — 8,900 rubles.;
- child 2-12 years old — 5,500 rubles.;
ticket for the ship "Pavel Leonov" or "Admiral Nevelskoy" on the route O. Sakhalin (Korsakov port) — Kunashir Island (Yuzhno-Kurilsk port), travel time ~22 hours (place in a cabin class III, 4-bed with amenities). The price shown is for 2024. In case of an increase in the cost, the difference is paid additionally.:
- adult — 5,700 rubles.;
- child 2-12 years old — 4,300 rubles.;
ticket for the ship "Pavel Leonov" or "Admiral Nevelskoy" on the route O.Shikotan (Malokurilskoye port) – O.Iturup (Kurilsk) travel time ~ 17 hours (room in a cabin class III, 4-bed with amenities). The price shown is for 2024. In case of an increase in the cost, the difference is paid additionally.:
- adult — 3,500 rubles.;
- a child of 2-12 years — 2,800 rubles.;
meals on the ship, drinking water;
dinners on the island Iturup, indicated in the program marked "independently".

It's important to know

clothes:
- a warm sweater;
- warm wool socks;
- windbreaker;
- windproof and waterproof jacket;
- thermal underwear;
- t-shirts;
- shorts;
- bathing suit;
- raincoats for shoes.
headdress, accessories:
- a panama hat or a cap;
- knitted hat;
- sunglasses;
- cotton gloves.
shoes:
- comfortable sneakers, worn, with tenacious soles or trekking boots, waterproof sneakers;
- sandals for walking on water, slates.

On each route, you must have a change of clothes and shoes with you.

Documents:

passport, voucher;
compulsory medical insurance policy;
insurance policy;
birth certificate (if a child is flying with you).

Dates and Prices

$2,896

19 – 30 Jun 12 days 11 nights

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Reviews

S
Sergei

about provider

5 Feb, 2025

Excellent organization of the tour, including seamless airport transfers. The journeys along the routes were comfortable and well-planned.

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E
Ekaterina

about provider

5 Feb, 2025

Thank you so much for an unforgettable trip to the Sakhalin region! A huge thanks for the excellent organization, the care, and the well-thought-out itinerary that adapted perfectly to the weather conditions! We got to see every place at its most breathtaking! A special shoutout to our wonderful guide, Igor, on Iturup—an absolute professional! Traveling with him was not only insightful but also comfortable, enjoyable, and truly special. We left with only positive memories and will gladly recommend your company whenever we get the chance!!!
N
Natalia

about provider

4 Feb, 2025

I was very satisfied with the organization of the tour. Everything was well-planned, punctual, and ran smoothly. The food was delicious and plentiful.

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Kuril Necklace: Kunashir — Shikotan — Iturup