Pearl placer of the Kuril Islands: Kunashir — Iturup

Breakfast at the cafe.

09:30 Departure for the excursion "Golovnin volcano Caldera, Boiling lake, Hot lake" (duration 9-10 hours).

Golovnin caldera (a caldera is a cauldron–shaped depression with steep slopes and a flat bottom, formed as a result of the collapse of the volcano's peak).

The diameter of the caldera along the ridge is more than four kilometers. One can imagine the force of the explosion that occurred here during a volcanic eruption.

Inside the caldera, at an altitude of 130 meters above sea level, there are two lakes: Boiling and Hot. Jets of hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide gases – solfatars, hot water emissions, thick steam and the constantly changing color of the water create an impressive picture!

Another guided tour for hiking enthusiasts (don't forget to bring trekking poles)!

There are many emotions waiting for you: admiration for the views, surprise at new knowledge, pleasure from swimming in the warm mud of a boiling lake, cheerfulness from the coolness of a hot lake!

Stop at the observation deck with a view of Golovninsky cliff.

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.

Arrival at the reserve cordon.

Camping snack (tea from a thermos, vegetable, meat, fish, bread, biscuits, apple).

Access to the lakes in the caldera.

Visual inspection.

Climb to the observation deck.

Passage along the "hot" trail of Boiling Lake.

Taking mud baths in a Boiling lake. Swimming in the Hot lake.

Exit on the way back to the parking lot.

Departure to Yuzhno-Kurilsk.

Return to the hotel.

Dinner at the cafe.

Please note! 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! We travel by car from Yuzhno-Kurilsk to the reserve, then 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, trekking poles, mosquito repellent, bathing accessories, a towel, in case of adverse weather conditions, do not forget to take a raincoat and raincoats for shoes.

Breakfast at the cafe.

10:00 Departure to the ecological trail and mud healing thermal springs Stolbovskiye (duration 2-3 hours).

Arrival at the beginning of the trail.

Exit to the trail.

The flora of the island is rich and includes species distributed from the subtropics to the northern latitudes.

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.

The gaze stops at the trunk with a red stripe drawn by a caring human hand. This is a warning: beware of the magnolia tree! You will be lucky if you come in June, you will be able to see how it blooms, and the fragrance of its large white flowers fills 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 few days.

The approach to thermal springs.

Bathing.

12:00-14:00 Departure to Cape Columnar along the seashore (duration 5-6 hours).

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.

The approach to the clamp.

The passage of the clamp on the rock or over the rock from above along the path.

Cape Columnar tour: "Organ", "Turtle", "Paving stone". PHOTOSESSION.

Exit along the seashore to the lunch place.

Lunch of fresh Kuril delicacies by the sea.

Relaxing by the sea. Those who wish can swim!

Boarding vehicles.

Transfer to Yuzhno-Kurilsk.

Return to the hotel.

Dinner at the cafe.

Important information! Take vehicles to the exit point of the route, then walk 3 km along the trail downhill. Next, going ashore, 30 minutes along the coastline, then crossing the cliff or crossing the cliff along the path, first up the cliff, then down to Cape Columnar. From Cape Columnar, walk along the seashore for about 40 minutes to a place of rest and lunch. Return by road to Yuzhno-Kurilsk.

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 rubber boots.

Breakfast at the cafe.

10:00 departure for the tour: fumarole field of the Mendeleev volcano. (duration 5-6 hours)

An active volcano in the southern part of Kunashir Island. It was named after the outstanding Russian chemist D. I. Mendeleev in 1946. A complex stratovolcano with a central extrusive dome. The height is 886 m (according to other sources — 888 m). The volcano's cone is surrounded by a vast caldera, which was formed as a result of the destruction of the cone of an older volcano. Combined-cycle gas emissions and increased fumarole activity in 1880, 1901, 1946, 1977.

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. The status of a state monument of nature was awarded to it in 1983.

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. Then we walk among thickets of tall bamboo, taller than a man. Then we climb steep, protracted ascents, as if on steps, walking along the roots of trees. Then we cross the murmuring streams along the overturned log. Then we will stop, and the guide will point out the insidious mustard gas (a very poisonous plant), and offer to admire the beauty and majesty of the Ayan spruce. Then we will go down into the ravine and cross from one side to the other, gradually rising to the goal of our excursion: a spacious field on which large and small fumaroles "breathe" in pairs here and there!

Arrival at the fumarole field.

Visual inspection.

A walk through the field.

PHOTOSESSION.

Camping snack (tea brewed in nature, vegetable, meat, fish, bread, biscuits, apple).

Exit on the way back from the field to the parking lot.

Departure to the Sour creek (duration 2 hours).

Arrival at the stream.

Climbing the rapids and ripples of the stream.

Swimming in numerous natural baths, a natural water park, where each stream has its own sensations.

Return to the hotel.

Dinner at the cafe.

19:30 Transfer to the port. Boarding the ship.

22:00 Departure to Iturup Island (Igor Farkhutdinov train station). Travel time ~ 11 hours.

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.

Recommendations: on this route, it is advisable to have comfortable sneakers or trekking shoes, trekking poles, mosquito repellent, bathing accessories, towels, cotton gloves, in case of adverse weather conditions, do not forget to take a raincoat and rubber boots.

Important information:

1. Meals on the ship are paid additionally.
2. Stock up on drinks and snacks for the trip. Drinks can be purchased on the ship, but they are much more expensive.
3. Card payment is accepted on the ship, but communication may be "suspended", so always have cash with you.

Iturup means "big salmon" in the Ainu language. The largest island in the archipelago of the Kuril island range.

Majestic volcanoes, 12 of which are active, are the "authors" of the created relief and the real attractions of the island: frozen rivers of lava flows, numerous lakes, including hot ones, volcanoes with craters filled with water, fumarole fields, beautiful rocks, waterfalls, mud cauldrons, thermal swamps and springs! We have collected some of them on this trip to explore the island!

09:00 Arrival at the port of Kurilsk. Meeting.

Departure to Kurilsk.

Accommodation in a guest house.

10:00 Breakfast in a cafe in the city.

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 the island of Iturup with hot lakes of unusual turquoise color, fumaroles, mineral streams and healing springs.

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

Visit to the observation deck "Trinoga".

Departure to the complex with thermal springs.

Arrival at the thermal complex.

Walk along the ecological trail to the turquoise lakes.

We cook eggs in a thermal stream.

Tasting of boiled eggs with red caviar and champagne.

A camping snack.

Return to the thermal complex.

Bathing in thermal springs.

Departure to Kurilsk.

Return to the city.

Dinner at a cafe in the city.

Transfer to the guest house after dinner.

Attention! When approaching Iturup Island, prepare documents in advance for disembarkation from the ship: a passport and documents allowing you to stay in the border zone (a pass or a contract).

Attention! In the area of turquoise lakes, precautions must be taken – if you step outside the path, you can get chemical burns. You can only swim in springs with a certain water temperature.

Recommendations: on this route, you need to have bathing accessories, rubber slippers, your own towel or sheet. For an additional fee, bed sheets can be rented at the reception of the guest house (250 rubles).

09:00 Breakfast in the cafe of the city near the guest house.

10:00 Departure for a jeep tour along the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk to the beach with White cliffs (duration 6-7 hours).

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.

Stop at the beach with White cliffs.

A walk through the canyon.

Departure to the Black Stones.

Arrival at the Black Stones.

Walk.

Vacation on the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk.

Those who wish can swim.

Camping lunch on the shore of the Sea of Okhotsk.

Boarding a transport.

Departure to the thermal springs.

Rest in the Hot Waters thermal springs (1 hour).

Departure to Kurilsk.

Return to the guest house.

Dinner on your own.

Optional: on this excursion day, under suitable weather conditions, it is possible to organize a boat trip (3 hours) for an additional fee, 40,000 rubles, 1 boat for up to 6 people.

Recommendations: on this route, you need to have bathing accessories, rubber slippers, your own towel or sheet. For an additional fee, bed sheets can be rented at the reception of the guest house (250 rubles).

Attention! If it is impossible to spend lunch in nature due to weather conditions, lunch will be provided in a cafe.

09:00 Breakfast in the cafe of the city near the guest house.

10:00 Departure for a jeep tour towards the Pacific Ocean (duration 6-7 hours).

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.

We 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.

Camping lunch on the shore of the Pacific Ocean.

Relaxing on the shore.

Departure to Kurilsk.

Jeep tour to the foot of the Bogdan Khmelnitsky volcano in Yankito (duration 2 hours), 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!

Return to the guest house.

Dinner on your own.

Attention! If it is impossible to have lunch outdoors due to weather conditions, lunch will be provided in a cafe.

09:00 Breakfast in the cafe of the city near the guest house.

Room release.

Departure to the spa complex.

Visit to the spa complex with a view of the volcano (duration 2 hours).

Lunch at the Komui Kotan complex restaurant.

Departure to the airport.

Check-in for the flight.

Departure to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.

Arrival in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.

Please note! The exact time of departure from Iturup depends on the date of the tour. 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.

In case of a combined time due to an evening flight between Sakhalin Island and Iturup, excursions not included in the program can be provided for an additional fee.