Sakhalin and sea lions

07:00 Breakfast in the hotel restaurant or cafe.

07:30 Departure for the tour. Movement towards the cape with a stop in the village of Okhotsk. Travel time is ~2.5 hours.

Along the way, picturesque panoramas of the island and numerous lakes open up.

10:00 Arrival at the capes, we go on a walking tour. You will see a lot of rocks created by Mother Nature.

Cape Ptichiy and Cape Velikan are one of the most beautiful and amazing sea coasts of Sakhalin.

Near the shore there are many remnants in the form of arches and stone pillars, on which bird colonies are located.

Terraces, grottoes and small caves are hidden in the coastal rocks, and seals can often be found on the beaches of Cape Giant.

The bizarre giant surface superstructures impress with their outlines, and the names match them — Giant, fighter!

Screaming seagulls scurry on the tops of rocks and arches, cormorants sit proudly and swifts scurry.

Spruce and fir forests stretch along a narrow strip of sandy beach on the sea terrace, where the Christmas trees diligently hide from the cold sea wind, turning their backs to the Sea of Okhotsk.

The place is remote, but you can't always call it secluded. There are too many people who want to admire the local beauties! And even off-road driving doesn't scare anyone.

The coast on the cape is steep and ends in a forest of almost mast pines. And then there are mountains covered with dense dark coniferous forests with a predominance of fir.

12:30 Camping lunch. Relaxing by the sea. PHOTOSESSION.

14:00 Departure to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.

16:30 The end of the tour. Return to the hotel or to the gathering place.

Dinner (on your own).

Recommendations: On this route it is desirable to have:

• comfortable sneakers or trekking shoes;
• rubber slippers for walking on a rocky bottom in the water;
• mosquito repellent;
• for those who want to swim — bathing accessories, a towel;
• In case of adverse weather conditions, do not forget to take a raincoat and rubber boots.

Breakfast in the hotel restaurant or cafe.

09:00 Departure on the route Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk – Nevelsk.

The road to Nevelsk passes through one of the picturesque and high passes of Sakhalin Island — Lovetsky Pass, the length of which is about 13 km. The highest point is Staritsky Mountain, which rises 439 meters above sea level. 

The pass offers beautiful views of the Sakhalin hills, which allows you to see all the beauty of the flora on Sakhalin. At the beginning of the 19th century, the site of Nevelsk was occupied by the Ainu settlements of Ponto-Kesi, which means "on the edge of the lake". From 1905-1946, the city bore the Japanese name Honto.

10:45 Arrival in Nevelsk. Visit to the city's waterfront.

11:15 Departure to the place of the tour.

11:30 Arrival at the seaside. Verification of documents, briefing, issuance of life jackets.

12:00-12:30 Boat trip to sea lions. The duration is 30 minutes.

Boat access to the breakwater with the sea lion rookery, the total distance on the water (from the shore to the breakwater): 3 km. 

We will see a unique natural phenomenon (only in three places on the planet: Nevelsk/Sakhalin, Kamchatka, Seattle/USA) — sea lion rookery in the city, we will hear their “dialogues”, take stunning photos at a minimum distance.

12:30 Return to the shore.

12:45 Departure along the picturesque sea coast to the port city of Kholmsk.

The city of Kholmsk is the main sea gate of Sakhalin. The seaport of Kholmsk is located on the southwestern coast of the island, at the top of Nevelsky Bay and includes the Southern Harbor and the Northern Harbor. 

13:30-14:20 Arrival in Kholmsk. Sightseeing tour.

During the tour, we will see the remains of an old Japanese pulp and paper mill, visit the courtyard where our famous poet, musician and composer lived in his youth. An interesting fact: Igor Nikolaev was born in Kholmsk. 

Let's take a walk along Primorsky Boulevard and take beautiful photos against the background of the sea coast, with panoramic views of the main sea gate of Sakhalin, connecting the island with the mainland.

14:20-15:30 Lunch at a cafe on the territory of Primorsky Boulevard (self-payment). A walk along the embankment.

15:30 Departure to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk along another of the beautiful passes of our island, the Kholmsky pass.

On the way, we will make a stop at the highest point of the pass, which offers a wonderful view. We will visit the memorial to the soldiers who fell during the storming of the pass, during the liberation of Southern Sakhalin in 1945. 

We will stop at the base of "Bambucki", where we can arrange a photo session against the background of the fragments of the governorate of Karafuto.

18:00 The end of the tour. Return to the hotel or to the gathering place.

Dinner on your own.

Recommendations: windproof hiking / sweatpants and a hooded jacket, fleece and thermal underwear under them, scarf / snood, headdress (tightly fitting to the head), trekking shoes, motion sickness remedy (for those who are seasick, reception 1 hour before departure), identity document, raincoat when adverse weather conditions.

05:45 Car pickup at the hotel, departure to the place of the general gathering of the group at the Aniva lighthouse.

Important! The night before, order your breakfast with you at the hotel reception.

06:00 Departure from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk to Novikovo village.

08:30 Arrival in the village. Novikovo. Briefing, preparation for going to sea.

09:00 Departure to the sea from Novikovo village on PVC motorboats.

11:00 Arrival at Aniva Lighthouse.

The Aniva Lighthouse (yap. Naka — Siretokomisaki) was established in 1939 on a small Sea Lion rock, near the inaccessible rocky cape Aniva.

It is not only the most original and complex technical project of the Karafuto period, but also an outstanding world achievement in the practice of lighthouse construction at that time.

The need to build a lighthouse was due to unpredictable treacherous currents, mixing the waters of the Sea of Okhotsk and Aniva Bay, frequent fogs and rocky banks.

12:00 Transfer to Cape Marble. During sea crossings, we can meet sea lions, seals, dolphins and killer whales.

13:00 Arrival at Cape Marble. A walk, a photo shoot.

13:30 Departure to the village. Novikovo.

14:30 Arrival in the village. Novikovo Preparing for departure to the village of Muravyovo (lagoon Busse).

14:45 Transfer to Busse Lagoon.

15:15 Arrival at the lagoon coast.

A master class on opening oysters. PHOTOSESSION.

Lunch of freshly caught seafood and wild oysters. There will be a lot of oysters!

You will have an exciting journey to a unique "restaurant" of seafood cuisine with tasting of wild oysters, completely unique in their taste qualities, which you can try only on Sakhalin.

On the menu: 1/2 glass of wine, fresh scallop, red caviar, sliced fish, wild oysters with lemon and branded oyster sauce; baked oysters with cheese and garlic; dish "Sakhalin childhood" (seasonal fish baked in burdock leaves); Sakhalin ear; fresh vegetables; fruit drink; tea/Coffee.

18:00 Transfer laguna Busse – Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.

20:00 The end of the tour. Return to the hotel or to the gathering place.

Dinner (on your own).

Attention! 

• While on board a swimming vehicle, you must adhere to generally accepted norms of behavior, not create dangerous or threatening situations. 
• A life jacket must be worn, if you are seasick, you must take a medication for motion sickness. 
• During excursions, take care of cultural and historical monuments, as well as take care of nature. 
• A boat trip depends entirely on the mercy of the sea. In case of bad weather conditions and the inability to go to sea, the boat trip will be canceled or replaced with an auto tour to Cape Evstafia.

Recommendations:

• Aniva Lighthouse — on this route, on the way by boat by sea, do not forget to take a raincoat, hat, cotton gloves. 
• Lunch with oysters: take your favorite wine with you. Dry white wine, prosecco and brut go well with oysters.

Breakfast in the hotel restaurant or cafe.

Free time.

Jeep tour Cape Vindis and Cape Kuznetsova for an additional fee.

07:00 Departure from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk by jeep.

08:30 Arrival in Nevelsk. A small sanitary stop. Departure to the village. Shebunino.

09:30 Arrival in the village. Shebunino. A short rest before setting off on a difficult stretch of road. The driver prepares the car for driving on the sand.

11:00 Arrival at Cape Vindis (Mount Kovrizhka). Stop for a photo shoot at Cape Windis.

11:30 Departure to Cape Kuznetsova. We move along the sandy seashore to Cape Kuznetsov.

Seascapes, kekurs, rivers flowing into the sea, wild horses on the coast and the feeling that you are at the edge of the world.

12:00 Arrival at Cape Kuznetsova. Visit to the lighthouse at Cape Kuznetsova, hiking in the surrounding area.

We will see giant "fingers", "arches", "gates" — all this is scattered in a picturesque mess near the shore. The shores themselves loom menacingly over the surface of the water, forming huge wave-breaking niches.

13:30 Camping lunch with seafood. Rest on the shore.

16:00 Departure to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.

20:30 Arrival at the hotel. The end of the tour.

Dinner (on your own).

The cost of the tour: 

• check—in dates: from 05/15/2024 to 06/05/2024 - 12,800 rubles/person.;
• check—in dates: from 06/12/2024 to 07/17/2024 - 14,800 rubles/person.

Recommendations. On this route it is desirable to have:

• comfortable sneakers or trekking shoes;
• windproof hiking / sweatpants and hooded jacket;
• rubber slippers for walking on a rocky bottom in water;
• mosquito repellent;
• for those who want to swim — bathing accessories, a towel;
• rubber boots or raincoats for shoes;
• a change of clothes.

Breakfast at the hotel.

Check-in before 12:00, late check-out is possible with an additional 50%/room/day.

Transfer to the airport with the opportunity to visit (by prior arrangement) the fish market.

Important: The transfer is provided to guests who have paid for their stay in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.