Sakhalin and the island of White Rocks

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Immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the amazing nature of the two most famous islands of the Kuril Ridge – Sakhalin and Iturup, the island of White Rocks.

Majestic volcanoes, black and white sand beaches, hot springs and stunning seascapes await you. You will get acquainted with the rich history of these lands, enjoy traditional cuisine and feel a real unity with nature.

This trip is not just a vacation, but a real adventure that will be remembered for a lifetime!

Location

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

from

Early
booking

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

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Tour highlights

White Rocks

Go along the Okhotsk coast and admire the incredibly picturesque views

Thermal springs

You can relax and enjoy the healing waters in the open air

Gastronomical pleasure

Take part in a master class on opening oysters and enjoy a lunch of freshly caught seafood

Active volcanoes

You will visit the Baransky volcano with turquoise hot lakes, fumaroles and taste eggs with caviar cooked directly in volcanic water

Memorable shots

Visit many locations where you can take unusual photos against the background

Aniva Lighthouse

You will see an impressive building of the Karafuto period near an inaccessible rocky cape

Itinerary

Day 1 - Arrival in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Sightseeing tour
Arrival in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Meeting at the airport. Transfer to the hotel, accommodation.
Check-in at the hotel from 14:00 (early check-in is possible with an additional 50% per room / day).
Sightseeing tour of the city (2 hours, starting approximately at 15:00, the exact time will be indicated two days before the tour).

During the tour, you will learn how the city grew and developed during the period of Japanese rule (then it was called Toyohara), see preserved Japanese buildings built in those distant times, and get acquainted with the most striking places of modern Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and the main attractions of the island capital, visit three squares — Lenin, Victory and Glory, and also Chekhov Center Square.

Welcome dinner in Sakhalin style.

At dinner, you will taste the famous hemultan soup, salads from Sakhalin wild plants and discuss the details of the trip.

Transfer to the hotel after dinner. Rest.

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Day 2 - Flight to O. Iturup
Breakfast in the hotel restaurant.
12:00 Room release.
Transfer from the hotel to the airport.
Check-in for the flight.
Departure from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.
Arrival in Kurilsk. Meeting. Transfer to Kurilsk.
Accommodation at the hotel.
Dinner at a cafe in the city.
Transfer to the hotel.
The exact time of departure to O. Iturup is unknown at the time of publication of the program. In case of a significant difference 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.
Day 3 - The Museum of Local Lore. Jeep tour to Kasatka Bay. A mirrored beach. The Devil's Rock. Thermal springs "Baths"
09:00 Breakfast in a cafe in the city.
10:00 By tradition, we begin our acquaintance with the island in the Museum of local lore, where you are met by professionals who love their region and know the history of the island. Iturup people.
11:00 Departure towards the Pacific Ocean, to Kasatka Bay.
The first stop is at the observation deck near the Kuibyshevka River: inspection of the quarry, military equipment. Next, let's stop at the "mirror" beach, which looks like an endless sea mirror.
A stranded fishing vessel, the most popular photo object among the guests of the island.
13:00 We will definitely drive to the Devil's rock.
At one time, the Japanese punched tunnels in it for through passage for military purposes, which have survived to the present day. You will walk (somewhere you will crawl) through the places of hostilities, 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.
14:30 Lunch on the shore of the Pacific Ocean (fried fish, boiled potatoes, fish preserves, sliced vegetables, tea with bagels or the like).

15:00 Rest on the shore.

15:30 Transfer to the thermal springs.

17:00 Visit to the thermal springs "Baths" (Rybaki village).

18:30 Return transfer to the hotel.

Dinner (on your own).

Recommendations: to visit the thermal springs, take bathing accessories, rubber slippers, sheets (you can take them at the hotel reception). If it is impossible to cook lunch in nature due to weather conditions, it will be provided in a cafe.

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Day 4 - Boat trip around the Chirip Peninsula. The Eye of the Dragon. White rocks. Hot Water thermal springs
09:00 Breakfast in a cafe in the city.
09:30 Departure to the coast. Boarding boats for a boat trip.
10:00 Departure for a boat trip to Cape Spur, Dragon's Eye.
In the north of the Chirip peninsula, almost at its northernmost tip from the side of the Prostor Bay, there is a very interesting natural object composed of layered lavas of the Chirip volcano during its numerous eruptions. This is Cape Spur, and the layered lavas forming it resemble the scales of a mythical dragon. The most interesting thing on this cape is the stone arch, which is called the Eye of the Dragon.
This is an exciting sea voyage, the route of which runs past unique natural sites:
The rocks of the Spire and the Robber. The original kekura on the west coast of the Chirip Peninsula. Cormorants and seagulls nest on steep cliffs;
Cape Breskens. The sheer cliffs of the cape are completely impassable along the shore. There are several grottoes and through caves of volcanic origin in the cape area;
Cape Cannery. A beautiful lava cape 7 km from the village of Reidovo, formed by basalt lavas of the Bogdan Khmelnitsky volcano. On the rocks in the vicinity of the cape there is a small rookery of the Kuril island seal antura, a rare species of common seal.
13:00 Disembarkation at the Black Stones beach. Relaxing on the beach.
14:00 Lunch on the shore of the Sea of Okhotsk (Iturup fish soup, tea, fish preserves, sliced vegetables, tea with bagels or the like).
15:00 Departure to the beach with White cliffs. The length of the rocks is about 28 km. The sand of the beach 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.
15:30 Walk along the canyon in the White rocks.
16:30 Boarding the ground transport. Departure to the thermal springs.
18:00 After a boat trip, you will enjoy a rest in the thermal springs "Hot Waters" (1 hour).
19:30 Return to the hotel.
Dinner on your own.
Recommendations: on this route, on the way by boat by sea, there is a chance to get wet, do not forget to take a raincoat, you can wear ordinary shoes, high rubber boots (they will be given before going on a boat trip), a hat, gloves, bathing accessories, sheets (you can take them at the hotel reception).
Please note! In case of bad weather conditions and the inability to go to sea, the boat trip will be replaced by an auto tour. If it is impossible to cook lunch in nature due to weather conditions, lunch will be provided at the cafe.

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Day 5 - Jeep tour to the foot of the Baransky volcano. Rest in the thermal springs
09:00 Breakfast in a cafe in the city.
10:00 Departure to Baransky volcano by car (duration 5 hours).
Baransky Volcano (height 1132 meters) is one of the most accessible active volcanoes on Iturup Island 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.
10:30 Visit to the observation deck.
11:00 Visit to the mud kettle field. Excursion. We cook eggs in a thermal stream.
12:30 Tasting of boiled eggs with red caviar and champagne. Camping snack (tea or coffee, fish preserves, vegetable, cheese slicing).

13:30 Departure to the complex with thermal springs.

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

15:00 Return to the thermal complex. Camping snack (tea, coffee, sliced fish, cheese).
Bathing in thermal springs. Rest.

17:00 Transfer to Kurilsk.

18:00 Arrival in Kurilsk.

Dinner (on your own).

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

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

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Day 6 - Jeep tour to the Yankito lava plateau. Departure from Kurilsk to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
09:00 Breakfast in a cafe in the city.

12:00 Check-out from the rooms. Departure from the hotel for an 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 point of view. Bright, spectacular photos, unique impressions!

Stop at the observation deck in the village. Whale.

Free time.

Transfer to the airport.

Check-in for the flight.

Evening flight to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.

Arrival in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Meeting. Transfer to the hotel.

Placement. Free time.

Please note! The exact time of departure to O. Iturup is unknown at the time of publication of the program.
In case of a significant difference 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.
Day 7 - Aniva Lighthouse and lunch with oysters at Busse Lagoon
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. Sea circumvention of the rock with a lighthouse. PHOTOSESSION.
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. Preparation for departure to the village of Muravyovo (laguna Busse).
14:45 Transfer to Busse Lagoon.
15:15 Stay on the lagoon coast.
A master class on opening oysters. PHOTOSESSION.
Lunch of freshly caught seafood and wild 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.
In the menu:
½ glass of wine;
fresh scallop;
red caviar;
sliced fish;
wild oysters with lemon and signature oyster sauce;
baked oysters with cheese and garlic;
Sakhalin Childhood dish (seasonal fish baked in burdock leaves);
Sakhalin ear; fresh vegetables;
mors; tea/coffee.
18:00 Transfer from Busse Lagoon to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.
20:00 The end of the excursion to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.
Return to the hotel or to the gathering place.
Recommendations: on this route, it is advisable to have comfortable sneakers or trekking shoes, cotton gloves, rubber slippers for walking on sand and grass, mosquito repellent, bathing accessories, a towel, in adverse weather conditions, do not forget to take a raincoat, raincoats for shoes or rubber boots.
Aniva Lighthouse — on this route, on the way by boat by sea, do not forget to take a raincoat, hat, and cotton gloves.
Lunch with oysters: take your favorite wine with you. Dry white wine, prosecco and brut go well with oysters.
Please note! 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 inability to go to sea, the boat trip will be canceled or replaced with an auto tour to Cape Evstafia.

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Day 8 - The end of the program. Departure from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
07:00 Breakfast at the hotel restaurant or cafe (if breakfast is included in the room rate).
Transfer to the airport with the opportunity to visit (by prior arrangement) the fish market.
Please note! Check-out time is until 12:00 (late check-out is possible with an additional 50%/room/day).

Difficulty

Suitable for everyone

Accommodation

Hotel

3 nights
Guest House

4 nights

Comfort

Midscale
Upscale

The tour provides accommodation in hotels and guest houses:

in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk — 3 nights in a hotel to choose from;
on the fr. Iturup — 4 nights in a standard room of the Kasatka Guest house or a similar accommodation facility.

Guaranteed reservation of a room with amenities at the Kasatka Guest House is possible. The cost is 6,000 rubles per room.

The cost of the tour for 1 person, depending on the accommodation in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, RUB.:

Hotels	For double occupancy	Surcharge for single occupancy	Child under 12 years old in double occupancy
Mega Palace Hotel 4*	172 398	24 300	169 398
SQUIRREL 3*	166 518	21 200	163 398

Belka Hotel

A three-star hotel with an unusual name "Belka" is located in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.

For the convenience of guests, there is parking, free internet access, a safe and laundry facilities. Those who want to relax after a busy day are invited to visit the sauna.

The hotel's room stock is represented by 46 categories, which vary in size and comfort level. Despite this, all rooms are equipped with comfortable furniture to make your stay as comfortable as possible. Each room has a private bathroom with a shower.

Breakfast is served in the hotel's restaurant in the morning. Lunch and dinner can also be ordered or you can visit nearby cafes and restaurants.

In the immediate vicinity of the hotel there are such attractions as the Regional Museum of Local Lore, the Chekhov Theater Center and the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ.

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Another option

Mega Palace Hotel

This hotel is located on the Far Eastern island of Sakhalin, at the foot of the Susunai Mountains.

It offers a restaurant with a varied menu, a spa and a nightclub.

The center of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is just a 15-minute drive away.

The multi-storey Mega Palace Hotel offers its guests modern rooms and apartments with antique-style furniture.

Each room is equipped with cable TV, a safe and a minibar.

The hotel's spa area includes a fitness center, a hot tub and a sauna.

In the evening, guests can visit a karaoke bar or a nightclub with DJ performances.

A buffet breakfast is served every morning.

The Marquis Restaurant serves Russian, European and Japanese cuisine, while Serbian cuisine can be tasted at the Grill in the Sky restaurant. The hotel also has an Asian restaurant "Asia" and a Japanese restaurant BamBoo.

Guests can relax at the Duke Karaoke Bar.

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Airport is a 30-minute drive from the hotel. Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Central Train Station is a 20-minute drive away.

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Tour conditions

Group

up to 17 tourists

Minimum age

7 years old

Duration

8 days 7 nights

Group meets at

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

Included in price

guided tours according to the program;
transfers according to the program;
accommodation in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk;
accommodation on the island Iturup standard rooms in the Kasatka Guest house or similar;
meals specified in the tour program (6 breakfasts + 1 breakfast with you, 3 lunches + 1 tasting, 1 camping snack, 2 dinners);
transportation services on the routes;
accompanied by professional instructors on all routes;
entrance tickets to museums and springs;
registration of permits for staying in the border zone on the island Iturup;
accident insurance, insurance coverage up to 100,000 rubles.

Paid extra

air and railway tickets to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and back;
air tickets on the route (air ticket price 2024. If the cost increases, the difference is paid additionally): Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk — Kurilsk / Kurilsk — Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk:
- adult — 15,800 rubles/person.;
- children (2-12 years old) — 8,900 rubles/person.;
dinners on the island Iturup, indicated in the program marked "independently";
guaranteed room with amenities in the guest house "Kasatka" — 6000 rubles per room.

It's important to know

Camping equipment:

clothes:
- a warm sweater;
- warm wool socks;
- windbreaker;
- windproof and waterproof jacket;
- raincoat;
- thermal underwear;
- t-shirts;
- shorts;
- bathing suit;
headdress, accessories:
- a panama hat or a cap;
- knitted hat;
- sunglasses;
- cotton gloves;
shoes:
- comfortable sneakers, worn, with a tenacious sole 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;
medical insurance policy;
insurance policy;
birth certificate (if a child is flying with you).

Dates and Prices

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16 – 23 Jul, 2025 8 days 7 nights

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30 Jul – 6 Aug, 2025 8 days 7 nights

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13 – 20 Aug, 2025 8 days 7 nights

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27 Aug – 3 Sep, 2025 8 days 7 nights

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Reviews

AA
Alexey Alexandrovich Tolmachev

13 Nov, 2024

about provider

The experience was incredible: the vast Pacific Ocean, the Sea of Okhotsk, rolling hills, volcanoes, mountain roads by jeep, miles of sea journeys, and new friends along the way. In Kurilsk, we were warmly welcomed and surrounded by kind, helpful people. A special thanks to Guram and Svetlana, Igor and Nikita. And many thanks to the 'Big Country' team, especially Dmitry. Explore the wonders of Russia...

13 Nov, 2024

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