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

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Do not miss the unique opportunity to visit the most famous Kuril Islands — Sakhalin and Iturup, which amaze with their beauty and grandeur.

On this trip, you will visit the fumarole field and the thermal springs of the Baransky volcano, Nevelsk, Kasatka Bay, the Yankito Plateau and the White Cliffs.

Location

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

Sightseeing tours

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

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Tour highlights

Seafood delicacies

Try Sakhalin fish soup with red fish and enjoy seafood

The multifaceted Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

Take a sightseeing tour of the capital of the Sakhalin Region

Thermal springs of the Baransky volcano

Enjoy your vacation in a picturesque place, a kind of oasis among volcanoes and taiga

Yankito Plateau

Visit the place where the frozen volcanic lava is in the form of a pile of rocks on the seashore

Amazing animals

You will see roaring sea lions swimming in the immediate vicinity

Majestic White Cliffs

Explore the white crested ridges of bizarre shapes, cut by canyons

Itinerary

Day 1 - Arrival in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. City Sightseeing Tour
Arrival in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Meeting at the airport.
If arrival is at 09:15, then transfer to the hotel, leave your things. Free time ~2.5-3 hours.
Please keep in mind that check-in at the hotel is at 14:00. Early check-in if necessary
it is booked and paid in advance.
If arrival is at 12:30, then we immediately go to the restaurant.
Welcome lunch at one of the best Japanese restaurants.
Sightseeing bus tour of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, the capital of the Sakhalin region. A modern, beautiful city with a history.
Return to the hotel.
Dinner (on your own).

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Day 2 - Flight to Iturup. Kasatka Bay. Rock massif in Kasatka Bay. Pacific ocean
Breakfast at the hotel restaurant.
Transfer to the airport. Departure to Iturup.
The flight schedule for the 2025 season will be released in March, after which routes on flight days can be adjusted.
Arrival to Iturup. Meeting at the airport, transfer to the hotel. We leave our things.
Route: Kasatka Bay, rock massif in Kasatka Bay. Pacific ocean.
Departure for the route, 60 km south to the Pacific Coast.
On the way there is a Japanese cemetery (on the site of a Japanese settlement).
Inspection of the "Devil's Rock" with the remains of Japanese fortifications and an underground hospital. Tunnels were cut through the rocks by the Japanese for military purposes.
Lunch on the route.
An interesting story of the beached ship "Corundum".
Dinner at the cafe.
Return to the hotel.

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Day 3 - White Rocks, Black Rocks, Prostor Bay, Sea of Okhotsk
09:00 Breakfast at the cafe.
10:00 Departure for the route.
The white cliffs are white crested ridges of bizarre shapes, cut by canyons.
The landscape is constantly changing due to the fact that the rock (volcanic glass and pumice) is soft and prone to weathering and erosion.
A wild deserted beach in white and black watercolor (white quartz and black titanium-magnetite sand), azure-colored water and volcanoes on the horizon.
"Black Rocks" is a basalt columnar structure of solidified lava.
Lunch on the route.
On the way back, visit the Hot Waters thermal complex.
Dinner at the cafe.
Return to the hotel.

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Day 4 - Fumarole field and thermal springs of Baransky volcano
Departure for the route, 20 km on the way.
Visit to the geothermal station, fumarole field (inspection of fumaroles and mud "volcanoes"), boiling small lakes "Blue Eyes", giving rise to the sulfuric acid river "Boiling".
Lunch on the route.
The thermal baths of the Baransky volcano are a beautiful paradise, an oasis among volcanoes and taiga.
Bathing.
Dinner at the cafe.
Return to the hotel.

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Day 5 - The Yankito Plateau. Flight to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
Room release.
Breakfast at the cafe.
A trip to the Yankito plateau, Kuril Bay – frozen volcanic lava in the form of a pile of rocks on the seashore.
Bizarre silhouettes and unusual shapes of lava that was once boiling.
We visit another interesting place "Crying Rocks".
Transfer to the airport.
Departure to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.
Meeting at the airport and transfer to the hotel.

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Day 6 - Free day
Breakfast in the hotel restaurant.
Free day (reserved in case of late arrival).
We recommend visiting:
Sakhalin Museum of Local Lore.
Pobeda Memorial Complex with interactive expositions and panoramas using various modern technologies. The Pobeda complex has entered the top of the best military museums in Russia.
Stores with Korean and Japanese goods.
Souvenir shops and a fish market with a wide variety of fresh seafood and Sakhalin delicacies. You can't think of a better gift for your family and friends!

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Day 7 - The bay is Quiet. The island Is Noticeable. The eastern coast of the Sea of Okhotsk
08:00 Breakfast in the hotel restaurant.
09:00 Departure from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk by bus. Travel time with stops is approximately 3 hours, 135 km, paved federal highway.
On the way, we will stop at the amber coast and collect amber, watch the seals resting on the rocks.
We will visit the Japanese Torii gates of the Karafuto governorate period, which were installed in front of Shinto temples.
An intermediate stop is in the fishermen's village of the Seaside, where you can buy freshly boiled crabs and taste them during lunch.
There is a quiet walk along the coast in the bay, after which you will have a hot gastronomic lunch – delicious Sakhalin fish soup with red fish, Far Eastern delicacies, caviar, tea with herbs, Sakhalin sweets.
19:00 Return to the hotel.
Dinner (on your own).

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Day 8 - Meeting with sea lions. the city of Nevelsk. Tatar Strait
The Tatar Strait separates Sakhalin Island from mainland Eurasia.
09:00 Breakfast in the hotel restaurant.
10:00 We are heading to Nevelsk with a guide, federal paved highway, 90 km.
Beautiful valleys and island hills will open up on the serpentine through Lovetsky Pass.
Nevelsk is a small port city.
Perhaps the only city that has been both a Russian and a Japanese city for twenty years.
From 1855 to 1875, there was a dual administration in Khonto (as Nevelsk was then called).
This is one of three cities in the world where red—book sea lions, the largest representative of long-eared seals, rook in the city limits on the waterway from February to July.
And a boat trip to the breakwater will enhance your emotions.
These roaring sea lions will swim in your immediate vicinity.
City tour.
Lunch at a cafe.
18:00 Return to the hotel.
Dinner (on your own).

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Day 9 - Completion of the program
Breakfast at the hotel.
Transfer to the airport.
Departure.

Difficulty

Involves moderate physical activity

Tour organizer's comments

The tour involves a little physical activity, is active, requires the right clothes, shoes and a number of other things.

Accommodation

Hotel

5 nights

Comfort

Upscale
Premium

The tour includes accommodation in hotels.

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

Hotel	Double occupancy	Surcharge for single occupancy
Mega Palace 4*	178 000	34 000

Mega Palace hotel

This hotel is located on the Far Eastern Sakhalin Island of Russia, at the foot of the Susunai Mountains. It offers an international restaurant, a spa and a nightclub. The center of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is a 15-minute drive away.

The Mega Palace Hotel is a multi-storey building with modern rooms and apartments furnished with antique furniture. All rooms are equipped with cable TV, a safe and a minibar.

It features a fitness center, hot tub and sauna. In the evenings, guests can enjoy a karaoke bar or a nightclub with a DJ.

A buffet breakfast is served every morning. Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Airport is a 30-minute drive away. Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Central Station can be reached in 20 minutes by car.

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Another option

The Zarechnaya Hotel

The Zarechnaya Hotel is located on the banks of the Kurilka River, which flows into the Sea of Okhotsk.

The convenient location of the hotel allows guests to use the local structure of the city, quickly get to any place on foot or by various types of public transport.

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Tour conditions

Group

From 15 to 25 tourists

Minimum age

7 years old

Duration

9 days 8 nights

Group meets at

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

Included in price

airport – hotel – airport transfer in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk;
airport – hotel – airport transfer in Kurilsk;
accommodation in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk at the Mega Palace Hotel 4*;
meals specified in the tour program (three meals a day on Iturup, according to the program on Sakhalin);
accommodation on Iturup at the Zarechnaya Hotel;
transportation services according to the program;
tour guide services;
instructor-guide services;
entrance tickets to the thermal complexes "Springs of Baransky volcano" and "Hot Waters";
registration of a border pass to O. Iturup.

Paid extra

flights to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and back;
flight Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk — Kurilsk — Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk — ~ 26,000 rubles/person.;
early check-in and late check-out;
surcharge for single occupancy;
dinners in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk;
medical insurance.

It's important to know

lightweight headdress for sun protection;
trekking waterproof sneakers/boots (Gore-Tex), or treated with a water repellent + a replaceable pair of shoes;
comfortable sports sandals with a rigid fixation on the foot, in which it is convenient to walk on water and stones (necessary on the route Tikhaya Bay, for visiting thermal springs / baths on the islands of Kunashir and Iturup);
sports trousers are comfortable for trekking (2 pairs). It is also preferable to have waterproof trousers. It is especially convenient on the side zippers to quickly put on over sweatpants if necessary. They are light and do not take up space at all;
comfortable, lightweight, wind and moisture proof(!) jacket;
warm clothes: sweater, fleece jacket or similar warm clothes;
T-shirt with short or long sleeves with moisture-repellent properties for trekking;
lightweight cotton clothing: shorts/capris, T-shirts;
bathing suit;
socks are warm and thick;
a small travel towel (quick-drying);
a small backpack of 25-30 liters for one-day radial routes for water, photo/video equipment, swimsuit, towel, raincoat, etc. It is mandatory to have a waterproof backpack cover;
sunscreen and sunglasses;
a sunscreen adapted for you with a protection factor (SPF) of at least 30 units;
plastic water bottle for routes;
gloves;
telescopic poles for hiking (personal necessity);
photo/video equipment;
mosquito and tick repellents (personal necessity).

Dates and Prices

$2,019

2 – 10 May 9 days 8 nights

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Sakhalin — Iturup. Aviatur