Sakhalin — Kunashir

Breakfast at the hotel.

10:00 Departure from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk by bus. Travel time with stops is approximately 3 hours (143 km one way).

On the way, we will visit the coast in the village of Starodubskoe, where the sea throws pieces of amber ashore.

Next, we'll stop by to see the Japanese Torii gates, which were installed in front of Shinto temples.

Stop at the seaside village, where you can buy freshly caught crabs (boiled).

Arrival at Tikhaya Bay.

A walk along the coast — lagoons, caves, gorges, bird markets, the island of "Noticeable". Weathering rocks and bizarrely shaped lava boulders create an alien landscape.

Lunch — traditional Korean hemultang soup, freshly boiled crab, caviar, oriental salads (made from local wild plants), Sakhalin tea with herbs and berries.

In the evening, return to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (approximate time of return is 19:00).

Dinner (on your own).

Breakfast in the hotel restaurant.

09:00 Departure from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk by off-road vehicles.

Travel time is approximately 3 hours (100 km one way, difficult road) with stops at observation decks.

Walking along the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk — magnificent stone arches, columns and kekurs created by wind and sea waves, grottos and bird bazaars of Cape "Bird".

Climb up to the sea terraces, which offer incredible views of the Sea of Okhotsk and see Cape Giant protruding into the sea with a green cone.

Lunch is a traditional Sakhalin table. Rich ear, traditional Russian snacks with a Sakhalin accent. Fragrant tea made from island herbs and berries.

Free time.

Departure to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk at 15:30.

The approximate time of return to the hotel is 19:00.

Dinner (on your own).

Breakfast at the hotel.

09:00 Transfer to Korsakov seaport.

10:00 Registration on the ship.

12:00 Departure of the ship to the Southern Kuril Islands.

The ship is heading to Kunashir Island with a stop at Shikotan Island.

Lunch, as well as dinner on the ship (independently).

Flocks of dolphins accompany the ship all the way to the islands. Sometimes you can see killer whales and even whales.

Important! Please note that tickets for the ship are issued according to a quota (a block system of guaranteed seats). The tour operator does not select seats or assign passengers to cabins. If you are traveling with a company, the carrier does not guarantee accommodation in one cabin.

Breakfast on the boat on your own.

10:00 Arrival of the ship at the port.

Check-in at the hotel (upon release and cleaning of rooms).

12:00 Visit to the local history Museum.

After the tour, departure to one of the most picturesque bays of the island – Pervukhina Bay. Many travelers call it a piece of Ireland on Kunashir. Hills covered with lush greenery, crystal clear water and a pebble beach.

There is another attraction in this place – the Dog's Head Mountain. This is a large kekur, covered with perennial grasses, which has not yet separated from the island, and resembles a dog's head in shape.

During the time of Japanese rule, there was a Japanese temple on the mountain. Now there is a trail built by the military leading up the mountain.

Come upstairs. It offers incredible views of the bay surroundings.

Lunch on the shore.

After lunch, visit the Devil's Finger and Devil's Gate Kekura, as well as the old lighthouse on the South Kuril Cape.

Return to the hotel in the evening.

Dinner at the hotel cafe.

08:00 Breakfast in the hotel cafe.

09:00 Departure for the route "The Great fumarole field of the Mendeleev volcano".

By public transport up to 17 km, then a trekking route of about 3 km in one direction.

The route passes through a protected area. The nature of these places is unique. Centuries-old trees with trunks up to 2 meters in diameter, thickets of Kuril bamboo, the purest mountain streams.

Approach to the fumarole field. Here you can feel the hot "breath" of the earth. Its surface looks more like a Martian landscape.

Small and large smoking fumaroles, cedar elderberry and a view of the Hokkaido mountains.

Parking is 2 hours.

Lunch (lunch box).

Optional bathing in wild hot springs.

Return to the 17th kilometer. Then drive to the cascade of small waterfalls of the Sour stream.

The stream descends down the slopes of the Mendeleev volcano, forming small cascades. The water in the stream is at a pleasant temperature. If desired, you can swim.

Return to Yuzhno-Kurilsk in the evening.

Dinner at the hotel cafe.

In the south of Kunashir Island is the caldera of Golovnin volcano, the southernmost volcano of the Kuril Ridge. This is an active volcano, the last eruption of which occurred already in historical times — around 1848. After a powerful eruption, the volcano exploded, forming a huge caldera, which eventually filled with water and formed two incredible lakes.

08:00 Breakfast in the hotel cafe.

09:00 Departure for the route to the Veslovsky Peninsula.

The first stop is at the observation deck, which offers a fascinating panoramic view.

Then a trip to Golovninsky cliff. Amazing sheer cliffs, black volcanic sand and hundreds of shells.

Departure to the hiking route of medium difficulty "Volcano Golovnina. Boiling and Hot lakes", 2.5–3 hours walk along a dirt road, 7 km in one direction.

The entire journey is accompanied by beautiful fields of cedar elderberry.

The parking time in the caldera is about 2 hours.

Lunch (lunch box).

The volcano is a caldera about 4 km in diameter, surrounded by a ridge (541 m). There are four small domes and two crater lakes at the bottom of the caldera, Boiling and Hot.

The Golovnin volcano caldera is unique in its volcanic activity. A jet of superheated steam and boiling water can suddenly strike from the bottom of a Boiling Lake — an incredible sight! One of the solfatarny fields of Goryachy Lake once spewed out a stream of liquid sulfur, which poured into the lake and froze there with a bizarre tongue.

Bathing in hot springs (optional).

Return to the hotel in the evening.

Dinner at the cafe.

Cape Columnar on Kunashir is one of the most amazing and unique places on earth. It is a unique geological formation that arose as a result of the petrification of basalt lava.

Having poured out of the mouth of the Mendeleev volcano more than 6 million years ago, lava got into the water column and, under the influence of certain temperatures, divided into absolutely regular five-hexagonal columns, and then rose from the ocean to the surface.

Residents of Kunashir say, "Whoever has not seen Cape Columnar has not seen Kunashir."

09:00 Breakfast at the cafe.

10:00 Departure for the route.

Exit to the coast.

Inspection of rocks of volcanic origin.

The cape, open on three sides, is located on the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk. Beautiful "aquariums" and lagoons with crystal clear azure water. Majestic "organs" made of frozen lava.

Lunch on the route (lunch box, tea).

Swimming is possible in good weather.

Return to the hotel in the evening.

Dinner at the hotel cafe.

Breakfast at the hotel.

Room release.

Transfer to the seaport of Yuzhno-Kurilsk.

Departure to Sakhalin.

The ship goes to the port of Korsakov with a stop on the island of Shikotan.

Self-catering on the ship.

20:00 arrival at the Korsakov seaport.

Transfer to the hotel.

In our free time, we suggest visiting on your own.:

1. The unique Pobeda Museum complex.
2. Sakhalin Museum of Local Lore is located in a building built in 1937 for the museum of the Karafuto Governorate in the forms of Japanese medieval architecture, built in the style of "Teikan-Zukuri" — this is the only building in this style in Russia.
3. Cathedral of the Nativity — admire the giant mosaics made of Jerusalem stones, and the mosaic painting of the Savior is the largest in the world. The frescoes were made by the best Russian icon painters, and you can use them to study the entire history of Christianity.

Optional additional excursions can be purchased (Aniva Cape and Lighthouse, Busse Lagoon Lake, Cape Krillon and others).

Also on this day, you can visit Japanese and Korean goods stores and fish markets to buy delicious souvenirs at home.

Breakfast at the hotel.

Room release.

Transfer to the airport.

Check-in and baggage handling.

Departure.

Transfer to A.P. Chekhov Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Airport for the recommended flights (departure at 11:45 and 15:00).