The whole Shikotan. A trip to another planet

Today we will visit the business card of the island of Shikotan – Cape Edge of the world. A long tongue of rock extends far into the ocean. Standing at the end of the cape, only the vast expanses of the Pacific Ocean are visible. The nearest land ahead is North America. It is difficult to get to the edge of the cape, but it is possible.

Nearby, at Cape Crab, there is a 30-meter-high active Japanese-built Shpanberg lighthouse. Along the way, there are magnificent views of the island of Shikotan and the vast expanses of the Pacific Ocean. There is a seal rookery under the coastal cliffs in this area.

Let's have a little rest in Mayachnaya Bay (the second name is Soldatskaya Bay) and have lunch with red fish soup.

If time and weather conditions allow, we will walk to Cape Nepokorny. Cape Nepokorny is fighting with the Edge of the world for the title of "the most remote point in Russia from Moscow." A visit to Cape Nepokorny is not included in the standard program, which is usually offered to tourists in other places, and only true connoisseurs and lovers of the exotic get here.

Next, we will head to Bezymyannaya Bay, which is famous for its scattering of beautiful islands located inside the bay. Its second name is Robinson's Cove. It was here that the Soviet film "The Life and Amazing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe" (1973, dir. Stanislav Govorukhin, starring Leonid Kuravlev).

Those who wish will have the opportunity to swim in the ocean, but the water here is always cool, no more than 15-17 degrees.

A trip to Dolphin Bay is extremely rarely offered to organized tourists, since this is the farthest and most difficult part of the island. During this exciting jeep tour, we will see some of the most beautiful coves and peninsulas.

The name Dolphin Bay was given by American fishermen in 1872, who escaped from a storm in it on the ship Dolphin (there is another version of the origin of the name). The bay cuts deeply into the southwestern shore of the island of Shikotan.

The Ostrovnaya River flows into the top of the bay, forming a large lagoon at the mouth. From the tops of the hills surrounding the bay, there are very beautiful views of the wide "meadows" of bamboo, from which rare pines and birches stick out. There are many birds in the vicinity of the bay.

It was here, on the shores of Dolphin Bay, that the Japanese took the last Ainu, the indigenous inhabitants of the Kuril Islands, to the camps, where they subsequently almost completely starved. There are many different buildings of Japanese and Soviet times on the coast.

This place is uninhabited now. Several Soviet tanks have been preserved here, converted into coastal guns.

Zvezdnaya Bay and Malaya Zvezdnaya Bay are widely famous for their anomalous phenomena and evil Japanese spirits. We will tell you the real causes of these phenomena and show you the rarest beauty of these places.

Galtseva Bay is the westernmost point of Shikotan. In good weather, the Habomai Islands, the disputed territories closest to Japan, are perfectly visible from it.

It is not possible to drive to the bay in all weather conditions. If it is impossible to travel, we will offer a replacement.

Snezhkov Bay is the most beautiful bay of Shikotan. We will drive part of the road in cars, then we will walk. On the way to the bay, unforgettable views await us – a stone-birch forest, islands of juniper thickets and green hills overgrown with bamboo.

We will have a delicious lunch on the shore of the bay.

Japanese fishermen once lived in the area of Dimitrov Bay, on the way to nai we will see an old Japanese cemetery and the remains of settlements.

The bay has high rocky shores, the shores of the surrounding hills are densely overgrown with bamboo. There are nesting grounds for seabirds — gulls and cormorants. The coast of the bay is sandy.

Today we have a trip to one of the most inaccessible bays of the island. The bay has two names – the official Aivazovsky Bay and the unofficial one – Church Bay.

First, we will drive as many cars as the condition of the roads allows, and then we will walk. The road from Aivazovsky Bay is one of the most picturesque on the island.

During trekking, the valley of the Gorobets River will open its beauties in front of us, then the picturesque Tomari and Natoro mountains, and after the pass we will see mountain rivers with slopes covered with old firs and fir trees.

There are two picturesque islands in the bay: Aivazovsky Island and the Ninth Shaft, a place of bird colonies.

We're going to have a little picnic here. Weather permitting, we can sunbathe and swim in the ocean.

Today we plan to climb Mount Shikotan, the highest mountain of the island, an extinct volcano. The local name is "Sopka-412". The mountain is located in close proximity to the village. Malokurilskoe.

At the western slope of the mountain there are overgrown earth faults formed during the devastating 1994 Shikotan earthquake. At the top of the mountain there are the remains of buildings arranged in a circle and reminiscent of Stonehenge.

From the top, you can see almost the entire island, and in clear weather, the neighboring islands – Kunashir and Iturup. Sometimes you can drive up the mountain by car (not in every season). A Japanese military observation post was previously located on the mountain, and then Soviet military locators.

Also, if desired, we will offer you additional activities – kayaking or motor boating trips, an excursion to tank hill or a fish factory.

In the evening, we take the ferry and return to Sakhalin.

In the morning we meet the dawn with a view of the Tyata, Rurui and Berutarube volcanoes, and after lunch the Aniva Lighthouse will open again, but with a different lighting.

On this cruise, we also advise you to look out for dolphins, killer whales and whales. They are frequent visitors to the Sea of Okhotsk.

Arrival at the port of Korsakov on Sakhalin at 20:00. We will take you to your chosen hotels. If you wish, you can stay on the island and participate in one of our additional programs on Sakhalin and other Kuril Islands.