Sea cruise along the Kuril Islands

Day 1 Departure from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Russkaya Bay

In the morning, you will be transferred from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky to the port. You will board the expedition vessel and get acquainted with the crew. Then you will have a safety briefing and meet your expedition team. Once the ship sets sail, a welcome lunch will be arranged for you on board.

The vessel will enter Avacha Bay, the largest natural harbor in the world. There, you'll see the 'home' volcanoes of Kamchatka — Avachinsky, Koryaksky, Kozelsky, and Vilyuchinsky.

Your expedition begins today. Aboard zodiac boats, you will take a trip to Russkaya Bay to get acquainted with the wildlife of the peninsula. There are Steller sea lions rookeries at the entrance to the bay, and seabirds abound on its shores. In the sky, you might spot the Steller's sea eagle, one of the largest birds on the planet, with a wingspan of up to 2.5 meters. During spawning season, brown bears can be seen on the coast, and whales may appear in the coastal waters.

Day 2 Atlasov and Antsiferov Islands

Today, you will reach Atlasov Island, the northernmost island of the Great Kuril Ridge. The highest volcano of the archipelago, Alaid (2,340 m), is located here. Its perfect shape is often compared to the famous Mount Fuji.

You will land on the northwest shore and make a trek to the side craters of the volcano: Olympic Gap and Taketomi. From the latter, you will have a magnificent view of Alaid volcano.

In the evening, your vessel will approach the shore of small Antsiferov Island where you can see the largest sea lion rookery in the entire archipelago. 

Day 3 Paramushir Island

On this day, you will approach Paramushir Island. The ship will enter Krasheninnikov Bay, where you will see a magnificent view of 4 active volcanoes. The most beautiful of them, Fussa volcano, has a perfect conical shape and a height of 1.7 km above sea level.

You will go on a boat trip along the shores of Paramushir to get close to giant bird colonies. Whales and orcas are often spotted in the coastal waters.

Day 4 Trekking to Krenitsyn Volcano

In the morning, you will disembark on Onekotan Island. Today, you will ascend to the crater of the Krenitsyn volcano. This is one of the most unusual volcanoes in the world. The huge caldera of the old volcano is filled with a lake, in the center of which is another, younger volcano of a perfectly symmetrical shape. The large caldera is 17 km in diameter and the volcano is 1,324 m high.

Trekking will not be easy: you have to overcome about 15 km in both directions with an elevation gain of up to 600 m. However, the incredible view from the top is well worth the effort.

Day 5 Yankicha Island

Today, your ship will stop off the coast of Yankicha Island. On zodiac boats, you will go to the submerged volcanic caldera Kraternaya (Rus. for "Crater") Bay. This is one of the most picturesque places on the Kuril Archipelago. In the center of the bay, you will see two towering islands, surrounded by emerald shores and thermal springs.

Here you can watch a variety of seabirds, including rare species: red-throated pipit, tringa nebularia, rough-legged buzzard, peregrine falcon, and others.

Day 6 Simushir Island. Broughton Bay

On this day, your vessel will arrive at the northeastern part of Simushir Island, where you'll explore Broughton Bay. This is the caldera of а long extinguished and flooded volcano, which was artificially widened by powerful explosions to make it accessible for warships. 

On the shore of the island, you will see the military town abandoned in the 90s. It used to be one of the largest bases of the Pacific Fleet of the Soviet Union. Fishing from the shore or boats is possible here.

Day 7 Zavaritsky Volcano and Chirpoi Island

You will arrive at the central part of Simushir Island. Trekking to Zavaritsky volcano awaits you here. The route will be quite challenging, but you will be rewarded with a stunning view of the ruined and flooded caldera of the volcano. If the weather is good, you can see part of the Great Kuril Ridge from here.

Then you will reach Chirpoi Island. This small island nevertheless has room for two active volcanoes. By zodiac boat, you will approach its rocky shores to capture sea lions's rookeries and huge seabird colonies.

Next, you'll take a walk to Snow Volcano. The most recent eruption was in 2017, and you can currently observe fumarolic activity there.

Day 8 White Cliffs of Iturup Island

Today, you'll explore Iturup, the largest island of the entire archipelago.

The island is famous for its White Cliffs, unusual rock formations in both shape and color that stretch for 28 kilometers along the coastline.

The cliffs formed of soft pumice were shaped by a volcanic eruption. Strong winds and storms deformed the pumice, and that is why the surface of the cliffs got an unusual, rugged relief. The cliffs contrast with the black sand from below, and the bright greens that cover tops from above.

Then you will go to the thermal springs. They are located at the foot of Baransky volcano and are connected to its fumarole field. The flow of hot water spreads through numerous baths and tubs – created by nature and enhanced by human hands. The closer you get to the spring, the higher the temperature of the water. In the topmost basins, the water is constantly boiling.

Day 9 Kunashir Island, Golovnin Volcano

On this day, you will reach Kunashir Island. This is the southernmost and largest island of the Great Kuril Ridge. There are 3 active volcanoes here: Golovnin, Mendeleev, and Rurui.

You will trek to Golovnin volcano's caldera (14 km in both directions). The final point of the trekking is Goryachee (Rus. for "Hot") and Kipyashchee (Rus. for "Boiling") lakes, located inside the volcanic caldera. The color of the lakes varies from bright turquoise to matte gray depending on the season and weather. There are boiling mud pots and fumarole fields around Kipyashchee Lake.

Day 10 Kunashir Island, Cape Stolbchaty

Today you will visit another natural sight of Kunashir: the unique Cape Stolbchaty (Rus. for "Pillar"). The vertical walls of the cape are formed by the small stone columns, which stand right next to each other. Such an interesting shape appeared out of solidified basalt lava as a result of a volcanic eruption.

Day 11 Arrival in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

In the morning, you will pass the rocky Aniva Cape, where you will admire the ancient Japanese lighthouse at sunrise.

Afterward, the vessel will dock at the port of Korsakov. Following breakfast, you’ll bid farewell to the crew and disembark. From there, a transfer to your hotel or the airport will be arranged for you.