A trip to Sakhalin, Iturup and Kunashir

Day 1 Arrival in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

You will be met at the airport and taken to a hotel. Here, you will have free time and relax after the journey.

In the evening, a welcome dinner in a cafe is waiting for you. You will taste Sakhalin delicacies and discuss a program of the upcoming travel. 

After dinner, you will have a sightseeing tour of the city. During the excursion you will visit an observation deck at the mountain resort "Mountain Air". From here you can enjoy a beautiful view of the city and the entire Susunai Valley, surrounded by hills and ridges. Then, you will return to the hotel and rest.

Day 2 A flight to Kurilsk

After breakfast, you will be transferred to the airport, from where you will have a flight to Kurilsk. It is located on Iturup, the largest island of the Kuril Ridge. From Kurilsk airport you will be taken to a hotel — here, you will accommodate and have lunch. 

In the afternoon, you will go on a tour of the city and Kitovoye settlement, that is located on the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk. Also, you will visit hot springs resort "Zharkiye Vody". After that, you will return to the hotel, have dinner and rest. 

Day 3 Kasatka Bay and Baranskiy volcano

After breakfast, you will have an excursion to Kasatka Bay. During the Second World War a Japanese naval base was located here. On the 26th of November, 1941, Japanese aircrafts carried an unexpected powerful blow to the US Pacific Fleet Pearl Harbor.

Then, you will go to Baranskiy volcano — one of the active volcanoes of Iturup Island. Its' height is more than 1000 meters. At its foot there is a fumarole field; the slopes of the volcano are full of mud pots and mineral springs.

By the evening, you will return to the hotel, where you will have dinner and rest.

Day 4 A sea excursion to the White Cliffs

This day, you will have a sea excursion with the following itinerary: the Olya Bay — Black cliffs — White cliffs — waterfalls of the Parusnaya Bay — a seal rookery (note: it is possible that animals will be absent) — Tornaya Bay — Sopochnoye lake.

During the excursion you will see the main attraction of Iturup Island — the White Cliffs. The cliffs consist of soft pumice, formed after a volcanic eruption. 

After the boat trip, you will go to hot springs resort "Vannochki", where you will relax in thermal mineral springs. Then you will return to the hotel, have dinner and rest. 

Day 5 A ship trip to Kunashir Island

In the morning, you will have an excursion to the Yankito lava plateau. Solidified black lava in combination with green grass and bright flowers looks very unusual. After coming back to the hotel and checking-out, you will be transferred to a port. From here, you will start a trip to Kunashir Island.  

Day 6 Arrival in Yuzhno-Kurilsk

Today, you will arrive in Yuzhno-Kurilsk. From the port you will be transferred to a hotel. 
 
Your acquaintance with Kunashir Island will start from the coastline of the Pacific Ocean. Here, you will see the attraction of the island — rock named Devil's finger.
 
By the evening you will return to the hotel, where you will have dinner and rest.

Day 7 Golovnin volcano

After breakfast, you will have a trip to Golovnin volcano. First, you will go with a car — during the trip you will admire picturesque fields of cedar elfin wood and Kuril bambuchnik. Then, you will have a trekking to the caldera of the volcano (7 km one way). 

The volcano was named after Russian traveller Vasiliy Golovnin, who was digesting the Kuril Islands at the beginning of the XIX century and made 2 trips around the world. At the bottom of the caldera there are 4 small domes and 2 craters — Lakes Boiling and Hot. At the bottom and along the shores of the first lake hot keys beat, mud pots and hot steam emanate. It is forbidden to swim in it. Swimming in Lake Hot, on the contrary, is a great pleasure. If you wish, you can climb one of the hills and make beautiful panoramic photos.

In the evening, you will return to the hotel and dine in a cafe.

Day 8 Cape Stolbchaty

Today you will have a hiking route to Cape Stolbchaty located on the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk. It is included on UNESCO's World Heritage List. You will walk along Stolbovo Ecological Path, see hot mud springs and come to the coast (8 km, the walking part can be shortened upon request). Here, you will inspect rocks of volcanic origin, formed from five-/six-sided stone pillars. 

The path to Cape Stolbchaty passes through various plant communities, crossing high-altitude vegetation zones. Please, pay attention, that this hiking route is rather difficult. You will have to overcome very narrow rocky areas of the coast. In some places the path will pass through the cliffs at an altitude of 3-4 meters above the sea.

For lunch you will have sandwiches, vegetables and fruit, tea.  By the evening you will return to the hotel, where you will have dinner and rest.

Day 9 Mendeleev volcano

After breakfast, an excursion to fumarole field of Mendeleev volcano is waiting for you. Fumaroles are cracks, through which volcano gases get to the surface with loud pops. They consist of sulfur, which crystallizes and forms yellow lacelike patterns.

First, you will drive 17 km with a car, then you will start trekking through a bamboo forest (3 km one way). For lunch, you will have sandwiches, vegetables and fruit, tea. 

In the evening you will return to the hotel, have dinner and rest. 

Day 10 Departure to Sakhalin

In the morning, you will be transferred to the port, from where you will start a ship trip back to Sakhalin Island. 

Day 11 At sea

This day you will spend onboard sailing to Sakhalin Island

Day 12 Arrival to Sakhalin Island

After arrival at Korsakov port on Sakhalin Island, you will be transferred to the hotel. Here, you will accommodate and have rest. 

Day 13 The Tikhaya Bay

After breakfast, you will go to excursion to the Tikhaya Bay. It was named by famous seaman Ivan Fyodorovich Kruzenshtern. This is a rocky inaccessible island — the silence here is broken only by seagulls nesting on rocks. The shores of the bay are covered with rare herbs and flowers. 

For lunch you will have a lunch box with you. In the evening you will come back to the hotel and have dinner in a cafe on your own. 

Day 14 Lyagusha butte

Today, you will have an excursion to Lyagushka (Frog) butte. The legend says that a Temple of Wisdom of ancient Ainu used to be here. They came here to communicate with spirits. This place, even nowadays, attracts magicians and ufologists. Mysterious events, that tempt the minds of scientists and psychics, occur here.

In the evening you will return to the hotel and have dinner in a cafe on your own.

Day 15 End of the journey

After breakfast, you will visit a fish market. Then, you will be taken to the airport, from where you will have a flight back home.