Experiences you'll have
During this sea journey you will explore the unique wildlife of the Far East of Russia, and the professional photographers will teach you how to use maximum of functions of your camera to express the natural beauty of the Kuril islands. Starting from the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, you will reach the Northern Kuril Islands, alternating sea trips by Zodiacs boats with hiking routes on the islands.
Max Muench from Germany and Jord Hammond from UKwill be the photo leaders of the tour. Together you will climb to the craters of active volcanoes and go ashore the untouched islands searching for sea otters, sea lions, arctic foxes and rare seabirds.
Highlightsof the tour:
If you are fond of wildlife photography, see also our cruise to another pearl of the Russian Far East — the Commander Islands, where 21 species of cetaceans are registered. Here you can watch orcas, cachalots, grey and humpback whales.
Photos by Nikolai Pavlov and Konstantin Savchuk
Itinerary
The journey begins in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, where you should travel to on your own. We can help with the purchase of tickets. If necessary, leave a comment on the application.
Please, note, that the itinerary can be changed due to the weather conditions.
Day 1 Arrival to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky
Upon arrival to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky you will be met and taken to the hotel. You can rest or go for a walk to get acquainted with the town. In the evening a welcome dinner is waiting for you.
Day 2 Avacha Bay
After breakfast you will move to the port of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Here you will board the expeditionary ship and depart towards the Northern Kuril Islands. You will pass through Avacha Bay and go out to the Pacific ocean. Here a boat trip to Starichkov Island is waiting for you. It is a regional nature monument, where the largest sea bird rookery of Kamchatka peninsula is located.
Day 3 Atlasova and Paramushir islands
Today you will arrive to Atlasova island. You will land on the northwestern coast of the island, a go for a walk to the side cones of the Olympic breakthrough.
Next you will move towards the Vladimir peninsula. Here you will have a hiking route, climbing Taketomi volcano and exploring the panorama of the volcano Alaid.
Then you will continue the sea voyage and will land on Paramushir island. You will go hiking from Shelekhov bay to see the seal rookery. From the boats you can observe Cape Shelekhov, covered by frozen lava.
Day 4 Paramushir island
Today you will arrive to the port of Severo-Kurilsk on Paramushir island. By car you will be taken to the start on of the hiking trail. The aim of this day will be to climb the active volcano Ebeko. Breathtaking landscapes are waiting for you here. Having finished the route, you will return by car to the port, board the ship and depart towards Onekotan Island.
Day 5 Onekotan Island
In the morning you will land on the bay of Mussel of Onekotan island. Hiking trial to the crater of the Krenitsyn volcano is waiting for you today. After that you will return to the ship and will continue the journey to the south of the Kuril islands.
Day 6 Middle and Ushishir Archipela
In the morning you will reach the rocks of the Middle isalnd. Here you can watch the rookeries of northern fur seals and sea lions from zodiacs boats.
Then you will move to the Ushishir archipelago and will land on Yankich island. Here you will visit Craternaya Bay, where you will have an opportunity to swim in wild thermal springs, as well as observe seabirds, arctic foxes, walking around the island. In the evening you will return to the ship.
Day 7 Simushir island
Landing and ascent to volcano Zavaritsky on Simushir island is waiting for you today. You will take a great shots of the crater and Lake Turquoise.
Returning to the ship, you will continue travelling to Broughton bay. You will land in the village of Kraternyi, that used to be a settlement of military sailors. You will climb the top of the East Kleshnia peninsula, which offers a wonderful view of the bay.
Day 8 Raikoke island
This day you will explore Raikoke island by zodiacs boats. In the presence of favorable weather conditions you will go ashore to walk along the coast and observe the consequences of a volcanic eruption. Then you will return to the ship and move to the rocks of the Lovushki.
In the afternoon you will inspect the rookery of Steller sea lions and seals at the ski resort. Then the ship will depart to the north.
Day 9 Shiashkotan Island
Landing at the foot of the Kuntomintar volcano of Shiashkotan island and hiking to the crater field are waiting for you today.
After that you will go to Sunset bay and visit the former village, where Japanese coastal fortifications were preserved. Next you will be taken to the northwestern side of the island,where you will go ashore and walk along the coastal strip, visiting the “mineralized” waterfall near cape Bashmachny.
Day 10 Shumshu island
In the morning you will arrive to the east coast of Shumshu island. Here you can watch the steller sea lion. You will go to the meteorological station Babushkina and walk along the shore. Here you will observe the coastal cliffs and grottoes and see hatchets, cormorants and sea otters. After that you will board the ship and depart towards Kamchatka.
Day 11 Return to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky
In the morning you will cross along the southeast coast of Kamchatka. You will arrive at the port of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky approximately at 2 pm. Then you will be taken to the hotel or to the airport.
Accommodation during the trip
You will travel by the expeditionary boat "Athena". It is a comfortable specially equipped passenger vessel designed for voyages in the northern latitude. You will be accommodated in the double cabins of economy class. Each cabin has a lower and upper berth. The nearby showers and toilets are shared with other cabins.
The first night of the tour you will spend at "Three skis" hostel. It is located in the heart of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. The rooms have a private bathroom, one double or two separate beds, a working area with free Wi-Fi, a mini-refrigerator, a wardrobe, bedside tables with individual lamps.
Common questions
The experienced guides, as well as professional travel photographers will accompany you in this journey.
Max Muench is a Berlin based photographer specialized in outdoor, landscape and adventure. By following his passion to travel, he captures the beauty and diversity of our planet, always looking for a fresh perspective and a unique story. His photography works as the key link between an engaged community and progressive companies as well as modern brands & tourism boards. Max Muench is also project manager of German Roamers, Europe's biggest outdoor community on Instagram.
Jord Hammond is a 26-years-old travel photographer from UK, who is known for posting a variety of colored landscape content from places such as Switzerland, Thailand, Abu Dhabi, and Japan to his over 550,000 Instagram followers. He has been to 44 countries. He began taking photos whilst working as a teacher in China back in 2015. He has also developt the online photography course. "That being said, becoming a photographer involves a passion and an eye that university classes may never be able to give you, and you can definitely learn by yourself too. Be creative, explore the world around you, don't be afraid to put yourself out there and above all, work very hard!" — these are Jord's advices to aspiring photographers.
The cost of the tour includes three meals a day on the boat and a dinner in Petropavlosck-Kamchatsky at the day of arrival.
Booking
Accommodation during the trip
Languages
pre-cruise night in a hotel and dinner in Petropavlosck-Kamchatsky
accommodation in the double cabin (economy class)
three meals a day on the expeditionary boat
all the permissions and coordination to visit the natural reserve parks and check points
excursions on the board and during the landing
lectures, presentations and consulting from the guide
insurance
visa support
extra excursions not listed in the tour program
extra expense unforeseen by the tour program
tips for the crew
pre-cruise night in a hotel and dinner in Petropavlosck-Kamchatsky
accommodation in the double cabin (economy class)
three meals a day on the expeditionary boat
all the permissions and coordination to visit the natural reserve parks and check points
excursions on the board and during the landing
lectures, presentations and consulting from the guide
insurance
visa support
extra excursions not listed in the tour program
extra expense unforeseen by the tour program
tips for the crew
The Kuril Islands