Sea cruise around the Kuril Islands

Day 1 Departure from Sakhalin Island

In the morning you will be transferred from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk to the port of Korsakov, where the cruise to the Kuril Islands will start.

You will board the expedition vessel and get acquainted with the crew. Then you will have a safety briefing and listen to the cruise itinerary. When the ship sails, a welcome dinner will be arranged for you on board.

In the evening you will pass the rocky Cape Aniva, where you will admire the ancient Japanese lighthouse at sunset, and then sail towards the South Kuril Islands and Shikotan Island.

Day 2 Shikotan Island

This day you will visit the biggest island of the Kuril Islands Minor Ridge – Shikotan. In the morning, even before approaching the island, you will be able to watch orcas and whales – the probability of encountering them in this area is especially high.

In the afternoon your boat will reach the northeastern part of Shikotan. You will see the so-called "Edge of the earth" – the famous stone cape, protruding into the sea for more than a kilometer. Its steep cliffs rise above the waves for 40-50 meters. The zodiac boats will take you to the island where you can walk around.

After returning to the ship, you will continue your journey toward Kunashir Island.

Day 3 Stolbchatiy Cape on Kunashir

Today you will reach Kunashir Island. This is the southernmost and largest island of the Big Kuril Ridge. Its name means "Black Island" in the Ainu language. Perhaps it got such a name because of the dark coniferous forests and the sullen Tyatya volcano. Also on Kunashir are three other active volcanoes: Golovnin, Mendeleev and Rurui.

When you reach the island by zodiac boats, you will visit the unique Stolbchatiy (Rus. for "Pillar") Cape. The vertical walls of the cape are formed by the small stone columns, which stand right next to each other. Such an interesting relief appeared out of solidified basalt lava as a result of a volcanic eruption. An alternative route on this day is a bus trip to Golovnina volcano caldera with bathing in thermal springs.

Day 4 White Rocks of Iturup Island

This day will be dedicated to the Iturup – the largest island in the entire Kuril Archipelago.

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

The rocks consist of soft pumice formed after a volcanic eruption. Strong winds and storms of the Sea of Okhotsk deformed the pumice, and that is why the surface of the rocks got an unusual, rugged relief. The cliffs contrast with the dark gray sand from below, and the bright green vegetation that covers their tops from above.

You will walk along this picturesque ridge and swim in the thermal springs afterward.

Day 5 Chirpoi and Simushir islands

In the morning you will land on Chirpoi Island. There are two active volcanoes and thousands of seabirds nest here: moths and fat-billed guillemots. 

Then you will go to Simushir Island, where you will trek to the top of Zavaritsky Volcano. From here you have a stunning view of the ruined and flooded caldera of the volcano, and if the weather is good, you can see part of the Great Kuril Ridge.

In the evening, you will go around the island and spend the night near Broughton Bay in the northern part of Samushir.

Day 6 Broughton Bay and Yankicha Island

On this day you will explore Broughton Cape. This is the "neck" of а long extinguished and flooded volcano, which was artificially widened by powerful explosions for the passage of warships.

Also on the shore of Simushir, you will visit a "ghost town" – the military town that was abandoned in the 90s. Then everyone will be able to fish from the shore or from the boats.

Back on the ship, you will make a short passage to the island Ushishir (Yankicha). On zodiac boats you will go to the submerged volcanic caldera – Kraternaya (Rus. for "Crater") Bay. This is one of the most picturesque places of the Kuril archipelago: in the center of the bay you will see two towering islands, and in the southern part – cauldrons of volcanic water, which is in a constant state of boiling.

Here you can bathe in thermal springs and watch sea birds, among which there are rare species: red-throated pipit, tringa nebularia, rough-legged buzzard, peregrine falcon, and others.

Day 7 Trekking to the crater of Krenitsyn Volcano

In the morning you will disembark at Mussel Bay on Onecotan Island. Here 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 middle of which there is another, the 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 600 m. But the incredible view from the summit is well worth the effort.

Day 8 Paramushir and Shumshu Islands

Early in the morning on zodiac boats you will approach huge bird colonies, where you will see nesting tufted and horned puffins, cormorants and other sea birds.

Then you will return to the ship and sail toward Paramushir Island. The ship will enter Krasheninnikov Bay, where you will see a magnificent view of the active volcanoes of Tatarinov, Karpinsky, Chikurachki, etc. Whales and killer whales are often seen in the coastal waters of the bay.

Also on this day, you will visit Shumshu Island. You will see Japanese bunkers and visit the sites of fierce battles, where you can still find soldiers' helmets and remnants of military equipment. 

Day 9 Atlasova Island

On this day you will get acquainted with the northernmost island of the Big Kuril Ridge – Atlasova Island. The highest volcano in the entire archipelago, Alaid (2340 m), is located here. The Japanese considered the shape of Alaid even more perfect than that of the famous Fuji.

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

Day 10 Russkaya Bay

On this day the ship will head for the coast of Kamchatka. Aboard zodiac boats, you will take a trip to Russkaya Bay to get acquainted with the animal world of the peninsula.

Steller sea lions rook at the entrance to the bay, and seabirds abound on its shores. During spawning season brown bears on the coast and whales in the coastal waters can be seen.

In the evening, a gala dinner awaits you aboard the ship to celebrate the end of the expedition.

Day 11 Arrival in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky

In the morning the ship will come to Avachinskaya Bay, the largest natural harbor in the world. After breakfast, you will say goodbye to the crew and disembark. From there you will have a transfer to your hotel or the city center.