Expedition to the Shantar Islands

Day 1 Flights to Nikolaevsk-on-Amur and sea crossing to Wrangel Bay

In the morning you will go to Khabarovsk airport to meet the group (all participants are traveling from different hotels, so the transfer to the airport is paid extra).

After meeting the group you will depart from Khabarovsk to Nikolaevsk-on-Amur by plane (flight time is 1 hour and 35 minutes).

At the airport of Nikolaevsk-on-Amur, you will be met by the guide from RussiaDiscovery and will travel to Cape Perovsky by minibuses, located on the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk (travel time is 2,5-4 hours along a forest gravel road).

From Cape Perovsky, you will make a sea crossing to Wrangel Bay by a high-speed covered boat (travel time is from 4 to 6 hours, depending on weather conditions. There will be hot tea and lunch boxes for you on board).

When you get to Wrangel Bay, you will be accomodated in a comfortable campsite right on the shore of the Sea of Okhotsk. The RussiaDiscovery team calls this place the "Whale Bay", because of the highest probability of seeing bowhead whales here. In the evening you will enjoy a festive dinner and can visit a bathhouse.

Days 2-4 Whale watching in Wrangel Bay

These days will be dedicated to the observation of bowhead whales. They are 22 meters long and up to 150 tons weigh. Under favorable conditions, both 1-2 whales and 30-40 can enter Wrangel Bay at the same time.

Bowhead whales live only in the cold waters of the Northern hemisphere. The southernmost group of this cetacean species is found in the Sea of Okhotsk. In the shallow waters of Wrangel Bay, they come for socialization, as well as to hide from carnivorous killer whales.

This location is great for whale watching and is a point of attraction not only for tourists, but also for scientists. During your staying in Wrangel Bay, 2 marine biologists who have many years of experience in whale researching will also live in the campsite. They will tell you about the peculiarities of life and behavior of these sea giants both during daytime observations and at evening lectures. If you wish, you can help with whale tracking and collecting of biological materials — this data will help them to study the population of bowhead whales in the Sea of Okhotsk.

Under favorable conditions, you can watch whales at any time of the day: at dawn, during the day or at sunset. You can do this either from the sandy shore or the rocks surrounding the bay, or by going out into the ses on a boat or SUP-board — an inflatable board for swimming. Even those who have never tried SUP surfing before can easily manage the SUP-board. The use of this board is completely safe for both whales and humans. Even marine biologists regularly use SUP-boards to monitor whales.

If you are lucky, in addition to whales in Wrangel Bay, you can see other wild animals: killer whales and seals, bears and foxes, chipmunks and seabirds. If you want, you can go sea fishing, pick mushrooms and berries, play beach volleyball or deckstop games.

Just in case, we would like to draw your attention to the fact that we cannot guarantee 100% presence of whales in Wrangel Bay. We have been organizing trips to the Shantar Islands for 4 years, and every summer whales come to this location.Bu you should understand, thet the wild nature lives by its own laws. Please, keep this in mind when planning your trip.

Day 5 Sea voyage to Ongachan Bay

Early this morning you will go to Ongachan Bay by a speed boat (journey time — 2-2,5 hours). The route will pass through the Academy Bay and the open sea. You will meet flocks of sea birds — tufted puffins, ducks, gulls. In addition, there is a high probability of meeting whales and killer whales.

When you arrive at the bay, you will stay at the base, have lunch and relax. This place will be the starting point for your travels in the following days.

Days 6-7 Boat trips to the Shantar Islands

These days you will enjoy boat trips around the Shantar archipelago. In the morning, you will go by boat to explore different Islands, and in the afternoon you will return to the base in Ongachan Bay.

The Shantar Islands consist of 15 wild, uninhabited ones in the Sea of Okhotsk. Some of them reach a length of tens of kilometers, while others are quite tiny. The flora and fauna of the archipelago is unique, and therefore this territory was declared to be a national park in 2013.

Under favorable weather conditions, you will visit several Islands at once — some of them you will see from a boat, and also make landings to another.

The island of Bolshoy (Rus. fo "Big") Shantar is the largest in the whole archipelago, it is 65 km length from north to south and 47 km length from west to east. This island is famous for several interesting places:

• a marine weather station where only 4 people live and work all year round
• an abandoned whale factory where sawmills, meat grinders and fat burners are still preserved
• abandoned military unit that previously served as part of the Soviet air defense system
• chapel of St. Nicholas, built by the famous Russian traveler Fyodor Konyukhov
• Cape Raduzhniy (Rus. for "Rainbow"), where there are huge rocks of jasper in different colors, from bright red to green. During a walk in this part of the coast, you can find semi-precious jasper shales, white quartz and marble veins.

If the weather is good, you can also spend the night in tents in Pankov Bay at the Bolshoy Shantar Island.

Prichiy (Rus. for "Bird") and Utichiy (Rus. for "Duck") Islands are considered to be a nice places for birdwatching. Spectacled guillemots, Steller's sea eagles, tufted puffins and gulls are nesting here.

While cruising by boat, you will also see other islands of the archipelago. Some of them are very picturesque thanks to the marine rocks of bizarre shapes called "kekury". Encounters with whales, orcas, belugas and seals are also possible here.

Day 8 Sea crossing to Nicholay Bay

On this day, you will be guided to Nicholay Bay along the southern coast of the Sea of Okhotsk. The itinerary includes places with the highest probability of encountering whales and killer whales.

You will pass through Akademiya Bay and Ulbansky Bay and see the unique Cape Ukurunru. It is one of the most pronounced geological objects in the Southern part of the Sea of Okhotsk. Immediately adjacent to the cape is a picturesque "kekur" height of 15 meters, and the sea's depth at the cape's base reaches 20 meters.

In the evening you will camp in Nikolai Bay, have dinner and rest.

Day 9 Sea crossing to Cape Perovsky and flight to Nikolaevsk-on-Amur

Today you will start your long way back to civilization.

You will get up early in the morning and will start sea crossing by boat to Wrangel Bay (the travel time is abour 2-2,5 hours).

When you arrive at the campsite you are already familiar with, you will have breakfast and say goodbye to the whales that are likely to be in the bay at this moment.

Then you will continue the voyage to Cape Perovsky (travel time is 4-6 hours. There will be hot tea and lunch boxes for you on board).

From Cape Perovsky you will go to Nikolaevsk-on-Amur by minibus (travel time-2.5-4 hours on a forest gravel road).

When you arrive in the city, you will stay in a hotel, relax and have dinner (extra charge).

Day 10 Return to Khabarovsk

Today you will return from Nikolaevsk-on-Amur to Khabarovsk by local airlines plane (the flight time is 1 hour and 35 minutes).

After arriving in Khabarovsk, you will say goodbye to the group and go to the hotel on your own to relax after a long and eventful expedition.

Due to the possibility of regional flights being delayed, we strongly recommend that you buy tickets to fly home the next day. This way you will not only reduce the risks of delays, but also be able to walk around Khabarovsk, as well as rest before a long flight home.