Expedition cruise along the Northern Kuril Islands

Today you'll see the highest volcano in the Kuril Islands, Alaid (over 2,300 meters above sea level). It's active, with its last recorded activity in 2022. Alaid is incredibly beautiful: a nearly perfect cone rising above the water on Atlasov Island, the northernmost of the Kuril Islands. Geologically, the volcano and the island are identical. We won't make the challenging climb to Alaid's summit, but we'll disembark on safe and comfortable Zodiac boats for a stroll around its base and the side craters—Olympic and Taketomi.

On the third day, we'll reach Paramushir Island and disembark at Krashennikov Bay. The island is famous for its mountainous terrain and numerous active volcanoes, and the bay is famous for its summertime visits by killer whales and whales. Seeing these majestic creatures of the deep up close is an incredibly emotional experience, leaving some travelers breathless and in tears. We'll take a Zodiac boat ride along the coast, see vast bird colonies and volcanoes, the most beautiful of which is rightfully considered to be Mount Fussa. The panorama of the coast and volcanoes is reminiscent of exquisite and tranquil Japanese prints. By evening, we'll reach Antsiferov Island, home to a large Steller sea lion rookery.

We continue our journey and make a stop at Yankic Island. Its incredible landscapes are like a lost world, where you'll feel like explorers: the piercing green of the slopes, the deep azure of the water, the thermal springs off the coast, and the coral reefs. This miniature island is actually an ancient volcano, one of whose walls collapsed, forming a caldera (a cirque-shaped basin). The caldera's flooding created a cozy bay with two tiny islets in the center. Paradise views, the sound of thousands of seabirds, and a sense of absolute harmony with nature await you.

Today, you'll hike to Zavaritsky Volcano. We'll disembark on the uninhabited island of Simushir—another remote but incredibly beautiful island in the Greater Kuril Islands chain. Here, we'll hike to Zavaritsky Volcano (624 m), where from above, we'll see a flooded caldera that's become a lake. If the weather is clear, you'll also be able to survey the entire central part of the chain. Then, we'll try our luck fishing, where we might catch cod, flounder, and halibut, which we'll, of course, cook on board. Then, we'll head back to Kamchatka.

The expedition would be impossible without visiting the amazing island of Onekotan, whose views are rightfully considered some of the most breathtaking of all the Kuril Islands. The most challenging trek of the entire trip awaits you: we head to Krenitsyn Volcano. The roundtrip is 15 km, with an elevation gain of approximately 600 meters. But at the end of the trek, you'll be fully rewarded with a unique landscape: a perfectly conical volcano rises above the tranquil surface of a lake formed in a caldera. This so-called two-tiered "volcano within a volcano" is currently active.

We've already visited this island, but today we'll disembark at a completely different part of it. We'll head to the active Ebeko Volcano, where columns of steam rise into the sky and hot springs gush from fumarole fields. We'll also explore the secluded corners of Paramushir Island, which boasts not only volcanoes (there are five active ones, and more than ten if you count the extinct ones!) but also picturesque rivers with blooming banks, waterfalls, quiet lakes, and impenetrable alder thickets. The island has only one settlement, Severo-Kurilsk, but otherwise it offers untouched, mysterious nature.

Hello, Kamchatka! We'll drop anchor in the famous Russkaya Bay, surrounded by dense forests and rocky slopes. This bay is also renowned for its rich fauna: brown bears often come to its shores, large colonies of various birds nest here, and Steller sea lions rest here. As we head out to the sea lions' resting place, we'll see the rusting hulks of old ships along the way, which, combined with the surrounding splendid natural beauty, create a truly unique atmosphere. A festive dinner awaits you in the evening, sure to evoke the most incredible and vivid memories of your trip.