8 days
Fixed dates
16 people
from 10 years
Basic
Guest house or camp site, Hotel
Russian
Gastronomy, Snowmobiling, Fishing, Excursion tours
Even if you have already been to Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands, a winter trip is a completely special experience! Rocks decorated with frost, picturesque bays covered with snowdrifts, mysterious legends and pages of history... You can also bask in thermal springs surrounded by snow-covered landscapes, take part in ice fishing and enjoy local delicacies.
On this tour you will visit the most interesting and beautiful places of two islands - Sakhalin and Iturup. On Iturup, the largest of the Kuril Islands, you will walk along the Yankito lava plateau, climb the Baransky volcano on snowmobiles and see a boiling river, and also visit Kasatka Bay, where you will learn about its amazing and sometimes dark history, take fantastic photographs against the backdrop of the abandoned the shore of a tugboat covered with ice. Each day of your stay on Iturup will end with a visit to various thermal springs. Rising steam, snowy landscapes and healing waters are a great opportunity to relax with health benefits!
On Sakhalin, you will visit Tikhaya Bay, whose winter appearance is ideal for a quiet walk alone with your thoughts, listening to the soothing sound of the waves and contemplating the snow-capped peaks of the Zhdanko ridge. You will also be able to take atmospheric shots in front of the Torii Gate, an amazing heritage of the Japanese period. Reminders of the Japanese past are literally everywhere here: you will feel this on a tour of the region’s capital, charming and eclectic Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. One day, ice fishing will be organized on Sakhalin, which will captivate even those who have never held a fishing rod in their hands! Accompanied by experienced instructors, you can independently get a big catch, which we will prepare right away. Fried fresh smelt in the fresh air is the best lunch! By the way, you will have many opportunities to get acquainted with authentic Sakhalin cuisine - during the welcome dinner on the day of arrival and after, when you can visit local restaurants in your free time. There will be enough free time on the tour for the most vivid impressions to be interspersed with a relaxing holiday at your discretion.
*Hotels may be substituted for equivalent ones depending on availability on your tour dates.
The hotel has a very advantageous location - a couple of steps from Victory Square, at the very foot of Mount Bolshevik, along which ski slopes are laid and which you can climb by cable car to see the panorama of the city from above. The hotel rooms are decorated in a discreet classic style. The hotel has a restaurant, bar, sauna, karaoke and even its own water park.
The hotel is located in a park area, surrounded by trees and picturesque landscapes, while the city center is only 3 km away! Peaceful atmosphere, silence, abundance of light in stylish modern rooms. Most rooms offer beautiful views of the forest and hills. The hotel restaurant has European and Asian rooms. You can also relax in the spa and water area.
Mini hotel with a friendly and calm environment. The rooms here are small, but very clean and comfortable, equipped with everything you need, with showers, coffee/tea station, hairdryer, iron, small work area. The hotel also has a cafe with European and Oriental cuisine. Guests especially appreciate the hearty and inexpensive breakfasts.
Guest house with a warm homely atmosphere and fresh renovation. Located on the river bank, a few minutes from the center of Kurilsk. It offers beautiful rooms, a self-service kitchen, laundry and ironing room. You can order breakfast, and there is also a snack machine on site. Caring staff will make your stay at Camelia as pleasant as possible.
We will meet you at the airport and take you to your hotel. Check-in is from 14:00. After this, you will have free time to rest and change clothes. At 15.00 we go on a sightseeing tour of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, a cozy low-rise city surrounded by hills, where Russian flavor, oriental exoticism and traces of the Japanese past are surprisingly combined. We will visit the Local History Museum, which is located in a Japanese building in the traditional teikan style. You will also see the Nativity Cathedral, decorated with the world's largest outdoor mosaic, and the Victory Memorial Complex. Climbing up to the observation deck, you will look at the capital of the region from above. In the evening, we head to the restaurant for a welcome dinner to enjoy authentic local cuisine, rich in seafood and including delicious Japanese and Korean dishes.
After breakfast, transfer to the airport and flight to Iturup, the largest of the Kuril Islands. Snow-capped volcanoes and lava plateaus, ice and the rustle of ocean waves, steam from thermal springs rising above the snowdrifts - winter Iturup makes you fall in love with it from the first meeting! After checking into a hotel in Kurilsk, we will go to one of the most famous attractions on the island, the Yanquito lava plateau. Formed by an ancient volcanic eruption, the plateau looks completely unreal in winter - a combination of once boiling lava and snow. After a walk along the plateau, we will warm up in the “Hot Waters” thermal springs.
Today we will visit the active Baransky volcano. This volcano attracts tourists not only for its accessibility, but also for its fantastic landscapes: fumaroles (cracks and small craters) emitting hot steam, mud pots and acid lakes of piercingly bright colors... and all this surrounded by snow and frost! You will also see a river with the telling name Boiling, whose temperature at the source is close to 100 degrees Celsius. To climb the volcano we will use snowmobiles - even more vivid impressions and a little adrenaline! We will finish the walk the same way as the previous day - we will relax at the thermal springs at the foot of the volcano. Moreover, these sources are considered the most “Instagrammable” sources in Iturup, so you will not only relax your soul and body, but also take dozens of atmospheric photos! By 16:00 we will return to the hotel. Free time.
On the fourth day, you will find not only natural attractions, but also an immersion in the complex history of the region. We will visit Kasatka Bay. This secluded bay with bizarrely shaped rocks in which cave openings can be seen are tunnels dug by the Japanese for through passage through the stone walls. During World War II, it was Kasatka Bay that turned out to be the meeting place for an aircraft carrier squadron and ships that were sent to attack Pearl Harbor. Also, one of the important objects of the bay is the tugboat Korund, washed ashore in 2015. The ice-covered, gradually rusting shell of a tug surrounded by serene nature, as well as the history of the bay, evoke a lot of thoughts. After lunch we will return to Kurilsk. In the afternoon there is a traditional visit to thermal springs. This time we will recover and warm up in the thermal complex “Vannochki”.
It's time to say goodbye to the Kuril Islands! After breakfast and before departure, you will have free time: you can walk around Kurilsk, enjoy the tranquility and sincerity of this small town, and maybe even meet the symbol of the city - the red Kuril bobtail Kesha. At 14:00 transfer to the airport, at 16:00 flight to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Upon arrival in the city, you will check into a hotel and can head to local restaurants to appreciate the unusual local cuisine, buy souvenirs, or simply wander the beautiful streets.
After breakfast, we go to Tikhaya Bay. On the way, we will stop at the Torii Gate, the symbolic entrance to the Shinto shrine, a heritage of the Japanese period. Around 12.30 we will reach the bay, where majestic rocks, decorated with fabulous icefalls, meet the power of the cold sea. The name was given to the bay for a reason - it is perfectly protected from piercing winds, so it is always calm here. We will take a walk along the bay, contemplating the harmony of two elements and the snowy peaks of the Zhdanko ridge. Here we will have lunch with a magnificent view. By evening we will return to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.
Even if you are not a fan of fishing or have never held a fishing rod in your hands, you definitely shouldn’t miss this opportunity! On the penultimate day of the tour, we will go ice fishing and then enjoy the freshest catch. The fishing location depends on the weather and ice conditions - it can be a river, lake or sea. We will provide all the necessary equipment, and experienced guides will teach you all the intricacies of ice fishing and reveal several secrets of Sakhalin fishermen. Afterwards we will have lunch with freshly caught fish, frying it directly on ice. We promise - it will be one of the most delicious lunches of your life! By evening we will return to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Sleep after a whole day spent in nature, filled with frosty winter air and beautiful views, will be especially sound!
Of course, we cannot leave you without the opportunity to buy delicious Sakhalin gifts for yourself and your loved ones. Therefore, on the way to the airport we will make a stop at the fish market, where you can buy fish, seafood, red caviar or other Sakhalin delicacies. All purchases will be carefully packaged to ensure they arrive safe and sound! See you again!
On Sakhalin, daytime temperatures in winter can drop to -18, with average temperatures hovering around -5, -7. Iturup is somewhat warmer: -3, -4, with temperatures down to -11. Strong winds are possible and there is usually a lot of snow. We advise checking the weather forecast for your tour dates shortly before departure.
We recommend taking ski suits on your trip - windproof and good heat retention. Of course, you will need winter shoes, a hat, mittens or winter gloves. You can ask the manager for a detailed list when booking the tour.
Don't forget your swimsuits - we will be visiting thermal springs. The rest of the list is standard: a personal first aid kit, photo or video equipment, money for additional expenses and a good mood.
The price of the tour does not include tickets from your city to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and back, as well as flights from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk to Kurilsk and back (14,400 rubles). Please note that the price does not include dinners, with the exception of the welcome dinner on the first day of the tour.
Certainly! On the last day, on the way to the airport, we will visit the fish market so that you can take home the freshest delicious treats.
Ask questions to the tour coordinator
Tour from an official tour operator from the Rostourism register
