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EXCLUSIVE VOYAGE · 2026
Moneron Island
A maritime voyage from Korsakov to Sakhalin's only marine nature reserve aboard the M/V Igor Farkhutdinov — an initiative of the region's tour operators, supported by the Sakhalin Regional Government.
Departures: July–September 2026·
Duration: 24 hours·
From 17 500 ₽
SCHEDULE · 2026
Upcoming departures
Six sailings across the 2026 summer season — choose a date and reserve early
Each voyage spans a full 24 hours — an evening departure and a return to Korsakov the following evening.
THE ESSENTIALS
What this voyage involves
The route
Korsakov → Moneron Island → Cape Krilyon → Korsakov. Twenty-four hours at sea, one night aboard, half a day ashore on the island.
The ship
The M/V Igor Farkhutdinov is an ice-class passenger vessel with comfortable cabins, a dining room, and full amenities aboard.
Protected status
Russia's only island-based marine nature park — a reserve whose flora and fauna exist nowhere else in the country.
The organisers
An initiative of the region's tour operators, supported by the Sakhalin Regional Government — your guarantee of safety and quality.
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TWO DAYS AT MONERON
Day-by-day programme
A two-day route: Korsakov — Moneron Island — Cape Krilyon — Korsakov. One night aboard, half a day of guided excursions on the island.
You are about to meet the Sakhalin region's most singular island — the "Moneron Island" nature park, set in the waters of the Tatar Strait.
Assembly at Rossiya — Moya Istoriya museum square
Meeting point in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
Coach transfer to Korsakov
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk → Korsakov port (arranged by the operator)
Arrival at Korsakov port
Security check and boarding the M/V Igor Farkhutdinov
The ship departs
Course for Moneron Island through the Tatar Strait. Dinner aboard, evening entertainment
Evening aboard
A choice of cabin categories, a dining room, a bar with dance floor, a cinema, a library, and a sauna.
- Bar:
- 21:00 – 04:00 · 07:00 – 21:00
- Dining:
- 21:00 – 02:00 · 06:00 – 21:00
Arrival at Moneron anchorage
Mooring off the island's eastern shore
Tender transfers ashore, group by group
Motor launches to the island, safety briefing (07:00–09:00)
"To the Shrine" guided walk
A one-hour trail through endemic flora
Boat excursion to Kologeras Bay
One of the island's most striking coves (1 hour)
Snorkelling with marine mammals
Optional, additional fee (ages 10+)
Return to the ship
Boarding and lunch aboard (11:00–12:00)
Departure for the return leg
Course south to Cape Krilyon — Sakhalin's southernmost point
Standing off Cape Krilyon
External viewing of the 1883 lighthouse, photo call from deck (15:00–15:30)
Return to Korsakov, transfer
Docking at the port, coach back to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Voyage complete
NATURE RESERVE
Moneron Island
Moneron is Russia's only marine nature park — an island rising from the Tatar Strait some 43 kilometres off Sakhalin's south-western coast. Columnar basalt stacks, carved over millennia by wind and open sea, stand clear of the water, and the warm Tsushima Current gives the surrounding waters the highest temperatures anywhere in the Strait.
More than 200 fish species inhabit the surrounding waters. Steller sea lions and larga seals share the coastline with raucous bird colonies of puffins, cormorants, and guillemots. Here the wild Pacific endures in something very close to its original form.
- Columnar basalt stacks unique to the Pacific rim
- One of the Sea of Japan's richest underwater ecosystems
- Steller sea lion and larga seal haul-outs
- Seabird colonies: puffins, cormorants, guillemots
GALLERY
Best seen with your own eyes
Tap a photograph to open it full-screen — swipe to move through the frames, tap an empty area to close.
Day 2 · 05:45 · approaching the island
First silhouette through the cloud rim
After twenty hours across the Tatar Strait the M/V Igor Farkhutdinov slips towards the eastern anchorage. From the porthole, Moneron Island rises in three soft tiers through a lid of cloud — a volcanic shard broken off from Sakhalin some million years ago, now standing alone in deep water.
Day 2 · 06:10 · fog over the roadstead
Island in morning haze
A thick sea fog settles over the island through the small hours. It will burn off by eight, but for now the cliffs feel closer than they are, the sound of the hull against water is muffled, and Moneron seems to be deciding whether to reveal itself today at all.
Day 2 · 06:40 · the rangers' station
One point on the shore
On the eastern shore sits the only inhabited patch on Moneron: the marine park rangers' station, a handful of low cabins, a jetty and two working launches. Everything beyond it is strict-regime reserve — no permanent residents, no overnight visitors, only day arrivals on approved cruises.
Day 2 · 07:30 · ship-to-shore transfer
Onto the motor launch
Passengers transfer from ship to shore in the rangers' launches, ten or twelve at a time. The safety briefing runs to five minutes, life vests are non-negotiable, and ten minutes of slapping across low swell is enough to leave the ship behind and land you in a different world entirely.
Day 2 · 08:00 · first step ashore
The pier you waited for
The wooden pier takes the first group. Thick planks underfoot, saturated with salt and sea, the rangers' smaller boats tied just alongside. This is where the walking portion of the day begins — one of only a handful of trails on the island open to visitors at all, and only with a guide.
Day 2 · 09:15 · trail to the station
Through endemics to the cabins
The walking excursion — billed as "To the Shrine" — cuts through Moneron's endemic flora: native ferns, dwarf bamboo, Kuril butterbur leaves at shoulder height. An hour in, the rangers' cabins appear in a saddle sheltered from the wind, low roofs and woodsmoke, the day's only man-made geometry.
Day 2 · 10:00 · down to the sea
Stone terraces
The coastline here isn't sand but stone terraces, planed flat by millennia of North Pacific swell. The water is clear enough that from the edge you can count kelp fronds, sea urchins and the occasional crab picking its way across the rock, entirely indifferent to the visitors standing above.
Day 2 · 10:45 · Kologeras Bay
Columnar basalt
At Kologeras Bay, six-sided basalt columns rise straight out of the water — the remnants of an ancient lava flow, cooled into geometry and then polished for centuries by surf. It is the single most recognisable feature of the island, and, with good reason, the most photographed frame of the day.
Day 2 · 11:20 · before the return
Bird bazaars on the reefs
On the rocky islets off the western coast sit dense rookeries of common murres and cormorants, with the blunt silhouettes of puffins on the narrow ledges. The launch holds at a respectful distance so as not to flush the colony, but the noise — a hoarse, layered chorus — carries cleanly across the water.
Day 2 · 19:50 · the voyage home
Sunset over the stern
By evening the ship is already tracking northwest towards Korsakov. The sun drops astern into open water with nothing between it and the horizon, no coastline to break the light. Most passengers stay on the upper deck; only a few make it down to the dining room before the dark arrives in full.
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THE VESSEL
The M/V Igor Farkhutdinov
- Class
- Reinforced ice-class passenger vessel
- Length / beam
- 90 m / 17.6 m
- Gross tonnage
- 4 575 registered tons
- Passenger capacity
- up to 150 passengers
- Power
- 3 200 kW
- Speed
- 14 knots · 26 km/h
- Endurance
- up to 7 000 nautical miles
- Home port
- Kholmsk, Sakhalin region
The vessel runs the regular Kuril line between Korsakov and the islands of Kunashir, Shikotan, and Iturup. Cabins come in three grades: four-berth economy, four-berth with en-suite, and two-berth single-room cabins.
GOOD TO KNOW
Before you sail
On-board conduct
Observe shipboard etiquette and treat Moneron's cultural sites and wildlife with the care a reserve of this standing deserves.
Weather conditions apply
In adverse weather the voyage will be moved to the next available date; safety at sea is non-negotiable.
A flexible itinerary
The operator reserves the right to reorder excursions according to the day's weather.
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FARES
Cabin fares
Four cabin grades — from basic to suite. Transfers, port fees, and your on-board coordinator are included in every fare.
| Tariff | Single | Double | Triple | Quad |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PremiumSuite-class cabin | 89 500 ₽ | 79 500 ₽ | — | — |
| ComfortClass 1 cabin | 69 500 ₽ | 59 500 ₽ | — | — |
| StandardClass 2 cabin | — | 59 500 ₽ | 39 500 ₽ | 29 500 ₽ |
| LightClass 3 cabin | — | 23 500 ₽ | 20 500 ₽ | 17 500 ₽ |
Included in every fare
- Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk ↔ Korsakov port transfer
- Korsakov port fees
- On-board coordinator
Included in Premium, Comfort, Standard
- "To the Shrine" walking excursion on Moneron Island
- Kologeras Bay boat excursion
Age restrictions: Premium, Comfort, and Standard are for travellers aged 10 and over. Light is open to travellers aged 5 and over.
Add-on: snorkelling with marine mammals — 15 500 ₽ per person (ages 10+), available on all fares except Light.
ACCOMMODATION
Cabin categories
| Category | Occupancy | Amenities |
|---|---|---|
| Suite | Double | Sitting room, bedroom, shower, toilet |
| Class 1 | Double, single | Shower, toilet |
| Class 2 | Quad | Shower, toilet |
| Class 3 | Quad | Basin only. Shared shower and toilet |
DOCUMENTS
What we'll need from you
Once your booking is confirmed, please forward the following to your reservations manager
For Russian citizens
- Russian passport — full spread with personal data
- Birth certificate — for children under 14
- Mobile telephone number — required
For foreign nationals
- Passport page used for entry into Russia
- Russian visa — if required for your nationality
- Mobile telephone number — required
BOOKING
Reserve your place
We will be in touch within the hour to confirm the details.
A joint initiative
Who operates the voyage
Sakhalin regional tour operators
A professional community of regional operators with years of experience running maritime, overland, and ecological itineraries across Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands.
Supported by the Sakhalin Regional Government