Island of Sleeping Volcanoes

Iturup is the largest island of the Kuril chain — about two hundred kilometres from north to south, with nine active volcanoes and a coastline where black titanomagnetite sand sits next to a wall of white pumice. Four days is the minimum that lets you cross the island — once north, once south — and feel its scale rather than just see one corner. This route is built around the three points that define the island: Baransky, Belye Skaly, and Kasatka with Yankito.

Four days gather around three key stops:

Baransky Volcano and the SPA complex — day one, after the flight. An active stratovolcano 1,132 metres high; at its foot a landscape of mud cauldrons, hot lakes and mineral streams, with the «Boiling River» at eighty to ninety degrees. The day ends at the wooden-bath SPA complex with its volcano view. Note: at the turquoise lakes, safety rules are strict — stepping off the trail can mean chemical burns.

Belye Skaly and Zharkie Vody — day two. A coastal jeep tour to the wall of pale pumice that runs about twenty-eight kilometres along the east coast; at sunset the stone turns honey-pink. Below the cliffs — black sand with titanomagnetite grains; a coin placed on it will stick. The «Zharkie Vody» wellness complex with its thermal pools is a few paces from the ocean surf. Optional in good weather: 3-hour sea trip for an extra fee.

Kasatka Bay and Yankito plateau — day three. Kasatka Bay with its Mirror Beach, where a thin layer of water on sand at low tide creates a reflective surface. Devil's Rock with its mysterious tunnels and caves. The Yankito lava plateau — formed by eruptions thousands of years ago at the foot of Bogdan Khmelnitsky volcano. Day four — return flight to Sakhalin.

Group size up to twelve, accommodation at the Kasatka Guesthouse in Kurilsk, jeep transport on the island, professional instructors, border zone permits processed for you. Air ticket to Iturup, off-programme meals, optional sea trip on Iturup (from ₽40,000 per boat) — separate.

Four days on Iturup is not a long expedition but a complete acquaintance with the island: the volcano, the cliffs, the bay, the plateau. Guests come back with a much clearer mental map of why this island sits where it sits. We've been running Iturup itineraries since 2003, two years after the agency opened, and have a long-standing arrangement with the local jeep operator. Booking office: phone, email, messenger.