In the Footsteps of Robinson Crusoe

The 1972 Soviet film The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe was shot at Bezymyannaya (Nameless) Bay on Shikotan — a scatter of small islets that turn pink at dawn beneath the cliffs of Cape End-of-the-World. The film gave the bay its place in Russian cinema, and the route in turn takes its name from the film. Ten days, three islands, two flights and one ferry crossing — Sakhalin, Iturup and Shikotan, in the order the inter-island schedule makes available.

Ten days break into four parts: Sakhalin → Iturup → ferry to Shikotan → Shikotan → ferry back → Sakhalin again.

Sakhalin: two days before the flight. Day one — arrival in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and a city sightseeing tour. Day two — boat to Aniva Lighthouse, a Japanese 1939 structure on a sheer rock at the cape, and an oyster gastro-tour at Busse Lagoon, where oysters have been farmed since the 1970s.

Iturup: three days. Flight to Iturup. Jeep tour to active Baransky Volcano with its turquoise lakes and thermal springs — note: at the turquoise lakes, safety rules are strict. Coastal jeep tour to Kasatka Bay and Belye Skaly. Yankito lava plateau on day five, then evening ferry from Kurilsk to Shikotan.

Shikotan: four days. Arrival by sea. Walk to Khromova Bay. Hike from Krabozavodskoye village to Snezhkova Bay — 14–15 km on hilly terrain, trekking poles recommended. Cape End-of-the-World and Bezymyannaya Bay — about 24 km by transport, 4 km on foot. Mount Shikotan and Dimitrov Bay on day nine, evening ferry back to Sakhalin.

Sakhalin: a final free day. Day ten — arrival at Korsakov, transfer to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Free day with the option of a jeep tour to Cape Ptichy and Cape Velikan on the south-eastern coast.

Group of up to twelve, accommodation at Kasatka Guesthouse on Iturup, Ostrovnoy Motel on Shikotan, professional instructors, border zone permits processed for you. Hotel in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, ferry tickets and flight Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk — Iturup — separate. Best season: mid-June to end of September.

Ten days — three islands stitched together by a flight and a ferry, with the cinematic Bezymyannaya Bay as the symbolic centre. Guests come back with the smell of sulphur in their clothes, photographs no postcard rack carries, and a clear sense of how these islands sit on the map. Shikotan permits take seven days, not three — submit your details early. Permits processing starts the day we receive your information.