Pearl Scattering of the Kuril Islands

Eight days, two Kuril islands, no Sakhalin component — straight to the volcanic core. Arrival on Kunashir, four working days there, an inter-island ferry, three days on Iturup, return flight. The route is built around the geological monuments — basalt columns at Cape Stolbchaty, the white pumice wall at Belye Skaly, the active fumarole field at Mendeleev — and the thermal stops are scheduled around them.

Eight days break into two parts: Kunashir → Iturup.

Kunashir: four working days. Day one — arrival, coastal walk to Devil's Finger rock and Devil's Gates arch. Day two — the Golovnin Caldera with Boiling Lake and the active hot springs and fumaroles around it. Day three — the Stolbovskaya eco-trail to Cape Stolbchaty, basalt hexagonal columns formed from frozen lava. Day four — the fumarole field of Mendeleev Volcano, then evening ferry to Iturup.

Iturup: four days. Day five — jeep tour to Baransky Volcano: thermal springs, the Goluboy Glazki boiling lake, volcanic landscape, mineral streams. At the turquoise lakes, follow safety rules — chemical burns are possible off the trail. Day six — coastal jeep tour to Belye Skaly, sculpted pumice cliffs above the Sea of Okhotsk, with a black volcanic-sand beach. Bathing in the Zharkie Vody thermal pools. Day seven — Kasatka Bay on the Pacific side, where in 1941 the Japanese carrier strike force departed for Pearl Harbour, and the Yankito lava plateau at the foot of Bogdan Khmelnitsky Volcano. Day eight — spa complex with thermal springs, then flight Kurilsk — Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.

Group of up to eight, accommodation at Iceberg Hotel on Kunashir, Kasatka Guesthouse on Iturup, local guides, border zone permits processed for you. Ferry tickets, flight Kurilsk — Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and meals on the ferry — paid separately. Best season: mid-June to end of September.

Eight days — the most direct route to the volcanic core of the southern Kurils, without the Sakhalin frame. Best season runs mid-June to end of September, while the regular Kuril navigation is operating. Bookings via the office desk.