Travel Tips and Info

When to go: August or September is the time to go if you want to see the salmon runs and bears. Summer weather is warmest, but fog and rain are common. Fishing is best in the spring. There are no ticks on Kunashir, so encephalitis is not a concern.

Getting there: Take a 90-minute flight or 18-hour ferry from Sakhalin Island to Yuzhno-Kurilsk. Be flexible and keep an open mind. Flights are often cancelled in summer because of fog. The ferry, which departs from Korsakov Port on Sakhalin, is relatively reliable and has sleeping compartments. Your adventure will be worth the effort of getting there.

Logistics: Kunashir is a restricted border zone, so you will need an invitation for your Russian visa from a local tour agency, which will be responsible for registering your visa when you arrive. They can organize travel tickets, accommodations, meals, and guided tours for a very reasonable price. You can stay in one of the island’s simple hotels or spas, rent a private apartment, or sleep in a tent in the great outdoors. If you choose to travel independently, you will still require visa support, and knowledge of Russian would be helpful.

Omega Plus tel: +7-4242-723-410, email:

[email protected]

World Wide Ecotourism Network tel: +206-282-0824; website:

www.traveleastrussia.com.

What to do: Climb Tyatya, the highest volcano on Kunashir, or hike into the Golovnin Crater. If not with an ecotour group, you will need to purchase an inexpensive pass from the nature reserve to visit these protected volcanoes. Kurile Nature Reserve tel: +7-42455-2-15-86, email: [email protected] You can see spectacular basalt columns at Cape Stolbchaty and visit Lagoon Lake on the Okhostsk Sea side of the island. Take a hike to one of the smoking fumerole fields on Mendeleev Volcano. View rare sea otters and seals in coastal waters. Birdwatch at numerous rookeries along the island’s shore. Fish wild rivers for salmon and Eastern Siberian char (fishing is prohibited in the nature reserve, but there are plenty of other places to fish on the island). Relax in therapeutic thermal and radon springs or take a healing mud bath. While the central town of Yuzhno-Kurilsk is nothing special, you can visit its tiny museum and buy food and gifts at the bazaar.

More information:

Wild Russia: www.wild-russia.com

Russian Conservation News, Biodiversity Briefing on the Kurile Islands: request at [email protected]

Kurile Island Network:
www.kurilnature.org.