Russian Far East in Luxury

Embark ship and set sail in the afternoon

Cruising the Sea of Japan.

Enjoy first lectures and Captain's cocktail party

Cross into Russian territory and arrive into Korsakov on Sakhalin Island. Drive to the capital city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk for a guided tour.

Tuleniy is home to massive colonies of Stellar's sea lions and northern fur seals as well as black-legged kittiwakes, tufted puffins, common murres and pelagic cormorants. Cross the Sea of Okhotsk

Following morning lectures or time on deck, take a zodiac excursion to view large numbers of fulmars, kittiwakes, puffins, aucklets and Stellar's sea lions.

Take a zodiac ride into Yankicha's sinking volcanic caldera, only accessible during high tide. This is one of the highlights not only of the Kuril Islands, but the voyage as a whole. Nesting crested and whiskered aucklets, wildflowers and, hopefully, a climb up the slope for a magnificent view of the caldera are major attractions here. 

Matua Island is home to one of the most active volcanoes in the Kurils. This is a great island for walkers, with views of wartime Japanese positions and encounters with the colonies of brown-headed thrush and Siberian ruby-throats. The newly-built tiny Russian Orthodox Church, built of wood and ornately decorated, commands great views of the bay.

The Lovyshky Islands are great for birders. Look out here for all the aucklets - whiskered, crested and parakeet, along with fulmars, tufted puffins and fur seals and Stellar's sealions.

Makanrushi Island is equally rewarding with sea otters and largha seals, and , on the cliffs, the Kurils-specific pigeon guillimot. Also seen are peregrines,slaty-backed gulls, Pacific loons and tufted puffins.

A scenic island, dominated by its almost perfectly shaped, snow-covered volcanic cone. This beautiful place was also where one of the Soviet Union's notorious gulag prison camps was located. This one, for female prisoners, was a fox farm and we can wander amongst its evocative remains.

The only major city on the Kamchatka peninsula, this is actually one of the oldest towns in the Russian Far East. Visits here to the museum and beautiful gold-domed orthodox cathedral (actually only recently constructed!).

On the edge of town, in the birch forest, visit sled dog kennels and enjoy a cultural performance from locals

One of the principal salmon-run rivers in the region. Hope to see salmon in the water as well as the spectacular Stellar's sea eagle and other birds.

The islands are named after Vitus Bering, the famed explorer, commissioned by the Tsar to search for a land bridge between Asia and America. The town of Nikolskoye has a fascinating museum with lots of artefacts, including the bones of the now-extinct Stellar's sea cow, and more memories of Bering, whose grave is on the other side of the island.

Back on the mainland and a village to a typical modern fishing village to see how locally salmon is filleted and processed and then sample generous helpings of red salmon roe on black bread, along with fish soup.

Early morning excursion to land at Glubokaya Bay to walk on the tundra. Look out for white-tailed sea eagles, peregrines and kittlitz's murrelets. Later, go into Tintikyn Lagoon looking for brown bears and enjoy a long or short walk. Alternatively, depending on the tide, land at Lavrova Bay and walk through the remains of a former fishing village with an optional hike up the side of the valley for long views. More brown bears too, we hope!

A choice of zodiac excursions and landings today. A walk up to some small lakes with a climb rewarded by views and sightings of a spectacular waterfall, or a less strenuous cruise around the coast looking for birds and seals. Pass a small bay know as a haul-out of Largha seals and land on the wilkflower rich tundra.

We may even see nomadic reindeer herders, who come to coastal grazing areas for just 3 days at this time of the year.

Spectacular colonies of birds from our zodiac cruise around Bogoslav Island, such as pigeon, Brunnich's and common guillemots, black-legges kittiwakes, harlequin ducks, horned puffins, white wagtails, cormorants and slaty-back gulls.

Anastasiya Bay rewards with spectacular cliffs and more birds, but the highlight is the large groups of pink-skinned, Pacific walrus hauled out on the rocky shoreline and the many individuals that pop ups around the zodiacs, snorting clouds of spray.

Later, land and walk to a river flood plain rich in flowering plants.

Cruising the Bering Sea, looking out for grey whales and pods of orca.

Farewell cocktails and dinner tonight

Stop here to clear Russia before heading across the Bering Sea. Gain a day as we cross the dateline.

Arrive and disembark