|
Exploring Mystical Sakhalin12 days
This trip takes place in a territory that so far has seen very few travelers. Part of the reason for that is that the infrastructure for travel is not in place, yet the destination itself is fascinating and unique. You need to be prepared for some delays, because of weather and other conditions. Destination Information Our journey starts in the great naval city of Vladivostok. The "Pearl of the East", has an interesting historical past with many links to the US. The city's major center is easy to access by foot and allows us to take a much closer look at some of the fascinating landmarks. Vladivostok was established as a military fort in June 1860, when the commander of the "Manchuria" sailed into the Golden Horn Bay. Over the years the city grew from a military outpost to a thriving city. Its proximity to China and Japan and status as a tax-free port made it a lucrative base for merchants - hence foreign trading companies built extensive department stores in the city. Due to its strategic importance as a border city, Vladivostok was closed until 1992, than as part of "Perestroika" the city was declared officially open and it has prospered ever since.
The surrounding areas of Vladivostok are just as fascinating and interesting. To the far south, the Far Eastern Marine preserve offers interesting opportunities for bird watchers specifically during early spring and fall. Closer by also to the south is the Kedrovaya Reserve which is renown as the habitat of the Fareastern Leopard. However, only twenty species are left and while the reserve is interesting in itself, it is extremely unlikely to be to observe any of the leopards. The Amur Tiger has its habitat more to the north and can be found in the Ussurisky and Lazovsky Reserves. Again, all though there are more of them, the roam over a much larger territory and are quite elusive. The only way to observe the Amur Tiger in its habitat is a preserved area, where Victor Yudin, a biologist from the Far Eastern Institute of Science for the past ten years has been taking care of two young tigers left by their mothers, now raising about three of their own youngsters. This is not a zoo, the tigers roam freely in a large enclosed normal tiger habitat. Sakhalin Island is an interesting island both culturally as well as historically. Currently, of course, it is known for its oil exploration, as most foreign oil companies are present on the island.
Most of the island's territory consists out of verdant mountains, fast running rivers abundant with salmon and coastal wetlands. Specifically the southern coastal areas offer great opportunities for bird enthusiasts as a number of rare birds, such as the sandpiper can be found here. The middle and northern territories are great for hiking, trekking and fishing. Sakhalin Island is much more accessible than, for example, Kamchatka, as paved roads lead up the north and it also can be reached by a comfortable train. Nogliki is the center for the Nivkh native people and offers an interesting museum highlighting their cultural traditions. However, most of the native people now have either settled in the larger cities or returned to their native villages and still practice their reindeer herding in the taiga.. The Kurile Islands can be compared with a strong of beautiful pearls stretching out from Sakhalin to Kamchatka. Kunashir, which actually means "black pearl", is the most southern island and is actually quite close to Japan (10 kilometers). The island offers four unusual volcanoes, most of them quite easy to access. It also features a nature preserve, which is located on both sides of Kunashir and on some of the smaller islands surrounding it. There is only one paved road from one end of the island to the other. The beaches are quite volcanic and are sometimes used for roads, especially during the rainy season.
Infrastructure is limited, but that makes the journey so exciting. You will be one of few travelers visiting the island. The people on the island are by far the most hospitable you will meet in Russia and circumstances are still such that you can walk into any house, as the doors are always open. Khabarovsk is by far the most pleasant city to explore in the Russian Far East. Wide tree lined boulevards cross the city, inviting you to walk. The city has recently been renovated and its buildings offer a representation of what is called the "Russ" style. There are various interesting monuments, a great natural history museum, and walking downtown offers you an opportunity to sit in an outside café and watch the world go by. Program Itinerary Day 1: (Saturday) After going through customs and immigrations at the airport in Vladivostok, we will be waiting for you. We will transfer by van to the city and check into the centrally located Hotel Vladivostok. After a brief rest, we will take a walking tour of the nearby city center. Dinner will be at a local restaurant. Day 2: (Sunday) Today we'll make a trip Victor Yudin's Tiger Preserve located outside of the city. It is a four-hour drive through the countryside and we'll stop for lunch at the small city of Ussurisk. The drive will give you a great opportunity to see the varied landscape of the Primorski Krai. In the early afternoon, we arrive at the Tiger Preserve where we will have an hour or so to observe and feed the five tigers, two adults and three young ones. Victor will tell us about the history of the family of tigers. We will return to the city in the early evening and have dinner at a local restaurant. Overnight at Hotel Vladivostok.
Day 3: (Monday) Today we fly to Sakhalin Island. Prior to our departure for the airport we have free time to explore the city further. Upon arrival in Sakhalin, we are transferred to our centrally located hotel, the Gargarin. Time permitting we take a walking tour of the city. Dinner will be at a local restaurant. Day 4: (Tuesday) Today after breakfast we first visit the local regional museum and talk with some of the scientists about Kunashir island. Than in the late morning, we'll board our van for a tour of the southern part of the island where we visit the small coastal town of Ohotsk and take a walk on the beach. We'll have a picnic during our trip. Time permitting upon our return we'll take a walk towards Chekov Mountain, great bird watching territory and great training for our visit to Kunashir. Dinner will be at a local restaurant. Overnight at Gargarin Hotel. Day 5: (Wednesday) The day of excitement has arrived, we are flying to Kunashir today. We will be flying on a small AN-24 with approximately 32 seats. Flight time is about 1 hour 20 minutes. Weather permitting we can observe the Mendeleev and or Tyatya volcanoes before landing. Upon arrival we are transferred to our home stay one of the large homes outside of the village of Yuzhno-Kurilsk, a close walk from the beach and the taiga. After a late lunch we take off for a hike across the island to Stolbchaty Cape. Our walk will take us across the island, walking through high bamboo plants, almost as high as ourselves. We pass a hot river, where time permitting, we can test the water. Out on the beach, we'll observe the rocks formed through volcanic activity and the ocean. Between the rocks there are tiny inlets of clear blue water, tempting you to dive in and enjoy. The weather on this side of the island is mostly sunny. From our viewpoint we can see Japan. On the way back, we'll pass the various picturesque dacha's. We have dinner at our home stay. Day 6: (Thursday) Today is our chance to drive on the Kunashir Highway, the beach. The surrounding landscape is magnificent and a few ospreys and peregrine falcons soaring across the sky make our day. We arrive at the Ilushna River close to the Kunashir Nature Preserve. The remainder of the morning we hike in the nature preserve and perhaps have an opportunity to observe the illusive Fish Owl. We have our lunch at the Reserve cabins and upon our return have the time to take a dip in the old Japanese hot baths on the beach, called Chayka. We return to our home stay in the early evening.
Day 7: (Friday) Early in the morning we depart for the Golovnino volcano. When we have reached the top of the volcano by four-wheel drive, we will hike to the huge two crater lakes Kipyachchiye (boiling) and Goryachiye Lakes. Those so inclined can test the waters. We spend the remainder of the day hiking around the area and observing its many volcanic manifestations. In the early evening we return to our home stay. Day 8: (Saturday) This day we return to the Kunashir Highway, but this time we take if further out to the base of Tyatya volcano. Mount Tyatya is 1822 meter high and has a cinder cone of the Fuji type. The new cone rising from within the old cone gives it a bit of a "hatted" look. Tyatya is young and active with cinders and ash showers every few years. The beach on which we are hiking is quite flat and the climb onto Tyatya is not that difficult. In the late afternoon, we come back to an area close to Tyatya where we overnight. in tents. Day 9: (Sunday) After spending some time near our tent camp hiking and perhaps getting a glance of a brown bear, we return to our tent camp for a picnic lunch. Than it is time to pack up again and return to our home stay. This evening we'll celebrate our stay on Kunashir. Day 10: (Monday) Today after a free morning, we return to the airport for our flight to Sakhalin. Most of this day is free to explore Yzuhno-Sakhalinsk. We'll have dinner in a local restaurant and stay overnight at Hotel Gargarin. Day 11: (Tuesday) We have a morning flight to Khabarovsk. Upon our arrival, we are transferred to a small B & B. Just before lunch time, we take a drive to the Bolhskehektsirky Preserve where we visit the small museum, have lunch at the visitor's center and hike around the area. In the late afternoon, we return to Khabarovsk and have a farewell dinner at the famous Russian restaurant. Day 12: (Wednesday) This morning we take a van and look at the most important points in the city. We may visit the Orthodox Church, the local market and some of the museums. After lunch at the historical Parus restaurant, we depart for the airport for our flight to Seoul. International airline connections and cost: For this trip we suggest that you reach Russia through Seoul, Korea. You can fly Korean Air to Vladivostok and return via Asiana Airlines form Khabarovsk to Seoul, Korea. There are various airlines that fly to Seoul, but in order to obtain the least expensive airfare, we suggest you take either Korean Air or Asiana Airlines to Seoul, Korea. Cost for airfare is between $1,200 and $1,400, depending upon the season. Pre and post extensions This trip can be taken together with our Kurilskoe trip (August 25) in Kamchatka starting on August 25. We can arrange your transfer and a few extra days in Kamchatka for you. You can also choose perhaps to spend a few more days in Khabarovsk and/or take the Trans Siberian Railroad to Irkutsk or Moscow. Just contact us for further information. Visas We will provide you with a letter of invitation once we receive your deposit. We ask that you handle your visa processing through our company to assist in smoother operation of our itineraries in Russia. Visa processing is extra and with optimum time periods to process will cost $110 per person. You need to have a valid passport for at least six months after your trip to Russia. Tour Operations The program is operated by World Wise Expeditions in cooperation with our local partners. We are responsible for the overall logistics and providing you with insights based upon long term on the ground experience. We most likely will join you upon your arrival in Russia. All local arrangements are made through our Russian partners with whom we have been working for a period of at least six to ten years. Our local partners are knowledgeable and care about your welfare, safety and security. Most of our travelers form long-term relationships with our Russian partners. We chose our itineraries for uniqueness to areas that are not well known or in most cases are not easy to access or explore on your own. These areas are without a doubt the most representative of the unique natural and cultural wealth of Russia. However, we also include a variety of other activities in our itineraries, giving you a chance to learn more about Russia and its people. Meetings with local people form a very important part of our programs as well as educating ourselves about this very rich and historically interesting culture. This program is rated as active due to the extensive walking involved, the length of the days and the infrastructure of the region. Flexibility, a sense of humor, the ability to walk for hours and manage your own backpack is a must. We try to keep the actual operations of our trips as close as possible to the stated day-to-day itineraries, however, changes are inevitable. We will try to keep you advised as to these changes and the reasons therefore. However, we reserve the right to make these changes both to improve the program as well as to avoid difficulties and to adapt to changing weather conditions. No refunds will be made for any part of the program changed for these specific reasons. Eastern Russia has changed a lot over the past decade, however some of the less desirable trends are still with us. Your patience and cooperation are very much appreciated as we encounter moments of delay, changes and the inevitable bureaucracy. We know from our long-term experience, that afterwards these moments are easily forgotten. Climate August is a great month to travel in the Russian Far East. You will find Vladivostok warm and sunny, all though some rain may occur. Sakhalin has a much cooler climate, butl there are frequent sunny days during August and the climate is similar for Kunashir. We suggest that you take a few sweaters, raingear and hiking boots. In contrast Khabarovsk at the end of your trip will be hot and sunny. Insurance We highly recommend that you purchase trip insurance. You may do so through our company, your travel agent or through any company you prefer. Our policies Your $300 deposit is refundable except for a $100 administrative charge up till 60 days prior to departure. Final payment is due 60 days prior to departure. Our cancellation policies are described in our tour documentation. Payment can be made by check or credit card. Credit card charges carry a 4 percent additional fee. Airline tickets can be purchased by either credit card or check payment. We reserve the right to advise you regarding our group size prior to the time for final payment. If the group is less than the size we anticipated in our pricing procedures, we may offer the trip to you under adjusted circumstances. In this case, the cost of the tour may increase. It is up to you to decide whether to participate or not under these circumstances. Should you decide to cancel or we cancel a trip ourselves, we will refund the entire deposit. Our Experience Our travel experience in Eastern Russia spans more than ten years during with half of that spend in country. Our clients include: The Foundation for Russian American Cooperation, Society Expeditions, TCS Expeditions, US Department of Agriculture, World Wild Life Fund, MIR Corporation and others. We will be more than happy to provide you with our excellent references. Additional information about Kunashir can be found under regions.
World Wise Ecotourism Network © 2000 |
