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The Kuriles - an extraordinary adventure Even though I have traveled through this region multiple times, either for research or to accompany a journey, it was thrilling to participate in our research trip in May. Because we had no other schedule than to arrive in Kunashir by May 22nd, there was sufficient time to linger in areas that we knew and to discover and explore new ones off the beaten path. From early in the morning until late at night when the sky finally darkened, we explored beaches, mostly covered with rocks or the hills, some still covered with snow and the sharply outlined cliffs surrounding the various gorgeous bays of islands. It was also a time of quiet contemplation, watching sea otters enjoying their young, and birds, such as the peregrine falcon soaring in the sky.
Our group was mixed sufficiently (six of us) to appeal to a variety of tastes, resembling the variety of clients usually on our expeditions. While Ko de Korte, a biologist by Profession from Oceanwide Expeditions: Rosy Whelan, a research specialist from Aurora Expeditions and Michael Johnson from the Alaska Department of Trade and Development were always eager to traverse as much land as possible, our Italian guests Piero and Silvana and myself would linger behind to more in depth savor the quiet beauty surrounding us and also because we were just not as nimble as the others. In the end, we always ended up together, in utter satisfaction quietly each in its own way enjoying these mystical islands. Our route very much followed the one scheduled for our Kuirle Island cruises except, perhaps that we included more possibilities as to always have alternatives in case of foggy weather. We had bright sunshine, we had strong winds and fog, but miraculously, somehow, the experience would have its own momentum. As Rosy stated some time during the journey, "the islands grow on you". One after the other, the islands present a necklace of glowing pearls, each with its own imperfections, yet as a whole reflecting immense beauty.
To give an example, Usushir, was almost invisible when we arrived, but we were able to land, which has not happened very often in the past. We dug our own hot bath in the middle of the caldera, a bit hot for some of us, and enjoyed playing games with the foxes. The next morning, the weather cleared and we were able to observe the magnificent emerald green cliffs towering above us and thousands of spectacled guillemots, whiskered auklets black legged Kittiwakes all swirling around us. From our observation the most northern islands are more endowed with marine Mammals, such as the Steller and fur seals, sea otters, minke whales, and varied bird colonies, while the more southern islands are more volcanic and scenic and much easier accessible. One of the most memorable experience though is the total exclusiveness of the journey, we met very few ships and no people at all during the time we were passing through the islands and there is very little evidence of habitation.
Our journey just like our 2001 cruises, was operated from Kamchatka to Sakhalin. In Kamchatka we stayed in a local Russian hotel, downtown and had an opportunity to take a helicopter to Nalycheva Valley, a nature park enabling us to see both Avachinsky and Koryaksy volcanoes up close before we landed in the snow filled valley. We also spent one beautiful day hiking in the snow in our warm winter jackets while Russian men and women alike skied by us in itsy bitsy bathing suits, looking incredibly comfortable. Some of us voted to accept the dress code for the day, however, we were outvoted. Upon our arrival in Sakhalin via Kunashir, we indulged ourselves in staying at the Sakhalin Sapporo, a western style hotel, mostly because of its large inviting baths tubs, a necessity by this time. Sakhalin is endowed with a remarkable hospitality infrastructure, because of its oil and gas development, you can even get a very good latte. Even though the city is not remarkable, its surroundings mountains and rivers are. Sakhalin is renowned for having the most indigenous species of mammals and birds in Russia. All of it quite accessible by road except for the northern and southern wetlands.
In closing, we would like to mention that all though Russia might have its problems with preservation, the Kurile Islands by virtue of the fact that they were deemed to be a military zone facing the enemy, have been preserved just by this fact. There are very few areas in the world where the opportunities exist to visit pristine areas such as these, and eventually, this too will pass. So the time is now and we look forward to seeing you on one of our voyages. Aaltje van Zoelen
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