Kuril Islands
Discover Kuril Islands
The Kuril Islands (Russian: Кури́лы, koo-REE-lyh; Japanese: Chishima Islands, 千島列島, Chishima Rettō), are a chain of islands in the Russian Far East, located directly to the north of Hokkaido, Japan, east of Sakhalin and southwest of Kamchatka. The original inhabitants of the Kuril Islands were the Ainu people, who also live on the Japanese island of Hokkaido, and the Russian island of Sakhalin. With the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Russian Empire and Japan in 1855, the islands were divided between the two countries, then another treaty in 1875 nominally placed the islands under Japanese control. At the end of World War II, the Soviet Union took control of the islands. They were then ethnically cleansed of their Japanese populations in 1947, and thoroughly Russified.
What to Experience in Kuril Islands
Taste of Kuril Islands...
Be sure to eat seafood in the Kurils, as the fishing in this part of the North Pacific is considered some of the best in the world. You may well see this seafood available in expensive restaurants around the world offered at prices a hundred times what it will cost to enjoy it here. This is not a very big problem as not much crime happens around there.
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple OptionsTraveling to the Kuril Islands is notoriously difficult. Always plan your trip in advance and make sure that you have at least few extra days on your visa, because weather situation and traffic tend to be unpredictable. Be aware that some essential steps in getting permits and booking tickets can be done on Sakhalin only. Therefore, you will need good friends there, or rather ask travel support from a tour company. Although many travelers try to avoid hassle and go for all-included tours, some of the travel arrangements can be done on your own, which of course cuts the price substantially. Most travelers visit South Kurils that have fairly bad but at least regular connections to Sakhalin. Northern islands can be reached by occasional boats and helicopters from Kamchatka. The middle part of the ridge is uninhabited and basically unreachable, unless you own a boat, wings, or at least enjoy strong support from the Russian military who are the only people visiting this remote area....
Regions
Explore AreasThe original inhabitants of the Kuril Islands were the Ainu people, who also live on the Japanese island of Hokkaido, and the Russian island of Sakhalin. With the establishment of diplomatic relations…...
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
Be sure to eat seafood in the Kurils, as the fishing in this part of the North Pacific is considered some of the best in the world. You may well see this seafood available in expensive restaurants around the world offered at prices a hundred times what it will cost to enjoy it here. This is not a very big problem as not much crime happens around there.
Language & Talk
As with the rest of Russia, Russian is the predominant language. Ainu was the historical language of the islands, but the local Ainu have been thoroughly assimmilated into the ethnic Russian majority, and the Ainu language is now extinct in the Kuril Islands. Traveling to the Kuril Islands is notoriously difficult. Always plan your trip in advance and make sure that you have at least few extra days on your visa, because weather situation and traffic tend to be unpredictable. Be aware that some essential steps in getting permits and booking tickets can be done on Sakhalin only. Therefore, you will need good friends there, or rather ask travel support from a tour company.
Safety Information
Safety Overview
This is not a very big problem as not much crime happens around there.
Glimpses of Kuril Islands
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Coast near volcano Bohdan Khmelnytsky
Coast near volcano Bohdan Khmelnytsky
Coast near volcano Bohdan Khmelnytsky
Coast near volcano Bohdan Khmelnytsky
Rocks in foggy weather near volcano Bohdan Khmelnytsky
Jumping dolphin near the coast of Iturup island
Sunset
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Coast near volcano Bohdan Khmelnytsky
Coast near volcano Bohdan Khmelnytsky
Coast near volcano Bohdan Khmelnytsky
Coast near volcano Bohdan Khmelnytsky