Russia Far East Cruise - Kamchatka, Kuril & Commander Islands

Journey to the most dramatic reaches of the Pacific and pristine oceanic Ring of Fire in the Russian Far East.

A once-in-a-lifetime Russia cruise in the spirit of the great explorers, embark on a Russia Far East Cruise of unparalleled adventure into the Pacific Ring of Fire. Here, Mother Nature still reigns supreme. Mighty volcanoes (mostly only half-asleep), cast their magnificent shadows across bizarre and beautiful landscapes.

Nowhere else on earth can the eruptive forces of nature be experienced more intensely than where the Pacific Ring of Fire meets the Russian Far East. Stretching for 50,000km around the Rim of the Pacific Ocean, most of the earth’s volcanoes are located around the edge of the Pacific Ring of Fire. Along with one of the world’s most active plate boundaries, millions of years of volcanic and geothermal activity have brought islands up from the sea and carved the land into the most unique and amazing shapes and formations.

Departing from Otaru in Japan, the Russian Far East Cruise will forge towards the absolute northern reaches of the Pacific, where few cruise ships have ventured before. Next, it's on to the volcanic archipelago of the Kuril Islands, whose forests and grasslands are home to brown bears and Arctic foxes and even a small community of hardy fisherfolk. Upwellings from the deep volcanic trenches surrounding the islands and the Kamchatkan coastline create perfect conditions for ocean-going wildlife. Not only will you witness incredible sightings of seabirds in astounding numbers in astounding numbers, but this cruise also provides exciting opportunities day after day to spot several species of whales and dolphins as well as otters, seals and sea lions. After the Kamchatka cruise, we head for the tundra-covered lands of the Commander Islands, home to massive colonies of seabirds.

Ring of Fire: Russian Far East Cruise Highlights:

Commander Islands Cruise: spend two days discovering the Commander Islands, following the footsteps of legendary Danish Commander Vitus Bering. The surrounding waters are home to at least 20 species of whales. Fin whales, sei whales and humpbacks are commonly spotted, and extremely rare sightings of Pacific Northern right whale have also been recorded. Along the shore, spot sea otters, northern fur seals and Stellar’s sea lions.
Despite their desolate appearance, one of the Commander Islands, Bering, is home to a single permanent settlement. Around 800 people, a mix of Russians and indigenous Aleuts inhabit Nikolskoye. We’ll drop in on this rarely-visited village, where the locals have established a museum on their national culture and natural history.
Kuril Islands cruise: There’s nothing quite like a visit to Sumushir Island in the middle of the Kuril Islands chain. The island wasn’t always uninhabited. From 1987 to 1994 the Soviets operated a top-secret submarine base in the island’s north - former population, 3,000. Now, the settlement lies completely abandoned. Russian military equipment rusts on the beach and there are few signs of life inside the eerily empty buildings.
They say Yanchika is the most visually stunning island in the Kurils. Dominated by a sinking caldera (volcanic crater), once you set foot on the island and make your way up the grass-covered exterior slopes, the view from the top reveals Yanchika’s extraordinary hidden beauty. The massive caldera is flooded with seawater, forming a vast, mesmerisingly calm blue lagoon. Yet Yanchinka is still very much active, with hot springs and fumaroles spewing steam near the edge of the barren caldera walls.
The wildlife watching opportunities on this cruise are world-class. Birders can attempt to cross off over 14 species, often in mindblowing density as we approach their nesting sites on rocky shorelines and in the nooks and ledges of sea cliffs. Set eyes on vast numbers of tufted and horned puffins, whiskered and rhinoceros auklets, spectacled and pigeon guillemots, Laysan albatross, mottled petrel and many others. Multiple species of cetaceans are guaranteed. Expect to spot fin, sei, sperm, humpback and minke whales as well as orca, Dall’s porpoise and on rare occasions, Baird’s beaked whale.

Although this wild and seemingly inhospitable region is best known for its incredible abundance of wildlife, the human history of the islands is a fascinating story in itself.

The Ainu people were the original settlers of the Kuril Islands. The 18th century saw the great Danish explorer, Vitus Bering, sailing for the Russian Navy, charting out the Commander and Kuril Islands in search of new territory. His arrival would eventually lead to the displacement of the Ainu by the Cossacks, and the beginning of a tense territorial dispute over the Kurils that is hotly debated to this day. At the height of the Cold War, the Soviet Empire laid claim to the entire region, basing its formidable Pacific Fleet in these waters.

The secrecy surrounding the fleet and its military bases was so closely guarded that the region was closed even to ordinary Russians. Only in the last few decades have outsiders been able to travel here relatively freely.

Undisturbed by political disputes raging over the Kurils, a population of Russian and Aleut (indigenous Alaskans, brought to the Commanders by Russian fur traders in the early 1800s) continued to eke out a simple existence, fishing and hunting on Bering, the largest of the two main Commander islands. A handful of their descendants still live there today. The islands were named after Commander Vitus Bering, who died on the island of his namesake when his shipwrecked in 1741.

Today, these isolated oceanic outposts are a testament to the bravery and resilience of the people who set out to explore this region and even make it their home.

So join us, as we go in search of the people, places, animals, stories and legends that make this part of the Pacific Ring of Fire so special. Get in touch, and experience a Russian Far East Cruise.