Witness for yourself this unique part of the Russian Far East with its stunning volcanoes and extensive diversity of birds and other wildlife. Travel from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk on Sakhalin Island, north through the Kuril Islands to the Kamchatka Peninsula and the Commander Islands, finishing back on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy. Zodiac cruises and landings create a perfect opportunity to see and photograph a myriad of bird species such as Northern Fulmars, Horned and Tufted Puffins, Common, Brunnich’s and Pigeon Guillemots, Crested and Rhinoceros Auklets, kittiwakes, cormorants and the Steller’s Sea Eagle. Other wildlife includes Kamchatka Brown Bear, Arctic Foxes, Harbour Seals, Steller Sea Lions, Northern Fur Seals and otters as well as numerous cetaceans.

Our first destination is the Kuril Island chain, made up of 32 volcanic islands (many of them still active). Stretching like a string of pearls between Russia and Japan, these islands are a well known migratory path for species breeding in the Arctic. We will meet the local people on the larger of the Kuril Islands, where generations have made their living from the sea. North to the Kamchatka Peninsula, a land of beautiful bays and snow-capped volcanoes whose alpine meadows and lowland forests are home to a great variety of wildlife, with huge bird colonies covering the numerous cliffs and large seal rookeries scattered along the coast. Finally the Commander Islands, rich in bird life and marine mammals these islands have an equally interesting human history. After two days exploring this fascinating area we return to the Kamchatka Peninsula to disembark at Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy in beautiful Avacha Bay.