Kuril Islands and Turup. Travel to the Kuril Islands and the island of Iturup. Island inhabitants and settlements

Volcanoes, boiling rivers, fumarole fields, the Pacific Ocean and salmon - you can endlessly list the “tricks” of the largest island of the Kuril ridge, just as you can endlessly admire its sunsets in shades of cinnabar. However, sitting and dreaming about what you can easily see is just wasting your time. Today it’s easier, more accessible and faster to fly in and see everything with your own eyes. The editors of the news agency Sakh.com sent a correspondent to the largest island of the Kuril ridge - Iturup, but this time not in order to “fall on the tail” of Russian ministers or Sakhalin officials, but in order to plunge into the tourist delights of Iturup.

Volcanoes in the city

The tour program under the relaxing title “Relaxation at Iturupa Hot Springs”, compiled by a neophyte of the tourism business - JSC Gidrostroy, is designed for 4 days and 3 nights. If you believe the daily schedule, which I quickly studied on the plane, then water treatments are an integral part of the trip. They become the frame of the tour. An excellent solution for people with a busy work schedule.

A little over an hour in the air between the two islands, and the landing gear is already caressing the strip of Iturup airport. I can’t count how many times I’ve been to the Kuril Islands in general and Iturup in particular. Journalists are constantly being thrown into different corners of the region. Although these visits take place in a hurry, as part of working trips of senior officials that affect social or industrial spheres. The focus is on new factories, houses, schools and kindergartens. Seeing the sights, stopping and enjoying the moment is rare luck.

After the plane lands and documents are checked by border guards, we set foot on the Kuril land and immediately fall into the caring hands of a tour operator.

And in clear weather, tourists are still greeted by the most important native and local historian of Iturup - the Bogdan Khmelnitsky volcano. The fact that Iturup is the most comfortable home for volcanoes is immediately clear. There are 20 of them on the island, and 9 of them are operational. Bogdan Khmelnytsky, although not the tallest (second after Stockap), is definitely the most famous. He is the king among the Iturup volcanoes. This silent observer is visible from almost anywhere on the island. Especially from the bus windows. In some places, gray streaks are visible on his green hair: on Khmelnitsky, comfortably wrapped in folds, there is still snow.

On the horizon, an asphalt snake, bending the white spine of the markings, rests on the horizon. A boy, in the rays of the setting sun, takes off on a swing near a neat two-story building. There are no high-rise buildings on Iturup, as on all the Kuril Islands. From here there are stunning panoramas. No man-made objects block the view. Wherever you look, the horizon is open. The eyes eagerly absorb the sea, volcanoes and sky. Meanwhile, Kitovy remained behind - Kurilsk was ahead.

My “colleagues” happily splashing in the springs of Iturup, a group of tourists from Sakhalin, are amazed at the cleanliness.

How we arrived abroad! - Sakhalin residents exclaim.

It seems their trust has already been won. The streets of Kurilsk are really very clean. But it is unclear whose merit this is - the residents who do not litter, or the new head of the district - a strong business executive who is massively purchasing municipal equipment for the island.

After hotel accommodation and a fish dinner, our motley group, who arrived to get to know Iturup, sets off for the first meeting, a sightseeing tour of its capital - Kurilsk. We board the bus and drive around the city. Sunday evening: Kurilsk is quiet, sunny and calm. Only a girl of about ten cuts the warm air with the peak of her cap. A Kuril woman riding a bicycle rushes past us several times. The bus "moors" at the "parking lot". A little further away you can see the famous tourist inscription “Kurilsk”, a favorite spot for selfies of all guests. We will go down to it later, but for now our guide leads us through the narrow streets. Tourists are like curious birds, ready to absorb impressions: they vigorously turn their heads to the sides, chatting admiringly.

The journey begins in the "old town". Conifers cast bizarre shadows on the facades of houses. There are wooden buildings all around from Soviet times, and there are also several cinder block buildings. One of them is the Church of the Epiphany, located on Kurilskaya Street. The building was originally erected as a local history museum, which was later moved, and the construction was transferred to the diocese. Japanese slabs remained on the church grounds. There is no opportunity to look at them up close; the temple is closed on weekends. We admire from the side. We photograph the graceful domes of the church, glistening gold in the sun. There are practically no Japanese buildings left on the island. Perhaps only a few buildings, one of them is the seismic station building in the upper part of the city.

We explore the nearest public gardens and monuments, and examine the new, not yet officially opened, pedestal erected in honor of the Great Victory. All this under the stories of the guide.

After a stone wall with the inscription “Kurilsk” and a visit to the observation deck in Kitov (it is especially popular with men who are in love with the sea), we again load onto the bus and head for Yankito Bay. Wander around the fish hatchery of the same name, which breeds salmon.

There are almost as many fish factories here as there are active volcanoes - 8, our guide jokes.

It’s worth mentioning separately about Gidrostroy’s guides. A year ago, the company decided to expand its scope of activity and, in addition to the successful fishing and construction niches, also develop tourism. The infrastructure for this is there, and so is the knowledge. In December 2015, JSC Gidrostroy entered the unified federal register of tour operators. After completing the paperwork, 13 people from the company’s employees were trained. They passed the exams and received conductor certificates. Everyone is a professional in their field: programmer, welder, driver or mechanic. And at the call of the soul - an amateur local historian, a professional tourist or simply a resident of Iturup.

Our guide on the first day is Alexey Fifilov. The programmer by training has been trying himself in this role for two months. On weekdays, the man works at Gidrostroy in his specialty; in his free time, the native Kuril resident leads excursions.

Almost a native,” Alexey corrects with a smile. “My parents brought me here when I was three years old. We came from Kharkov, my father was a military man and he was transferred to the Far East. Since childhood I have loved our nature, as long as I can remember I always went hiking. I won't brag, but I really know my region well. Been to five volcanoes. I know what you can eat here, what you can drink, where you can fish, what plants and berries you can pick, and what you shouldn’t even touch.

Our group, consisting mostly of women, admires us endlessly and without interruption. We have only been on the island for a couple of hours, and the flow of compliments to Iturup has not yet dried up.

Oh, how beautiful!

I already like everything.

What views!

Oh, look at all the dwarf trees there!

What a beautiful house!

What a fountain!

Fox! Who would have said that Iturup is like that!

The emerging sunset is reflected in the windows of the Gidrostroy guest house, built of natural wood. They say it's as good on the inside as it is on the outside. Aleksey, either jokingly or seriously, calls it a holiday home for Gidrostroy fish farmers. But in fact, this cottage accommodates VIP guests, offering personalized service and excellent service.

Nearby there is a gazebo for tea ceremonies, “sunk” in the water. A landscape designer clearly worked on the lawns. The views are completely European. And Khmelnitsky is right there.

I want to live here! - fellow travelers exclaim.

We didn’t expect to see this on Iturup. In Kunashir there is also delight, but here it is different,” the women voice their impressions.

Total admiration for the local nature is the norm, confirms Alexey. Few tourists manage to fly to Iturup and not choke with delight. The island bathes guests in healing springs, and guests bathe the island in compliments.

A little south of Yanquito lies a lava plateau. Here our Sakhalin group is being overtaken by tourists from St. Petersburg, who dreamed of seeing the Kuril Islands and arrived on the next flight after us. A noisy group of adults and one child joins the ranks. We overcome the quarry, walk through tall grass to reach a pointed outline - lava rocks.

Backlight enhances the impression of encountering bizarrely frozen volcanic lava. We hang out on a natural “platform”, take pictures, trying to remember the moment. Meanwhile, the Kuril sunset appears in all its realistic power. The water “blazes”, the space is wrapped in a shawl of warm colors.

I just want to look at the orange sun, tired during the day, lazily sliding into the water, at the washed clear moon (“Growing!” - exclaim fellow countrymen. - “This is for money!” And they carry out a simple ritual: they take out a large bill from their wallet and wave it in front of their “nose” "moon), to the water ripples of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, to the endless horizon with fat herds of seals "grazing" somewhere there. At some point in this meditation, local fishermen will definitely swim past, important seagulls will fly by, a fox will slip through the thickets of wildflowers, every evening waiting for tourists.

It seems that the bag of impressions is full. But when the evening finally transformed into night, the bus stops at the famous “Baths” - the complex is located a quarter of an hour (this is if on foot) or 5 minutes (by car) from the Iturup hotel.

An open-air spa is the last point in a day scorching with impressions. After contrasting water treatments (here anyone can choose a bath according to temperature) - drink herbal tea with lingonberries. Right under the starry sky.

White rocks, black sand, bear tracks and pumice

Having met for breakfast on the second day, the Sakhalin residents agreed: we have been on Iturup for a week. Although, in fact, it was the first full day (yesterday’s actual day does not count - we arrived on the island at six in the evening). But the feeling of saturation deceived the brain, accustomed to routine: the number of impressions per square meter in a couple of hours of the past day was too great. Or does flying provide such a fantastic zeroing out and abstraction from everyday life?

Although, it would seem that, apart from volcanoes, Sakhalin residents have not seen anything on Iturup? The same sea, the same hills, the same grass. But no - something special hung in the air and atmosphere. And this something throws handfuls of energy into travelers, giving strength for many hours of walks, generously pouring out curiosity that awakens to everything around: to remember everything, to learn every blade of grass and to photograph every volcano. In rare free moments, between breakfast and departure to distant places, Sakhalin residents call home and share their impressions with their relatives by phone.

Lots of impressions! - they shout joyfully into the phone. The connection keeps breaking down. - Later, everything later. The program is intense, everything is great!

It is worth noting that the tour program is being adjusted taking into account the wishes of the tourists themselves and with a special nod to the changeable weather. In any case, these changes do not affect the fullness of the days. The company tries to provide for every little detail - from boots that guides take for guests on particularly wet days, to towels for baths and a daily supply of water. Bottles of mineral water are given to each tourist before loading them into the shift vehicle or bus.

Guests of the Iturup Hotel can rent bicycles on which they can move around Kurilsk in their free time from the tour. However, here’s the catch - it will be difficult to find even a couple of hours to “turn the pedals” in a busy program. You will have to choose: either admire the breathtaking views, or stay in the city.

Meanwhile, the hero among SUVs and the most popular tourist transport, both in Kamchatka and the Kuril Islands - a shift vehicle - had already arrived at the hotel. Her insides are noticeably wet.

Gradually you get used to the dampness, you sniff the unusual smell and put up with it - under the rumbling of the shift, you fall into a half-asleep. You can hear the conversations of fellow travelers and guides, who jump from topic to topic: they either discuss the development of the Kuril Islands, or talk about the undeniable advantages of the appearance of asphalt, or joke about bears.

The farewell to progressive Kurilsk is felt immediately - the watershed is precisely the edge of the asphalt. The hard surface ends immediately at the entrance to the fishing village of Reidovo. We disembark to admire Oley Bay from the cliffs and take a couple of dozen pictures.

It’s sunny, there’s an excellent view, including of the plant, where a patriotic banner hangs: “The Kuril Islands are Russian land.”

Conversations about the ownership of the Kuril Islands are gaining new momentum. In general, the Japanese question comes up little by little whenever travelers’ eyes land on something especially beautiful. And nothing can be done about it - apparently, patriotism and love for our native land awaken in us only under the pressure of beauty.

We ourselves need such views! - a weighty argument flies over the bay.

On the second day, we not only changed the bus to a shift bus, but also changed the conductor. Today we are accompanied as a guide by Andrey Magritsky, a driver at Gidrostroy and an expert on interesting places. Andrey sailed to the island in 1994 from Vladivostok following his future wife, a native Kuril woman. A typical story: we expected to stay for a year, but 22 years have already passed.

The sun burns mercilessly through the windows of the shift vehicle. There was no trace left of the dampness. We make our way parallel to the seashore through tall grass, the shift rumbles, rolls from side to side, passengers jump on every bump and beg for mercy - a breath of fresh air in such heat would be nice. But of course there is no air conditioning in such vehicles.

Andrey steadfastly bears our saddened, stuffy faces and cheers us up with stories about a place with Martian landscapes that we are about to arrive at. The Gidrostroy shift, like the space Voyager, steadfastly heads for the White Rocks. According to scientists, this natural massif consists of volcanic glass, which was once formed under the influence of eruptions. Essentially, the White Rocks are huge pumice stones. These white giants, creating an impressive landscape, stretch along the coast for 5 kilometers. It is unlikely that we will be able to walk along them all at once - although we tried. But not even a quarter passed.

The rocks' faithful neighbor and constant travel companion is the sandy shore. It is also special, double: black titanium-magnetite and white quartz. This two-tone carpet is strewn with pieces of pumice like precious stones, which thrifty tourists collect in their backpacks as functional cosmetic souvenirs.

The Sea of ​​Okhotsk, conspiring with the beauty around it, mimics and takes on a special turquoise hue. Along with snow-white sand and canyons, overhanging ledges of pumice, you don’t immediately understand where you are: at a resort in Israel, somewhere in Hokkaido (the phone “glues” such a geolocation to photographs) or in the Russian Kuril Islands. In addition to pumice stones and pumice stones on the sand (which also joyfully exhibits its magnetic properties, just place something iron near it), on the shore there are clear, well-printed and quite convincing traces of bear paws. But the ephemeral clubfoot does not scare us or the “savages” - tourists who pitch their tents right on the shore. And although the beauty all around makes you forget about fear, nevertheless, everyone tries to avoid unexpected encounters with bears.

The hour-long walk ends with lunch on the shore overlooking the azure water. In the programs issued to tourists, snacks along the way are indicated by the phrase “packed rations.” But the rations are not dry, but very appetizing - carefully prepared, packaged and taken with you from the hotel cafe. Second, salad, tea and dessert. Water, of course, is with us. Any soup not eaten at lunch is served to everyone for dinner.

The impressions along with the food do not have time to be properly assimilated, and we go further - to the foot of the Baransky volcano to plunge into its beneficial sulfur baths. You need to prepare yourself in advance for the need to constantly make forced marches on foot. This includes taking care of comfortable shoes.

In our case, it is almost never possible to get from point A to point B directly. On the way we definitely stop at A1, A2, A3, and A4.

Along the way we visit a non-working geothermal power plant; right behind it lie bubbling and smoking fumarole fields. Fumaroles are cracks or holes that occur on the slopes and at the base of volcanoes. Gases are released from the holes, which, experts say, come straight from the magma. The release of volcanic gases through fumaroles, scientists say, indicates the transition of the volcano to an intermediate stage between eruptions or its final attenuation.

You won't see flowers in these fields. There is a persistent smell of hydrogen sulfide in the air, a scorching sun overhead, and hot earth underfoot. Steam with a temperature of one hundred degrees powerfully comes out of the ground. In addition to gases, clay has its own “monologue” in fumaroles. The bubbles collapse with a characteristic “gurgle”, as if soup were boiling in a saucepan.

Carefully, under the supervision of guides, we line up around the clay-sulfur floating hole. Andrey takes a stick and dips it into the fumarole. He takes it out, smeared with greasy gray “paint.”

No one can resist the mud and free spa treatments. Tourists thickly smear clay on their faces and burnt shoulders.

The most powerful lifting effect! - the ladies happily comment on the process of anointing. Men also join them. Out of ethnographic interest.

We want to try everything on Iturup! - St. Petersburg guys respond enthusiastically.

As a result, half of the shift crew, who have tested the healing properties of the clays, look like characters from the movie “Avatar”. Jokes about this do not subside until the Boiling River itself. Under mud masks, faces freeze, crusts dry out and begin to crumble. Tourists feel the open and renewed areas and share their impressions: “The softness of the skin is amazing.”

Baransky Volcano, which received its name in honor of the Soviet geographer who explored the Kuril Islands, is located in the central part of the island, but closer to the ocean side. Its slopes are famous for the abundance of mud and mineral springs. The volcano is relatively low - only 1132 meters, but quite hot. The last time Thunderer erupted was in 1951.

On the way to the foot we make several stops at convenient sites, looking at the landscapes and photographing the landscapes.

Finally we go out, and the manager of the Gidrostroy tourist-hotel complex, Marina Evgenova, leads us along rocky paths through the thickets directly to the Emerald Eye - a lake with a water temperature above 80 degrees. It is better not to jump into this alluring (the color of the water corresponds to the name) “eye” - you can get serious burns. But you can try cooking condensed milk for the sake of experiment. True, they say that the can instantly becomes covered with rust. Better yet, just walk along the sour-water Boiling River. It starts right at the Emerald Eye and stretches for 4 kilometers. Gradually, the rapids and cascades descend lower, where they form the famous Baransky Baths, overgrown by Gidrostroy with houses, gazebos and barbecue areas. The thermal baths are our long-awaited pit stop. The water in the springs is so mineralized that the stones over which it flows take on the multicolored appearance of jewels. The temperature here is much lower - about 40 degrees. But it's still pretty hot. It’s impossible to sit quietly - the acidic water stings the skin. But the healing effect, Marina claims, after systematic dipping is obvious. More precisely, on parts of the body - many managed to cure various diseases of the joints and bones.

Pacific-faced killer whale

The trip to Kasatka Bay fell in heavy rain - a frightening storm warning came from Sakhalin. In fact, Iturup was plunged into a downpour for at least a day, changing directions under gusts of wind, but rather caressing and warm, almost mushroom-like.

However, the weather cannot stop tourists who are prepared for anything. After all, rocks, grottoes and caves are visible in both snow and rain. Experienced travelers took raincoats out of their backpacks, put on the boots provided, and after a hearty breakfast (by the way, every day, in addition to porridge or omelet, you can choose a sandwich with red caviar, and this pleasant option is all-season) loaded into the shift camp to meet face to face with the Pacific Ocean and absorb its energy into all cells of the body.

Kasatka Bay has two more equal names - Mirror Beach and Hitokappu Bay. Here, on the Pacific coast, there was a Japanese military base with an airfield. It was from here that on November 26, 1941, a powerful aircraft carrier squadron of the Land of the Rising Sun set out to defeat the American military base at Pearl Harbor. This is why men like to come to the bay. Their interest is fueled by the remains of Japanese fortifications from World War II, which are located on Cape Tonnelny. Its slopes are “corroded” by numerous underground passages. One of the “premises” was popularly called the “hospital” - according to legend, in this cavity the Japanese had a laboratory in which they worked on the creation of bacteriological weapons.

But it’s not only the caves that attract tourists. First of all, everyone is attracted by the Pacific Ocean and the landscape that nature paints around it: at low tide, the sand remains covered with a thin layer of water and merges with the sky. The coast becomes mirrored, like in Tarkovsky’s films. One element merges with another, forming outer space.

Although the day was gloomy, it was so impressive that the camera stopped working a couple of times, and the phone’s memory always reminded me that there was practically no room.

In general, the start of a new field of activity - tourism - in the company was given on January 4, 2016, when licensing was passed. That’s when the first tourists arrived in winter: parents with two children. Muscovites who came to work on Sakhalin wanted to explore the region and flew to the Kuril Islands.

They were our pioneers. This was the precedent - in winter, so that tourists would come to the Kuril Islands! But they left with happy faces,” says Marina Evgenova, manager of the tourist and hotel complex JSC Gidrostroy. “But the effect is the same as in the summer, because the winter here is wonderful. There is no particular cold, there is a lot of snow, and it is clean - skis, snowmobiles, snowshoes. All the objects that we can now inspect in the summer are accessible in the winter. With the exception of the White Rocks, there is no passage to them in winter. Well, of course, we cannot exclude winter disasters - “not gods”, blizzards, like everywhere else, bring their “portion of pepper” to access to objects, but this is still more likely the exception than the rule, and therefore in downpours, Even in the snow, tourists come with us and get impressions, and, according to their reviews, they are positive.

Since then people started coming. Since the start of work, about two hundred tourists have been received. In general, they started calling in December, says Marina Evgenova. From everywhere - both abroad and from Russia - the head of the company's tourism department then received about 300 calls. But, of course, only a few dared to conduct reconnaissance in force.

Of course, tourists were taken to Iturup before us. But all this was local, private - people were met by self-appointed guides who do not have the right to engage in such activities and do not bear any responsibility in the event of an emergency. Everything is official with us, we insure everyone, we monitor everyone. People are looking for guarantees, conditions, infrastructure, we can provide this, but private owners do not always,” argues Marina Evgenova. - We have specially certified our employee guides. In May, teachers from the Sports Tourism Federation came. They appreciated our guides. Everyone has a certificate of the first category of route complexity: some are on foot, some are auto-moto, each has their own direction. Tour programs are in the testing stage, we are constantly improving them, looking at what guests like and what doesn’t. We tried volcano climbing for trained groups, and halibut fishing for special enthusiasts. We will continue to develop.

Museum, caviar and waterfalls

It will rain in the morning - echoes of yesterday's cyclone. We exchange our shift for a bus and first of all go to the local history museum, located on the ground floor of the newly built center. The neighborhood is entirely cultural - in the same building there is a House of Culture, a library and a swimming pool.

The exhibition is small, like the museum itself - everything fits into one spacious room. The guide begins with geology and geography, continues the story with flora and fauna, and talks about the population, development and myths associated with the island or its name. The museum is sure: Iturup, translated from Ainu, is not a fish island or a salmon island, but a land of capes.

The St. Petersburg part of our team is interested in everything. The guys flew from the other end of the country on purpose. To see the Kuril Islands. The first site at Iturup's request was the site of the company "Gidrostroy".

For 40 minutes we “hang” over a documentary film by a Sakhalin author about the four Kuril islands: Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Urup. The screen was hung in the stairwell, tourists sit on special cushions that normally decorate the wall, right on the steps. There is little space, but the space is organized quite reasonably.

The schedule is messed up - before departure we need to warm up in the baths! And before them, stop by the plant in Reidovo and look at the waterfalls.

The excursion around the fishing mecca did not work out - tourists admired the sterile workshops through the glass, content with the guide’s explanations and finishing drawing how the plant purrs and processes tons of fish when it is working at full capacity. Our group was unlucky - the workshops were empty, we found ourselves during a break, when the processors were waiting for a new batch. Therefore, the tour of the factory was more of a practical gastronomic nature than informational - tourists could buy a couple of jars of caviar. A product of such quality and taste is quite difficult to find on Sakhalin, and even more so on the mainland.

The disorder was fleeting. Tourists were drawn further, beyond the territory of the plant to Olya Bay, where there was a wall of waterfalls.

The path ran through a rocky shore. The sky frowned - clouds hung over Iturup. But no, no, a piece of a smile peeks through - a blue space. The waves add severity and drama - they roll noisily onto the boulders. You have to walk more than a kilometer. Here and there we use acrobatic skills - we jump on wet stones, choosing drier places. Folds of hills, gathered like an accordion, trees bent by the winds and wildflowers flash on the sides as we make our way to the goal.

The group stretched out along the shore in a ragged chain. Everyone remains silent, which is occasionally broken by the clicks of cameras and gusts of wind. A haze of sadness enveloped the travelers - no one wants to part with Iturup. In four days, everyone mentally became fused with this island.

Finally we approach the wall, which stretches about 50 meters deep. The cascade of waterfalls, our guide claims, is man-made. It was once hollowed out of the rocks. Fresh water, which can even be drunk, descends from the volcano, forming a boil of life. On one side there is a wall of waterfalls, on the other there is a cliff and the sea. The group takes a certain number of photographs, exchanges phrases and silently sets off on the way back. Some people rush to take a dip in the relaxing “Baths” in front of the airport, while others go to a store selling postcards with views of Iturup and magnets.

At the end of the four-day tour, each of us acquires new skills: we learn to overcome the steps of shifts of various modifications with graceful grace, read volcanoes by their “caps,” understand sand and pumice, and distinguish a well-fed seagull from a hungry one with just a few notes.

Oddly enough, the dotted connection with Sakhalin is also beneficial to the general situation. There is Internet on Iturup, but it is only as weak as a person who is not used to doing without it. This information detox places different accents in the mind. It seems that everything on Iturup is so simple and clear that you definitely want to stay here: build a house, learn how to bake bread, fish and endlessly admire the sunsets.

Travel to Iturup with a visit to several more Kuril Islands - an interesting, varied eighteen-day trip.

Price of trip to Iturup and time

• TIME DIFFERENCE – +7 hours.
• WHEN TO GO TO ITURUP -
• HOW TO GET TO KURIL - PRICE - to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk from Moscow: plane - from 23,000 RUR. Tour of the Kuril Island Iturup along this route from the city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk - from 55,000 RUR.
• TRANSPORT — You can visit the Kuril Islands only by purchasing a tour. In this case, you will not need to worry about transport to the islands.
• ISLAND WEATHER - The average temperature in June on the island of Iturup does not rise above +10 °C. The weather will constantly make adjustments to your trip. Ferry to the islands may be canceled due to bad weather.
• DURATION – 18 days
• ACCOMMODATION ON ITURUP - Accommodation in hotels on the island of Iturup is included in the price of the entire tour. If necessary, overnight accommodation is provided in camp tents. In the city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, the cost of hotel rooms: s/d - from 1550/2200 RUR. Advance booking, especially during the summer months, is strongly recommended.

Location: Sakhalin region, South Kuril district.

Iturup Island is one of the largest islands of the Kuril ridge, stretching 200 km from south to north, and its width does not exceed 27 km. The area of ​​the island is 3200 sq. km, the terrain is mostly mountainous. The island is home to a large number of volcanoes, waterfalls, geysers, lakes and hot springs. For lovers of natural beauty and hiking, Iturup is a real find.

Volcanoes

The island has a large number of volcanic massifs that have excellent access for tourists. There are a total of 9 active volcanoes on the island, the highest of which is called Stokap (1634 m), the smallest with the name Younger Brother is only 562 meters high.

The most interesting to visit is the Baransky Volcano. At the foot of the volcano there are a large number of thermal and mud springs in which you can swim and this has an excellent healing effect for the body.

For a non-peak sunrise, the Khmelnitsky volcano is best suited. It has fairly gentle slopes that are easy to climb, and a fairly high altitude - 1585 meters above sea level. It is the second highest volcano of Iturupa. However, the highest volcano, Stokap, is also relatively easy to climb and there are all possibilities for conquering the highest point of the island.

Waterfalls

The island has a predominantly mountainous terrain, and naturally a large number of rivers form many waterfalls. The most famous of these is the Ilya Muromets waterfall, the tallest vertically falling waterfall in Russia. A large number of waterfalls are located on hiking trails and access to them is very good.

Coast

Iturup is an island, and the long coastline in some places forms stunningly beautiful reliefs. Most of the coastline also has hilly terrain, sometimes turning into beaches and flat surfaces, and such diversity creates a wide variety of landscapes.

There are regular tours to the bays and beaches; if you wish, you can even swim, but the water will be cold and even in the warmest time of the year it rarely rises above 15-16 degrees. But setting up a camp and staying with tents will not be difficult due to the large area of ​​the coast and the small number of tourists.

Also on the island there are a large number of beautiful small lakes, rivers, simply beautiful mountainous areas and valleys. It is not for nothing that Iturup is called the pearl of the Kuril Islands; it is one of the best places in Russia to relax from the bustle and noise of the city, however, the huge distance from the central part of Russia makes this place poorly visited by tourists and mainly tourists come here from Primorye. In the future, the state program for economic development of this region plans to improve the accessibility of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands, and perhaps then visiting these wonderful places will become much easier.

Tourism

Tourism on the island is quite well developed. For the most part, companies and private individuals offer excursion trips for different categories of tourists, from the most prepared to beginners. Due to the remoteness of these places, as well as poorly developed infrastructure, it is not recommended to go here as a wild person for the first time; it is better to play it safe and hire a guide, or at least get good advice.

Despite the huge number of tourist tours, they mainly relate to active recreation: hiking, climbing, rafting. The infrastructure on the island is relatively poorly developed and there are practically no recreation centers. You will only have to live in tents or book a tour in advance where you will be provided with accommodation.

Iturup is an island in the southern group of the Great Kuril Islands, the largest island of the archipelago. Separated by the Frisa Strait from the island of Urup, located 40 km to the northeast; Catherine Strait - from Kunashir Island, located 22 km to the southwest. According to the administrative-territorial structure of Russia, it is part of the Kuril urban district of the Sakhalin region. Population, as of 2018 - 6409 people. The island's climate is generally classified as temperate maritime.

The island stretches from northeast to southwest for 200 km, width from 7 to 27 km. Area - 3174.71 km2. The length of the coastline reaches 581.9 km. Consists of volcanic massifs and mountain ranges. There are 20 volcanoes on the island, nine of which are active. There are many waterfalls on the island, including one of the highest in Russia - the Ilya Muromets waterfall with a height of 141 m, located on the Medvezhy Peninsula; lakes, hot and mineral springs. At the entrance to the Lion's Mouth Bay there is the island of Stone-Lev, 182 meters high.

Most of the territory is covered with coniferous forests. 872 species of vascular plants were recorded on the island. In the south of the island there are broad-leaved species and several species of woody vines. Thickets of Kuril sasa are developed. In the north of the island, which has a harsher climate, various species of shrubby willows and birches grow. In the south of the island there is the Ostrovnoy state nature reserve.

There are many brown bears in the north. A feature of the fauna is the disharmony of the theriofauna, that is, a pronounced predominance of predatory mammals. The ratio of predators to potential land prey here reaches 1:1. As a result, predators are forced to diversify their diet with seafood and seabirds, which is one of the features of their diet in the Kuril Islands in general.

Air traffic is carried out through the Burevestnik airfield, owned by the Russian Ministry of Defense. Sea communication, passenger and cargo, is carried out through the motor ship “Igor Farkhutdinov”. In September 2014, the civil airport “Iturup” was opened on the island. The indigenous population of the island is the Ainu. Currently, some have been completely assimilated, while others were repatriated to Japan as subjects of the former Japanese Empire along with ethnic Japanese in the period from 1947 to 1949.

In the central part of the island, on the shores of the Kuril Bay of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, the city of Kurilsk is located - the administrative center of the region and the only urban settlement of the island. Rural settlements: Reidovo, Kitovoe, Rybaki, Goryachiye Klyuchi, Burevestnik, Shumi-Gorodok, Gornoe. On Iturup there is a deposit of rhenium, as well as native sulfur. The island's ownership is disputed by Japan, which considers its territory to be part of the Nemuro subprefecture of Hokkaido Prefecture.

Iturup(Ain. Etorop, Japanese 択捉島 Etorofu) is an island in the southern group of the Great Kuril Islands, the largest island of the archipelago. According to the administrative-territorial structure of Russia, it is part of the Kuril urban district of the Sakhalin region. The island's ownership is disputed by Japan, which considers its territory to be part of the Nemuro subprefecture of Hokkaido Prefecture. According to the most common version, the name of the island of Iturup goes back to the word “etorop”, which translated from the Ainu language means “jellyfish”.

The island stretches from northeast to southwest for 200 km, width from 7 to 27 km. Area - 3200 km². Consists of volcanic massifs and mountain ranges. There are 20 volcanoes on the island, nine of which are active: Kudryavy (986 m), Lesser Brother (562 m), Chirip (1589 m), Bogdan Khmelnitsky (1585 m), Baransky (1134 m), Ivan the Terrible (1159 m) , Stokap (1634 m), Atsonupuri (1205 m), Berutarube (1223 m). There are many waterfalls on the island, including one of the highest in Russia - the Ilya Muromets waterfall (141 m), located on the Medvezhy Peninsula; lakes, hot and mineral springs.

Iturup is separated by the Frisa Strait from the island of Urup, located 40 km to the northeast; Catherine Strait - from Kunashir Island, located 22 km to the southwest.

Included by Russia in the Kuril urban district of the Sakhalin region. Japan considers the island part of Nemuro County, Hokkaido Prefecture.

The Iturup river network has a pronounced mountain character. Rivers and streams are mostly short. The longest river on the island, Kuibyshevka, is 24 km long, the Slavnaya River is 22 km long. There are several large lakes, one of which, Krasivoe, is the largest spawning ground for sockeye salmon.

In the central part of the island, on the shores of the Kuril Bay of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, the city of Kurilsk is located - the administrative center of the region and the only urban settlement of the island. Rural settlements: Reidovo, Kitovoe, Rybaki, Goryachiye Klyuchi, Burevestnik, Shumi-Gorodok, Gornoe. Non-residential settlements: Active, Slavnoe, September, Vetrovoe, Zharkie Vody, Pioneer, Yodnaya, Lesozavodskoe, Berezovka.

Story

By 1786, three Russians and several Ainu from Urup who joined them founded a small settlement on the southwestern coast of Iturup. In 1798, Honda Toshiaki called on the Japanese government to actively colonize the north. As a result, a Japanese military detachment led by the official Morishige Kondo lands on the island, destroys all traces of Russian presence on Iturup, and also erects a pillar on Rtkopu Hill with the inscription: “Etorofu - the possession of great Japan.” In 1799, the Japanese military founded 2 camps on Iturup: one of them existed in the area of ​​the modern Good Beginning Bay (Naibo), and the other near the modern city of Kurilsk (Syana).

The Russian flag on the island was first raised by N.A. Khvostov and G.I. Davydov in 1807. However, in 1855 the island was ceded to Japan, which controlled it until 1945.

The indigenous population of the island is the Ainu. Currently, some have been completely assimilated, while others were repatriated to Japan as subjects of the former Japanese Empire along with ethnic Japanese in the period from 1947 to 1949.

During the period under the jurisdiction of Japan, the island was sparsely populated due to the harsh climate (according to 1943, about 10,000 inhabitants lived in 16 settlements on Iturup Island). The proximity of the Kuril ridge to the Japanese Islands implied relations with the local population and joint use of territories. At the same time, Japan’s policy of self-isolation with a clear delineation of the state’s borders casts doubt on the recognition of the Kuril chain as the ancestral territory of Japan.

The first in the history of Russian-Japanese relations was the so-called Shimoda Treaty, concluded in 1855, according to which Japan’s possessions over the Kuril Islands were limited in the north by the strait north of Iturup Island. Sakhalin Island was left in joint possession of the contracting parties.

The provisions of this treaty were amended by the St. Petersburg Treaty of May 7 (April 25), 1875. According to this treaty, Russia received all of Sakhalin in exchange for the transfer of all 18 islands of the Kuril chain to Japan

After Russia's defeat in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, the Portsmouth Peace Treaty was signed, according to which Southern Sakhalin (called Karafuto on Soviet maps) became the property of Japan. The Treaty of Portsmouth did not change the provisions of the St. Petersburg Treaty regarding Russia's consent to recognize Japan's jurisdiction over all of the Kuril Islands. When establishing diplomatic relations with Japan in 1925, the Soviet government also did not question Japan’s rights to all the Kuril Islands. Since then, no new agreements have been reached between states regarding the ownership of Iturup, as well as all the islands of the Kuril chain, to Japan.

On November 26, 1941, it was in the harbor on the Pacific coast of Iturup Island (Hitokappu Bay, now Kasatka Bay) that the Japanese carrier squadron and escort ships rendezvoused to strike Pearl Harbor. Here the ship crews first learned about the purpose of the campaign, which delighted them, and they spontaneously began uncontrolled shooting at the island. The island also housed a Japanese military airfield, the remains of which still exist today. The transition of the island to the control of the USSR took place without serious hostilities.

Iturup’s annexation to the Soviet Union occurred as a result of the Kuril landing operation, carried out jointly with the troops of the 2nd and then the 1st Far Eastern Fronts from August 18 to September 2, 1945 (the operation began three days after the announcement of Japan’s surrender Emperor Hirohito).

In 1968, over the Kuril Islands, an American Douglas DC-8 aircraft with 214 American soldiers transported from Seattle to Japan for the war in Vietnam was intercepted and forced to land at the Burevestnik military airfield (a former Japanese military airfield during World War II) - American DC Incident -8 (1968).

Currently, the Japanese side constantly returns to the problem of the “Northern Territories” (the islands of Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan, the Habomai group of islands), insisting on their transfer to its jurisdiction. The lack of visible progress on this issue is preventing the conclusion of a peace treaty between the countries.