The distant and isolated Kuril Islands, a paradise of bird and marine wildlife, contain over 100 volcanos, 35 of which are still active. Begin your journey to Anchorage, cruise through the Bering Sea past the Aleutians to the Kamchtka Coast, through the Kuril Islands into Japan's northern islands of Hokkaido and Honshu, ending up in Kobe.
This is unparalleled exploration cruising along the Kamchatka coast, through the Kuril Islands, and into Japan’s northern islands of Hokkaido and Honshu. Enjoy dramatic scenery, and encounter the region’s ancient cultures and fascinating people whose lives are rarely touched by outsiders. Keep your binoculars handy for viewing unique wildlife and birds and adding to your lifelist. This itinerary offers opportunities to look for Asian Rosy-Finches, Peregrine Falcons, Slaty-backed Gulls, Common Murres, Black-legged Kittiwakes, Tufted Puffins, Northern Fulmars, Steller’s Sea-Eagles, and Harlequin Ducks.
Of special interest are the Red-faced Cormorant on Audubon’s Red Watch List and the Whiskered Auklet on Audubon’s Yellow Watch List.
The Kuril Islands are a chain of over 50 heavily-forested and volcanic islands – paradise for birdwatchers and twitchers. Once inhabited by the Ainu, who are thought to be descendants of migrating Mongolians, these islands are home to over 100 volcanoes, 35 of which are active. This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime voyage through some of the most unusual terrain on earth. Conclude your journey in Kobe, where the ancient melds with the modern in a juxtaposition of unique contrasts.
The Spirit of Oceanus and Zodiacs
The all-suite 114-guest Spirit of Oceanus, features spacious guest suites (many with private teak-floored balconies), outside viewing areas on four of the five guest-level decks, as well as a beautifully appointed dining room, library and lounges. Guests enjoy spacious walk-in closets or wardrobes, marble vanities, and deluxe sitting rooms in all suites. Oceangoing stabilizers open new horizons for up-close small-ship cruising.
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Anchorage, Alaska
As Alaska’s largest city, Anchorage is the hub of the state, supporting a vital business sector. An urban metropolis surrounded by wilderness, Anchorage provides all the amenities and conveniences of a large city, but leaves behind the normal congestion. Anchorage is the largest community in Alaska with 270,000 residents. The town was founded in 1914, and within one year, the Alaska Railroad made Anchorage its hub. In 1915, Anchorage became a tent city of 2,000 people following the ‘Great Anchorage Lot Sale.’ The land auction sold lots for an average of $225 each. The city of Anchorage became officially incorporated in 1920. Major military impact allowed for the growth of Anchorage between 1939 and 1957. Roads were built and airports were constructed, allowing for continual growth of the city, and the port of Anchorage was completed in the early 1960s. In 1964, the Good Friday Earthquake demolished a large part of the town. The quake registered 9.2 on the Richter Scale, killing 131 people. Downtown Anchorage and residential areas suffered massive land slide damage. During the 1970s, Anchorage experienced another major economic boom with the construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. The economy continues to thrive on natural resource production, along with finance and real estate, government agencies, tourism and transportation. Downtown Anchorage offers a variety of shops and enjoyable cafes and restaurants. You will enjoy your day of sightseeing, traveling south along the Turnagain Arm, a beautiful trip by motorcoach to view Cook Inlet, and looking for mountain goats along the Chugach Mountain Range. You will visit the Alyeska Resort and partake in a scenic tram ride to the summit. Later in the day you will travel northeast to the Alaska Native Heritage Center and have the wonderful opportunity to learn about the various native cultures in Alaska. Members of different tribes conduct education workshops, discussing their history, customs, and way of life.
Tokyo, Japan
When you’re overcome by the bewildering array of neon signs and the press of the crowd, you can retreat to quiet cobbled lands and sculpted gardens for the harmony and tranquility that the Japanese have prized for centuries. Over 12 million people which is 10% of Japan's population, live in the capital city, while about 33–36 million live in the surrounding area, making it the world’s most populated metropolitan area.
Atlasova Island
Atlasova is the northernmost island of the Kuril Islands, is uninhabited, and is made up of one giant volcano. The Atlasova volcano, also known as Alaid volcano, is 7,674 feet high, the highest point of the Kuril chain of volcanoes and one of the most active. Steam rises from the cloud-covered volcano most of the time.
Dutch Harbor, Alaska
One of the U.S.’s most productive commercial fishing ports, Unalaska’s Port of Dutch Harbor harvests phenomenal amounts of seafood from the Bering Sea and distributes it throughout the world. The Port of Dutch Harbor is located on Amaknak Island and is connected to Unalaska by a bridge.
Kushiro, Japan
This is the main port of Hokkaido and the island’s only ice-free port. It exports timber, fish and coal, being the center of the huge Kushiro coal field that extends well into the sea. Kushiro is important in the production of marine products, dairy products, lumber, paper, pulp, and fertilizer. The Kushiro Marsh Land National Park is the largest marsh-land in Japan.
Petropavlovsk, Russia
Situated on high hills and surrounded by volcanoes, the tallest buildings in Petropavlovsk are only 5 stories high. So mountainous is this area that the horizon cannot be seen clearly from any point in town. This city was founded by Vitus Bering in 1740 and is a great source of salmon and crab, with a large well-protected harbor.
Shimushir Island
A narrow passage leads into the caldera of Shimushir Island, which during the Cold War was home to a large Soviet naval base. Its hidden harbor hid fighter ships and submarines and from 1978 to 1991 supported around 2,000. Today the island is uninhabited with a ghost town of vehicles and equipment.
Skaly Lovushki Islands
Skaly Lovushki is made up of four small islets that are home to a rookery of northern fur seals, Steller’s sea lions, and numerous bird colonies such as the home of auklets, fork-tailed storm petrels.
Yankicha Island
Yankicha has an almost eerie landscape with a beautiful caldera surrounded by a high mountain ridge and full of bubbling, odorous sulfur springs. Ancient Ainus practiced shaman initiation rites here. Today this uninhabited and rarely visited island is home to Arctic foxes, harbor seals, and numerous birds including the whiskered auklet.
Day 1 - SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2008 (D)
HOME CITY TO ANCHORAGE
Upon arrival, transfer to the elegan Sheraton Anchorage Hotel overlooking Cook Inlet and the Chugach Mountains. Meet fellow travelers this evening at a welcome dinner.
Day 2 - SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 14 (B, D)
ANCHORAGE TO WHITTIER
After a hearty breakfast at the Sheraton and a morning tour of Anchorage, transfer to Whittier and set sail aboard the Spirit of Oceanus.
Day 3 - MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 (B, L, D)
KODIAK
One of the largest fishing ports in the nation, Kodiak (Alaska's "Emerald Isle") is famous for its lush, green summer months as well as for its abundance of brown bears. Enjoy tours of the Baranov Museum, the Alutiiq Museum and the Fish Tech Center
Day 4 - TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 (B, L, D)
SHUMAGIN ISLANDS
Abandoned in 1969, Unga Island is the largest of the Shumagin Islands. While humans are sparse, the island is home to rich vegetation and abundant wildlife, including Arctic fox, bald eagles, fur seals and tundra wildflowers.
Day 5 - WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 (B, L, D)
DUTCH HARBOR
The "Crossroads of the Aleutian Islands," Unalaska has undergone sweeping change in its thousands of years of human history. Learn about the days of Russian fur traders at the Museum of the Aleutians and explore the Russian church. Dutch Harbor, Unalaska's port city, is the only place in North America besides Pearl Harbor bombed by Japanese zeros during WWII. Explore bunkers, barracks and artifacts at the World War II Memorial Park.
Day 6 - THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 (B, L, D)
AT SEA
Bask in the amenities of the Spirit of Oceanus and enjoy a day at sea. Relax, watch for wildlife and listen to presentations by your team of onboard naturalists.
Day 7 - FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 (B, L, D)
KISKA ISLAND
Kiska, occupied by Japanese forces for over a year during WWII, boasts one of the finest well-preserved harbors in the Aleutians. Now uninhabited, the island has been declared a National Historic Landmark and is part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. Keep any eye out for large colonies of protected seabirds and marine mammals that make Kiska their home.
Day 8 - SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20 (B, L, D)
ATTU ISLAND
Attu is the most remote of the Aleutian Islands and therefore one of the most rarely visited regions in the United States. Pristine and peaceful, this bird-watcher's paradise, is home to hundreds of species, including the Brambling, Tufted Duck and Siberian Rubythroat.
Day 9 - SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 21/ MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 (B, L, D)
CROSS THE INTERNATIONAL DATE LINE/ BERING ISLAND
We lose a day as we cross the International Date Line. Pending permission from the Russian authorities, we'll anchor off of Bering Island, home to large populations of tufted puffins, Russian sea otters, Arctic Fox and northern fur seals.
Day 10 - TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 (B, L, D)
PETROPAVLOVSK
Perch high in the hills, Petropavlovsk was established in 1740 and remains one of the oldest settlements of the Russian Far East. With the Avacha and Koryak volcanos to the north and majestic Avacha Bay to the south, Petropavlovsk is surrounded by natural beauty. A city tour introduces you to this outpost of Russian culture, including one of the country's few surviving Lenin statues.
Day 11 - WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 (B, L, D)
ATLASOVA
Atlasova's black-sand beaches and 7,675-foot volcano - the highest in the Kurils - give the island a dramatic, mysterious appeal. Explore an abandoned prison for Russian women as well as lakes, scrub and hills of volcanic ash on a nature walk. Keep an eye out for Asian rosy finches, peregrines and gulls.
Day 12 - THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 (B, L, D)
SKALY LAVUSKI ISLANDS/YANKICHA ISLAND
Thousands of seabirds and hundreds of sea lions and fur seals greet us in a cacophonous welcome to Skaly Lavushki's pristine wilderness. Explore Yankicha Island's soaring mountain peaks and caldera of bubbling vents and hot springs - a breeding center for whiskered auklets.
Day 13 - FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26 (B, L, D)
BROUTANA BAY, SIMUSHIR
Simushir is a series of extinct volcanic edifices and partially submerged caldera. Broutana Bay was once used as a submarine base by the Soviet Navy. It was abandoned in 1994, but vehicles, equipment and other remains of the base are still easily visible.
Day 14 - SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27 (B, L, D)
KUNASHIR ISLAND
Day 15 - SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 (B, L, D)
KUSHIRO, JAPAN
Today we arrive in Japan for a visit to Kushiro Shitsugen National Park, home of Japan's sacred red-crowned cranes, the brown bear, Yezo deer and Sakhalin taimen, the most ancient species of salmon on Earth.
Day 16 - MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 (B, L, D)
MATSUSHIMA
Matsushima's spectacular bay features 250 tiny islands, or shima, blanketed in pines, or matsu - hence its name. A dramatic monument to natural forces, Matsushima has earned recognition as one of Japan's Nihon Sankei (Three Great Sights).
Day 17 - TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 (B, L, D)
AT SEA
Cruise the scenic coast of Honshu, the largest of Japan's islands, as we make our way south.
Day 18 - WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1 (B, L, D)
TOBA
Dating back to the 3rd century, Ise-jingu is Japan's most sacred Shinto shrine. From the port city of Toba we'll head inland to explore the shrine and its surrounding countryside of ancient forests of giant cryptomeria trees.
Day 19 - THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2 (B, D)
KOBE
Disembark in Kobe for a tour of Himeji (White Egret) Castle, Japan's most beautiful stronghold. Transfer to the Kobe Okura Hotel for an afternoon at leisure before a celebratory farewell dinner.
Day 20 - FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3 (B)
KOBE / HOME
Transfer to the Osaka Airport for your flight home.
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