Ship: Odyssey (ZE)
Itinerary: Northern Ring of Fire: Kuril Islands & Kamchatka
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Group of brown bears
cabins & deck plans | additional itineraries | cancellation policy | Testimonials
| Days | Dates | Deck + Cabin Type | ||||||
| Category 1/ A-Deck | Category 2/ Main | Category 3/ Main | Category 4/ Lido | Category 5/ Bridge | Category 6/ Balcony Suite | Owners Suite | ||
| 12 | Aug 9, 2010 | $8,580 | $9,180 | $9,780 | $10,380 | $10,980 | $11,580 | $13,980 |
| Destinations : Alaska, Asia, Europe, Japan, North America, Russia Activities : Cultural Activities, Nature Viewing, Photography |
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- All rates are quoted in USD and are based on double occupancy. Single rates may be available at 1.7 times the share rate.
Join the luxury expedition vessel Clipper Odyssey and cruise from Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula along the Kuril Island chain to Hokkaido, Japan. History of the Cold War and Arctic explorers comes to life as you trace the Ring of Fire through the North Pacific. Spectacular scenery and an incredible array of wildlife—whales, seals, otters, and thousands of seabirds await along the deserted coves and anchorages of this seldom visited region.
Day 1 : Arrive in Anchorage, Alaska
Independent arrival in Anchorage and transfer to your hotel. Introductions and a briefing before dinner; overnight at your hotel.
Day 2 : Anchorage / Cross International Date Line / Petropavlovsk, Russia / Embark Clipper Odyssey
After breakfast transfer to the airport for the morning flight to Petropavlovsk. Weather permitting the flight unveils spectacular views of the four active volcanoes that ring this picturesque city. On your way to Russia cross the International Date Line, losing a day, thus arrive on August 11.
Upon arrival, set out for an exploration of Petropavlovsk, one of the oldest towns in the Russian Far East. Vitus Bering arrived in Kamchatka and laid the first foundation stone in 1740 in this huge and well-sheltered harbor. Hospitable local guides bring us to the museum of ethnography and natural history, the gold-domed Orthodox cathedral, and the marketplace, where wolverine hats and fresh salmon are sold alongside electronics and imported fruit. Embark the Clipper Odyssey this evening and set sail southward along the magnificent Kamchatka Peninsula.
Day 3 : Kamchatka Peninsula / Russkaya Bay
A geologic wonderland, Kamchatka is home to 300 volcanoes that soar skyward. Some 29 of these are active, some producing steam, others bubbling lava, and a few issuing forth dramatic pyroclastic eruptions. This morning cruise the southern coast—a naturalist’s paradise—watching for seals, brown bears, and large colonies of slaty-backed gulls which breed here, and horned puffins winging overhead. In nearby Russkaya Bay spot evidence of the powers of Kamchatka’s volcanoes, such as lightweight pumice scattered on the shoreline. During a walk through a coastal forest—a birding highlight—you are likely to find such sought-after species as the Eurasian nutcracker, taiga flycatcher, and red-flanked bluetail. Continue down the eastern side of Kamchatka with binoculars at the ready as you watch for skittish Kamchatka brown bears along the shoreline and Steller’s sea eagles in the treetops.
Day 4 : Kuril Strait / Atlasova Island, Kuril Islands
On your way to Atlasova, cruise through the Kuril Strait where sea otters congregate by the hundreds—perhaps the highest density anywhere—and in this season pups are often spotted riding about on their mother’s upturned bellies.
Atlasova Island claims the highest peak of the Kurils; the spectacular Alaid Volcano rises nearly 8,000 feet from the sea. Steller’s sea lions haul out on the coastline and rosy finches are a common sight. Land on a sweeping black sand beach and set out to explore the shore and inland fresh water lake.
Day 5 : Paramushir Island / Onekotan Island
This morning anchor at Paramushir Island in Shelakova Bay, an old whaling station, and photograph the rusting hulls of old Russian whaling vessels. Scan the rugged and rocky ledges for seabirds while taking a shoreside walk with your naturalists. Small streams and waterfalls tumble down the hillsides to the beach; you may spy brown bears that forage for roots on the island’s hillsides.
On the volcanic island of Onekotan spy a WWII Japanese pill box and bunker before departing on walks along the coast. After crossing a river walk through tundra and rhododendrons keeping an eye out for red foxes, and myriad bird species, such as the red-throated pipit. Offshore it is possible to spot Dall’s porpoises and some of the six species of seals, including Steller’s sea lions.
Day 6 : Matua Island / Srednego Islands / Yankicha Island
This morning go ashore at Matua Island. During WWII the Japanese established an airfield here, targeted by the United States frequently in 1944, and during your landing and walks on the old roads, witness bunkers and the remains of equipment and artillery scattered about.
The rugged Srednego Islands are home to large populations of Steller’s sea lions and northern fur seals. During Zodiac cruises they can be seen frolicking in the waters around you or staking out their territory on rocky ledges.
In the evening arrive at Yankicha just in time to view whiskered auklets creating a virtual auklet haze as they return to their nests in spectacular swarms after feeding offshore in the mingling tides.
Day 7 : Yankicha Island / Shimushir Island
A sinking volcanic caldera at Yankicha Island offers access during high tide. Via Zodiacs enter the magnificent lagoon and witness the ongoing volcanic of sulfur fumaroles. The island’s rocky slopes are nesting grounds for crested auklets, and common and thick-billed murres make their home in the ledges of the vertical cliffs.
Heading south, Laysan albatross may be wheeling and banking effortlessly in your wake. From the deck closely study every seabird looking for the telltale bubblegum pink bill of the magnificent and extremely rare short-tailed albatross which had been hunted almost to extinction by plume hunters but whose population has begun to slowly and steadily increase.
Shimushir Island’s narrow crater pass opens into a nearly hidden harbor—Broutona Bay—home to a Soviet military base and 2,000 occupants from 1978 to 1991. Abandoned since 1997, there is a ghost town atmosphere to the empty buildings, workshops, vehicles, and even a school and playground.
Day 8 : Broutona Island
Take several Zodiac excursions today, visiting a series of small islands punctuated with caves and coves and populated with profuse wildlife and birds. Western Broutona is home to vast colonies of northern fulmars—nearly a million nest here—cormorants, puffins, black-legged kittiwakes, and guillemots.
Day 9 : Tyuleniy Island
A dizzying, sensational show of wildlife meets your landing site today. Tyuleniy means seal in Russian, and immediately understand why the island is so-named. Hundreds of northern fur seals and Steller’s sea lions cover the beaches, their calls piercing the air. See bulls defending their harems, males sparring, and pups and other seals cavorting in the water.
With naturalists by your side, observe the wildlife from some rough blinds built by Russian researchers. Birds fill whatever space the seals and sea lions leave unclaimed. Thousands of common murres and kittiwakes cover the cliffs and fly overhead. Other bird species include crested auklets, Siberian rubythroats, Pallas’ warblers, with possible sightings of red-necked stints and narcissus flycatchers.
Day 10 : Korsakov, Sakhalin Island / Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
Today set off for an overland visit to the island’s capital, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Founded as a small Russian settlement in the 1880s, the city became a Japanese prefect capital when the southern half of Sakhalin Island was declared a Japanese colony in 1905. After WWII it was returned to Russia. Highlights of your exploration include a visit to the local church with an opportunity to hear the traditional choir, and a visit to the Regional Museum, housed in an impressive former Japanese mansion.
Alternatively, join your ornithologist for a day of birding in the southern part of the island. Watch for Latham’s snipes, Eurasian bullfinches, and white-tailed sea eagles. Prized sightings may include the Siberian thrush, Swinhoe’s robin, and Siberian rubythroat.
Day 11 : At Sea / Otaru, Japan
Arrive in Otaru this afternoon and enjoy a tour of the historic and photogenic Canal Zone, including a visit to the Kitaichi Glass Factory. Created by a sea reclamation project in 1914, the canal is lined with the original stone shipping warehouses as well as more recent shops and restaurants. Once the capital of Hokkaido in Japan’s Meiji Period, Otaru was known as the “Sakhalin of Japan” for its busy maritime trade with Russia.
Birders set out from Otaru for an exploration of the surrounding foothills to search for special resident species such as Japanese pygmy-woodpecker and varied tit as well as migrants such as blue-and-white flycatcher lingering in the late summer Hokkaido forests.
Day 12 : Otaru / Disembark Clipper Odyssey / Sapporo
Today disembark the Clipper Odyssey and transfer to Sapporo airport for your flight homeward.
Ship Description: Odyssey (ZE)
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Odyssey
The Odyssey was built in 1989 in Tsu, Japan, by Japanese craftsmen to the design of a master Dutch yacht designer, Studio Acht, and is eminently suited for the year-round itineraries in the Pacific. These range from as far south as New Zealand and Australia's Great Barrier Reef, to as far north as Japan, the Kuril Islands, and the Russian Far East, including the Kamchatka Peninsula.
The Odyssey measures 340 feet long, 51 feet wide, and has a draft of 14 feet. Staterooms are all outside and average a generous 186 square feet in size, and are furnished with either twin or queen-size beds and a sitting area with a sofa. Each cabin features a spacious bathroom with tub baths and shower, individually controlled air-conditioning, in-room music system, ample wardrobe space, three-sided mirrors, personal safe, refrigerator, and television.
A fleet of Zodiac landing craft can be launched in minutes to take passengers ashore in places where no infrastructure exists. The vessel is equipped with state-of-the-art satellite navigation and communication equipment including telephone, fax, and email.
An outdoor swimming pool, dedicated jogging track, and two sun decks offer ample opportunities for outdoor recreation. Inside, the spacious public areas of the ship include two lounges, a small library, and a single seating dining room.
An experienced cruise staff, physician, and onboard lecturers accompany all voyages to enhance the passengers’ enjoyment of the places visited.
All meals are prepared to order on board. The ship's chefs, graduates of the finest American culinary schools, combine the highest quality American ingredients with the influences and spices of the places the Odyssey visits. The resulting "fusion cuisine" provides a taste of the destinations visited.
Category 1/ A-DeckA Deck, Outside Double Cabin with sitting area, portholes. Approx. 185 sqft |
Category 2/ MainForward Main Deck, Outside Double Cabin with sitting area and a window. Approx. 175 sqft |
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Category 3/ Main Main Deck, Outside Double Cabin with sitting area and a window. Approx. 175 sqft |
Category 4/ Lido Lido Deck, Outside Double Cabin with sitting area and a window. Approx. 175 sqft |
Category 5/ BridgeBridge Deck, Outside Double Cabin with sitting area and a window. Approx. 230 sqft |
Category 6/ Balcony SuiteBridge Deck, Outside Suite with private veranda. Approx. 230 sqft |
Owners SuiteBridge Deck, Outside Suite with separate bedroom and private veranda. Approx. 310 sqft |
