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Outer Banks Fishing Charters

The Stormy Petrel II with Captain Brian Patteson is your best choice for enjoying the NC Outer Banks. We offer sportfishing, private and group charters and pelagic birdwatching cruises at Cape Hatteras, North Carolina 252-473-9163

Stormy Petrel II Fishing and Cruises Hatteras, NC

Stormy Petrel II is a uniquely different kind of charter boat serving our North Carolina sportfishing Mecca off Cape Hatteras. Our 61' Kennebunk East Coast built boat is licensed to carry large groups (including your entire family and friends together on the same trip). That's good news because no one wants to be left behind! With our 360 degree walk-around deck there is always plenty of room so that everyone onboard can fish and enjoy their best charter trip rather then having to alternate turns to catch a fish (like on other sportfishing charter boats).

We are fully rigged and ready to offer anglers a deep sea offshore (Gulf Stream) charter as well as near shore/inshore charters. Most all other Cape Hatteras charter boats have one set rate for a charter trip. They are legally only licensed for 6 passengers. Because we can take more passengers we are the best very affordably priced option so that you can include the entire family! Even with large groups of anglers on Stormy Petrel II, once the minimum has been met, we can price our rates per person like a headboat instead of per charter trip.

With Stormy Petrel your entire family or group can enjoy the thrills and excitement of the best sportfishing that the Outer Banks has to offer. The next time you are going to be visiting the Outer Banks and you are looking for a safe, secure and highly productive charter boat for your family and friends please keep Stormy Petrel II in mind. You just can't go wrong chartering our family friendly and big group friendly boat.

Stormy Petrel is also available for other unique chartering opportunities. For those folks that just want to experience the beauty of the ocean, we now offer various custom cruises and guided offshore bird watching charter trips. You can even request a combination of bird watching and sightseeing with just a little bit of fishing thrown in to spice up the experience. Call Capt. Brian and discuss any type charter trip you have in mind. Capt. Brian will be glad to make it happen for you.

Specializing in Groups

Don't forget the young anglers! The best way to teach your next lifelong fishing buddy is to start them off the right way. Our big boat has plenty of room for large groups like school, church, corporate and especially families. We offer private half and full day charters that are barely more expensive than crowded headboat fishing but so much more comfortable and successful. $900 for one to ten people and $100 more for each person over ten when you have 11 or more (20 max).

Cape Hatteras Fishing Reports

Check out our Facebook Page for our latest fishing reports and pictures.

Stormy Petrel II - Boat and Captain

Stormy petrel ii.

The Stormy Petrel II is a large 61 feet length overall. She was built in Kennebunk, Maine by Dwight Raymond in 1996. She has a USCG CoI (Certificate of Inspection for 44 passengers up to 100 nautical miles offshore) from Cape May, NJ to Cape Lookout, NC. In order to provide lots of elbow room for each angler we limit our offshore trips to 25 or less passengers during the warmer months and even fewer passengers during winter.

We have all of the required safety equipment and undergo annual inspections by the US Coast Guard. The hull of Stormy Petrel II is solid fiberglass. Her impressive power comes from two Cummins QSC Diesels - 500 hp each with a top speed of 22 knots. These modern engines were installed in the boat in 2017 and they are both quiet and clean burning, so diesel smoke is non-existent. For added safety our engines were recently overhauled after many years of trouble free operation.

Unlike most charter boats and headboats, Stormy Petrel II has a full 360 degree walk-around deck. We also offer shaded enclosed salon and two bathrooms right at deck level with standard household toilets (not camper style heads). There is an incredible amount of deck space, especially up front, so in addition to fishing she is ideal for 360 degree viewing on cruises and wildlife tours. Her stability while drifting in high seas is exceptional, such that we are able to operate safely and comfortably in sea conditions which would be miserable on most other fishing and tour boats.

Capt. Brian Patteson

Cape Hatteras Capt. Brian Patteson, owner/operator of Stormy Petrel II, has been a dedicated fisherman nearly all of his life and has fished professionally on the North Carolina Outer Banks since 1995. He started as a local Hatteras mate and has worked hard to achieve a USCG License of (Master to 100 Gross Tons). Brian is proud to have worked for and with many local Cape Hatteras fishing legends. His extensive knowledge of the species, seasons and methods used in our fertile Cape Hatteras waters makes Stormy Petrel II the perfect choice for your next fishing charter.

Capt. Patteson is also regarded very highly among local birding enthusiasts for his considerable knowledge about the oceanic seabirds and marine mammals of the Western North Atlantic. He has spent countless days since the late 1980's guiding enthusiasts on pelagic birding trips off Cape Hatteras. Most trips go to the Gulf Stream. Stormy Petrel II is equipped to handle any large group of birders and can help you expand your "life list" with several unexpected sightings.

Charter Types

Are you ready to experience the thrill of an OBX offshore sportfishing charter?

Gulf Stream Charters

Great way to spend a day out on the water and fill your freezer up with tasty fish!

Bottom Fishing

Perfect addition to any OBX vacation and a great way to get kids out on the water.

Near Shore Charters

Come aboard our boat and see the amazing ocean wildlife off the Outer Banks

Cruising/Seabirding

Charter Prices

Prices quoted are cash prices. This fee does not include a tip for the crew, 15-20% is standard for a job well done. Cancellation by the party within four weeks of departure date will only be refunded if a substitute party can be found for that date. Your deposit is fully refundable if the trip is canceled by the captain (weather or mechanical reasons) but to receive a refund your party must be present on the dock unless otherwise notified.

Boat Location

Our boat, the Stormy Petrel II is located on the Outer Banks in Hatteras Village at Hatteras Landing Marina. The marina is nestled beside the Hatteras Inlet Ferry docks and is tucked behind a large storefront with Kitty Hawk Kites and several other shops. Unlike the other charter boat docks in Hatteras you will NOT see our marina from the highway. To get to Hatteras Landing, take NC Hwy 12 south through Hatteras Village just past Teach's Lair Marina and turn right where you see a sign for the "Villas at Hatteras Landing." Proceed past the Villas and turn right by the trash dumpsters. Park where there is space on this side of the parking lot (between the dumpsters and the ATM machine) which is adjacent to the Ferry lot. Please do not park in the spaces closest to the "Black and White Tower" and storefronts. You will find the marina behind the complex. If you miss the turn at the Villas, turn right at the stoplight just ahead of the Ferry lot.

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Stormy Petrel: a man, a smack and 50 years of ownership. From CB278

She is one of our important boats as one of few remaining Whitstable oyster smacks and still sailed without an engine.

PHOTOS BY EMILY HARRIS. CLICK HERE TO SEE HER WEBSITE.

She was built in the north Kent harbour of Whitsable in 1890 by master shipwrights Dick and Charlie Perkins and fished until 1928. And for nearly 50 years she has belonged to Dick Norris, who keeps her on a swinging Medway mooring outside his house at Gillingham in Kent. CB joined Stormy Petrel for a day cruise in his home waters and to hear some of the smack’s 120-year history. Keeping a smack in working condition involves a good schedule of work, and now 77 (in 2013), Dick is starting to feel the weight of the upkeep, but he’s still sailing the boat, although only locally.

“When you take a boat like this away from here it’s like an alien thing, people don’t understand boats like this anymore,” he says, as we head out into the sunlit brown waters of the estuary. OK, so let’s see if we can explain a bit about her…

Stormy Petrel comes from an era when the Thames oyster was a celebrated delicacy, and no longer regarded simply as a food for poor people. Whitstable back then had become known as oyster town, after it was one of the earliest ports to become linked by railway – in 1830, with a service known as the Crab and Winkle Line, from Canterbury; later, in 1861, it was also linked to London.

Back then the sailing smacks were anchored off the beach, in just about all weathers, or could jostle into the newly built harbour to unload. They were crewed by three or four men and a skipper, and Stormy was owned and fished for her builders, the Perkins brothers. She would have used dredges for oysters in the summer and been used for stowboating in the winter (see CB 262).

The smacks (or yawls as they are also known) of Whitstable were as common as the Essex smacks but far fewer survive. They were built heavy to take the ground on the sandbanks of this part of the lower Thames estuary. Stormy Petrel , for instance is 25 tonnes, at 40ft (12.2m) LOA, while the longer 48ft (14.6m) LOA My Alice , from Essex, weighs 18 tonnes.

“Their scantlings were much larger,” says Dick, “and they had evolved that way to be working in the open sea in all weathers. Some, like The Favourite , were a bit finer, with a counter stern of an Essex smack but Stormy ’s stern is like a kind of knuckle counter, though she has the through rudder post.”

Built on an elm keel, the smack, with her designated fishing number 71FM (Faversham), has pitch pine bottom timbers and oak topsides with 3in (76mm) thick oak binn wales at the turn of the bilge so she can lie on her bottom. Her deck is straight yellow pine. “When she was built she was bronze fastened, and it was the practice to do that,” Dick says. “But I rather suspect that was because the Naval Dockyards at Chatham were turning to iron and steel ships and so they were selling off their old bronze.”

From 1928 Stormy Petrel was used as a watch boat – with a watch house cabin fitted, by the Seasalter and Ham company, moored at the Pollard Spit overlooking their interests in the oyster fishery east of the Isle of Sheppey. “During the war her old skipper Pongo Stroud saw a German mine floating near her and went out and dragged it away with a net so that when it went off it would not harm her,” Dick recalls.

The Bob Roberts connection After war in 1948 she was sold to the famous barge and smack skipper, and author Bob Roberts. “He tried to fish her again (off Essex and Suffolk) for three years but he kept going ashore. It was too much to manage on his own and to make a living in the later 1940s. He wrote about her in Breeze for a Bargeman and he sold her to his third hand Bernard Rosier, who didn’t fish her, but kept her registered.”

Dick acquired Stormy in October 1962: “It was the most wonderful thing that ever happened to me. I had first seen her as a small boy, coming into Harwich once. Later, when I was in the Royal Navy, The Yachting Monthly had her on the cover and I thought to myself – I had better get a real boat! When I first got her all her blocks had been up in the rigging, probably since the day she was launched! All the sheaves had collapsed and didn’t turn so it must have been hard work hoisting sail. She needed new bulwarks and stanchions and I did that myself – I didn’t really know what to do, but I had a lot of help.”

Dick had been a member of the Medway Cruising Club since 1948, and had sailed another smack locally. After the service he became a history teacher, which meant long holidays with the smack. She has become very well known on the East Coast, a legend really.

The Big Refit Having owned Stormy Petrel for 30 years, and having retired in 1995, Dick decided in 1998 to take her ashore for a big refit. He was in dry dock for three years. “I had never recaulked her in all my time of ownership,” he says proudly, “and most of her planking is still original. I had help from Mick Murr, a whizzo shipwright, and we gave her a new deck and deck beams, new stanchions and bulwarks, new walings – upper and lower – and a new rudder trunk in pitch pine. She also had new hatch coamings out of 3in (76mm) thick pitch pine. She had a new mast in 1995 – though the fidded topmast is older; we’ve lost about three topmasts over the years – one went over the side!”

Around five years ago (2005), Dick thought of selling Stormy and approached the local council. “A woman got back to me and said ‘how wonderful, we think she’d look great on the roundabout at Whitstable Hill!’” Dick’s look says it all; Stormy will not be going there.

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Over The Fence with The Wayward Sailors

Nov 27, 2020

There's nothing we love more than having a beer and a yarn with our mates, especially when there's an interesting story to be told. Whether you're down the road or beyond the border, our Over The Fence blog series will tell the stories of our mates near and far dedicating their lives to great endeavours, no matter how wild, difficult or left of centre they may be.

We recently sat down with The Wayward Sailors , three late 20-somethings from Perth who recently acquired a 60-foot yacht named Cape Petrel. Novice  sailors with mostly snapped rudders and blown engines to show for their sailing experience, the boys plan to sail Cape Petrel around the world and back again and learn everything about sailing along the way.

Read on as we chat to these three surfers about owning and renovating a yacht, some of their adventures so far and how they plan to make it back to tell the tale.

Who are The Wayward Sailors?

We’re three best mates. Brodie and Saccy have known each other since high school and grew up surfing and diving together. Jack came into the picture not long after. We have a common vision and are committed to making it happen. And that vision is sailing around the world and scoring waves along the way…except none of us know how to sail.

Tell us a bit more about The Wayward Sailors’ mission?

The mission at the moment is to fix the holes in our yacht so we can put it back into the water. But the ultimate goal is to sail around the world. And we want all of our friends and family, as many as possible, to join us along the way. We want to explore really pristine, untouched spots and surf waves by ourselves and go spearfishing places that just aren’t accessible unless you have a yacht.

Just to be able to have friends and family come along for the ride and to share this experience is a big part of it. It's why we’ve worked and saved up for longer and bought a way bigger yacht that what most people think we can handle. Because we want to have fun, but we want to be able to share it. And not sink. Our mission is definitely not to sink.

Tell us a bit about your sailing experience. Would you call yourselves novices or seasoned sailors?

So, at this point. We should clarify that the ‘Sailors’ part of The Wayward Sailors is still a bit tongue-in-cheek. We feel a bit pretentious calling ourselves sailors still. We definitely grew up on the water doing a lot of water-based exploring on small boats, but not sailing. We bought a 20 foot trailer sailor a couple years ago off gumtree, so we could have something to learn to sail on while we looked for the real yacht.

We sailed that collectively less than 10 times and nearly every time something has gone wrong. We snapped the rudder twice. The first time we snapped it the sun was setting and we were off West End with one battery, no electrics and no way to charge it.

The motor wouldn’t start and we were drifting towards West End and had to figure out if we were going to have to swim in to avoid getting washed against the rocks, or if we were going to spend the night bobbing around at sea. The last time we sailed it the rudder (which we painstakingly fixed) snapped again, in a different spot, and the keel fell off. So we're highly experienced.

What do you like to do when you’re not working on the yacht?

We all work full-time, which is what we have to do in order to be able to afford the yacht and to re-fit it. We work on refitting Cape Petrel on the weekends and it feels like we all basically have two jobs. We are trying to balance that with fitting in time to play music, have social lives and spend time with our loved ones. And still making time find the occasional wave or go for a dive.

Cape Petrel has a bit of a story behind her. Can you tell us a bit about how you acquired the yacht and any history?

The history behind Cape Petrel is this Tasmanian cray fisherman named Ian built it in around 2000-2002. He lived and sailed on it for 15 years. He was a wild man. From chatting with him, we know he sailed from New Zealand to Chile and it took him 46 days. He spent a year in the Chilean archipelago and got iced in. At one stage he was so deep in, he was 400 nautical miles from the ocean. He walked across the ice and chopped down trees and kept the pot belly stove going and waited until it thawed out before he could sail back.

Jack was working in Geraldton and spotted the yacht in the marina and it fit the bill. We started chatting about how we were going to afford it. We were originally going to get a loan. Then around Christmas 2018 Ian was driving up to Geraldton from Perth and had a head on collision and was killed, along with his partner. Their little boy ended up in ICU. We had been meaning to meet him to finalise the yacht sale, and we couldn’t get a hold of him.

We didn’t know what was going on until Brodie’s mum saw his obituary in the paper. 6 months later, we put an offer on, but it got knocked back. The broker said to us “you’ll never own this boat, you should go back to your day jobs.” So we did. We started looking at other boats about 18 months later and found out Cape Petrel still hadn’t sold. After a lot of to-ing and fro-ing, they finally accepted our offer in March 2020.

How did you feel knowing you were the proud owner of a 60-ft custom built yacht?

Brodie found out and kept it a secret. Actually he said our offer had been rejected. Then on Saccy’s birthday he whipped out a laminated picture of Cape Petrel and a couple bottles of champagne and said happy birthday and that he was just messing with us and that we’d got the yacht!

What is the roughest part about renovating a yacht?

Not being able to renovate it full-time...and being injured. If we could just rip into it and didn’t have to go to work and could work on it during the week, we’d be done already. But we can only work on it during weekends and have to juggle a million other commitments and it makes it a lot slower.

Also just not really knowing what we’re doing and just guessing. Instead of doing something right the first time, we do it wrong 6 times and get it right the 7th time. And Saccy injured his back so we’ve been a man down for the last couple of months.

What are one of the funniest, wildest or scariest moments you’ve had in the ocean?

Aqua turds are always hilarious, but there’s probably been too many to mention. Saccy and Brodie have had plenty of sketchy diving encounters but one of the best moments would have to be when after years of dreaming we finally got the yacht to the Abrolhos and were surfing glassy waves with just out mates and looking back at Cape Petrel bobbing around at anchor.

Sailing through a pod of humpback whales that were breaching on either side of us was pretty epic too. But nothing compares to that first “holy smokes we did it” moment.

How do three friends in their late 20’s afford to own, run and renovate a yacht?

Working full-time, weekend Reno’s, doing the work ourselves and getting our friends and family on the tools in exchange for future sailing trips. We’re a lawyer, engineer and instrumentation electrician which bring an interesting dynamic to the work.

What are one of the biggest lessons you’ve learned since owning a yacht?

Time management and perspective. Because at the end of the day what’s the point if you’re not having fun! And we’ve learnt heaps about rust. What are your thoughts on tropical storms and pirates? We’ll cross that bridge when we get there…

How has buying a yacht during COVID affected your plans?

We’ve had to lower our horizons and focus on what’s in front of us rather than where we want to be in a couple of years. We’ve really been excited about sailing the yacht up the north west coast and up into the Kimberly and exploring all the reefs and atolls up the top end. We're accepting going with the flow a bit more, rather than trying to lock anything down.

It’s tricky to set anything in stone when your yacht is in pieces and you don’t know when the borders will open. But we’re digging it, because to be honest we have no idea how to plan a long voyage anyway so COVID is a good excuse not to do any planning!

Where do you hope Cape Petrel takes you once the international borders are open?

The first stop will probably be Indonesia, unless the timing doesn’t work out and we go around the bottom, then it might be New Zealand, who knows. Ultimately, we want to end up in the Chilean archipelagos one day.

You can follow The Wayward Sailors on their journey by jumping onto their Youtube channel , Instagram or Facebook .

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Cape Petrel Daption capense Scientific name definitions

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Sakhalin: Your Essential Guide to Russia’s Enigmatic Eastern Island

• January 14, 2024

A Journey Through Giant Burdocks, Wild Bears, and the Echoes of Ancient Japanese Temples

From the most dreaded place of exile in the Russian Empire to a Japanese industrial base and one of the most attractive and inaccessible places for domestic tourism in Russia.

Table of Contents

An island that was Russian, then Japanese, and then Russian again

From the 17th to the mid-19th century, it was believed that Sakhalin was a peninsula. This misconception firmly established itself on the maps of the time, as navigators failed to circumnavigate the island. The proximity of Sakhalin’s southern tip to the mainland created a false impression of being impassable for ships. An additional complexity arose from the fact that the route taken by ships from the Russian Empire involved passing through a narrow strait, which Nevelskoy managed to navigate only in 1849.

For a long time, people did not believe Nevelskoy, but he insisted that he had discovered a route through the strait, for which he became something of a hero in Primorye. Monuments and plaques dedicated to him can be found in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Vladivostok, and Khabarovsk. The H4H creative association created a graphic novel based on this story, which won a cultural initiatives contest and became part of the interior of the Khabarovsk Airport. By the way, the Sakhalin region is the only Russian entity entirely located on islands.

The remote and isolated location of the island during the Russian Empire was used as a natural barrier, and it became the site of penal colonies for hard labor prisoners. Its geographical position led to Sakhalin’s hard labor being regarded as particularly cruel.

During the period of the island’s development, Russian ships followed the Amur River and reached the island from the north, where the oldest port, Alexandrovsk, was founded. The Japanese attempted to develop the island from the south, entering through the Kuril Islands (part of the Sakhalin region) and Aniva Bay. For a long time, the Kurils were inhabited by the Ainu, representatives of a small indigenous people. The very word “Kurils” comes from the Ainu: “kuru” means “man.”

In the 17th century, Japan conducted its first expeditions towards the islands and began their development. Russia reached them later. The first mentions of the islands in Russian language date back to the late 17th century. For a long time, Russian, Dutch, Japanese, and Anglo-French navigators studied the islands, landed on them, and disputed their territorial ownership. However, only Russia and Japan managed to establish a foothold. To end the territorial disputes, the governments of the two countries signed an agreement under which the Kuril Islands went to Japan, and Sakhalin to Russia, which continued to develop the island mainly from the north. After the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, which ended in Russia’s defeat, the southern part of Sakhalin became part of Japan as the Karafuto Prefecture.

Until the second half of the 20th century, the island was owned by Japan and was quite successful in developing its resources. A huge number of mines were opened, several cities and lighthouses were built. In particular, the current regional center, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, was the former Japanese city of Toyohara. The famous Aniva lighthouse, now considered a symbol of Sakhalin, was built by Japanese engineers. After Japan’s defeat in World War II, the island passed to the Soviet Union. Contrary to history, the main life of the island moved from the north to the south. Alexandrovsk, which was convenient to reach by water, lost to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk with its infrastructure built by the Japanese, connections to neighboring cities, and airport. Interestingly, before leaving, the Japanese buried and hid the mining sites, and locals say that not all the old mines have been found yet, and they are sometimes stumbled upon during walks.

Because the island belonged to three different countries in just over a hundred years, it did not have time to develop any significant urban infrastructure. The cities lack outstanding architectural monuments and unique museums. However, some unusual Japanese architecture has remained. Meanwhile, Sakhalin compactly houses incredible natural attractions. Here, one can climb through forests and bamboo thickets to breathtakingly beautiful mountains as if outlined in graphite, and through a mountain pass reach the sea, into which clear mountain rivers flow with fish splashing in them.

The Ainu and Nivkh: Inhabitants of Sakhalin

For a long time, the island was mainly inhabited by the Ainu and Nivkh peoples. These ethnic groups are very different, making their coexistence as unusual as the neighboring of birch and bamboo on the slopes of Sakhalin’s mountains. Both are isolate peoples . However, the Ainu belong to the Australoid race, while the Nivkh are Mongoloids (the main population of Asian territories). It’s fascinating how representatives of different races have coexisted for ages on a small piece of land at the edge of the world.

There is no single version regarding the origin of the Ainu, leading to a multitude of theories — both scientific and conspiratorial. One theory suggests that the Ainu are the ancestors of the indigenous population of Australia, remaining in the north after continental migration. Some researchers write that the Ainu are the forebears of the Japanese. This theory is supported by the fact that before Japanese expansion, the Ainu mainly inhabited the Japanese island of Hokkaido. However, the Ainu suffered greatly from Japanese imperialism, and their culture and language were almost completely destroyed in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Now, there are just over two thousand Ainu living on Sakhalin.

The Nivkh are among the indigenous small-numbered peoples of the north. They suffered less from Japanese rule. However, during the Soviet era, they experienced a difficult phase of literacy development, destruction of tribal communities, and relocation to cities. About 2,200 Nivkh live in the Sakhalin region and another approximately two thousand in Khabarovsk.

During the Karafuto period, Japan brought captured Koreans to Sakhalin for hard labor. By the mid-20th century, the Korean population of the island was about 45,000 people. For comparison, the current population of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is 180,000. This large number of people, deprived of their homeland, was forced to adapt to life first under Japanese and then Soviet rule. In the USSR, Koreans were issued passports, and there were national kindergartens and schools. However, Sakhalin Koreans did not feel part of the larger community of Soviet Koreans (Koryo-saram) and struggled to integrate. Moreover, they were considered members of an ‘unreliable nation’ because they had lived in the Japanese Empire.

In the late 1990s, three countries – Russia, South Korea, and Japan – began a repatriation campaign for the first generation of Sakhalin Koreans (born before August 15, 1945) to their historical homeland. Now, about 3,500 repatriates from Russia live in South Korea. Under the program, the Korean government provides medical insurance and a monthly allowance to the repatriates. The Japanese government, in turn, buys housing (apartments up to 40 m²) and covers transportation costs. Additionally, every two years, Sakhalin Koreans who have moved to their homeland have the right to visit Sakhalin for free, funded by the Japanese government. Most Sakhalin Koreans settled in the city of Ansan , where 500 apartments were specially built for them.

Korean influence is weakly traced on Sakhalin: many Sakhalin Koreans no longer know the language and do not associate themselves with Korea. However, there are several authentic restaurants (for example, “Koba” ) on the island where you can try traditional dishes.

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk — the capital and base for exploring the island

The city is predominantly characterized by typical Soviet architecture, with almost no remaining Japanese buildings. This is because during the Soviet period, the city was radically rebuilt after being liberated from ‘imperialist Japanese rule.’ Many buildings were demolished, and from the few that remained, some were turned into museums. Perhaps the main thing that has been preserved from the Japanese period is the layout. The city was founded from scratch near the Russian village of Vladimirovka, and Chicago was chosen as the model for its layout. Toyohara was divided into four parts by two main streets, O-dori (now Lenin) and Maoka-dori (Sakhalinskaya).

Japan established itself thoroughly on the island. In Toyohara, trade routes converged, new bays were developed, and roads were built. The city’s population grew steadily. Initially due to the military garrison, and later due to a paper mill, a sugar and distillery plant. Now, the buildings of the former Japanese factories are abandoned. Many of them can only be accessed with rare tours, while others are completely closed. However, their presence is still recalled by street names, such as Paper Street.

Another building in the Neo-Japanese style is the Karafuto Governorate Museum built in the 1930s (29 Communist Avenue). It now houses the Sakhalin Regional Museum . And in the former bank of colonial development, there is the Art Museum (137 Lenin Street).

Several other iconic buildings constructed by the Japanese have been preserved: the central hospital of Toyohara (41 Chekhov Street), the conference hall of the Karafuto Governorate (30 Dzerzhinsky Street), and the Toyohara City Hall (41 Communist Avenue). The Sakhalin Railway Museum in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is distinct from many similar museums in Russia due to its exhibits. This is because the island long maintained the Japanese standard of railway gauge, which differs from the Russian standard. Accordingly, the rolling stock was entirely different.

If in Vladivostok everything is named after the Far Eastern explorer and writer Vladimir Arsenyev, then in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, mentions of Chekhov are everywhere. At the end of the 19th century, Sakhalin was both the most dreaded place for exile to hard labor and one of the most tempting corners of Russia, which was not so easy to access. Chekhov received an editorial assignment and embarked on a ship along with prisoners, military personnel, and sailors to the most remote point of the empire. In his notes, which Chekhov compiled under the title ‘The Island of Sakhalin,’ the writer talked about many things: the geography and climate of the island, the life of the convicts, and ordinary residents. This book caused a great resonance at the time, and even now it was very interesting to read it while traveling to Sakhalin: some things have changed drastically, while others have remained the same. Now in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, there is even a museum dedicated to this one book, which turned out to be so significant for the island.

GoSakhalin is the website of the Sakhalin Tourist and Information Center. And in their official Telegram channel , you can find announcements of affordable excursions shortly before they start.

In any case, for travelers, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk remains primarily a hub and a place of rest. Here they return for the night and dinner, and it seems that real adventures begin outside the doorstep.

Surrounding Area

10–20 kilometers from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

The main reason people visit Sakhalin is for its unique nature. Mountains, forests, rivers, lakes, and the sea, all on a small piece of land. In one day, you can travel from the Sea of Okhotsk to the Sea of Japan, cross several climate zones, see bamboo groves, birches, and spruces in one place, spot a running fox and a swimming orca. The island’s landscapes can boldly compete in Instagram appeal with Iceland or Norway.

Within Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk alone, there are about 30 kilometers of marked ecotrails, with brief descriptions and routes available on the official tourism portal. I also found an ecotrail in Nevelsk, which is not mentioned on the official website.

The ecotrails in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk start from the ‘Mountain Air’ ski center on the sopka (a term for mountains in the Far East) Bolshevik. There are five in total: ‘Children’s’ (2.7 kilometers), ‘Eight’ (8 kilometers), ‘Northern Ring’ (9 kilometers), ‘Russian’ (3.2 kilometers), and ‘Yelanka’ (5 kilometers). You can take a cable car to the start of the trails and then slowly descend through the forest and park to the city. However, the lift does not operate in rainy and windy weather.

Hiking the ‘Eight’ trail took me no more than three hours, including stops to catch my breath and take photos. Every kilometer and a half along the route, there are benches. From the top of the mountain, there is a view of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, and it seems you can see a piece of the Sea of Okhotsk.

Chekhov Peak

The route to Chekhov Peak is a high-mountain trekking path that requires a certain level of physical fitness. Chekhov Peak has an elevation of 1045 meters, with an absolute altitude gain of 752 meters. The trail is narrow and slippery in places, hardly suitable for children or people with limited mobility.

Chekhov Peak is part of the Susunai Range, which supports Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk from the southeast. You can exit from Gagarin city park to the foothills in about half an hour. The ascent to the peak itself cannot be missed: a marked trail and informational signs lead to it. On particularly steep ascents, ropes are hung for safety, but it is possible to walk up the slope without them.

In late spring, the forest trail has many streams, as well as May primroses and butterflies. The foothills are scattered with rare, incredibly large, and wonderfully fragrant marsh callas. Halfway to the peak, bamboo thickets are encountered, through which birches break through. This is also a kind of magic because, as a biologist friend explained to me, birch and bamboo are not supposed to coexist in the natural environment, but somehow they manage to do so. Occasionally, spruces are encountered — not tall, but very fluffy. Closer to the top, the vegetation becomes sparser, and the impressive views of the sea, mountains, and lakes open up from the height.

• The entire hike takes five to six hours.
• Even in summer, there is snow on the summit. In the afternoon, it starts to melt, making it more difficult to walk.
• Don’t forget to bring food and water.
• Wear boots with covered ankles, a jacket, and a head covering.
• Inform your family and friends, and someone living in Sakhalin, before setting out on the route. If you’re traveling alone, you could notify, for example, the hotel receptionist or roommates in a hostel.
• Snakes and bears are found around the trail. Watch your feet and try to make as much noise as possible. For example, play music on your phone and sing along occasionally.
• The ascent to Chekhov Peak can be the start of a journey to the village of Lesnoye on the shore of the Sea of Okhotsk. The distance to the village is 27 kilometers. With good preparation and an early start from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, this distance can be covered in one day.

Mud Volcano in Klyuchi

A mud volcano is an eruption on the earth’s surface of clay masses, mineralized waters, and gases. The mechanism of formation of these volcanoes is not fully understood. According to the existing theory, such volcanoes are formed near oil fields.

The mud volcano in Klyuchi consists of a mud field about 200 meters in diameter. There, you can see about 20 points of activity, resembling miniature volcano craters. This mud volcano became active in 1959, 1979, 2001, and 2011 (the last time due to a strong earthquake in Japan). During these eruptions, mud columns reached several tens of meters in height. Bus 189 goes to Klyuchi from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. The distance from the village to the top of the volcano is nine kilometers and takes about two and a half hours to walk.

Ecopark in the Vestochka area: Frog Rock, Aikhor Waterfall, ‘Sunny Glade’ Recreation Park

Not far from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, there is a fairly large ecopark, known primarily for the Frog Rock outcrop. An outcrop is a remnant of harder rock around which softer rock has eroded over time. Outcrops are often known for their unusual shapes and are natural monuments. Frog Rock is part of a series of rocks standing one behind the other. This was once the seabed of an ancient sea, and fossilized shells can be found in its vicinity. From the top of the rock, amazing views of the Aniva Bay, Tunaycha and Changeable Lakes open up. This place was sacred to the Ainu, the indigenous inhabitants of the island.

The trail to the ‘Sunny Glade’ ecopark begins behind the ‘Electron’ culture house. Despite its name, it is not a city park, but a full-fledged forest with laid-out paths. There are houses, glades with tables for rest where you can cook barbecues, and wooden walkways leading to various attractions. These are all paid services.

The path to Frog Rock outcrop goes along the Komissarovka River. In areas of spring flooding, callas bloom and bamboo grows. The outcrop is located on a hill, with a total elevation gain of about 300 meters. The road is quite challenging, usually taking from an hour to an hour and a half. The higher you climb, the more you can see: the sea, the mountain gorge, the road to Vestochka. In the same park is the Aikhor Waterfall, which is also a short climb away, but along a less well-maintained trail. You can plan a whole day to visit Vestochka and even spend the night, without returning to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.

Vestochka is three high-rise buildings on one side of the road and a cottage settlement on the other. It is part of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, though located 15 kilometers from the main part of the city. A taxi there costs about 1000 rubles and takes 40 minutes. About a kilometer after turning off the main road, the asphalt ends and a terribly dusty dirt road begins. If you’re lucky, you can catch a bus that runs three times a day.

What else to see on the island

40 kilometers from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

The oldest city in the south of Sakhalin, founded by Nevelskoy’s expedition. Here you can find a huge number of monuments dedicated to sailors, naval battles, and ships. The most significant monument in the city in recent decades has become the stele dedicated to ‘Koreans interned by the Japanese in Sakhalin, who never returned to their homeland,’ located on Mount Sorrow, created through the efforts of three countries’ governments (Russia, Japan, and Korea).

In Korsakov, some Japanese heritage has been preserved: the former building of the Hokkaido Takushoku Bank, a colonial development bank (Sovetskaya Street, 3), trade warehouses in the port, a document storage facility ‘Bunsyoko’ (Krasnoflotskaya Street, 1), a couple of rusty fire hydrants, and remnants of Shinto temples in the form of pillars with hieroglyphs. One of the local nighttime entertainments is watching the lights of the gas processing plant.

How to get there. Three electric trains a day, the journey takes just over an hour, and the ticket costs 75 rubles (0.77 euros).

Bird and Giant Capes

90 kilometers from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

Two capes, recognized as natural monuments in 1990, along whose coasts are many wind and wave-carved grottoes, caves, arches, and columns of various sizes and whimsical shapes, among which colonies of sea birds reside.

The place is not very close, but it’s very picturesque at any time of the year. In the area of one of the rocks, there is a pool where, during the salmon spawning period, you can observe a fascinating spectacle — a huge gathering of pink salmon.

Many tourists stay on the coast overnight to witness the sunset and sunrise. Near Cape Giant, there is a toilet, parking, and a rest area with benches.

How to get there. The journey from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk goes through the village of Okhotskoe, where you can buy fresh crabs, and takes about three hours one way. The road is fully passable only by high vehicles like Mitsubishi Pajero, Suzuki Jimny, as the last ten kilometers of the route have deep puddles, potholes, small cliffs, and rivers.

Nevelsk and Steller Sea Lions

Nevelsk is nestled between mountains and sea. The rocky mountains and the coast, which consists of small stone needles and shells, in every way explain why Chekhov so often mentioned in ‘The Island of Sakhalin’ how harsh the land of Sakhalin is.

Steller sea lions are the largest of the eared seals. One of their habitats is the breakwater in Nevelsk. As soon as you arrive in the town, the smell from the Steller sea lions’ haul-out site hits you. ‘They eat there, live, give birth to their young – that’s why it smells,’ the locals explain. Another feature is the noise. Steller sea lions are very loud!

You can view the sea lions from the central square, where binoculars are installed. However, tourists usually hire a boat and approach the haul-out site to get a closer look at the seals. You can see how the Steller sea lions bark, lie in the sun, jump into the sea and, most interestingly, try to jump back. The views from the square through binoculars are not as detailed and impressive. A place on the boat will cost 1000–1500 rubles (10.28 – (15.42 euros). You can also buy a tour from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk for 3500 rubles (35.98 euros). The most animals are present in spring and early summer. In autumn, there may be a couple of dozen individuals left.

From the embankment, you can observe the huge kelp laminaria floating in the sea. Some travelers catch them themselves and eat them. Although dishes made from seaweed are found in cafes and also sold in stores. Signs are installed on the shore indicating where to run in case of a tsunami. The last major earthquake with waves was recorded in 2007. Many houses were destroyed and two people died. The most famous Sakhalin tsunami was the 1952 tragedy , when the aftermath of the earthquake almost completely destroyed Severo-Kurilsk.

How to get there. From the bus station (Karl Marx Street, 51b) in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, buses go to Nevelsk, the ticket costs 300 rubles (3.08 euros), and the journey takes about an hour. Tickets can be purchased at the bus station ticket office or from the driver (cash or transfer). It’s not possible to board the bus somewhere in the city, as the bus does not make stops. It’s better to buy a return ticket immediately upon arrival in Nevelsk at the Nevelsk bus station ticket office (Lenina Street, 1). The bus is popular with locals, and there may simply be no seats left.

Remnants of structures from the Karafuto period include the Maoka-Jinja temple with a Japanese-style garden and an abandoned railway built by the Japanese. It used to connect Kholmsk with Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Tourists usually come to see two photogenic bridges – Devil’s and Witch’s – and a tunnel in the mountain that makes a full circle inside it. The trail passes along the old rails, and there are many vipers, so one needs to watch their step.

How to get there. The bus to Kholmsk takes two hours, the ticket costs 450 rubles (4.63 euros), with 14 trips a day.

Slepikovsky Cape and Lighthouse

120 kilometers from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

At Slepikovsky Cape, there is the only relic grove of Korean cedar on Sakhalin. Also located here is the functioning Slepikovsky Lighthouse, which is a 27-meter tall round tower, connected by corridors to utility and residential buildings.

The cape and lighthouse are named after the commander of the Russian partisan detachment Bronislav Grotto-Slepikovsky, who operated in Southern Sakhalin during the 1904–1905 war. The route to the lighthouse goes through the villages of Yablochnoe and Sadovniki, where some of the best beaches on Sakhalin are located — with the cleanest water and white sand.

How to get there. The cape is located 29 kilometers north of Kholmsk. From Kholmsk to the turn towards the lighthouse, there is asphalt with dirt sections. From the turn to the lighthouse, there is first a dirt road, then beach sand, which is recommended to be driven on with deflated tires. Visiting time is from spring to autumn, as the road to the cape is not cleared in winter.

110 kilometers from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

In 1891, when the island had a penal colony, this was the Russian village of Siraroko, named after a nearby Ainu settlement. In 1905, the south of Sakhalin was given to the Japanese, and the village was renamed Higashi Shiraura. Here there were a railway station, a brick factory, and a coal mine. 40 years later, the settlement was renamed Vzmorye.

During the Japanese times, there was the Shinto shrine Higashi Shiraura Inari-Jinja. Only the torii gates remain — P-shaped gates without doors that are placed on the path to a Shinto shrine. These are the only torii on Sakhalin. On the torii, there is an inscription ‘In honor of the 2600th anniversary of the foundation of Great Japan’ — this mythological date was widely celebrated in 1940.

On the way to the torii, you can see the famous giant burdocks and bear’s garlic. Vzmorye is also known as a place where poached crabs are sold along the highway.

How to get there. Two electric trains and one train that start from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk stop in Vzmorye. Unfortunately, all three are in the evening. You can also get there on passing buses that go to the north of the island.

Tikhaya Bay

140 kilometers from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

On one side, the bay is framed by Mount Smely, and on the other side, the majestic Zhdanko Ridge begins. To the left in the bay itself is an island-kekur, which can be reached during low tide, as well as the epic cliffs of Tikhaya Cape. By the way, behind this cape, there are waterfalls that become icefalls in winter. At the base of the bay is the mouth of the Tikhaya River, where during the season you can see the spawning of pink salmon and chum salmon. Bears are aware of this, so they are often encountered here.

How to get there. Buses going to Poronaysk stop in the village of Tikhoye, near which the bay is located. There are four trips a day.

Aniva Lighthouse

The lighthouse has a complex history: there were attempts to maintain it under Soviet rule, but Aniva was so remote from inhabited areas that it was not profitable. Eventually, the lighthouse was switched to autonomous mode, bringing in a radioactive isotope to sustain its operation, and then it was completely closed. To this day, you can find signs on the walls reading ‘Caution, radioactive’. But now this warning is outdated, as the radioactive isotope was removed when the lighthouse was decommissioned. The lighthouse is very beautiful, offering views of the island and sea, and inside you can explore the remnants of rooms and working areas.

On the return trip, tourists are also taken to Mramornaya Bay, where you can also climb a mountain and view the jagged coast of Sakhalin from above. Orcas and whales are often encountered in these areas, most frequently in summer. I would also recommend taking a combined tour in summer to Aniva Lighthouse, the Blue Lakes, and Busse Lagoon, where you can see the amazingly blue waters and try sea urchins.

A kilometer from Novikov is Cape Tri Kamnya (46.320342 143.373006), which can even be reached by car. Four kilometers from the cape is the small Strelka waterfall , which requires a walk. If you stay in the village overnight, you can take a hike to the Blue (turquoise) Lakes (46.359603, 143.471909). On the way, there’s an abandoned Japanese power station. You can extend your route by another 15 kilometers and reach the opposite shore of the peninsula – to Cape Evstafiya. The road from Novikov to Cape Evstafyeva through the Blue Lakes can be driven in a jeep, if there hasn’t been prolonged rain before. But it’s better to ask in advance those who have recently been there, and get the phone number of a local tractor driver in Novikov, so that if something happens, he can pull you out.

How to get there. Getting there independently is almost impossible. The lighthouse is located on a rocky outcrop in the sea, and the nearest land is a high cliff. However, some people do reach Novikovo (the nearest village) by bus or car, and then walk 44 kilometers on foot to Aniva (the name of both the lighthouse and the bay). It takes about one and a half hours to drive from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk to Novikovo. And then another two hours of rough dirt road to the boat dock. A tour from the company ‘Friends-Hikers’ costs 6000 rubles (61.68 euros) in May (in summer – 7000 rubles (71.96 euros)).

Klokovsky Waterfall

190 kilometers from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

Klokovsky Waterfall is one of the highest waterfalls on Sakhalin Island. Its height is variously reported to be 48–49 meters, with a width of up to nine meters. The waterfall is accessible year-round, but is most full in late spring and early summer.

Alexandrovsk-Sakhalinsky

The ‘Tri Brata’ (Three Brothers) rocks are definitely a symbol of Alexandrovsk-Sakhalinsky, and perhaps of the entire island. They are located in the Alexandrovsk Gulf almost opposite Cape Zhonkiyor. From the cape, there is a stunning view of the vast Tatar Strait and the Three Brothers. At low tide, it’s possible to calmly explore all the attractions of the gulf, collect seaweed and shells, see hermit crabs scuttling along the seabed with their shells on their backs, or watch the leaves of laminaria sway. At the strongest low tide, you can even walk to the Three Brothers through the water.

In the 19th century, convicts carved a 90-meter tunnel through Cape Zhonkiyor to service the lighthouse. To reach the tunnel by land, you need to come at low tide. Otherwise, you’ll have to climb the rocks. The tunnel is lined with logs, but there is almost always water at the bottom and a strong wind howls through it. If you pass through the tunnel, you will see the ‘Tri Sestry’ (Three Sisters) rocks and an old lighthouse from the end of the 19th century. All these places are described by Chekhov in ‘The Island of Sakhalin’: ‘Most often we went to the lighthouse, which stands high above the valley, on Cape Zhonkiyor. During the day, the lighthouse, if looked at from below, is a modest white house with a mast and lantern, but at night it shines brightly in the darkness, and then it seems that the penal colony looks at the world with its red eye. The road to the house climbs steeply, winding around the mountain, past old larches and firs. The higher you climb, the freer you breathe; the sea spreads before your eyes, thoughts gradually come, having nothing to do with the prison, the penal colony, or the exile settlement, and only then do you realize how dull and difficult life is down below.’

How to get there. From Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, there is one bus trip per day – at 12:10. The ticket costs 2200 rubles (22.62 euros), and the journey takes nine hours.

600 kilometers from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

The main transit point on the way to the oil refineries. The village might be of interest to those curious to see a harsh northern town living off production: low-rise buildings made of siding and unexpectedly bright murals on the walls of five-story buildings. There is a local history museum in the village (Sovetskaya Street, 3) – it is praised for its excellent exhibition of the Nivkh culture and a monument to Nevelskoy. Also, one of the longest rivers of Sakhalin, the Tym (which translates from Nivkh as ‘spawning river’), flows through the town.

How to get there. A night train goes to Nogliki every day, taking almost 12 hours. The cheapest ticket in a seated carriage costs 1100 rubles (11.31 euros), a compartment – 4100 (42.15 euros). There is even a luxury (SV) carriage for 12600 rubles (129.53 euros).

Where to Stay

Hostels in the Far East are divided into work and tourist types. The former will also accommodate tourists, but the atmosphere there is like a dormitory where their own rules are already established, and you may feel like an uninvited guest. To avoid such a hostel, it’s important to carefully read the reviews, not book the cheapest hostels, not stay on the outskirts or near airports and train stations.

In the Islander hostel , mainly travelers stay, it’s very cozy, with convenient kitchen and showers with toilets. A double room costs 3000 rubles per day, and dorms – from 900 rubles (9.25 euros) per night. If you book directly through the website and for a long term, you can get a good discount.

The ‘Moneron’ hotel is located near the railway and bus stations. It’s a classic budget hotel with small clean rooms. The ‘comfort’ class rooms have a bath, and the hotel provides a complete set with slippers, towels, and a hairdryer. Prices start from 2800 rubles (28.79 euros) per night for a single economy room, while ‘comfort’ costs 4900 rubles (50.37 euros). Breakfast is included in the price.

The ‘Belka’ hotel building is made using Finnish technology in a wooden style from milled timber. The cost of large rooms with wooden walls and huge beds starts from 5800 rubles (59.63 euros). Breakfast is also included in the price. The hotel complex includes a sauna, spa, tavern, and gym.

Near Bussé Bay is the island’s only dome-shaped glamping site. A night for two costs 8000-10,000 rubles (82.24 – 102.80 euros). An extra bed is 2000 (20.56 euros). Each dome has a shower, toilet, and electricity. On cooler days, you can light the stove and sit by the fire with a cup of hot cocoa.

In other towns, apart from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, the choice of hotels is quite modest and usually limited to one or two hotels, which cannot always be booked online. They have to be found on the map and booked by phone.

Transport on the Island

Car. If you’re only traveling between cities, there won’t be any problems – the roads between them are mostly paved, and the dirt roads are of more or less good quality. It gets more complicated with natural attractions. Almost all of them are accessed by dirt roads, which not every car can navigate.

In Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, ‘Yandex.Taxi’ and ‘Maxim’ operate (also in Korsakov and Kholmsk). A trip within the city limits will cost a maximum of 300 rubles (3.08 euros).

Railway. From Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, about 30 electric trains depart daily. Most of them go to nearby areas like Dalnyaya, Khristoforovka, and Novoaleksandrovka stations – 8–23 minutes travel time.

To other cities, there’s only one electric train per day. It takes an hour to Korsakov and the ticket costs 80 rubles (0.82 euro). To Tomari, it’s four hours and 300 rubles (3.08 euros). To Poronaysk, it’s five hours of travel and 500 rubles (5.14 euros) for a ticket. Long-distance electric trains depart in the evening, as these routes are used by residents of the province who return from work in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk to their homes.

There is also one train on the island – Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk to Nogliki, 12 hours of travel and 1100 rubles (11.31 euros) for a ticket in a sitting carriage.

Buses. It seems you can reach even the most remote settlements by bus. Often there’s only one trip per day, but at least it exists. To Kholmsk, Nevelsk, and Korsakov, the journey takes about an hour and a half, with tickets costing around 300 rubles (3.08 euros); to Poronaysk and Uglegorsk, it’s four to five hours and 1200 rubles (12.34 euros) for a ticket. You can check the current schedule on avtovokzaly.ru . But it’s always better to double-check by phone: +7 (4242) 72-25-53. The address of the bus station is Karl Marx Street, 51b.

Airplane. Sakhalin has a quite extensive network of airports, and you can fly from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk to Okha, Zonalnoye, Shakhtyorsk, Poronaysk, Smirnykh, Yuzhno-Kurilsk, and Iturup. Flights are operated by the Far Eastern airlines ‘Aurora’ and ‘Taiga’ . These routes are served by small propeller planes Bombardier and Mi-8 helicopters. Such a flight is an interesting experience in itself. Moreover, some flights are quite inexpensive. For example, to Zonalnoye, Shakhtyorsk, and Poronaysk, tickets cost 2000–3000 rubles (20.56 – 30.84 euros) one way. To Okha and the Kurils – from 6000 rubles (61.68 euros).

Ferry. From Korsakov, ferries run to different settlements in the Kurils every three to four days. The ferry to Kurilsk takes about 22 hours, to Yuzhno-Kurilsk – 22–30 hours, and to Malokurilskoye – about 40 hours. Interestingly, a ticket to any of these settlements costs from 2800 rubles (28.79 euros), available on the website of the ferry company.

How to get there

By plain. To travel to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk from Europe, passengers typically fly through major transit hubs. Common routes involve flying from a European city to one of the major Russian airports offering direct flights to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, such as Moscow’s Sheremetyevo or Domodedovo airports. In 2023 it is only possible to fly to Moscow from major transit hubs such as Istanbul or Erevan. From there, travelers can catch one of the direct flights to the island. Some routes might also include stops or transfers in other large cities in Russia or Asia, depending on the airline and the flight itinerary, for instance, Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk, Ulan-Ude, Chita, Blagoveshchensk, Vladivostok, Khabarovsk, Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Sovetskaya Gavan, and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. There is even one international flight from Harbin, China.

In good weather, on approach to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, you can see the Tatar Strait, the Western Ridge, and the city itself. The airport is located within the city limits, and from there, you can easily reach any point by public transport (buses 63 and 3) or taxi.

Ferry. Vanino (Khabarovsk Krai) to Kholmsk (Sakhalin) . Passenger tickets for the ferry are sold at the Vanino railway station or at the ticket office in Kholmsk (Lenin Square, 5). They can also be reserved by phone: +7 (42137) 74088 (Vanino), +7 (42433) 50880 (Kholmsk). The ferries run daily, with a journey time of 18–20 hours. A seat costs 650 rubles (6.68 euros), while the cheapest cabin spot is 1400 rubles (14.39 euros). There is a dining room on board.

I was on the island in early May, and this has its pros and cons. On one hand, it’s already not very cold in Sakhalin at this time, and you can walk around in a light jacket or sweatshirt, and sometimes even just in a T-shirt. At the end of spring, you can catch the largest number of Steller sea lions in Nevelsk (closer to summer they migrate towards Avacha Bay). Also at this time, you can see the forest awakening: streams penetrate it from all sides, in their floodplains swamp callas bloom, meadows fill with primroses, and the hills are covered with bright green bamboo shoots. On the other hand, there is still snow in the mountains, in which you can get stuck while climbing, and the sea, which is not very warm in these areas, is completely unsuitable for swimming.

In summer, Sakhalin is not very hot, the coast blooms with wild roses, the sea warms up a bit, and there is less chance of bad weather when visiting remote attractions. Also, it’s precisely at this time you can see orcas (June – July) and whales (July – August), as well as the salmon spawning.

In winter, snowboarders and skiers come to Sakhalin. The mountains on the island are not high, so they are suitable even for beginners.

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• Kamchatka: “Island” of Volcanoes, Bears, and Red Caviar
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Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk – the view from above

No comments · Posted by Sergei Rzhevsky in Cities , Travel

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is a city with a population of about 200 thousand people located in the southeastern part of Sakhalin Island in the Far East of Russia , the capital of Sakhalin Oblast .

It is the sixth largest city in the Russian Far East, in which Russian and Japanese cultures are closely intertwined. Here you can often see old Japanese buildings and monuments. The distance from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk to Moscow , if flying by plane, is 6,640 km and 9,280 km (by car). Photos by: Slava Stepanov .

Victory Square – one of the main squares of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.

Cathedral of the Nativity.

About one third of the total population of Sakhalin Island lives in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.

Lenin Square.

Sakhalin Regional Museum of Local Lore housed in a Japanese building constructed in the Imperial Crown Style in 1937. This is the only such building on Sakhalin and throughout Russia.

The climate in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is quite mild, there are no severe frosts in winter, and heat in summer. The coldest month is January with an average temperature of about minus 12 degrees Celsius. The warmest month is August (plus 17 degrees Celsius). Clear and dry weather sets in early September – the best time to visit Sakhalin.

House of Government of Sakhalin Oblast.

“Chekhov Center” – the only drama theater in Sakhalin Oblast.

Sakhalin residents often call the rest of Russia “the mainland.” You can get out of the island by plane, ferry, or other water transport.

Park named after Yuri Gagarin.

Roman Catholic Church “Parish of St. James”. In addition to divine services, organ and violin concerts are held here.

Museum of Railway Technology.

Church of the Resurrection.

Stadium “Cosmos” in Gagarin Park.

Stele “Cities of the Sakhalin Region”.

Tags:  Sakhalin oblast · Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk city

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