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WILD KAMCHATKA with the KURIL ISLANDS © Sergey Frolov May 20 – June 4, 2020 | 16 Days | Aboard the Caledonian Sky

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WILD KAMCHATKA with the KURIL ISLANDS © Sergey Frolov May 20 – June 4, 2020 | 16 Days | Aboard the Caledonian Sky WILD KAMCHATKA WITH THE KURIL ISLANDS © Sergey Frolov May 20 – June 4, 2020 | 16 Days | Aboard the Caledonian Sky Expedition Highlights • Witness huge concentrations of seabirds RUSSIA in a frenzy of breeding activity— KAMCHATKA Northern Fulmars, Horned and Tufted PENINSULA SEA OF puffins, Whiskered Auklets, Red-legged OKHOTSK Zhuponova River Petropavlovsk Kittiwakes, and more. Russkaya Bay SAKHALIN ISLAND Atlasova Island • Cruise by Zodiac along rocky islets and KURIL ISLANDS uninhabited shores to search for Tyuleniy Island Srednego Islands Onekotan Island Yankicha Island specialty mammals—Brown Bears, Korsakov Lovyshki Islands Teuri Island / Arctic Foxes, Sea Otters, and Steller’s Rishiri Island Broutona Island/ Chirpoy Island Sea Lions. Otaru HOKKAIDO Sapporo • Photograph a variety of arresting PACIFIC OCEAN scenery, from snow-capped volcanoes JAPAN to wildflower-spangled tundra. • Visit the mouth of the Zhupanova BLACK-LEGGED SEA OTTER River— Brown Bears, Orcas, and the KITTIWAKE extraordinary Steller’s Sea-Eagle. • Itinerary .................................... page 2 > • Flight Information ...................... page 4 > • Ship, Deck Plan & Rates ............ page 5 > • Featured Leaders ....................... page 6 > • Know Before You Go ................. page 6 > © John Buchanan © Andy Cornelius Andy © ZODIAC CRUISE HORNED PUFFIN became a Japanese prefect capital when the southern half Itinerary of the island was declared a Japanese colony in 1905; after WWII it was returned to Russia. Highlights of your exploration Based on the expeditionary nature of our trips, there may be ongoing include a visit to the Russian Orthodox church; the Regional enhancements to this itinerary. Museum, housed in an impressive former Japanese mansion; and the bustling market. Enjoy a performance of traditional Cossack song and dance from a group dressed in colorful Wednesday & Thursday, May 20 & 21, 2020 costumes. Alternatively, join your ornithologist for a day of DEPART USA / TOKYO, JAPAN / SAPPORO birding in the southern part of the island. Watch for Latham’s Arrive in Sapporo and check in to our hotel. In the evening Snipe, Eurasian Bullfinch, White-tailed Sea-Eagle, Siberian gather for a welcome dinner and briefing. Thrush, and Swinhoe’s Robin. Friday, May 22 SAPPORO / OTARU / EMBARK CALEDONIAN SKY Monday, May 25 Following breakfast, join a tour of Sapporo’s highlights. TYULENIY ISLAND Hokkaido is Japan’s northernmost island, and during late Tyuleniy means seal in Russian, and you will immediately May, flowers and trees should be bursting into bloom. Pass by understand how the island earned this moniker. Hundreds historic buildings such as the city’s symbolic Clock Tower, the of Northern Fur Seals and Steller’s Sea Lions cover the university, the charming red-brick Old Prefectural Office, and beaches—watch bulls defending their harems, males sparring, several 1972 Winter Olympics sites. After lunch, transfer to the and pups cavorting in the water. Birds fill whatever space the port of Otaru to embark the Caledonian Sky. seals and sea lions leave unclaimed. Thousands of Common Murres and kittiwakes cover the cliffs and fly overhead. Other bird species include Crested Auklet, Siberian Rubythroat, and Saturday, May 23 Pallas’s Warbler, with possible sightings of Red-necked Stint TEURI ISLAND / RISHIRI ISLAND and Narcissus Flycatcher. Cruise past tiny Teuri Island at dawn where early risers may train their binoculars on one of the largest colonies of Rhinoceros Auklets in Asia. Watch as the birds leave the rocky TYULENIY ISLAND cliffs en masse to feed in the productive surrounding waters. Continue north to the classical cone-shaped volcano of Rishiri © Michael Moore Island. Make a stop to stroll or hike in the magnificent conifer forests of Rishiri-Rebun-Sarobetsu National Park. A stop at the municipal museum unveils local history and artifacts dating back over 1,000 years. Sunday, May 24 KORSAKOV, SAKHALIN ISLAND, RUSSIA / YUZHNO-SAKHALINSK Today, visit Sakhalin Island’s capital, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Founded as a small Russian settlement in the 1880s, the city VICTOR EMANUEL NATURE TOURS | WILD KAMCHATKA WITH THE KURIL ISLANDS < 2 > WHISKERED AUKLET ZODIAC CRUISE © John Buchanan Tuesday, May 26 Thursday, May 28 BROUTONA ISLAND, KURIL ISLANDS / CHIRPOY ISLAND SREDNEGO ISLANDS The Kuril Islands form an archipelago of 56 large and small Often enshrouded in fog, the rugged columnar stacks of the islands, nearly equal to the Hawaiian Islands in landmass, Srednego Islands are home to thousands of nesting seabirds. stretching some 700 nautical miles between Kamchatka and Here you’ll find Northern Fulmar, Pigeon Guillemot, Black- Japan. Young in geological years, the Kurils are still bursting legged Kittiwake, and Whiskered Auklet, as well as large forth with volcanic action, with 40 active volcanoes. populations of Steller’s Sea Lions and Northern Fur Seals. Take a Zodiac cruise past the sheer cliffs of uninhabited Broutona Island, keeping an eye out for the Northern Fulmars Friday, May 29 LOVYSHKI ISLANDS and Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels that nest here. Unlike their volcanic neighbors, the Lovyshki Islands are small, Continue to the dramatic headlands of Chirpoy Island, also rocky islets that offer the perfect resting place for thousands home to thousands of breeding seabirds. While Black-legged upon thousands of Northern Fur Seals. Crested Auklets are Kittiwakes and Thick-billed Murres are among the more also a possibility here. numerous species, you may also find Red-faced and Pelagic cormorants. THICK-BILLED MURRE Wednesday, May 27 SIMUSHIR ISLAND / YANKICHA ISLAND Simushir’s spectacular geology features a string of extinct volcanoes, well-wooded slopes, and a flooded crater at its northern tip. The crater’s narrow pass opens into a nearly hidden bay that was home to a secret Russian military base from 1978 to 1991. Nearly 2,000 occupants inhabited the keyhole harbor, where Russian submarines were based. © John Buchanan Spend a fascinating morning wandering among the abandoned buildings and other relics of this former military ARCTIC FOX base. Located in the flooded caldera of Yankicha are fumaroles and hot springs, hinting at the tremendous forces that created the island long ago. Nature walks may reveal Arctic Fox, Arctic Warbler, and Middendorff’s Grasshopper-Warbler. © Sergey Frolov VICTOR EMANUEL NATURE TOURS | WILD KAMCHATKA WITH THE KURIL ISLANDS < 3 > ATLASOVA ISLAND TUFTED PUFFIN ©Micheal Moore Saturday, May 30 Wednesday & Thursday, June 3 & 4 ONEKOTAN ISLAND PETROPAVLOVSK / DISEMBARK / SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA / USA Beautiful Onekotan Island boasts an impressive 4,000-foot- After breakfast on board, disembark the Caledonian Sky and high volcano with a deep, almost perfectly circular crater lake transfer to the airport for our charter flight to Seoul. Check in at its center. Small streams and waterfalls tumble down the to the Grand Hyatt Incheon for dinner and overnight. Board hillsides to the beach, while lush tundra slopes are the habitat your independent homeward flight the next day, arriving in the for Red Foxes and myriad bird species, such as the Red- USA the same day. throated Pipit. Scan the rugged and rocky ledges for seabirds while taking a shoreside walk with our naturalist. The area was once inhabited by the Ainu, and you may have the chance to investigate ruins of their former dwellings. Flight Information You will need to purchase airfare from your home city/Tokyo/ Sunday, May 31 Sapporo and Seoul/home city. Please call 800-328-VENT (8368) or ATLASOVA ISLAND 512-328-5221 to learn more about air arrangements. This afternoon, as you cruise through the First Kuril Strait, watch for the Steller’s Sea-Eagles that frequent the area. Past voyages have also found hundreds of Sea Otters frolicking in this strait—a heartening rejuvenation after a brush with near- extinction. Step ashore on Atlasova Island, dominated by the towering 7,600-foot-high Alaid Volcano. Stroll along the black sand beaches to observe the island’s fascinating geology or take a hike inland over tundra bursting with wildflowers. Monday, June 1 RUSSKAYA BAY Reminiscent of a Norwegian fjord, the craggy shores of the bay served as a natural shelter for ships in the past. The imposing HARBOR SEAL © John Buchanan inland mountains and volcanoes add to the dramatic impact of this spectacular bay, where you will find seabirds such as Horned and Tufted puffins, and a diversity of cormorants, gulls, and alcids. Tuesday, June 2 ZHUPANOVA RIVER Board Zodiacs to negotiate the shallow and meandering Zhupanova River, with superb opportunities for both birding and nature walks. Heading upstream, we are likely to spot up to 40 species of birds, including such special Siberian species as the Yellow-billed Loon, Yellow-breasted Bunting, Common Greenshank, and Far Eastern Curlew. Heading downriver, scan the skies for the magnificent Steller’s Sea-Eagle. © Jack Grove ZODIAC CRUISE VICTOR EMANUEL NATURE TOURS | WILD KAMCHATKA WITH THE KURIL ISLANDS < 4 > The Caledonian Sky Deck Plan PANORAMA DECK The all-suite 100-guest Caledonian Sky is a spacious, yet intimate, expedition vessel. Refur- Library bished in 2012, her beautifully designed public Panorama Lounge Sun Deck Bar spaces include a single-seating dining room, a Elevator large lounge, elegant bar, enclosed panoramic BRIDGE DECK viewing deck, sun deck, library, and gym. All suites have an ocean view and feature a sitting 511 509 507 505 Outdoor Cafe Bridge room, en suite bathroom, flat-screen television, Elevator 512 510 508
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