The Aniva Lighthouse is the most famous lighthouse in Sakhalin. This abandoned lighthouse is difficult to reach: it is situated on a small rock called Sivuchya near the rocky Cape Aniva. You can only get here by water. The tides are strong here, but the breathtaking scenery makes the journey worth while.

On a plain surrounded by hills lies the capital of Sakhalin island—Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, or simply Yuzhnyy as the locals call it. Here, a large Korean diaspora as well as many Europeans and Americans working in oil and gas fields live side by side with the Russians. The city features a mixture of Soviet architecture and traditional Japanese buildings, while its street signs in Russian are often transcribed in the Latin alphabet as well.

There is an amazing place on the east coast of the Tonino-Anivsky Peninsula. Wind and water have created series of unusual grottoes, arches and rock pillars along the coast from Cape Ptichiy to Cape Giant.

Iturup is the largest island of the Kuril Archipelago. And some believe it is also the most beautiful. Its nature surrounding it is amazing: volcanoes sit side by side with hot lakes, and bizarre white cliffs stand out against a background of emerald forests.

Paramushir island is the second largest and one of the northernmost islands of the Kurils. Here you will find Ebeko – one of the most active volcanoes of the Kuril islands. Thermal springs, waterfalls, and fumaroles – the nature of Paramushir will definitely surprise adventurers who dare to travel here.

Some say that "the Best Place" is what Shikotan was called by its indigenous inhabitants - the Ainu. One thing is certain: it is the northernmost and largest island of the Lesser Kuril Chain. The climate here is mild, volcanoes are inactive and there are no bears. But there is its own Edge of the World.

Cape Slepikovsky is a natural landmark. Here is the last surviving grove of Korean pine in Sakhalin.

Sea lions are the town's main attraction. Several hundred pinnipeds have also settled on the Japanese breakwater. These animals can be observed from March through June.

These three stone statues are almost identical in shape but differ in size, like older, middle and younger brothers.

The Pugachevsky mud volcano, a fascinating geological anomaly. Eruptions were recorded in the 20th and 21st centuries

Lyagushka (frog) butte is a block of stone that protrudes from the southern slope of Mount Gorbunov. It resembles a frog crouched before a jump.

Kunashir is the southernmost of the inhabited Kuril Islands. and is basically a chain of active volcanoes. It is perhaps the richest of the Kuril Islands by the sheer variety of reliefs, flora and fauna, as well as by the number of attractions.