!!!Kunashir Island. Southern Kurils, Russia

Photos by Sergey Semenov,
member of the [AirPano Team|Geography/About/Consortium/AirPano,_Team] that is a member of the [global-geography Consortium|Geography/About/Consortium]. \\

1 October 2021

with kind permission of [AirPano|http://www.AirPano.com]

Our Far Eastern cycle continues with a story about Kunashir, the
southernmost island in the Great Kuril Chain. In the Ainu language, this
name means ‘black': this colour specification refers to dark coniferous
forests and the gloomy appearance of volcanoes.

[{Image src='01_Kunashir.jpg' caption='Kunashir Island. Southern Kurils, Russia\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='541'}]

The legendary and fascinating Ainu people are the most ancient folks in
the region who once inhabited the lower reaches of the Amur, the areas
of Kamchatka, Sakhalin and the Kurils. The evidence of their presence on
Kunashir Island dates to the Neolithic era: the ceramics being at least
5,000 years old were found here. The significance of the Ainu is
reflected in their self-designation; this word means ‘a real person'.
Although now they are small in number and live only in Japan.

[{Image src='02_Kunashir.jpg' caption='Kunashir Island. Southern Kurils, Russia\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='549'}]

Kunashir is separated from Iturup Island (the one that was described in
the previous AirPano tour) by the Catherine Strait. The island stretches
northeast to southwest for 123 kilometres; the length of its coastline
is more than 340 kilometres. The views here are even more fantastic and
they are best admired from the water: the eye meets amazingly broken and
piled rock formations with harsh waves falling on them. One of the most
notable natural landmarks is Cape Stolbchaty (‘Cape Columnar') on the
west coast. For centuries, Mendeleev volcano had worked on its creation:
basalt lava overlapped in layers, solidifying in the form of columns
with five or six faces. At the same time, erosion caused by the sea
continues and these two elements have turned the cape into picturesque
sheer cliffs that protrude into the Kunashir Strait.

[{Image src='03_Kunashir.jpg' caption='Kunashir Island. Southern Kurils, Russia\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='510'}]

This whole area is often compared to the Irish Giant’s Causeway, but
this fact does not describe all the beauty and power of this area: the
Kunashir landscape leaves an even stronger impression making you feel
like you are on another planet.

There are four active volcanoes on Kunashir. The highest is Tyatya, or
‘father-mountain': 1,819 meters. It is followed by Rurui (1,485 m),
Mendeleev (886 m) and Golovnin (541 m). Thanks to their constant
activity, fumaroles and thermal fields are spread around and geysers
gush from the ground. You can swim in warm springs near volcanoes! And
on the Pacific side of Kunashir, in the fiery caldera of Golovnin
volcano, there is the Golovninsky cliff: an incredible wall with
fifteen-meter waterfalls rolling straight into the ocean.

[{Image src='04_Kunashir.jpg' caption='Kunashir Island. Southern Kurils, Russia\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='549'}]

The fact is that despite the dense cloudiness, you can get a sunburn
here. The island is located on the same latitude as the resorts of the
Black Sea coast. Thanks to that, the most amazing plants are found here.
It is difficult not to notice them because sometimes you have to wade
through the bamboo bushes, a real jungle formed by the Kuril sasa! In
autumn, the fields of red berries are scattered with bright flashes:
berries which both in appearance and their healing properties resemble
cranberries. And another unique local species is the Kuril apple: a
relative of the rose hips with truly gigantic and juicy fruits.

[{Image src='05_Kunashir.jpg' caption='Kunashir Island. Southern Kurils, Russia\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='506'}]

If you ever happen to visit these lands, make sure to be assisted by
local guides: they not only have all the necessary tourist equipment,
boats and other transport, they will also show you where you can catch
delicious Kuril fish and help you avoid meeting numerous local bears! In
our case, the Adrenaline Tour company and the wonderful photographer
Victoria Rogotneva provided invaluable assistance. This is how this
completely safe AirPano tour was created. We hope you like it!

\\ \\
[19 panoramas of Southern Kuril Islands- Kunashir|Geography/Asia/Russia/Pictures/Southern-Kuril-Islands-Kunashir]

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