Sights of the Sakhalin region. The most important and interesting sights of the Sakhalin region - photos and videos, descriptions and reviews, location, websites.

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Resurrection Cathedral in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

A visit to the Resurrection Cathedral in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is recommended even for those tourists who are not too interested in religious architectural monuments. In addition to the fact that this temple is considered the Orthodox center of the city, it is also one of its main historical attractions.

We explore Wrangel Island - the most unique island Russian Arctic, during cruises aboard the icebreaker "Captain Khlebnikov"

An incredible number of polar bears and walruses, the legendary Bering Strait and Cape Dezhnev, the culture of local residents and bird colonies.

Of all the regions of Russia, the Sakhalin region is perhaps the most unusual. Either a significant distance from “ big world"endows it with mystery, or perhaps the local nature is indeed somewhat livelier and more active. And in the literal sense: residents of the region do not even react to regular seismic tremors. Meanwhile, the centuries-old work of active volcanoes is noticeable everywhere on the islands: the bizarre lava layers of the Stolbchaty Cape, the hot springs of the Kuril ridge, seething lakes and unique landscapes - all this cannot be called anything other than wonders of nature.

If we talk about the earliest archaeological finds, then in the Kuril Nature Reserve alone there are several dozen historical monuments. In particular, traces of Ainu settlements are well preserved here - ancient people Japan, which once inhabited the Sakhalin region.

So, the basis of the attractions of the Sakhalin region are natural resources. The local nature is undoubtedly capable of captivating even sophisticated travelers. National parks“Kurilsky” and “Poronaisky”, for example, are generally beyond competition. Their territories are woven from powerful and at the same time graceful rocky ridges, surrounded by coniferous forests and a powerful system of streams and waterfalls. Here, in quiet protected areas, rare animals and birds live. And among them there are those who, when they see a person, remain absolutely carefree, as if they do not know fear. By territory nature reserves Numerous roads have been laid in the Sakhalin region tourist routes. Visiting the routes is free, but upon entering the reserve you must register and undergo instructions.

Some attractions of the Sakhalin region are famous not only for their aesthetic appeal, but also for their material beneficial effects on human health. It's about about Daginsky thermal springs - deposits of valuable mineral waters and dirt. The springs are located on the northeastern coast of Sakhalin Island and enjoy the status of a natural monument of regional significance.

In addition to natural benefits, the Sakhalin region is not deprived of cultural and historical heritage. If we talk about the earliest archaeological finds, then in the Kuril Nature Reserve alone there are several dozen historical monuments. In particular, traces of Ainu settlements, the oldest people of Japan who once inhabited the Sakhalin region, are well preserved here. However, it is better to get acquainted with the historical heritage of the islands at the Regional Museum of Local Lore in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. And literally a kilometer away from it is Sakhalinsky Art Museum- an incredibly rich place and, most likely, the best creative platform in the capital. By the way, museum buildings are architectural monuments protected by law.

The main decoration of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is rightly called the Resurrection Cathedral. The temple is modern, but built in the old Russian style using compositional techniques of ancient traditions. In addition to it, the city has several other temples of similar architecture. An integral part of the architectural image of the capital are spacious memorial complexes, parks, and squares. And as long as the wild hinterland of the region attracts with its pristine beauty, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk keeps its mark cultural center, enchanting with its original beauties.

Talks about how to plan a trip to Sakhalin and what to see around.

Cape Giant

What to pay attention to when planning?

Flight

Moscow - Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Flight time is 8 hours.
Regular flights from Moscow are operated by Aeroflot and Rossiya. The cost of tickets in September is 24–26 thousand rubles round trip; in the summer, during the season, prices become two to three times higher.

Weather forecast

September - good month to visit the island. It is better not to rely on the forecast on the Internet. The weather here is very changeable: in the morning it can be cloudy, then the sun comes out from behind the clouds, in one part of the island it is gray and raining, in another it is sunny.

I was very lucky; I experienced Indian summer on the island, last days During my trip it was warm like summer. Only on one day they predicted a storm with wind speeds up to 35–40 meters per second, but it didn’t work out - it rained all day and several trees fell.

Cloth

Standard set - sneakers, trekking boots, Uniqlo down jacket, The North Face windbreaker and swimsuit! I arrived in jeans - it was warm.

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

Any trip to Sakhalin starts from here.
Founded in 1882 as the convict settlement of Vladimirovka. From 1905 to 1945 it was part of Japan under the name Toyohara. In 1946 it was renamed Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.

What to do in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk?

Take a walk around the best ski resort in the Far East - “Mountain Air”. According to secret information, the second Rosa Khutor will be made here, and it is now being actively developed. Ski resort By the way, it is used as a training base for our athletes. “Mountain Air” is located almost in the center of the city; you need to walk the entire Pobeda Avenue and end up at the foot of the mountain. Two lines of cable cars, the length of the tracks is 25 kilometers. The price of the lift out of season is 300 rubles, you can see the tariffs.

Address: st. Mountain air, Lit. B, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
Website: ski-gv.ru

Ski complex "Mountain Air"

Visit local history museum Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Housed in a building made in the traditions of Japanese architecture. The whole history of Sakhalin in one museum: from the real life of people on Sakhalin at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries to historical documents and other artifacts. You may also be interested in the military collection, in which a Russian cannon from 1867 and a Japanese cannon from the 1930s stand out.

Local Lore Museum of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

Watch the sunset. This is best done from a ski jump (Mount Bolshevik, Altaisky Lane, the road to the hotel is on the right; the place is called the Sports School for ski jumping). We walked through the forest, climbed over the fence and dived into the bushes under the cameras, climbed onto the springboard - and a view of the entire city opened up before us.
Going down to the road, we discovered a couple more holes in the fence.

Cafes and restaurants

Particular attention should be paid to the food - in addition to the obvious seafood, Korean and Japanese cuisine are very popular here.

What to bring from Sakhalin?

Caviar, local seaweed marmalade, shells and stones instead of magnets.
Caviar can be bought at the “Success” market (Sakhalinskaya street, 71), the prices are very different - 1,300–2,500 rubles per 500 grams, they don’t like to bargain here. It’s better to buy secondhand through friends, about 2,500 rubles per kilogram. Don't put it off until the last day and take more. No matter how much you bring, it won’t be enough!

Around Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

Mount Frog and Aikhor Waterfall

Frog Mountain got its name because its outline resembles a frog sitting on a hillock. It is considered the energy center of Sakhalin.

The best way to get here is by bus, getting to the “Vestochka” stop, and then take a walk along the natural ecological trail “Sakhalin Frog” along the river.

The Far Eastern forest is very different from the Moscow region or the Caucasus: it has a special smell, it smells of freshness and mint tea with lemon.

This place is surrounded mystical stories. The Frog is believed to grant wishes. There is a belief that every stone, hill, stream, place has its own spirits. There are information signs along the trail telling you about the place, and along the route there are cairns.

Mount Frog

The rock will offer magnificent panoramas of Aniva Bay, Tunaicha and Izmenchivoe lakes. Here you need to make a wish. “Live each day as if you were climbing a mountain, and a glimpse of the top will serve as a reminder of your goal!” - the phrase on the sign will help.
It's better to go on weekdays; there are a lot of people on weekends.

If you have time, you can continue the route and walk to the eight-meter Aikhor waterfall, which is located northeast of Lyagushka on a tributary of the Komissarovka River. One of the Vestochka ecological trails leads to the waterfall. The path to the waterfall is not difficult; all crossings are equipped with suspended and wooden bridges. On Komissarovka itself there are also several rapids, one of the most noticeable is called “Two Sisters”.

Forest near the Aikhor waterfall

Aikhor waterfall

EAST. Tikhaya Bay, crabs and sunset at sea

I saw this place on my Instagram feed and immediately fell in love with it. The first place we went to was this very bay.

On the way to Tikhaya we stopped in the village of Vzmorye, there is a market along the road. For grandmothers, two huge Kamchatka crabs will cost 3,000–3,500 rubles.

Posted by Laura Mango | Travel 🌏 (@lora_mango) Sep 28, 2017 at 12:32 PDT

We drove up to Tikhaya at sunset, walked along the sea and climbed to Smely Peak. The whole climb took 30 minutes, and in front of us the amazing view to the Sea of Okhotsk on one side and to the sun setting behind the hills on the other.

The road to the bay from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk by car takes about two hours. To cut the crab you will need scissors.

Tikhaya Bay

SOUTH. Fishermen, surfers and stone faces

The further journey is to Okhotsk. Getting to the village is very easy, you need to take bus number 174, which leaves at 08:30 and 10:30 from the bus station, the price is 64 rubles, in less than an hour you will be at the sea. There are fishermen here, and if you're lucky and there's a swell, surfers.
Have a picnic on the beach, sit on the sand and relax from the hustle and bustle - perfect place for meditation. It smells like the real sea here!

20 minutes walk from the sea - the most large lake on Sakhalin - Tunaicha, with sandy beach And tourist base In the woods.
We walked along the road, and it turned out that there are often bears there. It's good that I found out about this after our walk. The locals said that if you encounter a bear (healthy and without cubs), then you just need to stand and do nothing, do nothing. I’m glad that “see a bear and die” was not on my list. :)

Surfing on the island

WITH east side Sea of Okhotsk (side Pacific Ocean) spots (Bus Station, Lesnoye, Trudniy, Tikhaya Bay) work very well in spring and autumn - you can say these are the seasons for the east coast, you can feel the energy of the ocean here, sometimes they come big waves two to three meters with a good period of 10–12 seconds.

In the west (strait from the mainland), the cyclone forms in the Sea of Japan, passes through Vladivostok and meets our coast. The most popular spots are Yablochnoe (city of Kholmsk) and Alibi (city of Nevelsk). This coast works all year round, in winter there is no ice on this side, and in summer the water warms up, so you can surf in shorts for a couple of hours - this is very rare.

Posted by Chemodurov Yura (@yura_chemodurov) Aug 7, 2017 at 9:34 PDT

The water in the seas is cool and we mostly use 5-4-3 mm wetsuits all season.

You can get to all spots using your own transport. The nearest one - Bus Station in Okhotsk - is a 30-minute drive from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, there is a regular bus service. The rest of the spots are at least one and a half to two hours by car.

Having experience behind us in teaching adults and children how to ride snowboards and skateboards, we launched new project- Islanders Surf School - and now we are happy to help people get acquainted with the sea, the ocean, catch their first wave and help them purchase their equipment. We see the return and great desire to surf here - it’s very nice.

We organize various surfing-themed lectures and parties, and in October we organized surfing competitions in two disciplines: longboard and shortboard. You can read more about the competition on the website Sakhalin.info.

We went surfing at the Lesnoye spot after the storm. The uniqueness of Sakhalin is that the nature here is completely wild. Kilometers of sandy shore and endless sea open before you - and not a soul.
The guys were surfing, catching fish with their hands, and I was collecting shells. After the storm, tons of scallops washed ashore, which local fishermen collected at night. But we were also lucky: we found two huge tentacles of octopus and scallops on the coast and prepared a sumptuous dinner in the evening.

Cape Giant

After meditation on the sea in Okhotsk, we went to Cape Velikan.
How to get there: From Okhotsk, drive another 22 kilometers along the seashore, chasing seagulls, to the former Svobodnaya outpost, turn south into the forest - a country road, and only a jeep will pass. After about 16 kilometers there is a sign - a stone with the inscription “Giant”, there is only one road, it is impossible to get lost, and it will lead to the sea.

Cape Giant

We went to the shore: there were rocks, birds and stones with strange faces all around. Right on the shore you can see a crawling giant. I counted 13 faces, one fish and a sheep.

There are stone arches in the water, around seagulls, a beach with small pebbles and shells. After a walk along the shore, you can climb up one of the rocks and walk along the path - an unreal view will open up. The main thing is to remember about the bears in time and not to go through the forest to the car; it is better to go back down the rocks. There may be high tide in the evening and you will have to walk through some parts of the water.
This is a special place with its own energy, it impressed me greatly.

Everything was like in a dream: a cliff, slightly shaggy from low-growing vegetation, turquoise water changing shades from slightly blue to black, beautiful wave lines and an endless perspective into the distance, and on the sides you can see coves and typical Sakhalin hills. Nature as it is, in a completely pristine form, wild, untouched.

My place of power has a certain energy, mysticism, I just want to stand there and absorb this energy. There are seagulls hovering there and the smell of the sea. You want to bring your closest ones there and share only your innermost things. It is very cozy, ideal for relaxation and recuperation.

Our Sakhalin is very rich in places of power, you just need to start traveling around the island, and one day you will feel your place. This will definitely happen, without options, and then you will want to come back here, because Sakhalin is a unique island, with its own mysticism and energy, and if you have an established relationship, it will not let you go so easily. Checked!

This is true, it has been verified by me. On the way to the airport:

“I think I forgot something!” - I said.
“A piece of my heart!” - Lena answered.

Yes, I left a piece of my heart on this island. And I will definitely come back here! After all, there are still so many places we haven’t visited: Aniva Lighthouse, Three Sisters, Chekhov Peak and Busse Lake.

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Sakhalin island

Like most other places in the east of our country, Sakhalin is more remarkable for its nature than for its man-made objects. Such outstanding natural monuments, like Kamchatka, Sakhalin does not contain, but even those available are enough for several weeks, or even months of hiking. There are mountains, beaches, waterfalls, lakes, thermal springs, and the island nature itself, so sharply different from the mainland, is quite an attraction in itself.

Its main features: dense and lush vegetation, which turns almost any forest into a difficult jungle (giant burdocks reaching human height are especially striking) and rich fauna (fish, crabs, seals, bears, snakes, foxes) - a source of mortal danger and at the same time a good way of subsistence.

Among man-made structures, interesting are roads and railways that pass through beautiful places (including abandoned railways, one of which I will talk about separately), lighthouses, tunnels and bridges located in picturesque places. The cities on Sakhalin are not very interesting - most of the buildings date back to the Soviet era and, with rare exceptions, are not very interesting to look at.

The Japanese heritage occupies a special position on Sakhalin. The Japanese owned the southern half of the island for forty years - from 1905 to 1945 - and left behind many unique buildings, monuments, and military installations. Many roads and railways were originally built by them, and then retained or abandoned by the Russians. And today the Japanese leave their vehicles as a legacy to the people of Sakhalin: 90% of the cars running around the island are used Japanese foreign cars.

The main disadvantage of Sakhalin, which sharply distinguishes it from a number of other regions, is its high prices. Accommodation, food, transportation - almost everything here is one and a half to two times more expensive than the Russian average. Other disadvantages are typical for most Russian regions and do not carry anything specific: bad roads, poorly developed transport links, lack tourism infrastructure etc.

In the bookstores there you can buy good cards around the island, including a detailed topographic atlas with a two-kilometer scale. Please be aware that maps, even recent ones, may be out of date or contain inaccurate information. Let's say I wanted to drive along the road from Korsakov to Aniva, which runs along the coast, and only on the spot I learned that the bridges on it were washed away ten years ago, it was impossible to drive along it, and in order to get to Aniva, I would have to return to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Or the maps may not include the village of Kuznetsovo, located in the middle between Cape Krillon and the village of Shebunino.

I also tried to read the book by A.P. Chekhov’s “Sakhalin Island”, but I couldn’t master it. After a cheerful and interesting beginning, telling about the history of the island and first impressions from the trip, Anton Palych goes too deep into uninteresting statistics: how many residents are in each settlement, how many of them are women and men, what they do, etc. Reading this is boring and even the descriptions of the fates of the convicts look rather monotonous. In addition, I was recommended Doroshevich’s book “Sakhalin (Katorga)” - I haven’t read it yet, I can’t say anything.

There are two main ways to get there: air and water.

As for air, there are three passenger airports on Sakhalin - in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Zonal and Okha. Of these there are regular flights V different cities on the mainland, including Moscow, Khabarovsk, Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Blagoveshchensk, Vladivostok, Sovetskaya Gavan, as well as to various cities in China, South Korea and Japan. Sometimes there are sales and special promotions - for example, recently it was possible to fly by Aeroflot from Moscow to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Two airlines fly from Moscow to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk: from Sheremetyevo - Aeroflot, from Domodedovo - Transaero. Local airline flying to different cities Far East- "Sakhalin air routes".

Keep in mind that there are no flights from the village of Zonalnoye to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, but you can fly from it to Sovetskaya Gavan and Khabarovsk. This can be done with the help of Amur Airlines, whose website for some reason I never found. Recently open airport in Nogliki, as I found out, it only accepts charter flights with workers and specialists traveling to oil projects.

By water you can get from Vanino (Khabarovsk Territory) to Kholmsk (Sakhalin Region). These ferries operate daily and all year round. They operate without a clear schedule, and the price rises every year, significantly outpacing inflation, plus it varies depending on the season (expensive in summer, cheap in winter).

The cheapest time to sail to Sakhalin is from February 1 to June 15. This is the time when the base rate is cheapest. The ferry takes from 12 to 24 hours depending on the weather, the availability of fuel and the mood of the captain. When I sailed, the ferry took about 20 hours to get there and back. It's better to book your tickets in advance. A day before the departure date, you need to call the port and find out the arrival time of the ferry - then loading of passengers and cargo begins, and the ferry itself leaves about three hours later.There is a canteen on the ferry (each passenger is given a voucher for one free lunch, plus he can buy something else - the prices are not too high).

Separately, it is necessary to say about getting to Vanino, from which ferries go to Sakhalin. The first way is from Khabarovsk along the road through Lidoga - either by your own car or by hitchhiking, because regular buses not here. The second route is railway. Vanino is one of terminal stations Baikal-Amur Mainline, and trains run here from Vladivostok, Khabarovsk and Komsomolsk-on-Amur. For those who love original routes, I can recommend the following combination: sail on a meteor with river station Khabarovsk to Komsomolsk-on-Amur (departs at 7.00, arrives at 12.50), walk around the city for several hours, and then leave it by train to Vanino (departs at 16.56, arrives at 5.31).

Around the island: roads, buses, trains, planes

There is only one intra-island air service - between Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and Okha. From Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk you can also fly to Yuzhno-Kurilsk. All this can be done with the help of the already mentioned Sakhalin Air Routes company.

Buses connect almost all major cities on the island. However, as I understand it, it is not possible to travel through it from north to south by bus. Judging by the regional bus schedule posted at the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk bus station, the bus service goes north from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk to Poronaysk, and then begins in Tymovsky. However, perhaps there are some minibuses between Tymovsk and Poronaysk. If not, you can use the train. Also, keep in mind that bus ticket prices here are twice as high as on the mainland. Let's say a minibus from Kholmsk to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (90 km). So hitchhiking here can really help you save large sums of money.

The railway runs along a small section of the island's west coast and most of the east coast. They are connected by a railway line in the Ilyinsky area. The railway from Nogliki to Okha, where freight trains used to run, is now almost completely dismantled. Most of the roads are narrow gauge, laid by the Japanese, and Japanese carriages run along them. True, the railways are now being expanded to meet the all-Russian standard, and, perhaps, domestic locomotives and cars will soon be running here.

There is no intra-island water transport on Sakhalin, but from here you can sail to other places. In addition to the above-described ferry from Kholmsk to Vanino, there are regular ships to Wakkanai (Hokkaido Island, Japan) and to the Kuril Islands (circulating several islands). They all depart from Korsakov, but tickets for the steamer “Igor Farutdinov”, heading to the Kuril Islands, can only be bought in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk at the Sakhalin-Kuril Maritime Company JSC at 21 Kommunistichesky Ave., tel. 76 25 24.

Hitchhiking on the island is possible; many locals, out of necessity, also move this way (albeit for short distances). Just keep in mind that among Sakhalin residents, Moscow phobia seems to be more developed than in any other region, and Muscovites will have to hear a lot of curses and jokes towards themselves and their fellow countrymen. There are many problems on the island, and some drivers believe that Moscow is to blame for them - and not only the political leadership there (which I agree with), but also all other residents. One Sakhalin resident told me that it was necessary to pay Bin Laden to drop a bomb on Moscow, another hoped that there would be a new Hitler who would finally reach Moscow and burn it to the ground.

By the way, hitchhikers rarely get to Sakhalin, and most local residents do not immediately understand your essence. Drivers at first think that you are a local resident getting to your home, and they are very surprised when you say where you came from (especially if it is somewhere in the European part of Russia). When communicating with such desperate travelers, Sakhalin residents are very hospitable and responsive, including even with the hated Muscovites. So don’t be surprised if a Sakhalin resident who has just cursed Moscow invites you home for dinner.

Some places on Sakhalin can only be reached on foot. From mountain routes the most popular route is through the Zhdanko ridge, passing east of railway stations Quiet and Tsapko, and the route to Mount Lopatina - the most high point islands. I don’t know how exactly you can go through them, ask on the spot. In addition, there are several routes along the Sakhalin coast. Below is the road to Cape Crillon along west coast, but theoretically it can be passed by car or hitchhiking. Other routes - say, from Cape Crillon along east coast to Aniva, or from Uglegorsk to Aleksandrovsk-Sakhalinsky - it seems that you can only walk.

Hotels

Like many things on the island, hotels here are quite expensive. Budget options Accommodation can be found in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk: cheap hotels there are concentrated in the vicinity of the station. The cheapest is “Dalnevostochnaya” at st. Lenina, 179, where you can spend the night in a 3- or 4-bed room). Even more or less reasonable prices in Kholmsk. In other cities, prices are unreasonably high.

So it’s best to spend the night camping, in a tent. The only difficulty is that the island has a rather difficult terrain, especially in the southern half, and it is not always possible to find a flat place to spend the night. And if you put up a tent on the shore, don’t put it right next to the water - there are quite strong tides here, and the tent can be flooded with water at night.

Public catering

Catering on the island is one and a half to two times more expensive than on the mainland. Of the foreign cuisines, the most popular is Korean - some of its dishes (for example, “pyansae” - a kind of manti with cabbage) are even sold in canteens. Sakhalin residents say, either jokingly or seriously, that somewhere you can even try the signature Korean dish - dog. I don’t know, I haven’t seen it myself.

It was more difficult to figure out food prices. They are now growing day by day all over Russia, and sometimes seeing completely absurd price tags in stores, I didn’t know exactly who to blame: the financial crisis or the specifics of Sakhalin. Some products are clearly more expensive, while others seem to be the same as on the mainland.

Separately, it is necessary to mention seafood produced in Sakhalin. It would seem that here they should be incredibly cheap. This is both true and false. On the one hand, in stores the prices for caviar and frozen fish are quite continental, as if you were not on the shore Sea of Okhotsk, and somewhere in the Tambov region. Locals like to talk about how, when they were in Moscow, they went into the hypermarket there and discovered that Sakhalin fish was cheaper there than on Sakhalin itself. This is an interesting and inexplicable feature of our economy. The same thing, by the way, happens with gasoline, which in oil-producing (and even oil-refining) regions is often more expensive than in neighboring regions that do not have a drop of black gold (examples are Bashkiria and Sakhalin).

On the other hand, fresh fish and caviar can be bought cheaply, bought directly from fishermen or caught yourself. The legal aspect of this is not entirely clear to me: they say that any unlicensed fishing is prohibited, therefore, apparently, both the first and, especially, the second are a crime. But the severity of Russian laws, as is known, is compensated by the optionality of their implementation, so any Sakhalin resident knows where to get the product they are looking for. To make the order of prices clear, I will give two examples. One of the drivers who gave me a lift made an agreement over the phone with a poacher he knew that he would sell him a bucket of fresh caviar for 1.5 thousand rubles - however, it then had to be salted and packed in jars. And another truck driver, driving past one village, bought two liter jars of already salted caviar from an old woman for 250 rubles. a piece. Apparently, it was possible to negotiate even cheaper, but he waved his hand: “Okay, I have a lot of money, but she doesn’t have much.”

In general, if you are going on a hike around Sakhalin in the summer or autumn, take some fishing gear– the local fauna can serve as excellent food along the way. Among the recipes of local hikers is fish baked in burdocks. The recipe is simple: take fish, season it with spices, wrap it in several layers of burdock and cover it with smoldering coals. Burdocks obviously have good thermal conductivity, because they don’t even change color, and the fish is ready in 30-50 minutes. In addition, Sakhalin has a lot of crabs, mushrooms, berries and other gifts of nature. Many here therefore say that they are not afraid of any crises: if you are not lazy and know where to look for what, nature itself will feed you.

Population

A little more than half a million people live on Sakhalin. Most of the residents are Russian. However, there is an interesting ethnic feature that stems from the island's history - a large percentage of the population is Korean. The fact is that during the Second World War, the Japanese, who owned the island, brought Korean prisoners of war here to work. After the war, the Koreans were either not allowed to go home, or they themselves did not want to go to their homeland, devastated by the Japanese occupation and torn apart by civil war - in general, they remained on the island and completely assimilated with the local population. Purely visually, it seems that Koreans make up 5-10 percent of the population. Few of them know Korean - only very old people and, perhaps, teenagers who studied under some kind of international program.

In addition, the island’s indigenous inhabitants, the Nivkhs (aka Gilyaks) and the Ainu, remain on the island in small numbers (several thousand people). They live in the north of the island; I haven’t seen them. Main activities local population– work in the oil and gas industry, fishing and fish processing, woodworking, sailing. Agriculture exists, but, apparently, due to the difficult terrain, it is not very developed - vegetable gardens and fields are extremely rare.

Dangers and troubles

Here, of course, the symbol of Russia is beyond competition - the bear. If in the European part of the country it is almost impossible to meet it, then the further you go to the east, the more real the danger it poses. On Sakhalin, every resident of the island encountered a bear several times. Everyone will tell stories on this topic, scare you, give advice, show pictures of bears taken from a car window. And although the advice is sometimes quite different, including opposite in meaning, nevertheless, most of them add up to a certain pattern of behavior, which I used. I won’t open America to experienced tourists, but it will be useful for beginners.

First of all, it’s worth saying right away that in 99% of cases a bear will not attack a person unless the latter provokes it. Is it dangerous to encounter a connecting rod bear in the spring or a bear that has not settled down for the night in a den at the beginning of winter. During the rest of the year, the bear has enough food, and he is not at all interested in people. The two fundamental rules are as follows: sudden movements cause aggression in a bear, sharp sounds cause fear. Hence the conclusion: when meeting a bear, you should not move, run away, etc. - most likely, it will chase you. But sharp sounds - screams, whistles, etc. - need to be made louder and more often, because the bear gets scared of them and will prefer to retreat.

The only time I saw a bear happened near the village of Kuznetsovo on the way to Cape Crillon. Immediately after the village, the road leaves the coast and runs for about ten kilometers along a mountain pass overgrown with dense forest. The last car dropped me off at the village; there were no other cars for half an hour, so after resting a bit, I decided to walk. And then, about five hundred meters from the village, around the bend, I saw a bear cub the size of a large St. Bernard. I stopped, the bear cub looked at me in fear and immediately ran off into the forest. I really didn’t want to move further into the forest: I stood there for half a minute and decided to go back to the village out of harm’s way. Well, an hour later a passing car drove by - moving through the mountain pass in it was no longer so scary.

When I was returning back, there were no passing cars in this area, so, gathering all my will into a fist, I took out a whistle and, every half a minute announcing the surroundings with a sharp whistle, I walked along the road. In two hours I walked the entire pass without seeing a single bear, and then a passing car drove along and picked me up. Other dangerous animals are snakes and ticks. The precautions are the same in other Russian regions: look at your feet and inspect your clothes from time to time.

Cities, roads and attractions of Sakhalin

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. The capital and largest city of the island. There is little of interest here, so there is no point in lingering there. Unless you need to buy maps, atlases and travel equipment - there is, of course, more choice here than in other cities. Main attractions: children's railway in the park named after. Gagarin; three museums - local history, art and books by A.P. Chekhov's "Sakhalin Island"; ski slope near the city; new Resurrection Cathedral. Another unique attraction in the vicinity of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is the village of Zima, where foreigners working on oil and gas projects live. Indistinguishable from an American suburb - neat houses, lawns, signs with street names dubbed into English, children playing on the playground and speaking loudly in English, a tennis court and the best swimming pool with sauna in all of Sakhalin. True, getting into this paradise is not easy for mere mortals - there is a pass regime and, if you are not a guest of one of the local residents, you will not be allowed here.

Kholmsk. A small but pleasant city, which those who come to Sakhalin by water cannot miss. There are few attractions - except for the St. Nicholas Church, converted from a former cinema building.

Railway Kholmsk - Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. It was built by the Japanese and was actively used by the Russians until the 80s. But then it became too expensive to maintain the tunnels and bridges in good condition, and it was abandoned. Now this is interesting walking route, where both the surrounding nature and the remains are of interest railway, tunnels, bridges, ruins of stations and other infrastructure. You can walk through it entirely, but I only visited the section from Nikolaychuk station (departures from Kholmsk to it at 9.20 am suburban train) to the village of Chaplanova, where the railway intersects with the Kholmsk-Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk highway, and from where you can hitchhike.

There are nine tunnels and three bridges in this section. Some tunnels are quite long, so don't forget to take a flashlight - somewhere you will be walking in pitch darkness. The bridges are all well preserved, however, you need to walk on them carefully, focusing on metal rather than wooden structures (already slightly rotten). The first half of the journey will have to be walked along the rails, the second half - along the place where they were. Nevelsk. A city heavily damaged by an earthquake in 2007. Almost half of the buildings are small, low-rise buildings in which refugees live. They look nice, but, according to locals, they are built almost out of plywood, so they are not very durable.

Cape Crillon. In my opinion, the most interesting route on Sakhalin - from the village of Shebunina ( extreme point, to which minibuses go from Nevelsk) to Cape Crillon, the most southern point islands. A unique road that goes straight along the beach, where either a good SUV or a domestic truck can pass. If you don’t have such means of transport, you will have to walk or hitchhike. Last view getting around doesn’t really help, because 2-3 cars can pass here a day – but most likely, all of them will stop and give you a ride.

Traffic is better before the village of Kuznetsovo, but after that it almost disappears. Interesting objects along the way: the Kovrizhka hill with a cut off top, Cape Kuznetsov with the village of the same name, a 10-kilometer mountain pass, two waterfalls immediately after it, the remains of the steamship "Luga", which ran aground off the coast sixty years ago, earthen ramparts and ditches left over from ancient fortress Siranusi, and finally – Cape Crillon itself, on which the border post, lighthouse and weather station are located and from which good weather you can see Japan. Korsakov. A most boring provincial town. Interesting only how a starting point for traveling to the Kuril Islands or Japan. Near the city there is the village of Prigorodnoye, where a gas liquefaction plant was built - impressive sight, especially at night, illuminated by lights.

Highway Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk - Okha. The Trans-Sakhalin Highway, running from the south to the north of the island. It is paved only up to the village of Vostochny. And from Gastello the route departs from the coast and goes away from the sea. This section is the most depressing sight on Sakhalin. A dull plain, monotonous forests, a dusty dirt road and abandoned villages - and all this is several hundred kilometers away. The only section that may be of interest to history buffs is between the villages of Smirnykh and Tymovsky. The border between southern (Japanese) and northern (Russian and Soviet) Sakhalin passed here from 1905 to 1945, and here the Red Army began its offensive during the Soviet-Japanese War.

You can see the ruins of military fortifications and monuments dedicated to these events, and also listen to the stories of local residents about the heroic Red Army soldiers and desperate Japanese who fought here tooth and nail. Otherwise, this route is of no interest and I do not recommend going here - it is better to turn left somewhere and return to the south of Sakhalin along the highway running along the western coast. I haven’t ridden it myself, but others have praised it very much.

Alexandrovsk-Sakhalinsky. It used to be the capital of the island - it was here that Chekhov came during his travels. Nowadays it is a small and dirty town. Located on a hill new town– several streets with Khrushchev buildings, a little lower and closer to the shore – Old city, consisting of wooden buildings, some centuries old. Anton Chekhov stayed in one of them during his trip to Sakhalin - there is a museum there, quite standard and formulaic. Several interesting sights are located south of the city - these are the Three Brothers rocks, Cape Jonquiere and the tunnel laid through it, the bay behind it with a lighthouse and the Three Sisters rocks.

Hot Keys. Hot springs 30 km north of the village of Nogliki, to the right of the highway. There is no sign to it, only a sign “Take care of nature.” At the beginning there is a large clearing where Sakhalin residents set up tents, then there are booths with baths, bathing in which they say improves health.

Conclusion

Today's Sakhalin is Russia in miniature. Here are the same contrasts, problems and achievements as in the rest of the country, only in an even sharper form. People come here from all over the country to work - and local residents leave for the mainland, complaining about the lack of work. Large-scale construction is underway in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and its environs, while remote northern villages are falling apart and rotting, abandoned by local residents. Oil platforms are being built in the coastal zone, a modern gas-liquefaction plant has been created near Korsakov, but Soviet enterprises and coal mines have been abandoned and forgotten. Between the cities in the south of the island there are excellent roads by Russian standards - and a disgusting dirt road leads to the north, where trucks slow down to 20 km per hour.

The same combination of poverty and wealth, the contrast between large cities and small towns, the same large-scale projects on the development of oil and gas reserves, but neglect of all other spheres of the economy, the same corruption of the authorities and apoliticality of the people, the same rich Natural resources and the same thoughtless squandering of them. As throughout the rest of Russia, there is the same great and heroic and at the same time terrible and dark past, the same strange present, in which it is not clear what is more - successes or failures, and the same vague and unclear future.

Unusual landscapes, unique geological monuments, thermal springs and most interesting museums- all this can be seen and visited on Sakhalin! The sights of the island attract not only Russian tourists, but also travelers from other countries (primarily from Japan and China). We will tell you about the most interesting tourist sites in Sakhalin in our article. We wish you pleasant reading!

Sights of Sakhalin and general description of the island

Sakhalin (Japanese name - Karafuto) - large island off the eastern coast of mainland Asia. It is separated from the continent by the Strait of Tartary, and from the neighboring island of Hokkaido by the La Perouse Strait. Administratively, the island is part of the Sakhalin region, which also includes a chain of sparsely populated Kuril Islands. The total area of Sakhalin is 76.6 thousand square meters. km. The largest city is Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (190 thousand inhabitants).

Sakhalin Island is one of the most unusual regions in Russia. He stands out noticeably for his unique nature, and the distance from " big land"gives it even more color and mystery. Locals have long been accustomed to the local amazing landscapes, and to the monsoon climate, and to regular tremors. But for residents of other regions and countries, all this is a novelty.

The main natural attractions of Sakhalin include hot springs, numerous lakes, relict yew groves, and unusual rocks created by lava layers. IN major cities There are a number of museums with very interesting thematic exhibitions. And on Sakhalin, a unique and working narrow-gauge railway line has been preserved, which has no analogues in the whole world!

We have compiled for you a list of the ten most interesting attractions of Sakhalin (we will describe some of them in more detail below):

Museum of the History of the Sakhalin Railway;
Moneron Island;
Kholmsky pass;
Tikhaya Bay;
rocks "Three Brothers";
lighthouse at Cape Jonquiere;
monument to the “Dead Fishermen” in Nevelsk;
local history museum in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk;
Devil's Bridge in Kholmsk;
Nature reserve "Poronaysky".

Moneron Island

In the waters of the Tatar Strait, 50 km from the coast of Sakhalin, there is the island of Moneron. Its area is only 30 square kilometers. But this small territory “fits” two rivers, a chain of hills and basalt rocks, as well as a dozen waterfalls. However, the main highlight of the island is the rookeries of spotted seals, sea lions and other mammals.

Quiet Bay

In Terpeniya Bay, within the Makarovsky district of the island, there is an extremely cozy and beautiful place- Tikhaya Bay. It is protected on three sides by the spurs of the beautiful Zhdanko mountain range. The famous navigator Ivan Kruzenshtern nicknamed this bay “Quiet”. In that beautiful place You can relax and fish perfectly. The ideal peace and quiet in the bay is occasionally disturbed only by seagulls, who happily spend time on the nearby rocks and islands.

Rocks "Three Brothers"

This group of three pointed rocks juts out from sea water near Aleksandrovsk-Sakhalinsky. By the way, their silhouettes are depicted on the coat of arms of this city. The Three Brothers rocks have long become one of the symbols of the entire Sakhalin region. Together with the lighthouse on the neighboring Cape Jonquiere, they form a single tourist complex. The rocks look especially impressive at sunset.

A.P. Chekhov and Sakhalin

The Chekhov Historical and Literary Museum, located in Aleksandrovsk-Sakhalinsky, tells in detail about the Sakhalin hard labor, as well as the stay of the famous Russian writer on the island. In 1890, Chekhov went on a long journey to the East. The main goal of the expedition was to visit Sakhalin. On the island, he conducted a census and talked with many convicts, including political ones.

A certain result of Chekhov’s journey to the east was a book with the simple title “Sakhalin Island”. True, reading it is quite boring, because, in addition to the writer’s personal travel impressions, it is full of detailed statistical data.