Japan's Far East 7 Day Wild Winter Tour - February Special

We will meet at our hotel at 6:00 pm near Lake Abashiri in Abashiri, the largest city on Hokkaido’s eastern Sea of Okhotsk coast.

Dinner will be at the hotel and we will spend some time introducing the programme for our upcoming adventure and getting to know each other.

We head to the coast for our first encounter with the winter Sea of Okhotsk. This shoreline provides a starkly beautiful landscape where the arrival of the drift ice dictates the scenery. We don snowshoes to walk down to the shoreline, keeping a sharp watch for White-tailed Eagles and the magnificent Steller’s Sea Eagles perching on the floating ice.

Next, we visit Lake Tofutsu, a coastal lagoon and designated Ramsar site, to observe the Whooper Swans that migrate here for the winter.

We then make our way to the Shiretoko Peninsula, making a few stops as we head along the coast to take it the landscape and find out more about the UNESCO World Heritage area.

Today is all about the incredible drift ice experience! Wearing special drysuits over our warm winter clothing, we venture onto the frozen Sea of Okhotsk to walk and float amongst the ice floes. These huge sheets of sea ice make their way south from Sakhalin each winter between February and March, creating a unique natural spectacle along Shiretoko's coast.

After lunch in Utoro, we explore Shiretoko Peninsula on snowshoes, trekking through forests that are natural habitats for Japanese Deer. If conditions permit, we'll view the frozen columns of Furepe Waterfall.

Tonight, we stay at Yoroushi Onsen, known for visits from the Blakiston's Fish Owl — the world's largest owl species and revered by the Ainu people as kotan-kor-kamuy (the protector of the village). The hotel features a comfortable viewing lounge where you can relax while waiting for these magnificent birds, with large windows allowing for excellent photography opportunities from the indoors.

We depart early from Yoroushi Onsen with breakfast on the go to join a morning bird watching cruise from Rausu Port. During our 2.5-hour adventure, we'll witness magnificent Steller's Sea Eagles and White-tailed Eagles dominating the landscape and feeding on fish. We'll also watch for Brunnich's Guillemots and Steller's Sea Lions while enjoying spectacular views of the Shiretoko mountain range.

After lunch in Rausu village, we explore Notsuke Peninsula, a Ramsar site and Japan's largest sand spit at 26km. In mid-winter, we can walk on the frozen bay while looking for Red Foxes and birds of prey. We return to Yoroushi Onsen for our second night, with another chance to spot the Blakiston's Fish Owl.

We begin the day with a snowshoe adventure through a forest of Sakhalin Fir to Kaminoko Pond. Fed by spring water originating from Lake Mashu, the pond remains unfrozen even in subzero temperatures. We follow the tranquil stream, looking for animal tracks in the fresh snow.

Before lunch in Teshikaga, we visit Mt. Io, an active volcano where impressive sulphur vents keep the otherworldly landscape clear of snow. For the afternoon, our route depends on the weather and the pace of the day; we may walk the Wakoto Peninsula to see Whooper Swans by the geothermal lakeshore, or visit the Lake Mashu observatory to view the "Mashu-blue" waters from the caldera rim.

We then transfer to Lake Akan, a long-standing cultural hub for the Ainu, Hokkaido’s indigenous population. After dinner, we head to the Lake Akan Ainu Kotan for a night performance. As the Ainu traditionally did not use a writing system, we will experience first-hand how their history and folklore have been passed down through generations of song and dance.

We spend the morning exploring picturesque Lake Akan in Akan-Mashu National Park, where volcanoes and old-growth forests surround the caldera lake. Guided by a local Ainu community member, we discover their rich history and traditional way of life in harmony with nature. After enjoying Ainu cuisine for lunch at a family-run restaurant, we travel to Tsurui village.

At the Ito Tancho Sanctuary, we observe the remarkable Red-crowned Cranes - a conservation success story with over 1,900 birds now thriving in the area. We spend the night in central Tsurui, where we relax in the onsen before celebrating our final evening with a Western-style dinner featuring local Eastern Hokkaido ingredients.

For our final morning, early risers can join us before dawn to watch the magnificent Red-crowned Cranes take flight from their riverside nesting spot. These graceful birds spend the night together in a flock before taking to the skies en masse to feed.

After breakfast at our lodging, we travel to Kushiro City where we say our goodbyes. Drop-offs are available at Kushiro JR Station or Kushiro Airport between 10 am and 11 am.