Sakhalin island

SAKHALIN ISLAND

Completed by: Lyagina A. And Mikheeva T. (under the guidance of Bednik E.A.)

Sakhalin is the largest island in Russia, separated by the Tatar Strait from the eastern part of the Asian coast and washed by the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and the Sea of ​​Japan. A treasure trove of natural resources that became a bone of contention for the two powers for many decades, a place that sheltered thousands of political exiles and convicts, an island with unique flora and fauna - all this is beautiful and contradictory Sakhalin.

WATERFALL-GLACIER

It is located in Aleksandrovsk Sakhalinsky district on Cape Spasenny, 6 km from the village. Due. The height is more than 70 m. The unusual thing about the waterfall is that in winter it completely turns into a huge seventy-meter icicle. Thanks to this, the waterfall has long been the object of attention of tourists and ice climbers.

Resort "Mountain Air"

On Mount Bolshevik, which rises almost in the center of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, there is a ski resort "Mountain Air", which is the hallmark of the entire island. Its skiing and snowboarding trails are considered the best in the Far East. The ski lifts of the resort are open even in summer, and you can go up to a height of 600 meters to have a look at the city and its surroundings from there. By the way, the first sports facilities on Mount Bolshevik appeared back in the days when the southern part of the island belonged to the Japanese. Even then, ski jumping competitions were held on the site of the current "Mountain Air".

Chekhov Peak

Chekhov Peak is very popular with tourists not only because it is one of the highest mountains of the island (1045 meters), but also because it is located in close proximity to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. A couple of hours on foot - and now you are already climbing the slopes, admiring the thickets of dwarf birch interspersed with bamboo and cedar along the way. Those who master this path will be rewarded with beautiful views from the top. All the surroundings will appear before your eyes in all their glory - the city, Aniva Bay, the forests of the Kamyshovy Ridge.

In clear weather, you can even see the island of Hokkaido. At the top of the mountain, a Japanese temple house has been preserved, as a reminder of the times when this part of the island belonged to the Japanese.

Mountain Sharp

Within a radius of 20 km from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, in addition to Mount Bykov and Frog, there is another mountain popular among tourists - Sharp. The ascent to it starts from the Larch Quarry. The length of the hiking trail leading up the mountain is only 7 km, along the way you can enjoy lingonberries. But travelers go to Ostraya not for lingonberries, and not even for magnificent views, but to look at the wreckage of the IL-14 plane that crashed here in 1976. From the top of the mountain you can clearly see the tail section of the airliner. It will not be easy to get to the plane itself - you will have to wade through thick grass and cedar thickets.

Beach in Okhotsk

When residents of the southern part of the island want to spend a day at the seaside, they often go to Okhotskoye, a village located less than 40 km from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. A wide and long sandy strip in this part of the coast serves as a beach for the "natives". Swim here, however, only the most desperate and heated - too cold water is usually in the ocean. But this wild beach is a great place for fishing or just for a secluded holiday on the picturesque coast. However, if you really want to plunge into the water, you can go to one of the nearby lakes, since there is no shortage of them in Okhotsk.

Lighthouse at Cape Aniva

On the rocky Cape Aniva, which is the tip of the Tonino-Aniva Peninsula, where the waves of the Sea of ​​Japan and the Sea of ​​Okhotsk collide, there is a lighthouse that serves as a real decoration of the Sivuchya rock. It was built by the Japanese in the late 1930s. Since 1990 there have been no lighthouse keepers. At that time, it was converted into a nuclear one and worked offline for another 16 years. After the removal of radioisotope installations, the lighthouse turned out to be useless and abandoned. Today, this 30-meter tower looks at the elements raging at the foot of the cliff with empty eye sockets of windows and resembles a scenery for some post-apocalyptic blockbuster. You can take a look at this amazing picture with your own eyes, but you should keep in mind that it is extremely difficult to get to the lighthouse on your own. The journey there on foot will take at least four days and will be fraught with difficulties and dangers. If you are determined to see the Aniva lighthouse, we recommend that you go there by sea, as part of an excursion group. True, it is far from always possible to land on the shore - in bad weather, strong waves will not allow the ship to come close to the rocky shore.

Lighthouse at Cape Slepikovsky

The lighthouse on Cape Slepikovsky, in the southwestern part of the island, from the side of the Tatar Strait, was also built by the Japanese, as, indeed, many other objects on the island. This 28-meter lighthouse still performs its function properly to this day. But it is possible that in the near future it will cease to exist. The fact is that after the 2007 earthquake, the relief of the seabed in this place changed, and the water began to erode the coastline, of course, is much inferior to Aniva. But it also has its own advantage - it is available for independent visits. To get here, it is enough to have a car, and only the last section of the path, where the dirt road will be replaced by coastal sand, will have to be walked buildings.

Pugachevsky mud volcano

Moving by car along the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk - Okhta highway, after about 2.5 hours of travel you will see the sign "Pugachevsky mud volcano". You have to overcome another 3 km, but already on foot, through the spruce-larch taiga and wetlands. What awaits you at the end of the road? At some point, the trees will part, and your eyes will see a huge open area, in the center of which is a clay desert, which has the shape of an almost perfect circle with a diameter of 4 kilometers, along the perimeter there is a swamp with stunted vegetation. This is the Pugachevsky mud volcano. The local population at one time called him Maguntan, while he became Pugachevsky by the name of the nearby village. This place looks a little like a classic volcano. The surface of the mud field is flat, and only in the center there is a squat cone no more than half a meter high - the crater of the volcano. It is hard to believe that such crumbs, periodically “squishing” and “snorting”, are able to spew such a mass of dirt from themselves. And yet it is so. During periods of powerful eruptions that occur once every few years, or even several decades, mud jets sometimes rise to a height of up to 50 meters, scattering thousands of tons of mud around the area.

Moneron Island

The history of Moneron Island, located 43 kilometers from the southwestern coast of Sakhalin, is full of mystery and mysteries. The first people who settled this piece of land at the end of the 1st millennium BC were representatives of the Susu culture of sea hunters. Why in the 5th century AD. they left the island, it is not clear. The rest of the varieties, which later visited, did not today, on this island, barely visible on the maps, it is quiet - it seems that the series of secrets and mysteries has come to an end. Today, this area has received the status of a natural park. You can get here as part of an excursion group, and we strongly recommend that you do this. Emerald hills, rocky gorges, numerous waterfalls - all this, believe me, is really beautiful. And the pebbly beaches of Moneron were chosen by sea lions and spotted seals, of which there are really many here during the spring-autumn on Moneron for a long time.

Cape Giant

Cape Velikan, which you will find in the southeast of Sakhalin, is perhaps the most picturesque place on the coast of the island. Here you will find the most beautiful arches, columns, sculptures, and all these creations are created by the most skillful master - nature. For centuries, winds and sea waves have polished these stones, bringing their "works of art" to perfection. The "exposition" stretches along the sea edge from Cape Velikan to Cape Bird, and is guarded from the shore by the Sakhalin taiga approaching almost close to the rocks. A leisurely walk along this stretch of coast will give you a unique experience, a powerful boost of energy from unity with nature and the opportunity to take great photos.

Sakhalin Regional Museum of Local Lore

Rest on Sakhalin is active rest, i.e. which is a continuous "live" acquaintance with the mountains, forests, sea coast and other objects of unique local nature. But sooner or later you will want to take a little time out. What to see on Sakhalin, what to do on those days when you feel that you are physically tired or emotionally overloaded? Of course, the nature of the island is also not deprived of attention: the expositions dedicated to the inhabitants of local forests and coastal waters are striking in their size and diversity. Of particular interest is the museum building itself. It was built in 1937; during the period when the southern part of the island belonged to Japan, which means it was built by the Japanese. This is the only building in Russia in the traditional Japanese teikan style. The entire territory of the museum is also decorated in Japanese style ogional museum of local lore.

Dagin thermal springs

In the Nyisky Bay, in the northeastern part of Sakhalin, not far from the coast, hot springs beat. In total there are more than six dozen of them. The water in the springs is really hot - from +40° to 54°C, so it is pleasant to swim in them, which both locals and many visitors do with pleasure. But the main advantage of the water of these sources lies not in the elevated temperature, but in its healing properties. That is why people are drawn to this unattractive wetland, teeming with mosquitoes.