Fierce beauty and untamed wildlife in this adventurously wild extension to Hokkaido, Japan
Tokyo > Ozora Hokkaido > Sea of Okhotsk/Lake Shiretoko > Shiretoko National Park > Rausu > Nemuro Strait – Sea of Miracles > Tokyo
A sustainable tour extension to your holiday in Japan – a wild and exciting search for brown bears, whales and dolphins in Shiretoko – a fiercely beautiful UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site on the northern island of Hokkaido
Touch down bright and early from Tokyo at Memanbetsu Airport, where an English-speaking guide will meet you at the terminal and accompany you in a private car for the next three days.
First stop is Koshimizu Wild Flower Garden, with over 200 species of wildflower on a sandbar between the Sea of Okhotsk and Lake Tofutsu. The colder and less humid climate produces lush and colourful plants and flowers.
After lunch jourbey to Shiretoko National Park for an afternoon of lakes, waterfalls, wetlands and stunning coastline that’s barely touched by man.
Walk with your guide to the dock and board a cruise boat; heading out in search of brown bears in their natural habitat on this wild coast.
The Bears are the guardians of Hokkaido, majestic creatures sacred to the indigenous Ainu, who call them Kimun Kamuy or ‘mountain gods’. The boat safely skirts the shore looking for protective mother bears and their cubs on the beach, exploring the shallows and learning to fish, alongside a variety of other wildlife including playful seals.
This afternoon stop off at pretty Furepe Waterfall before walking the peninsula; home to birds such as woodpecker, stone chat and bunting as well as chipmnks. squirrels and local deer, before heading to quaint Rausu village for dinner and overnight at a charming ‘Minshuku’ guesthouse.
Your guide will meet you at 8am sharp for a half day cruise around the Nemura Strait – known locally as ‘The Sea of Miracles’.
Shiretoko is one of the few places on earth where the abundance of Sperm Whales, Minke and Orca, together with Dolphins and Porpoises means you’re likely to spot them before even leaving port.
Depending on time of year Shearwaters and Sea Eagles will keep you company before you return to port by lunchtime in time to choose your own lunch and to catch your transfer flight back to Tokyo this afternoon.
