Destinations »

 

Paramushir, Kuril Islands

In the northernmost chain of the Kuril Islands, off the coast of Russia, dramatic volcanoes have shaped the landscape of Paramushir Island. Volcanic soil among the Kuril Islands has made for verdant, thriving forests of alder, pine and even bamboo. Settled by the Ainu people and later by the Russians and the Japanese, modern Paramushir is relatively isolated, though has the most populated village in the Kuril chain, Severo-Kurilsk.  In the Sea of Okhotsk, you can see the rare Asian sea otters and other marine life.