Lake Akan and Lake Mashu
We started from
Oshinkoshin Falls
The rain reduced to a drizzle as we were nearing Shari. From Shari to Utoro the road mostly ran along the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk. There was about 37 km to Utoro and there were no any gas station for the whole distance. After about 30min of drive we reached the spectacular Oshinkoshin Falls, which was just next to the main road. With the heavy rain during the day, fall was furiously flowing down exploding with water. Even walking was a bit difficult with heavy winds which tried to push us sideways. We spent about 15 minutes enjoying the serene beauty of the waterfall and continue to the hotel which was only a five minutes drive from the waterfall.
Utoro
The hotel was a small but nice one next to the harbor. The scenery was bit obstructed by some ongoing construction works in the harbor, which I thought should be a Breakwater. With the heavy winds I had some doubts about the boat tour which we had booked for the next morning. So I had a look at their website and got to know that all the tours were cancelled for that day because of the bad weather. But the next day weather forecast forecasted a moderate wind speed. We had to hope for the best.
Next morning weather was a bit better. Sky was cloudy but there was no rain. A little rain was forecasted later in the day. But fortunately the wind was not too much for the boat ride. Our departure time was 9.30. But we left the hotel just after the breakfast and was at the
There was a huge rock about 60 meters high near the harbor. A tunnel dug under this rock which take us to the dock. There was a parking lot close to the dock for the Aurora cruise ship customers. The ship was docked there and was loading for the morning cruise. We were walking in the area and by chance noticed that there are steps leading to the top of the rock. With only few minutes to the cruise, we hurried towards the steps hoping to climb to the top. We were surprised that we didn't read anywhere that there was stairs to climb to the top of the rock. Steps were wooden and it was an easy climb. There were hundreds of seagulls all over posing nicely for pictures. From the top, on one side there was a nice view of Utoro Harbour and the Sea of Okhotsk. Most of the peaks of Shiretoko mountains were covered with mist. Even in June, still there was snow on the mountains. A road can be seen winding through the mountains towards five lakes. We spent about 15 minutes enjoying the scenery before start descending and walking back to the tour office to join the boat ride. When we were on the way we met the group on their way to the boat and we joined them.
Shiretoko boat tour
The boat was about 40 feet long. We decided to choose a smaller boat against larger Aurora ship because it allows to go closer to the shores giving better chances of a bear sighting. On the other hand Aurora ship is bigger and should be more stable and a pleasant ride, especially if you are worried about sea sickness. The sea was rough on the day and the medicine for sea sick was also available in the
After riding quickly for about 10 minutes boat drove close to the shore. All along the shoreline was cliffs about hundred feet tall. There were bizarre carvings of various shapes on the rock the rock faces. And also there were caves of various sizes and shapes most probably formed by the erosion caused by sea waves and wind. Everything was explained in Japanese by a tour guide which unfortunately I couldn't understand much. The sea was rough as predicted and the wind was strong. There were several waterfalls falling to the sea form top of the cliffs. Two were large and much beautiful which I thought should be Furepe falls and Yunohana Falls. Because of the continuous rains during the week there were lots of waterfalls formed.
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We got to know that Shiretoko was inhabited years ago. There was an iron bridge and some signs of settlements on the shore. Kamuiwakka falls was bursting with water. Without any further bear sightings we reached the Shiretoko cape. There was a lighthouse on the cape. The cape is the furthest point the boat ride goes and it took about 2 hours to reach there.
Shiretoko Five Lakes
We planned to take the Shiretoko Five Lakes tour expecting to see some bears more closer. In the months in which bear sightings were frequent it is required to take the service of a registered guide to take 3km the walking trail. We booked a guided tour starting at 3pm. Five lakes are about 15km from Utoro. The road was winding through the mountains and was going close to the shore for a few kilometers before moving into the wilderness. There is a chance to see bears along the road if you are very lucky which we were not.
We reached Five Lakes well before 3 pm. There were some souvenir stores and food stalls.
With all hopes of seeing a bear close vanished we started the tour. The trail was muddy as expected. First lake was small. The guide was very informative and explained everything from plants, bears and geography along the way. There were about 8 people in the group and the tour was entertaining. Because the sky was cloudy we couldn't see the spectacular reflection of the snowy peaks through the water clearly as we should have seen on a clear day. To have the most spectacular views one should take the tour on a clear sunny day.
We didn't see any bears or any other animals along the trail. But there were signs of recent bear activity all along. We saw huge rocks thrown by a nearby volcano when it erupted years ago. Final part of the trail in on the wooden elevated path which is fortified with an electric fence to prevent a bear attack. This part of the trail is free for anyone and also wheelchair accessible. Forest in this area had been cleared some time ago for farming. We saw the efforts of reforestation. There were wind breakers protecting plants, trees from the
It was about 5pm when we came back to the visitor
Shiretoko Pass
Next morning we decided to take the Shiretoko pass road to Rusu on our way back to Niseko. There was a thick mist when we were driving
This time rain was stopped when we were getting
As we drove down the mist was
Kushiro City Marsh Observatory
It was about 2 pm when we reach Kushiro. We stopped at the Marsh Observatory and bought a ticket to climb to the top. From the top the view was
Useful Links
Places to stay
Shiretoko Boat Tour Reservation
Shiretoko Five Lakes Guided Tour Reservation
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