Pil’toon is located on the large Russian Island of Sakhalin in the North Pacific. It is a mountainous island covered with dense coniferous forests. Bears, foxes, otters and sables are numerous, as are reindeer in the north, and musk deer, hares, squirrels, rats and mice everywhere.
Pil’toon sits on an enormous lagoon where there is a resident grey whale population. Onshore, visitors can meet members of a summer encampment of the Ul’ta (or Orok) people, a reindeer herding culture. At a Nivkh homestead visitors are treated to cultural performances by both the Ul’ta and Nivkh people.
Things to see and do
* Whale watching
* Seals and sea lions
* Lake Tunaycha
* Vaida Mountains
* Zhdanko Ridge
General Information
Cruise Season – March - Nov
Currency – Ruble (RUB)
Language – Russian
Land Area - 72,492 km2 (Sakhalin Island)
Population – 580,000 approx (Sakhalin Island)
Electricity – 2 round pins European style
Time – GMT plus two hours to plus twelve hours
International Country Telephone Code – + 7
Port Location – The main ports at Sakhalin island are Korsakov and Kholmsk.
Travel Links – Sakhalin Island is connected by regular flights to Moscow, Khabarovsk, Vladivostok, and other cities of Russia.
There are several ferry routes connecting the mainland with Sakhalin, but choice is pretty much limited to the daily ferry service between Vanino on the mainland, and Kholmsk on the islands western coast.