South Kamchatka Sanctuary is a wildland in the south of the peninsula, stormed by the Pacific Ocean from the east, and the Sea of Okhotsk from the west. 

The total area of South Kamchatka Sanctuary is 322 thousand hectares, including a three-mile marine area with densely populated rookeries of marine animals and bird colonies. The official birthday of the "Yuzhno-Kamchatsky" Sanctuary is April 8, 1983.

Today it is the only nature sanctuary of the federal level in the Kamchatka Territory. Its regime is strict, close to the reserve, due to the complexity of its tasks:

1. the preservation of the natural complexes of the Kamchatka south, including the unique ecosystem of Kuril Lake;
2. the protection of the paths of mass migrations of birds;
3. conservation of sea otters, bighorn sheep and brown bears.

But, undoubtedly, the living heart of the sanctuary is the crater lake Kuril (maximum depth is 316 meters). This caldera was formed by a powerful explosion of the volcano and filled with snow and rainwater. Framed by volcanoes, Kuril Lake has become the mecca for wild nature photographers, videographers and artists. From the lake, you can see the breathtaking panorama of Ilyinsky volcano, a young active stratovolcano with a height of 1,578 meters. Its lava flows once flowed straight into the lake, creating picturesque bays.