Drift Ice Tours from Sapporo to Abashiri

Compare the tours compared here

The table compares the Sapporo tours on price, length, what each listing includes and the free cancellation window. Prices are per person as listed. The 1,000 JPY Sounkyo Ice Waterfall Festival fee on the H.I.S. tour is paid on site and is not in the listed price.

By train

The limited express Okhotsk runs twice a day in each direction. Okhotsk no. 1 leaves Sapporo at 06:52 and reaches Abashiri at 12:17. Okhotsk no. 3 leaves Sapporo at 15:30 and arrives at 20:52. Heading back, no. 2 leaves Abashiri at 06:55 for Sapporo at 12:10, and no. 4 leaves at 14:36 for Sapporo at 20:02.

The morning train is the only one that reaches Abashiri in time for a daytime sailing. That is why a guided day trip is easier: the coach timing is built around the cruise. From JR Abashiri Station a taxi to the pier takes about 8 minutes and costs about ¥1,000, and a direct bus runs from the bus terminal.

The Aurora adult fare is $44.23 (¥7,000). Book online or by phone with the operator, or take a tour with the sailing in the price.

Day trip or overnight?

Both work. A day trip means a very early start and a long return ride, but it is doable with the 06:52 train or on a coach tour. An overnight stay gives you two chances at the ice, because drift ice is never guaranteed on a given day and can change within hours with wind and tide.

How the season unfolds

JNTO says the ice begins a 1,000-kilometre journey at the Amur River and drifts south on winds and currents. Hokkaido Love says it typically reaches Abashiri from late January. The operator warns that warming has delayed and reduced the ice, so past patterns may not hold.

The first day varies a lot. In one recent season the first drift ice day at Abashiri was 24 days later than the 1991 to 2020 average and the latest since records began in 1946. The Okhotsk Ryuhyo Museum announces the first drift ice day each season.

If no drift ice is found, the small ship Aurora 3 is cancelled and the large ship runs a sea cruise to Notoro Cape, so you still sail.

Choosing your base

Abashiri has the large Aurora icebreaker, the Okhotsk Ryuhyo Museum and the Ryuhyo Monogatari train. Monbetsu runs its own drift ice boat, the Garinko-go III. Utoro on the Shiretoko coast is the place for getting onto the ice, with dry suit walks from early February to mid-March depending on ice.

Those walks need their own travel plan, usually through Abashiri or Memanbetsu.

On board

The 1st-floor cabin connects to a side deck with a close, low view of the ice, so you can step out between the heated cabin and the deck. The ship can travel up to 10 km one way to reach the ice.

The Aurora cruise is in the price of the day trip and the H.I.S. two-day tour. The Lion Travel two-day tour includes an icebreaker cruise but does not name the ship. If you book the cruise alone, the large ship adult fare is $44.23 (¥7,000) and the small ship Aurora 3 is $61.93 (¥9,800).

Who lives on the floes

The operator lists seals, sea birds and Steller's sea eagles as possible sightings, and none is guaranteed. Binoculars or a telephoto lens help. The side deck off the 1st-floor cabin gets you low and close to the water, which helps with seals on nearby floes.

The Okhotsk Ryuhyo Museum, part of the day trip, shows real drift ice indoors, a good backup if the sea is open that day.

Dates, Times and Fares

The Ryuhyo Monogatari runs January 30 and 31, every day of February, and March 6 and 7. Train 1 leaves Abashiri at 9:50 and reaches Shiretoko-Shari at 10:41. Train 4 leaves Shiretoko-Shari at 14:10 and reaches Abashiri at 15:14.

The one-way fare is ¥1,040 plus a ¥1,000 reserved seat, and all cars are reserved. The Kitahama observation deck was removed due to age, so plan on views from the train. It fits an overnight stay in Abashiri, not a one-day tour.

What the walk involves

JNTO describes the Utoro walks as 90 minutes in a dry suit, from $37.91 (¥6,000), running from early February to mid-March as the ice allows. JNTO puts Utoro about a 90-minute drive from Memanbetsu Airport.

None of the Sapporo tours includes a walk. They centre on the Abashiri icebreaker, which suits travellers who want to stay warm and dry.

Extras to budget for

On the 2-Day Aurora Cruise, Asahiyama Zoo and Onsen, a Sounkyo Ice Waterfall Festival venue support fee of 1,000 JPY per person is paid on site, and day 1 lunch is not included. Both Lion Travel tours list no mandatory extras, but meals on the day trip and lunch on the two-day tour are extra. Free cancellation is 24 hours on both Lion Travel tours and 7 days on the H.I.S. tour.

Drift ice is never a guarantee. If the cruise is cancelled for weather, the day trip visits the Abashiri Prison Museum instead with a partial refund, the H.I.S. tour switches to the Okhotsk Ryuhyo Museum, and the Lion Travel two-day tour visits Mt Tento and the Okhotsk Ryuhyo Museum.

Choosing between the tours compared here

Short on time? The Aurora Icebreaker Day Trip from Sapporo at $295 is the one-day answer. Want zoo penguins plus a hot spring night? The 2-Day Aurora Cruise, Asahiyama Zoo and Onsen at $398 is the relaxed two-day pick on set dates, and its 7-day cancellation window means you should be sure of your dates. Want two days with the most flexible cancellation? The 2-Day Drift Ice Cruise and Asahiyama Zoo Tour at $617 carries a 24h free cancellation window, though its listing does not name the ship.

The ship cruise needs no fitness, and preschool children ride free on the Aurora. Wheelchair use on the large ship is very limited because of stairs inside, and wheelchairs cannot board the small ship Aurora 3.