Tyuleniy is the Russian word for ‘seal’, and this tiny island, located off the south east coast of Sakhalin in the Sea of Okhotsk, is an important breeding ground for both northern fur seals and Steller sea lions.

Yankicha Island is one of two islets that make up Ushishir Island, and is formed from an extinct volcano. At its centre is a stunning caldera that floods at high tide, along with hot springs and fumaroles, and the island is home to wildlife including Arctic foxes, harbour seals and the rare whiskered auklet.

Atlasova Island is dominated by the Alaid volcano, the tallest in the Kuril Islands, and fringed by black lava beaches where you may spot birds including peregrine falcons, buzzards and tufted ducks. The island was a women’s gulag during the Soviet era, but these days it is uninhabited.

Petropavlovsk is the main city on Russia’s remote Kamchatka peninsula, a hardy place where bleak Soviet tower blocks stand in the shadow of giant volcanoes. It’s a spectacular setting, and the city serves as the main gateway for exploring Kamchatka’s otherworldly landscapes and incredible wildlife.

Attu is the westernmost of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, and was the site of the only land battle fought on US soil during World War II. Today the island is uninhabited, and provides a refuge for birds including peregrine falcons, Lapland longspurs and Aleutian Canada geese.

The windswept, treeless tundra of Adak Island has an interesting history, the site of a military airbase built during World War II to launch attacks against the Japanese. At the height of the Cold War the base supported some 5,000 people, but these days just 300 or so hardy souls still live on the island.

Dutch Harbor is the port that serves the city of Unalaska, and is known for the hardy fishermen who brave the turbulent, icy seas off the Aleutian Islands. Points of interest include the remains of defensive fortifications built during the Second World War and the striking Russian Orthodox church.

Kodiak is known as Alaska’s ‘Emerald Isle’ thanks to the lush green countryside, a landscape crisscrossed by gushing salmon-filled streams that provides a home to around 3,000 Kodiak bears, the world’s largest. Ships dock in Kodiak city, an important fishing port with a fascinating Russian heritage.

The little town of Homer is situated on the beautiful Kenai Peninsula, surrounded by spectacular mountain scenery. The town has something of a counter-cultural vibe, and is also known for the unusual geological feature known as the Spit, a sliver of land that stretches 4½ miles into Kachemak Bay.