Shiretoko Drift-Ice Walk
Zip into a professional dry suit and follow your guide across the white sea ice of the Sea of Okhotsk, even lying back to float between the floes. One of the most extraordinary polar experiences Japan offers in winter.
Hokkaido · 5 Days / 4 Nights Private Charter
Hokkaido Winter Drift Ice 5-Day Private Charter
In and out of New Chitose | Shiretoko drift-ice walk, the Aurora icebreaker from Abashiri, Kushiro's red-crowned cranes and the Sounkyo Ice Waterfall Festival: the snow country's winter-only scenes, all in five days.
Overview
Tour Overview
Five days that gather the scenes everyone wants from a Hokkaido winter: pull on a dry suit and walk across the Shiretoko drift ice, ride the Aurora icebreaker as its bow carves through the floes, watch red-crowned cranes spread their wings over the snowfields, then end at the Sounkyo Ice Waterfall Festival with its rainbow-lit ice sculptures and fireworks.
Fly in and out of New Chitose with your own private driver and guide, and your luggage rides with you the whole way. The drift-ice season from February to March is the time to go, and the route suits friends, families with children and anyone chasing winter scenery. Tell us your dates and group size and we will reply with a tailored quote within 24 hours.
Highlights
Highlights
- Shiretoko drift-ice walk: zip into a professional dry suit and step onto the white sea ice of the Sea of Okhotsk, even lying back to float between the floes, a polar experience available only in winter.
- Aurora icebreaker cruise: sail out of Abashiri port as the bow splits the ice with a deep rumble, the deck surrounded by drifting ice floes in every direction.
- Kushiro's red-crowned cranes: watch these treasured cranes up close on the snowfields as they spread their wings and call to their mates, red crowns and white plumage like an ink-wash painting.
- Sounkyo Ice Waterfall Festival: ice tunnels, ice castles and rainbow illuminations after dark, one of Hokkaido's three great winter snow festivals.
- Biei snow park: ride a snowmobile across the winter fields of Shikisai-no-Oka, then take in the frozen silver scenery of Shirahige Falls and the Blue Pond.
- Private driver throughout: door-to-door transfers with your own driver and guide, so no one has to drive on snowy roads and your luggage stays with the car all the way.
Itinerary
Day by Day
DAY1
New Chitose Airport → Tokachigawa Onsen
Your private driver and guide meets you with a name board at New Chitose and heads east across the Tokachi Plain. In the late afternoon you check in to an onsen resort hotel to soak in Tokachigawa's amber-coloured, plant-based moor hot spring, famed as a beauty bath. An open-air bath in the snow is the perfect way to unwind and warm up for the drift-ice days ahead.
Meals Breakfast: in-flight / at your own expense | Lunch: at your own expense | Dinner: onsen hotel (subject to the room plan) Stay Tokachigawa Onsen hotel (or similar)
DAY2
Red-Crowned Cranes → Kushiro Marsh → Lake Mashu → Shiretoko / Abashiri
Start the morning at the Kushiro Crane Natural Park, watching the treasured red-crowned cranes spread their wings and call across the snow, red crowns and white plumage as graceful as an ink-wash painting. Next, the Kushiro Marsh observatory looks out over the snow-covered wetlands, and after lunch Lake Mashu shows off its famous Mashu blue. Toward evening you arrive at the lakeside in the Shiretoko / Abashiri area for a kaiseki dinner of eastern Hokkaido seafood.
Meals Breakfast: at the hotel | Lunch: at your own expense | Dinner: onsen hotel, dinner and breakfast included (subject to the room plan) Stay Hokuten no Oka Lake Abashiri Tsuruga Resort or Akan Yuku no Sato Tsuruga (or similar)
DAY3
Shiretoko Drift-Ice Walk → Aurora Icebreaker Cruise → Sounkyo Ice Waterfall Festival
Today is the climax of the trip. Put on a dry suit and step onto the Shiretoko drift ice, where an instructor leads you walking across the floes and even floating in the icy water. In the afternoon, board the Aurora icebreaker at Abashiri and watch its bow crunch through the ice sheet with a thunderous roar. By evening you reach Sounkyo, where the Ice Waterfall Festival's ice sculptures and fireworks light up the night.
Meals Breakfast: at the hotel | Lunch: at your own expense | Dinner: Sounkyo hotel (subject to the room plan) Stay Hotel Taisetsu, Sounkyo (or similar)
DAY4
Shirogane Blue Pond · Shirahige Falls → Biei Snow Park → Sapporo
The morning begins with the silvery dead trees of the Shirogane Blue Pond and the icicle-fringed blue river at Shirahige Falls, winter scenes made for the camera. Then it is on to the snow park at Shikisai-no-Oka, where you race snowmobiles over powder-covered hills, fun for children and adults alike. Return to Sapporo in the late afternoon with free time along Tanukikoji for ramen and souvenir shopping.
Meals Breakfast: at the hotel | Lunch: at your own expense | Dinner: at your own expense in Sapporo Stay Mitsui Garden Hotel Sapporo West or Dormy Inn PREMIUM Sapporo (or similar)
DAY5
Hokkaido Shrine → Maruyama Zoo → New Chitose Airport drop-off
On the final day, walk the snow-white approach to Hokkaido Shrine to pay your respects, then visit Maruyama Zoo, where the underwater polar bear tunnel is the favourite exhibit for families. In the afternoon your driver takes you to New Chitose Airport, with time to stock up on Shiroi Koibito biscuits, nama chocolate and other souvenirs before you fly home with a full set of snow-country memories.
Meals Breakfast: at the hotel | Lunch: at your own expense at the airport | Dinner: in-flight / at your own expense Stay Home sweet home
Inclusions
What's Included
Quoted per trip. Tell us your dates and group size and a travel consultant will send a tailored quote within 24 hours.
Included
- Private vehicle with a private driver and guide throughout (10 hours per day, 08:00–20:00)
- Airport transfers, fuel, expressway tolls and parking fees
- 4 nights' accommodation (upgrades available to suit your budget)
- Daily breakfast
Not Included
- Return flights to Japan (a travel consultant can book them, or arrange your own)
- Admission and activity fees (including the Shiretoko drift-ice walk, Aurora icebreaker cruise, Biei snow park and Ice Waterfall Festival)
- Lunches and dinners (your driver recommends places; your choice)
- Child safety seats (the first is free; from the second seat onwards charged per itinerary, please request at booking)
- Driver overtime (beyond the daily 10 hours, charged per 60 minutes)
Vehicle use is 10 hours per day (08:00–20:00); overtime is charged in 60-minute blocks. The drift ice and Ice Waterfall Festival are winter-only and are scheduled according to seasonal sea conditions and opening dates. The final itinerary and quote are confirmed by your travel consultant.
Ready to plan this route?
Stops
Featured Stops
Aurora Icebreaker Cruise
Every drift-ice season the Aurora sails out of Abashiri, its bow splitting the thick ice as the engines roar and the sea wind whips across the deck, with vast fields of drifting ice stretching in every direction.
Kushiro's Red-Crowned Cranes
See Japan's treasured cranes up close at the Kushiro Crane Natural Park, where red crowns and white plumage spread their wings across the silver snowfields, as graceful as an ink-wash painting.
Sounkyo Ice Waterfall Festival
One of Hokkaido's three great winter snow festivals: ice tunnels, ice castles and rainbow illuminations after dark, with fireworks bursting over the crisp winter night. Romantic and spectacular in equal measure.
Biei Snow Park
In winter the flower fields of Shikisai-no-Oka become a powder-snow playground. With an instructor leading the way, ride snowmobiles over the rolling hills, a thrill for children and adults alike.
Shirahige Falls & Blue Pond, Shirogane
Spring water pours from the cliff face into the cobalt-blue Biei River, framed by icicles and frosted trees. Nearby, the Shirogane Blue Pond's dead trees stand under fresh snow, surreal and endlessly photogenic.
Hokkaido Shrine
Hokkaido's foremost shrine sits in Sapporo's Maruyama Park, its snow-white approach lined with ancient trees. Pay your respects to the deities of Hokkaido's pioneers and feel the quiet strength of the place.
Maruyama Zoo · Polar Bear House
Hokkaido's oldest zoo. In the Polar Bear House, a transparent underwater tunnel lets you look up at polar bears gliding overhead, a favourite with families.
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Ready to plan this route?
Share your travel dates, group size and hotel preferences. A travel consultant confirms the itinerary and sends a quote.