Noboribetsu Bear ParkSapporo: Noboribetsu Hell Valley, Lake Toya & Showa Shinzan Day Trip
Two thousand one hundred reviews at 4.8 and more than ten thousand bookings make this the default Noboribetsu day trip out of Sapporo, and at $48.40 it is also close to the cheapest way to reach Hell Valley without organising your own trains. The day runs 07:50 to 18:00: forty minutes on the Jigokudani boardwalks, a hundred minutes at Showa Shinzan where the Usuzan Ropeway and the bear ranch are both paid options, then Lake Toya, Lake Hill Farm, the observation deck and a hot-spring foot bath at Jozankei on the way home. One thing to be clear about before booking: the bear stop here is Showa Shinzan Bear Ranch beside Lake Toya, not Noboribetsu Bear Park, which this coach never climbs to. As a Noboribetsu day tour from Sapporo it is the safe default, and all Noboribetsu tickets and tours shows how it lines up against the rest.
About This Day Trip
From $48.40 per adult; children aged 3 and up pay the same
10 hours 10 minutes to 10 hours 30 minutes
4.8 from 2,100 Klook verified reviews; 10,000+ booked
Shared coach; a smaller van with driver only when fewer than 12 book
Jigokudani, Showa Shinzan, Lake Toya, Lake Hill Farm, Toya observatory, Jozankei
English or Chinese guide depending on the package
Quick answer What the $48.40 really becomes once you pay the extras
The headline fare covers the coach, the guide, tolls, parking and fuel — nothing else. At Showa Shinzan you choose between the Usuzan Ropeway at ¥2,000 (about $14) and the bear ranch at ¥1,000 (about $7), both self-funded, and lunch is on you. Take the ropeway and the real cost of the day is closer to $62; take the bear ranch and it is around $55. That matters when comparing against the tour that folds both fees into its price at $56. If it is Noboribetsu Bear Park you actually want, this coach does not go there — the comparison table shows which does. Departure is 07:50 from JR Sapporo Station North Exit or 08:00 from Odori Exit 31, and latecomers are not refunded.
Check Dates and Package Options
Six packages sit behind this listing — English guide, Chinese guide, hotel transfer, private charter, a winter route and a Lake Shikotsu ice-festival variant. The price changes with the one you pick.
You'll confirm the exact date and time on the secure booking page.
What the Day Actually Delivers
Ten hours, six stops and a lot of coach time. Here is where the value sits and where it thins out.
Jigokudani gets forty minutes
That is enough for the main boardwalk loop of a 450-metre-wide explosion crater formed by the eruption of Mount Hiyori — vents hissing, sulphur streams running rust and yellow, the whole thing steaming. It is not enough to walk on to Oyunuma and the natural foot bath, which is the part independent visitors rate highest. If Hell Valley is your main reason for the trip, this is an argument for staying overnight in the onsen town instead.
The hundred minutes at Showa Shinzan are the flexible part
Showa Shinzan is a lava dome that pushed itself out of a wheat field in 1943 and is still steaming. You get a hundred minutes there and two paid options: ride the Usuzan Ropeway across to the crater rim for ¥2,000, or visit the bear ranch at the foot of the dome for ¥1,000. Doing neither and simply walking the site costs nothing.
The operator notes stops can be shortened or dropped for weather or capacity.
Lake Toya is a viewing exercise
Twenty minutes on the lakeshore, twenty at Lake Hill Farm below Mount Yotei — Hokkaido's Little Fuji — and thirty at the observation deck looking down on Japan's northernmost lake that never freezes. It is scenery rather than activity, and it photographs far better than it reads. The Jozankei stop on the return adds forty minutes and a free hot-spring foot bath, which after ten hours on a coach is better placed than it sounds.
The Route, Hour by Hour
-
07:40
Assemble at JR Sapporo Station
North Exit group bus boarding area; departure is prompt at 07:50. The Odori pickup at Exit 31 gathers at 07:50 and leaves at 08:00. Arrive ten minutes early — no-shows are not refunded.
-
09:50
Noboribetsu Jigokudani
Forty minutes walking the crater boardwalks. Steam, sulphur and rust-coloured rock; this is the source of the water every ryokan in the town below pipes into its baths.
-
11:30
Showa Shinzan
One hour forty at the lava dome. Usuzan Ropeway ¥2,000 or Showa Shinzan Bear Ranch ¥1,000, both optional and paid on site. Lunch fits here.
-
13:20
Lake Toya lakeshore
Twenty minutes by the water. Clear, still, ringed by volcanoes — the lake does not freeze even in a Hokkaido winter.
-
14:00
Lake Hill Farm
Twenty minutes with Mount Yotei in the distance and dairy products in the shop. The soft-serve is the point.
-
14:35
Lake Toya Observation Deck
Thirty minutes of panorama over the caldera and its central islands.
-
16:40
Jozankei Futami Park
Forty minutes in the hot-spring gorge on the way back, with a free public foot bath.
-
18:00
Back in Sapporo
Drops at the original meeting point. Holidays and weekends can add hours — the operator asks that evening plans stay loose.
Listing at a Glance
Read from the operator's Klook listing in August 2026. Prices and terms are set by the operator and confirmed at checkout.
- Tour name Noboribetsu & Lake Toya & Bear Ranch or Mount Usu Day Trip
- Booking platform Klook
- Product ID 135122
- Starting price From $48.40 per adult
- Currency USD at checkout
- Price last checked August 2026
- Rating 4.8 out of 5
- Review count 2,100 reviews, 10,000+ booked
- Review source Klook verified bookings
- Duration 10 hours 10 minutes to 10 hours 30 minutes
- Departure JR Sapporo Station North Exit 07:50, or Odori Exit 31 at 08:00
- Return Sapporo meeting point, about 18:00
- Bear stop Showa Shinzan Bear Ranch, ¥1,000 optional — NOT Noboribetsu Bear Park
- Included Coach, guide, round-trip transfer, tolls, parking, fuel
- Not included Usuzan Ropeway ¥2,000, bear ranch ¥1,000, lunch, personal expenses, tips
- Real cost with extras About $55 with the ranch, about $62 with the ropeway
- Group size Shared, up to 48 per booking; van with driver only under 12 people
- Languages English or Chinese, by package
- Cancellation Free with 24 hours' notice; no refund for lateness or no-shows
- Confirmation Instant, guaranteed departure
- Children Free under 2 without a seat; ages 3 and up pay the adult fare
- Seniors 65 and over must travel with a companion aged 22 or older
- Not suitable for Wheelchair users; the ropeway option excludes several medical conditions
- On board No eating on the coach; sealed snacks may be carried
- Suits First-time visitors wanting Hell Valley and Lake Toya in one guided day
- Does not suit Anyone whose goal is Noboribetsu Bear Park itself
- Pace / difficulty Easy — short walks at each stop, long time seated
- Restrooms At each stop
- Animal-welfare note The optional bear ranch is a captive-bear facility
- Drinks / food on board None — eating on board is not allowed
Day Trip Questions
Does this tour go to Noboribetsu Bear Park?
No. The bear stop is Showa Shinzan Bear Ranch beside Lake Toya, about an hour west, at ¥1,000 (about $7) as an optional extra. Noboribetsu Bear Park is a separate facility above the onsen town, reached by ropeway, at ¥3,200. The comparison table sets out which listing goes where.
What does the $48.40 include?
Coach, guide, round-trip transfer, tolls, parking and fuel. Attraction fees and lunch are not included — expect ¥1,000 or ¥2,000 at Showa Shinzan depending on which option you take, plus whatever you spend on lunch.
Where does it depart from?
JR Sapporo Station North Exit group bus boarding area, assembling 07:40 for a 07:50 departure, or Odori Station Exit 31, assembling 07:50 for 08:00. Latecomers and no-shows are not refunded.
Is there a winter version?
Yes — the listing carries a winter itinerary with optional snowmobiling, and a Lake Shikotsu Ice Festival variant running from late January to late February. Both are chosen at checkout and priced separately.
How much time do you get at Hell Valley?
Forty minutes, enough for the main boardwalk loop but not for the walk on to Oyunuma and the natural foot bath. If that longer walk appeals, staying in Noboribetsu Onsen gives you the morning for it.
Can I do this and the Bear Park in one day?
Not on this coach. Realistically it is either a guided Lake Toya day, or an independent Noboribetsu day using the highway bus and an admission ticket. Doing both means staying a night.
Page last reviewed August 2026. Price, rating and review count read from the listing on August 2026. Prices, availability and terms are set by the operator and confirmed at checkout.
We may earn a commission if you book through one of our links, at no extra cost to you. Full affiliate disclosure