Five wonders of the Solovetsky Islands

07:00 Breakfast.

08:00-08:30 Departure by speedboat to the Solovetsky Islands.

On the way, we will stop at Cape Beluzhy.

There are unique phenomena that must be seen once in a lifetime, one of them is a herd of belugas near Cape Beluzhy.

Mysterious inhabitants of the northern seas, belugas, have been coming here for thousands of years. The cape is the only place in the world where belugas can be observed directly from the shore.

Arrival at Solovki.

Baggage check-in at the hotel's luggage room.

Private sightseeing tour of the monastery.

You can get acquainted with the history of the famous Solovetsky Monastery, see and feel the grandeur of the Solovetsky temples, stroll through the amazing Solovetsky fortress and look into its most secluded corners by taking a sightseeing tour of the Solovetsky Monastery.

The grandiose structure is a witness to great and tragic pages in the history of our state, preserves the memory of the outstanding figures of the Solovetsky Monastery – its founders and reformers, the glorious defenders of the monastery during the Crimean War, as well as the famous prisoners who once languished here in the stone casemates of the state prison. You will hear stories about them and literally touch the objects that store their memory.

The walking tour will also introduce you to the objects of economic activity of the Solovetsky Monastery, many of which were amazing technological achievements of their time. The tour includes a brief overview of the archipelago's history during the turbulent twentieth century.

Duration: 2 hours and 45 minutes.

Free time.

Visit to the Maritime Museum.
The Solovetsky Maritime Museum, a project of the non—profit public organization Northern Shipping Association, introduces visitors to little—known significant pages of the maritime history of Russia. The museum is housed in a barn for rowing vessels, a monument to the monastery's marine industry in 1841. The barn was restored and brought back to life by the efforts of the TSM. Prior to the start of work, the building was in a dilapidated condition.

Free time.

Evening walking tour to Cape labyrinths of Bolshoy Solovetsky Island.

The main attraction of the cape is the northern labyrinths. This is one of the most mysterious monuments of antiquity.

In ancient times, this mysterious symbol may well compete with the Egyptian pyramids, and there are dozens of different hypotheses and interpretations of the purpose of the labyrinths.

This sign is known on four continents, and its true meaning may not be as complicated as it seems at first glance.

Optional — a visit to the evening service of the Solovetsky Spaso-Preobrazhensky male Stavropol monastery.

Lift. Breakfast.

Excursion program "Sekirnaya Mountain and Botanical Garden".

In the depths of Bolshoy Solovetsky Island, four kilometers from the village, in the middle of the forest, there is an oasis – the Botanical Garden of the Solovetsky Museum-Reserve, which we invite you to visit.

It is one of the highest latitude gardens in Europe, with more than 1,600 species and varieties of plants from around the world today.

At a distance from the sea, the sharp wind subsides here, and breathtaking views open from the hilltops: lakes, a monastery, and a virgin forest.

The hillsides carefully shelter the Botanical Garden from the cold Arctic winds and make this place attractive for everyone who becomes its guest to walk.

You will take a leisurely stroll along the majestic larch alley planted by prisoners of the Solovetsky camp, get acquainted with the architectural monuments and plants of the Botanical Garden, and enjoy the view of the architectural ensemble of the Solovetsky Monastery from Alexandrovskaya Hill.

Transfer to Sekirnaya Gora.

Sekirnaya Gora is one of the highest points of the Solovetsky Archipelago.

The founders of Solovetsky monasticism, the Venerable Savvati and Herman, lived next to her. In the middle of the 19th century, the Holy Ascension Skete was organized here, where a men's penal isolation unit was located during the camp. The guide of the Solovetsky Museum-Reserve will introduce you to the history of this place during an exciting journey through one of the most beautiful places on Bolshoy Solovetsky Island.

The dominant feature of the Holy Ascension Skete is a unique architectural structure - the lighthouse temple, located in the upper tier of the Church of the Ascension of the Lord. Until now, the light of this lighthouse in winter can be seen at a distance of several tens of kilometers.

How does the monastic rule differ from the rules of life in a monastery? Why did the prisoners of the Solovetsky camp end up in the punishment cell, and why was Sekirnaya Gora considered one of the scariest places in the camp? You will hear the answers to these and many other questions during the tour.

The program duration is 4 hours.

It's time for lunch.

Visit to the GULAG Museum.

A small museum located in one of the former camp barracks is dedicated to the darkest page of the centuries-old history of Solovki.

From 1923 to 1939, the Solovetsky special purpose camp and the NKVD prison were located on the islands.

Over the course of 16 terrible years, more than 300,000 prisoners passed through these penal institutions, tens of thousands of people died here from hunger, cold, overwork, torture and disease.

The new museum exhibition, which opened in 2010, contains materials about the fate of the Solovetsky prisoners. Boat trip in a large circle of the lake and canal system.

For centuries, the Solovetsky Monastery has been known not only as the spiritual center of the Russian North, but also as a place where advanced technical thought found expression.

The very nature of these amazing islands inspired the monks with ideas for grandiose technical construction.

The large number of lakes located on Bolshoy Solovetsky Island allowed the monastery to create a grandiose lake and canal system, which began in the 16th century under Abbot Philip Kolychev.

We will have an unforgettable boat trip along the man-made canals connecting six lakes.

Lift. Breakfast.

Collecting things. Baggage check-in at the hotel's luggage room.

Excursion program "Sea, lighthouse, seal".

When you go by sea to Solovki, there is a lighthouse on the starboard side of Bolshoy Top Island. The seals are lying nearby.

Few tourists come here, but we undertake to take you to a place where there is a granite slab under your feet, an amazing ledge of white quartzite, a lighthouse, a seal rookery, nesting birds, and the sounds of wildlife.

Duration: 3 hours.

Full of impressions, we return to the Solovetsky archipelago.

You will have time for lunch and a visit to souvenir shops.

We pick up our things and go to the final point — Bolshoy Zayatsky Island.

Bolshoy Zayatsky Island is one of the most mysterious islands of the Solovetsky Archipelago.

With an area of just 1.38 square kilometers, this piece of land boasts a unique complex of monuments belonging to two different cultures – pagan and Christian.

For almost five centuries, they have been organically coexisting here and creating their own special and unique world.

The island, like a time machine, transports its guests from one era to another.

Visiting the mysterious stone labyrinths and monuments of St. Andrew's Skete, founded in the 16th century, allows you to travel through centuries and even millennia.

You will see the oldest surviving stone sea harbor in Russia, and visit the wooden church in honor of St. Andrew the First-Called, whose history is connected with Peter the Great's visit to the Solovetsky Islands.

You will inhale the aromas of lingonberries and heather and delight your eyes with a carpet of tundra vegetation covering the entire surface of the island.

A boat trip to the mysterious Bolshoy Zayatsky Island, which has a harsh northern charm, will also leave strong impressions.

Return to Rabochiostrovsk.

Transfer to Kem.

Arrival in Kem before 18:00.

Warm hugs and departure home.