Solovki. My own view of history and legends

Breakfast, lunch at the hotel.

Meeting with the tour leader at the hotel reception.

A pedestrian crossing to the tour desk.

Sightseeing tour of the Solovetsky Kremlin (the duration of the walking tour is 2 hours and 45 minutes).

The tour introduces visitors to the history of the Solovetsky Monastery. 

Tourists visit the territory of the central complex of the monastery, active temples, monuments included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, objects of economic activity of the monastery.

Free time. 

Visit souvenir shops, a store of seaweed products from the White Sea.

Note! For those who wish, optional excursions are offered for an additional fee. 

Additional excursions are booked and paid for when booking the tour, the number of seats is limited. 

As part of the tour, a tourist can book no more than 2 additional excursions out of 4 available:

1. "Top Island" (duration — 2.5 hours).

Connoisseurs of serenity, tranquility and silence, as well as photographers — this sea trip is for you! 

In half an hour, a high-speed boat will take you to the tiny island of Bolshoy Top in the middle of the boundless sea, where there is a lighthouse marking the dangers for large ships. 

On the neighboring Small Top, far from the standard tourist routes, pomeranians and terns nest, and seals, ringed seals and sea hares rest in good weather. 

The islands are covered with a tundra carpet, the "northern ginseng" grows here and the largest quartzite slab on the White Sea is located — sparkling milk crystals covered an area of about 30 square meters. 

And don't forget: the main principle of communication with untouched wildlife is "Don't touch anything!".

In the absence of unrest at sea, disembarkation takes place on an unequipped shore! When planning to take part in this excursion, please count on your strength to be able to jump off the bow of the boat onto land.

The cost is 3,000 rubles/person.

2. "Cape Beluzhy boat trip" (duration — 2 hours).

Belugas — white northern whales, peaceful inhabitants of the Arctic Ocean — come to the White Sea in the summer. A sea trip to Beluga Cape will be remembered by every minute: The cape's water area is one of the few places on the planet where you can observe whales in the wild. Since mid-June, at low tide at sea, whale mating games, the birth and upbringing of cubs take place here. 

There is also a station of oceanographers who have the opportunity to observe these beautiful creatures every day. Do not miss your only opportunity to look into the eyes of whales, to feel the power and beauty of these amazing marine mammals.

Note: delivery to the shore of Cape Beluzhy is carried out by sea boat.

The observation of belugas depends on the time of the sea tides, since the favorable observation time is low water.

The cost is 3,000 rubles/person.

Breakfast at the hotel.

Meeting with the tour leader at the hotel reception.

A pedestrian crossing to the tour desk.

Excursion "Long Lip" (duration — 4-5 hours).

An exciting ecological boat trip along the Long Bay — the "inner sea" of Solovki, where even in stormy weather there are rarely disturbances. A carbureted boat with a motor, driven by a fresh salty wind, will run past sandy beaches, countless islands and rocky ridges crashing into the water. 

On one of them there is a bird family, and on the other, it seems, a seal is basking in the sun. 

Shallow depths allow you to see the underwater world: starfish are buried in the sandy bottom, translucent ultramarine jellyfish are floating in the water, algae are waving and stretching somewhere along with the sea currents. 

The price of the tour includes a bus transfer to Long Bay and back, as well as tasting of White Sea mussels — perhaps you are lucky enough to find a real White Sea pearl in one of them.

Lunch.

Note! For those who wish, optional excursions are offered for an additional fee. Additional excursions are booked and paid for when booking the tour, the number of seats is limited. As part of the tour, a tourist can book no more than 2 additional excursions out of 4 available: 

1. "Solovetskaya dam" (duration — 2-2.5 hours).

The most grandiose construction of Solovki after the Solovetsky Kremlin is the famous man—made dam — a boulder road laid by sea to facilitate transportation between Bolshaya Muksalma Island and the monastery. 

From the very beginning of construction in the middle of the XIX century, the dam aroused great interest among visitors to Solovki. The new route allows you to approach the dam from the southern side of the archipelago, revealing completely unknown views of the famous monument to tourists. Take a look at the arch of the dam and pay attention to the transparency of the water and the amount of algae!

The cost is 2,500 rubles/person.

2. "Small Muksalma" (duration — 3-3.5 hours).

The island of Malaya Muksalma, a separate world behind the tourist facade of Solovki, has always been closed to the mass tourist. But we have opened this route!

We will take a speedboat along the coast of Bolshoy Solovetsky Island to the southern part of the Solovetsky Archipelago.

Maneuvering among the rocky shoals, we will pass the huge Muksalom reef, covering the approaches to the Small Muksalma. 

This reef is one of the reasons why the island is inaccessible. Even among the local White Sea captains, only the most experienced and reliable know this route. 

Finally, we will disembark at the pier of the village of algae harvesters — this is the purpose of our excursion — a unique place not only on the scale of the White Sea, but also, perhaps, the whole of Russia.

Here, from June to October, algae is extracted manually, as it was 100 years ago, on traditional White Sea carbine boats. 

We will see how kelp is harvested and dried before being sent to Arkhangelsk, from where the algae will return to Solovki again in the form of cosmetics and dietary supplements. 

And of course, we will learn a lot of details about the life and work of local fishermen, and about what and how they make algae.

The fishing village is a "non—tourist" place. No sleek "Potemkin" huts and animators imitating traditional crafts. Tourists are not expected here — there is a lot of work.

We will also have the opportunity to observe the harsh life of the White Sea fishermen and feel the peculiar brutal spirit of this place.

The cost is 3,500 rubles/person.

Breakfast. 

Room release. 

Things are handed over to the luggage room.

Meeting with the tour leader at the hotel reception.

A pedestrian crossing to the tour desk.

Excursion "Solovetsky skeets. History and legends" (duration — 4 hours).

Minibus tour of the northern part of the Bolshoy Solovetsky Island with a tour of well-known places and iconic, but rarely visited monuments of Solovki. 

The first stop is the Holy Ascension Skete with its controversial history and the Axe Mountain — the "fortress of light and darkness", where the lighthouse church stands, which became a penal isolation ward during the time of the ELEPHANT. 

From the Axe, the forest road leads to the Savvatievsky monastery — the first settlement of the Solovetsky monks, which at the beginning of the 20th century became the ELEPHANT business trip and the site of the first execution of political prisoners on Solovki. 

Further along the route, Jung Alley is the remains of the dugouts of the Solovetsky Jung School — this is where the elite of the USSR Navy was raised from 14—year-olds during the war years. 

From there, the route leads to the Red Lake, where the famous lake and canal systems of Solovki originate and there are material traces of the Solovetsky history. 

The dam of the 16th century — the realized idea of "turning back the rivers" — centuries later still performs a whole range of functions that changed the practice of economic activity of the monastery and the Solovetsky landscapes. 

Worthy objects of display are worship and commemorative crosses — examples of cross-cutting skills. 

A trip full of meanings will also allow you to enjoy the scenery and experience the beauty of northern nature.

Lunch at the cafe. 

Pedestrian crossing to the pier.

Baggage transportation to the pier.

Departure to the mainland.

Arrival in Rabochiostrovsk.

Transfer to the railway station. Departure home.

For tourists leaving home the next day, it is possible to book a hotel in Kem (for an additional fee).