The Solovetsky Archipelago. 5-day tour

Breakfast at the hotel.

Optional for an additional fee (order when booking the tour, the number of seats is limited, payment is made on the tour to the guide).

1. Walking tour "The history of the Solovetsky special purpose camp. 1923-1939." (duration — 2.5 hours).

On this tour, visitors will learn about the Solovetsky Special Purpose Camp, the stages of the camp's development and its transformation into the Solovetsky Special Purpose Prison in 1937, as well as learn about the fate of prisoners.

They will visit a new exhibition about the camp and a monument to Solovetsky prisoners.

2. Boat trip along the Long Bay (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 waves.

Driven by a fresh salty wind, a carbine boat with a motor will run past sandy beaches, countless islands and rocky ridges crashing into the water. One of them has a bird family, and the other one seems to have a seal basking in the sun.

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

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

Don't forget to bring a light snack and drinks.

3. Excursion "Sights of Bolshoy Zayatsky Island" (duration 3 hours).

Boat trip to Zayatsky Island (travel time 45 minutes). You will visit the largest pagan sanctuary of the II-I millennia BC, stone labyrinths, a complex of religious and funerary structures, Russia's first stone harbor, and the monuments of St. Andrew's Skete.

Attention: water excursions are conducted in favorable weather conditions and in the absence of a storm warning.

Breakfast at the hotel.

Sekirnaya Mountain bus tour. Holy Ascension Skete" and "Botanical Garden" (duration — 3.5 hours).

You will visit one of the highest points of Bolshoy Solovetsky Island, Mount Sekirnaya, from the top of which you can enjoy an unforgettable view of the island and the White Sea.

Get acquainted with the history and monuments of the current Holy Ascension Skete, where during the time of the Solovetsky camp there was a penal isolation unit – a place of detention and punishment of prisoners.

Visit to the northernmost botanical garden in Russia with a tour of the Archimandrite's cottage, the Alexander Chapel and the Cross of worship.

Optional for an additional fee: Cape Beluzhy boat trip (duration 2 hours).

Often, for those who find themselves on Solovki, the most desirable thing is to see belugas – northern white whales.

The peaceful inhabitants of the Arctic Ocean come to the White Sea in the summer.

They do not swim close, appear on the surface for a short time and then swim quite a long distance.

But there is a special place on Solovki – Cape Beluzhy – a sea trip here will be remembered by every minute. The cape water area is one of the few places on the planet where you can observe whales in the wild.

From the beginning of June to the middle of August, during low tide at sea, mating games of whales, 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.

Bring good weather and intention with you, don't make any noise, and you may be able to see a beluga literally at arm's length, feel the power and beauty of these amazing marine mammals.

Breakfast at the hotel.

Optional for an additional fee (booking excursions when booking a tour, the number of seats is limited, payment on the tour to the guide).

1. Excursion to Anzer Island "The spiritual feat of the Anzer desert dwellers of the XVII–XXI centuries" (duration 12-14 hours).

The tour provides an opportunity for pilgrims to immerse themselves in the gracious atmosphere of Anzer Island for a whole day, to get acquainted with the history and modern life of the Trinity and Golgotha-Crucifixion monasteries.

A trip to O. Anzer includes: transfer by minibus to Varvarinsky pier, a boat trip (2 hours) along the Long Bay and Anzer Salma and a walking route 10-12 km along Anzer Island (the time of stay on Anzer is about 6 hours).

Please note! There is no cellular connection on Anzer Island. There are no food outlets. Travel only on foot. Strict observance of the dress code (skirts and hats for women). Departure for the tour early (usually at 05:00).

You must have with you: warm clothes (you can leave them on the boat during the crossing), a raincoat, comfortable shoes, and a dry ration for 1 day. A water bottle (from a spring or Golgotha Lake).

2. Excursion "The archipelago of the Body – the world of ancient man" (duration 5 hours).

Get ready to experience a storm of emotions: sea crossing on speedboats, landing on the rocky shore of the German Island and climbing to the highest point of the White Sea water area. You are in the heart of the nature reserve "Archipelago of the Body"!

On the ascent, the climatic zones change from taiga to tundra, the outline of the rock looks at the traveler like a frog or a shaman, and from the top opens an impressive panorama: Solovki, Karelian skerries and placers of the White Sea archipelagos.

During the trip, you will get acquainted with the archaeological heritage of the island and the ancient sanctuary – the mysterious Seidov plateau – a "collection" of megaliths, mysterious stones of the North, left to us by the first inhabitants.

Among this splendor, enjoy the serene silence and the endless expanses of the sea, feel the special energy of the Bodies. In the absence of civilization, the world freezes and gives you the opportunity to feel and hear yourself... You can reach the heavens here! When planning to take part in this excursion, please calculate your strength in order to be able to jump off the bow of the boat onto the cliff.

1. Duration of one-way sea crossing: 50 minutes.
2. Climbing time: 40 minutes.
3. Absolutely! Running shoes or hiking boots, jacket, raincoat, drinking water.
4. Contraindications: fear of heights, "seasickness", hypertension, heart disease, sore knees.
5. Age limit: 65+ (disembarkation on an unequipped beach).

Attention! Water excursions are conducted in favorable weather conditions and in the absence of a storm warning.

Breakfast at the hotel.

Room release at check-out time (before 10:00). The participants of the tour will take their belongings to the hotel's luggage room (free service).

Optional for an additional fee: excursion "Solovetsky hermitages. History and Legends" (duration: 4 hours).

Minibus tour of the northern part of Bolshoy Solovetsky Island with a tour of well-known places and iconic but rarely visited monuments of Solovki, such as: Holy Ascension Monastery with its controversial history, Sekirnaya Gora – "fortress of light and darkness", Savvatievsky monastery – the first settlement of Solovetsky monks, Jung Alley – the remains of a residential town of Solovetskaya Jung schools, Red Lake and the 16th century dam.

The trip, full of meaning, will allow you not only to immerse yourself in the centuries-old history of Solovetsky, but also to enjoy the scenery and experience the beauty of northern nature.

Transfer from the hotel to the pier.

15:30 Boarding the ship (starts 30 minutes before departure).

16:00 Departure from Solovki back.

18:00 Arrival at the port in the village of Rabochiostrovsk.

Transfer to Kem railway station.

20:44 Departure by train No. 011A to St. Petersburg (arrival the next day at 10:09).