Christmas in Karelia. Bus tour from Moscow

00:30 Boarding is possible in Tver (Globus shopping center, Oktyabrsky Avenue, 101).

Its history dates back to the time of Rurik. The first mention of the fortress is found in the Tale of Bygone Years in 862. The Ladoga Fortress was of crucial importance, being at the intersection of the routes "from the Varangians to the Greeks."

Monuments from different eras, starting from the 12th century, have been preserved in Staraya Ladoga.

Stop at the Old Ladoga Fortress (guided tour of the fortress, without visiting the towers).

~ 15:30 Arrival in the city of Kondopoga.

Lunch in the hotel's cafe is a buffet.

New Year's entertainment program.

We go to the shore of Lake Onega (200 m from the hotel).

The carnival procession "Karjalanranta" will be greeted with national tunes that will give you a cheerful mood and will take you into a cycle of dancing, fun and games.

Santa Claus and his reindeer friend will open a bag of joy, ingenuity, luck and invite them to a "freaky party around a hot campfire."

Karelian beauty Lumine, the granddaughter of Santa Claus, together with the characters of her favorite cartoon "Bremen Town Musicians" and guests, will embark on an adventure!

You will have to try hard to defeat the Detective in his insidious plans: solve riddles, perform the "Song of Friends", transform into winter characters! After all, his plan is to enchant the Snow Maiden and turn her into a Chieftain!

After tasting Karelian tea, we will go outside to get acquainted with funny and mischievous husky dogs. Brother Lumikelloja will "harness" the guests into a sled and teach you the correct sledding techniques!

Winter "transformations" will bring a lot of positive emotions, and the performance of the song "A Christmas tree was born in the forest" will be unusual!

Visit to the kennel of sled dogs. An experienced caretaker will introduce you to his pets, cute huskies, reindeer are always ready to pose for photos in pleasant company.

Accommodation at the Karelia 3* hotel.

"Karelian upper room". At the national master classes we will get acquainted with the traditional culture of the northern people and the peculiarities of the region.

Let's sit down at a wide table and, under the guidance of an experienced craftsman, prepare traditional rupittetu (gates) from rye flour.

Let's touch the strings of the ancient Finno-Ugric kantele and get our first lessons on the instrument. Let the "Karelian psaltery" sing about the wind, about a warm house, there will always be happiness and prosperity in it.

Tea drinking with products of our own production — gates.

Dinner in the hotel's cafe is a buffet.

Breakfast in the hotel cafe (buffet).

A program to choose from:

Option number 1. "Kizhi is the eighth wonder of the world."

07:30 We embark on a long journey to a unique natural complex, a UNESCO natural heritage site — the famous Kizhi Island (250 km).

The road will pass through the most distinctive places of Zaonezhye — the northern region of Karelia, widely known for its monuments of wooden architecture, deposits of shungite and Zaonezh embroidery.

On the way on the route:

• Shunga village is one of the oldest settlements in the Zaonezhye region and the birthplace of the carbon mineral shungite. The aspid stone owes its name to these surroundings. Since the 15th century, the main land road of the North, connecting the White Sea and Lake Onega with Novgorod, passed through Shunsky Pogost.;
• Tolvuya village. St. Zosima was born and raised in these places, and later became one of the founders of the monastery on the Solovetsky Islands. The mother of the future tsar Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov, Ksenia Ivanovna, was also exiled here in prison, and Martha was a monk.

Arrival in the town of Oyatevshchyna. Safe hovercraft crossing to Kizhi Island (1 km/15 minutes).

Guided tour of the winter island of Kizhi, a UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage Site since 1990.

You will learn about all its secrets while exploring the ensemble of the Kizhi pogost, visit the estate of the Zaonezhsky peasant and one of the oldest wooden churches in Russia — the Church of the Resurrection of Lazarus, rumored to have the ability to heal all ailments. And also inspect the outside of the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord.

The city of Medvezhegorsk (Karkhumyaki). Many popular films were shot in these places: "Love and doves", "And trees grow on stones", "Platinum 2".

~ 21.00 Estimated time of return to the hotel.

Option #2. "Kivach Waterfall and Bear Mountain".

08:00 Departure for the excursion program.

On the way on the route:

• The city of Medvezhegorsk. The city is located in the bay of Povenetsky Bay, surrounded by picturesque cliffs and hills. Popular films were shot in these places: "Love and doves", "And trees grow on stones", "Platinum 2";
• Karhumaki Castle was a system of circular defense of the Finnish army in 1942-1944. West of Medvezhegorsk, which was called the "Second Mannerheim Line." A special feature of the fortification is the logically chosen line of the leading edge, corresponding to the natural rocky boundary.
• Visit to the Karelian Patterns factory store. Today it is one of the largest enterprises of folk art crafts in the North-West of Russia, producing linen products with traditional embroidery.

Nature reserve and waterfall "Kivach".

"A diamond mountain is falling from a ledge with four rocks..." — Gavrila Romanovich Derzhavin, the first poet and lyricist of Russia, wrote admiringly about him.

A pleasant addition to the raging water element will be a grove of Karelian birch, which has become an ornament of the arboretum of the reserve. This is a mystery tree with amazing marble-patterned wood. Even in the 21st century, there is a debate among scientists about its origin.

~ 14:30 Estimated time of return to the hotel.

For those who did not go on excursions, lunch is possible in the hotel cafe (buffet/cover) for an additional fee.

Dog sledding, banana riding, snowmobile sleigh rides with an instructor, a cheesecake slide are also available for an additional fee.

Christmas dinner with entertainment and disco for an additional fee.

Breakfast in the hotel cafe (buffet).

07:30 Room release, boarding the bus with your belongings.

Departure to "Old Finland" (290 km). No passport or visa is required to travel to the former lands of Suomi.

On the way, stop for a photo shoot at the Akhvenkoski Waterfall (the filming location of the film "And the dawns here are quiet ..."). They are popularly called "Eugene's River", the famous bathing scene of lumberjacks was filmed here.

Ruskeala Mountain Park is a picturesque monument of nature and mining. Emerald-colored groundwater, bizarre outlines of steep cliffs, mysterious tunnels and caves. It was here that marble was mined for a long time to decorate the cathedrals and palaces of St. Petersburg.

On the way to the park, the guide will tell you about the appearance of Marble Lake, and upon arrival you will have the opportunity to explore the land part of the park yourself.

The total time spent in the park is 2.5 hours.

Sightseeing tour of Sortavala (Serdobol). Nicholas Roerich called it one of the few places on Earth where there is a special breath. And the most romantic of Bella Akhmadulina's poetry cycles was written here.…

During the tour you will walk along the ancient streets of the city, explore the Singing Field, the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, built at the expense of St. Petersburg merchants Eliseev in the Russian style designed by architect N. P. Grebenka.

Departure to Moscow.

Overnight transfer.

11:40 Approximate arrival in Moscow (metro station Altufevo, at a stop near the house at the address: Altufevskoe highway 86).