Additional tours of Karelia are booked in advance upon purchase of the tour.
Day 2.
Option No. 1. Excursion to Solovki Island (to be booked upon purchase of the tour, the cost is specified). If you are passionate about history, then this is the journey for you.
Duration of the tour with transfers: ~ 24 hours.
Attention! Due to the busy schedule, there is no stop for dinner on the route, so get a snack on the road in advance.
There may be no terminal on Solovki Island.
Departure to the port of Rabochiostrovsk.
Breakfast is a lunch box (instead of a buffet breakfast).
Expect the 390 km journey to take 5-6 hours.
08:00 — Give up the mooring lines! We are going on a sea trip (2 hours across the White Sea).
We keep our camera ready, we may encounter a ringed seal or a sea hare, and from the end of June, a beluga whale.
10:00 a.m. — arrival on Solovki Island, a unique architectural monument and a place of pilgrimage for believers from all over the world. A large sightseeing tour of the Solovetsky Kremlin.
Visit the territory of the central complex of the monastery, monuments included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, objects of economic activity, the Solovetsky Fortress and the Monastery Prison exposition, interesting facts about the monks' life and the unique heating system of the monastery walls
Free time for an independent lunch.
Boat trip to Bolshoy Zayatsky Island.
Visit to the largest pagan sanctuary of the II–I millennia BC.
You will see stone labyrinths, a complex of religious and funerary structures, Russia's first stone harbor, and the monuments of St. Andrew's Skete.
The duration of the tour, including the transfer: 3 hours.
19:00 — departure to the mainland in the port of Rabochiostrovsk. Arrival at the hotel after the tour ~ 02:30.
Option #2 "Kizhi is the eighth wonder of the world."
~ 10:00 — we embark on a great journey to a unique natural complex, a UNESCO natural heritage site — the famous Kizhi Island (250 km).
Our 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.
En 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 passed through Shunsky Pogost, connecting the White Sea and Lake Onega with Novgorod, a salt transportation route, there was a brisk trade at fairs, and the fame of the village's embroiderers thundered around the world.
Their works at the World Exhibition in Paris were awarded a large silver medal.
Tolvuya village — St. Zosima was born and raised in those places, who 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 transfer by licensed motorboats/or vessel "Veresov" to Kizhi Island (1 km/15 minutes).
Guided tour of Kizhi Island, a UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage Site since 1990.
We will learn about all its secrets when we inspect the ensemble of the Kizhi cemetery, 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.
We will also look at the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord from the outside.
Walking tour to Narjina Gora. Along the way we will see: the Kizhi cemetery "Round Field", the ancient village "Yamka" and the chapel from the village of Vigovo.
Keepsake photo from the highest point of Kizhi Island.
The city of Medvezhegorsk. Many popular films were shot in these places: "Love and Doves", "And trees grow on stones", "Platinum 2"…
Estimated return to the hotel at ~ 22:00.
Option No. 3 "White Mountain. The Tivdian marble".
Tour duration: ~ 4.5 hours.
Breakfast in the hotel cafe (buffet/cover).
Departure to the village of Belaya Gora.
The village was once a center of marble mining in the Russian north. Belogorsky marble was used very widely: for the Engineering Castle, for the Marble Palace, the Kazan Cathedral and the Roman Fountains in Peterhof.
Surprisingly, the pedestal of the monument to Nicholas I and the sarcophagus of Napoleon I were also made of it. Upon arrival, a tour of the village of Belaya Gora.
A stone church dedicated to the Icon of the Kazan Mother of God (1856) stands above the village, unusual for Karelia.
The church is famous for the fact that its architect was Konstantin Ton, the author of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
The church is made in the Byzantine style, with elements of Gothic architecture. The church was not in demand by the local parish and quickly fell into disrepair.
Water ferry on motorcycle rafts along the river. Tivdia in the park "White Mountain. The Tivdian marble".
White Mountain tour.
We will walk along the ecological trail, climb the mountain, learn a lot of interesting information about the Belogorod marble developments and take a souvenir stone as a keepsake.
Return to the hotel.
Day 3.
Option No. 1 "Castle" of Karkhumyaki and the White Sea-Baltic Canal named after I. V. Stalin.
Tour duration: ~ 6.5 hours.
09:30 Breakfast buffet at the hotel.
10:00 departure for the excursion program, on the route: Karhumaki Castle — was a system of circular defense of the Finnish army of 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. This allowed the defensive structures to command the terrain ahead.
The city of Medvezhegorsk. On the way, we will get acquainted with the city 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"…
The White Sea-Baltic Canal named after Stalin. It is the most famous of all the channels in Russia thanks to the immortal cigarettes of the same name and the first where prisoners' labor was used. The channel connecting the White Sea with Lake Onega and having access to the Baltic Sea.
The idea of its construction arose during the Northern War and belonged to Tsar Peter I. Then the "Osudareva Road" was laid — an overland highway from the Nyukhcha marina on the White Sea to Poventsev.
They returned to the project in the middle of the 19th century and even received a gold medal for its development at the Paris Exhibition, but the canal began to be built in detail only in the 20th century.
The Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. It was built in memory of GULAG prisoners who died during the construction of the BBK. The architecture of the temple is so unusual that it surprises all tourists who have visited these places.
The church resembles a defensive tower with small loophole windows, and its wooden belfry resembles a watchtower.
Return from the tour to the hotel ~ at 16:30.
Option No. 2. An expedition to the ancient rock paintings — Onega petroglyphs — Besov Nose and much more.
If you want to unravel the mysterious writings of the ancient Sami and visit the cape, which is guarded by the devil himself, go on this expedition. Duration of the tour with transfers: ~ 15.5 hours.
Attention! The route provides for a long walk (5 km in both directions), we recommend sports-type clothes and shoes, there is no stop for meals, and buy a snack on the road in advance.
07:30 — Buffet breakfast in the cafe.
08:00 — Departure for the excursion program.
~ 13:00 — arrival in the village of Karshevo. Boarding a motorboat.
Black River ferry (1 hour one way).
An external inspection of the ancient Petrovsky 16-meter lighthouse, which until recently was part of the Volga-Baltic Waterway system and showed sailors the way home.
Cape Besov Nose tour. The bizarre "crocheted nose" shape and the largest petroglyph drawing, a mysterious figure about 2 m in size, once gave the cape its name. The monks of the Murom monastery in the 15th century dubbed him a demon, and to protect people from the "demonic power", they drew a cross on him.
The richest collection of ancient rock paintings in Scandinavia and Russia is located here.
These messages were left by our ancestors 5,000 years ago.
In 2021, the Onega petroglyphs in the Muromsky Nature Reserve were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
River crossing back.
~ 18:00 — return to the village of Karshevo. Departure to the hotel in Kondopoga.
Arrival at the hotel after the tour ~ 23:00.
Day 4.
Option No. 1. Ruskeala Mountain Park and Valaam Island (price to be specified, booking when buying the tour). Tour duration: ~ 18 hours.
06:30 — Breakfast in the hotel cafe (buffet/cover).
07:00 — Departure to "Old Finland" (290 km). We will not need any passports or visas to travel to the former Suomi lands.
A cinematic stop for a photo session. The legendary "okunevy threshold" is 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.
~ 16:00 — and now we are on the shore of the endless Ladoga, the city of Sortavala descends towards it like a stone fan. Departure to Valaam Island.
The time of a meteor boat trip to the legendary "Northern Athos" on Lake Ladoga is 45 minutes one way. Skerries-fjords rise from the waters of Ladoga like fabulous backs of whales or old giant fish.
During the main tour: acquaintance with the central estate of the monastery and a visit to the majestic architectural monument — the current Transfiguration Cathedral, where the relics of the founders of the monastery, Herman and Sergius of Valaam, rest. The time spent on Valaam Island is ~ 2 hours.
19:45 — return to the hustle and bustle of the world, to the mainland.
~ 00:30 — return to the hotel.
Option number 2. Ruskeala Mountain Park and the town of Sortavala (price to be specified, booking when buying a tour). Tour duration: ~ 18 hours.
06:30 — breakfast in the hotel cafe (buffet/cover).
07:00 — departure to "Old Finland" (290 km). We will not need any passports or visas to travel to the former lands of Suomi.
A cinematic stop for a photo shoot. The legendary "okunevy threshold" is 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.
16:00 — and now we are on the shore of the endless Ladoga, the city of Sortavala descends to it like a stone fan.
Sightseeing tour of Sortavala (Serdobol), which is rightfully called the "architectural encyclopedia of European architecture".
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, we will walk through the ancient streets of the city, see 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, and climb the observation deck — Mount Kukhavuori.
Free time in Sortavala for an independent dinner (~2.5 hours).
19:45 – departure to the hotel.
~ 00:30 — return to the hotel.
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