Karelia 555

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Karelia 555 is a beautiful 5-day tour starting in the city of Sortavale, located on the shores of the majestic Lake Ladoga.

Since the summer of 2019, the Karelia 555 route has been winning the hearts of tourists. And in December of the same year, the expert council of the All-Russian Routes of Russia Award awarded our Grand Prix tour in the nomination "Cultural and educational route of Russia".

Do you want to know where the "Finnish Crimea" is located? To visit the city where the famous song "Karelia will be dreaming for a long time" was written? See the Ruskeala Mountain Park and the highest waterfall in the North-West of Russia? Then you need to go on this incredible route!

5 lakes + 5 waterfalls + 5 attractions = 555 km of vivid impressions!

Location

Republic of Karelia, Sortavala

Sightseeing tours

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Weekdays: 8am - 8pm
Weekends: 8am - 7pm (GMT +3)

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Tour highlights

An unforgettable boat trip

You will sail by boat along the Ladoga skerries, admire the beauty and walk around the islands

The Mysterious Valaam

You will visit the iconic churches and monasteries, climb Mount Olivet, from where you can enjoy views of Lake Ladoga

Masterpieces of Kizhi Island

Go on an excursion to the museum-reserve and see the pearl of Karelian wooden architecture

Atmospheric Ahinkoski

You will see the famous Ruskeala waterfall, framed by rocks and fir trees

A walk on the Sampo

Take a walk through the ancient town of Sortavale and be able to conquer the local mountain

Rafting

Go down to the water accompanied by an experienced instructor and conquer the Shuya River

Itinerary

Day 1 - Arrival in Sortavala. Mount Paaso and a trip to the Ladoga skerries
08:19 Arrival in Sortavala by train No. 160B from Moscow or St. Petersburg.
Meeting with the guide at the railway station.
Breakfast in the cafe.
Sortavale city tour.
The architecture of Sortavala can be called the "encyclopedia of northern Art Nouveau".
If the weather is good, you will walk to Vakkosalmi Park, climb the observation decks of Mount Kuhavuori, from where you can enjoy views of the city, the bay and the islands.
A trip to Mount Paaso, the ancient settlement of the Karelians, near the town of Sortavala.
Paaso is located on a high cliff near Lake Karmalanyarvi and the Heljulijoki River.
The area of the settlement is about 1000 sq. m.
The main excavations were carried out in the 70s of the twentieth century.
Several dozen ceramic fragments, arrowheads and spears, as well as a fragment of a sword were found.
Archaeologists date the settlement to the XII-XIII centuries, but most likely it existed earlier, perhaps even in the Viking age, since this area was inhabited by Finno-Ugric tribes already in the VII-VIII centuries.
Lunch at the cafe.
Check-in to the rooms of the selected category.
In the evening, an unforgettable boat trip on the unique Ladoga skerries with access to the open Ladoga.
You will admire the picturesque landscapes, take a walk on uninhabited islands, take selfies in locations on beautiful rocks that are inaccessible to most tourists on bus tours.
Return to the recreation center.
For arrivals from St. Petersburg by Lastochka at 10:20, please contact the manager for a recalculation.

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Day 2 - Valaam Island
Breakfast in the restaurant.
A trip by meteor to Valaam Island (50 minutes along Lake Ladoga).
During the sightseeing tour, we will get acquainted with the central manor of the monastery and visit the Transfiguration Cathedral, where the relics of the founders of the monastery, Herman and Sergius of Valaam, rest.
Lunch in the refectory.
Then we will cross on the meteor to the part of the island called "New Jerusalem".
Walking tour "Through the hermitages of Valaam": visit to the Resurrection Hermitage.
Then we will see the Gethsemane Hermitage and the Gethsemane Garden – the favorite place of solitude of the Most Holy Theotokos.
At the end of the tour, we will climb Mount Olivet, from here you can enjoy beautiful views of Lake Ladoga.
The organizers reserve the right to replace the "New Jerusalem" tour with the "Nikolsky Skete" tour.
Return to Sortavala in the evening.
Transfer to the recreation center.

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Day 3 - Ruskeala Mountain Park
Breakfast in the restaurant.
Visit to the Ruskeala Mountain Park.
Huge white-gray rocks rising vertically from the turquoise surface of the water do not leave anyone indifferent.
The stone for the architectural masterpieces of St. Petersburg has been mined here for centuries.
A visit to the park will begin with a sightseeing tour, during which you will be shown all the viewing platforms with the best views of the Marble Canyon.
They will tell you how marble was mined and where it was used.
Picnic at the quarry with a picturesque view.
Then transfer to the Akhinkoski waterfall on the Tohmajoki River.
This is one of the four famous Ruskeala waterfalls located in South Karelia.
This boulder falls into a rather extensive basin, more like a lake – the water in it is very clean.
Padun is framed by rocks, pines and fir trees.
All this creates an amazing atmosphere of harmony, completeness and unreality.
Return to the base.

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Day 4 - White Bridges Waterfall and Kinerma village
Breakfast in the restaurant.
Room release.
Optional – check-in at the trout farm to buy fish, caviar and souvenirs.
We are going to Petrozavodsk.
We drive along the shore of Lake Ladoga to one of the most rarely visited waterfalls in Karelia – White Bridges.
It is located in the Pitkyarant district on the river with the difficult-to-pronounce name Kulismajoki.
The height of the waterfall is about 17 meters.
This is the highest waterfall in South Karelia!
It is possible to move to the waterfall by special transport.
Next, we will stop at the Karelian village of Kinerma.
In 2015, it was included in the list of the 100 most beautiful villages in Russia.
There are only seventeen residential buildings in it, some of which were built back in the XVI century.
You will be warmly welcomed, and after a walk through the village you will be fed lunch.
Optional for an additional fee: an exciting and safe 2-hour rafting on the Shuya River with a picnic dinner.
What to take with you for rafting: comfortable sports clothes and shoes that you don't mind getting wet, and a second set of dry clothes and shoes.
Important: the rafting will take place in the presence of a minimum group of 6 people!
Arrival in Petrozavodsk, accommodation at the Fregat Hotel in standard rooms.

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Day 5 - Kizhi Island and the capital of Karelia — Petrozavodsk
Breakfast at the hotel restaurant.
Room release.
Guided walk to the pier.
A trip by meteor along Lake Onega to Kizhi Island.
You will see the endless expanses of Onega and numerous picturesque islands called Kizhi skerries.
The excursion "Masterpieces of Kizhi Island", which will bring a lot of positive emotions and a charge of healthy energy from staying in clean air.
The Kizhi Museum-Reserve can be called Karelia in miniature: 68 monuments of traditional wooden architecture are collected here in the open air.
Kizhi is greatness and simplicity! Strength and grace!
After the tour – ascent to the tent bell tower.
Take a look at the protected island and the famous Kizhi skerries from a bird's-eye view, inspect the main belfry of the Kizhi parish.
Return to Petrozavodsk.
Sightseeing tour "From the history of Petrozavodsk".
The city of Petrozavodsk stretches along the shores of the Gulf of Lake Onega.
And the embankment is one of the most beautiful places in the capital of Karelia.
Here, history and modernity come to life in a unique collection of avant-garde sculptural monuments.
Final dinner at the restaurant with national cuisine.
Transfer to the railway station.
Departure by evening trains.

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Difficulty

Suitable for everyone

Accommodation

Camp Site

3 nights
Hotel

1 night

Comfort

Upscale

The tour includes accommodation in hotels (4 nights).

The cost of the tour for 1 person, RUB.:

Period	Double occupancy	Single occupancy	Additional place
from 09.06 to 27.06, from 04.08 to 19.09	70 800	97 600	58 300
from 07.07 to 25.07	73 500	99 600	58 300

Discounts:

for children under 12 years old — 4,500 rubles.;
for children under 16 years of age — 2,500 rubles.

The Rantala Landscape Hotel is located in the Ladoga Skerries National Park in Karelia, on the shore of Kiryavalakhti Bay.

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Tour conditions

Group

up to 20 tourists

Minimum age

2 years old

Duration

5 days 4 nights

Group meets at

Republic of Karelia, Sortavala

Included in price

hotel accommodation (4 nights);
meals according to the program: 5 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 1 picnic, 1 dinner;
sightseeing tour of Sortavala with a visit to Mount Paaso;
full program on Valaam Island;
boat trip along the Ladoga skerries;
entrance fee and a 1.5-hour ground tour in the Ruskeala Mountain Park;
entrance fee to the Ahvenkoski Waterfalls on the Tohmajoki River;
a trip to the White Bridges waterfalls;
Kinerma Village tour;
sightseeing tour of the city of Petrozavodsk;
transfer by meteor to Kizhi Island and back, entrance fee to the museum-reserve and sightseeing tour "Masterpieces of Kizhi Island", "Tent Bell Tower";
excursion service and services of an accompanying guide along the route;
transportation services according to the program (minibus tour. class);
participant's health and life insurance.

Paid extra

railway tickets to Sortavala and air or railway tickets back from Petrozavodsk;
rafting on the Shuya River — 2,500 rubles/person.;
meals not included in the program;
personal expenses.

It's important to know

Yes, the discount is available for children:

up to 12 years old – 4,500 rubles.;
up to 16 years old – 2,500 rubles.

Dates and Prices

The tour dates are not confirmed yet. Please, for clarification

Individual dates available on request

1 Jun – 31 Aug, 2025

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$707

8 – 12 Jun, 2025 5 days 4 nights

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22 – 26 Jun, 2025 5 days 4 nights

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$734

6 – 10 Jul, 2025 5 days 4 nights

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20 – 24 Jul, 2025 5 days 4 nights

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3 – 7 Aug, 2025 5 days 4 nights

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17 – 21 Aug, 2025 5 days 4 nights

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31 Aug – 4 Sep, 2025 5 days 4 nights

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14 – 18 Sep, 2025 5 days 4 nights

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