Kayaking among the Ladoga skerries. Karelia

We are going to St. Petersburg, at the Parnas metro station, the exact meeting point and start time will be in the letter before the hike, and also in the general chat.

About a week before the start, we will create a hiking chat in Telegram, where all participants and instructors will be present. We will send you the coordinates of the meeting point, contacts, and answer any questions you may have. This is a chat for dating, organizational moments and just a warm interaction before the start.

On the day of the start of the hike:

• Meet me at the subway;
• We check off the instructor's list.;
• getting to know the team;
• we get into the transfer and drive to the starting point (approximately 3.5–4 hours on the way).

At the end of the hike, we return on the same transfer to St. Petersburg (usually by 20:00-21:00). The drop—off point is also at the Parnas metro station.

Important:

• do not be late for the meeting place — this is your only task at the beginning of the hike, we have already arranged everything else.;
• if you are driving in your own car, write to us in advance, we will tell you where and how to go.;
• if you are from another city, do not buy early tickets for the evening of the last day — reserve time for possible traffic jams or spend the night in St. Petersburg.

3 meals a day will be provided on our trip. The participants prepare independently, under the strict guidance of an instructor. We will form groups of 3-5 people and prepare for duty.

GOST stew (97.5% meat) of the highest quality is added to each lunch and dinner.

We respect and appreciate vegetarians, for them we bring all the food to readiness and put it on plates before the stew is in it.

We will also take into account all the comments on food that you leave in the questionnaire before the trip, but do not forget to remind the attendants about them immediately before cooking.

You don't have to take extra food with you (well, only if there are some nice things, without which life is not a joy at all). Vegetarians can take with them something that they are used to replacing meat with (soy meat, dried legumes, etc.)

What about alcohol?

We strive to ensure the safety and comfort of all participants in our hikes. We understand that many of us associate outdoor recreation with pleasant evenings around the campfire, so we organized cozy gatherings with mulled wine, which we prepare ourselves. 

Nevertheless, we urge you to be responsible and moderate: considering that the next day will be an active day on the water, it is important to maintain mental clarity and strength to control the kayak. Therefore, please do not take extra alcohol with you in order to maintain an atmosphere of mutual understanding and safety for each participant of the hike.

Be sure to bring a water bottle with you! It will be possible to replenish supplies at the pier before departure, then we will boil and cool. For cooking, boil water from Ladoga.

There are no restrictions on our part if you and your child are ready to row and enjoy camping in any weather. 

We can row for about 4 hours without getting out of the kayak. The child in the kayak sits on a separate seat, not on his hands.

Evaluate for yourself whether your baby is ready to withstand this, and you are ready to row for two.

In our experience, for children under 5 years of age, such a hike will be more of a challenge than an adventure, so we recommend postponing it until a more mature age.

You can go on this hike with a four-legged friend weighing up to 15-17 kg and up to 40 cm tall, if the dog is socialized, is not afraid of strangers, animals and is not aggressive.

Important: if the dog is small, fits in your arms, and you can row with it and/ or go alone with someone who is ready to row for the three of you (yourself, you and the dog), then a separate place is not required.

If the dog does not fit on the handles, she will need to book a separate seat in the kayak with an additional payment of 7000 rubles.

This option is only suitable if you already have experience of such trips with a dog, and it feels comfortable on the water.

To participate, you must have your own tent in which you will live with your pet. There will be no plans for other participants of the hike to move into this tent, i.e. expect that you live with a dog alone or with your friends, comrades, with whom you will agree in advance to live together.

If you do not have your own tent, you can rent a separate tent from us, which will then need to be handed over in exactly the same condition as it was accepted, i.e. to thoroughly clean it from possible wool.

You also need to prepare food, drink and all necessary conditions for the dog yourself.

On the first night, you can only stay on the territory of the base (including the camping area and the coastal area) with a dog on a short leash, it is forbidden to let dogs off the leash and walk on the territory of the base.

Please indicate in advance in the application and the questionnaire that you are going camping with a dog.

If you have allergies or are afraid of dogs, be sure to indicate this in the pre—admission questionnaire or ask the consultant in advance if a pet is planned in your group.

According to our custom, we start from the one who will book a place in the group first, i.e. if you are afraid of dogs, warned us about it and booked a place in the group, then you will no longer be able to enroll with a dog in this group. Conversely, if there is already a participant with a dog in the group, then we will warn the one who is against dogs so that he can decide on his own whether he is ready for such a neighborhood.

We are going on a real camping trip, we will live on the islands in tents, without communication, showers and toilets.

Ladoga is all around us, so every day there will be an opportunity to refresh yourself in the lake. 

On the day of rest, you can arrange a "washing day" from pots of warm water.

The weather is part of the real hiking experience. Everything can happen on Ladoga: sun and calm, fog and drizzle, wind and wave. But don't worry — the skerries are an ideal place for water trips, even if the weather is capricious.

Narrow channels, many islands and bays protect from waves and wind, here Ladoga simply does not have time to disperse a large wave. Thanks to this, the route remains comfortable and safe even under imperfect conditions.

We always adjust the route based on the forecast, the direction and strength of the wind — we choose the most convenient, quiet and sheltered path. Instructors know these places like the back of their hand: where to hide from the wind, where to find a good parking lot, which areas are better to avoid. We always have several action plans in stock.

Safety is our absolute priority. If there is even the slightest doubt about the weather conditions, we do not go out on the water. Instead, we can arrange a day trip, explore the island, cook a hot lunch under the awning and just relax. Sometimes such unplanned stops become the most emotional moments of a hike.

To feel comfortable in any weather, it is important to take with you:

• waterproof jacket and trousers;
• warm clothes (fleece, hat);
• hermetic bags or bags to protect things.

Important: take waterproof clothes with you and pack according to our equipment list — this is all you need for confidence in any weather. And if there is a warm company and hot tea nearby, even the rain turns into a beautiful part of the adventure :)

It is necessary! :)

Before loading into the kayaks, we pack all our belongings in air bags, and leave large backpacks/ bags/ suitcases at the base for storage.

Here you can also leave urban clothes and other things that will not be useful to you on a hike.

If you have valuables with you, such as laptops, car keys, you can leave them with the administrator.