Kizhi — Valaam — Solovki. Legendary Karelia Tour

Early gathering of the group, breakfast with yourself in the lunch boxes.

06:30-10:30 We take a bus to the Northern Ladoga region – to Sortavala (250 km).

We are going to have a simple and very picturesque trip to West Karelia.

Along the way you will see beautiful lakes, dense forests, ancient Karelian villages, cliffs and bays.

11:00-12:00 From the pier in Sortavala, you will take a meteor to Valaam Island.

Lake Ladoga will amaze you with its vast expanses, depth and grandeur.

12:00-13:30 You will have two walking tours.

The first tour will start right from the pier of the Monastery Bay.

Here you will see a beautiful stone chapel, built in the late 19th century from red brick.

An ancient 62-step pilgrimage staircase will take you up Mount Tabor to the Valaam Monastery.

Along the way, you will see the monastery garden surrounded by greenery, where fruit trees and berry bushes grow.

The Transfiguration Cathedral with its famous sky-blue domes is the center of the ensemble of the Central Estate.

After passing through the Holy Gates, you will enter the territory of the monastery.

You will learn about the history and architecture of this place, and also visit the Transfiguration Cathedral, where the relics of the founders of the monastery, Herman and Sergius of Valaam, rest.

13:30-14:30 Lunch in the refectory.

15:00-16:30 Then you will cross by meteor to Nikon Bay, this part of the island is called "New Jerusalem".

The architectural and semantic center of this area is the Voskresensky Skete.

You will see a strict two-storey temple made of red Valaam brick, built in the early 20th century, as well as cell and household buildings.

You will walk along the main monastery road through a beautiful dense forest to the cozy Gethsemane Hermitage and Gethsemane Garden.

Slowly, enjoying nature and breathing in the purest air, you will climb Mount Olivet, from where you can enjoy beautiful, poetic views of Lake Ladoga.

The Valaam Monastery Pilgrimage Service reserves the right to replace the "New Jerusalem" tour with the "Nikolsky Hermitage" tour due to technical reasons/weather conditions.

17:00-18:00 Return trip by Meteor to Sortavala.

18:00-22:00 Return to Petrozavodsk at the hotel.

09:00 – 10:00 Room release after breakfast.

An exciting and therefore not tedious transfer north to the city of Belomorsk (390 km) awaits you.

10:00 – 11:00 The first stop is the Kivach Nature Reserve.

During this tour, you will walk through the territory of the oldest nature reserve, see the famous Karelian birch and take beautiful photos of the waterfall.

It will amaze you with its beauty, power, age-old movement of water and restraint of the northern nature.

12:30 – 13:30 Transfer and excursion to the unique natural site – White Mountain.

This is a quiet, incredibly picturesque and peaceful place where you will relax your soul and learn about the history of marble mining in Karelia, which dates back to the XVIII century.

Marble was mined here in 7 types of pink-red shades!

You will be transported to the ancient ruins by self-propelled ferry across Lake Gizhozero.

A walk through historical sites among marble blocks and high steep cliffs.

And from the top of the park there is a magnificent panorama of the lake and the beautiful village of Belaya Gora.

14:00 – 15:00 Lunch at a restaurant on the banks of the Tivdika River.

15:00 – 19:00 We are going further north, the city of Belomorsk is waiting for you.

19:00 – 20:00 We are convinced that there are museums for which you can travel hundreds of kilometers.

And the Karelian Front Museum is one of them.

It is located in the former school building, which became the headquarters of the Karelian Front during the war.

And this is the only museum in our country that tells about a specific front.

The unique exposition with a large number of authentic rare exhibits and the fascinating story of the guide will consistently immerse you in history.

And the emotions from the Alley of Heroes, which is located in the last hall, will be difficult to describe in words.

20:00 Check-in at the Gandvik Hotel in standard rooms.

07:00-08:00 Breakfast.

Room release.

10:00-12:00 Excursion to the White Sea petroglyphs.

Petroglyphs are images carved by an ancient man on granite rocks. These drawings are at least 7 thousand years old, and you have the opportunity to make an exciting trip to visit a primitive hunter.

Most of the drawings here are related to the hunting of moose, seals and birds. But you can also find images of boats, people in different "life situations", moose – small and large giants up to 3.5 meters in length.

These images are not only a true masterpiece of world art, but also the true story of our ancestors. In 2021, the White Sea petroglyphs were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

12:00-13:00 Lunch at a cafe.

13:30-17:30 From the passenger port on the White Sea, you will depart for the Kuzova archipelago.

The journey will begin with boarding a powerful sea boat, which will take you to one of the islands of the archipelago in just 30 minutes. We board the German Truck and, accompanied by an experienced and incredibly interesting guide, make a gradual ascent to the top – 140 meters.

The dizzying beauty of the unique northern nature, the scattering of islands on the surface of the endless sea leave an indelible mark on the soul of everyone who has climbed to the top of the German Body.

You will find out where the sites of the ancient Sami were, you will see real caves and labyrinths. And if the weather is clear, you can even see the Solovetsky Islands on the horizon.

17:30-18:30 Transfer by boat to Solovki.

18:30-19:00 Transfer and accommodation at the hotel "Solovetskaya Sloboda" or "Solovki-hotel", in rooms of the category "standard" or "standard attic".

08:00-09:00 Breakfast at the hotel.

10:00-13:00 You will start exploring Bolshoy Solovetsky Island with a sightseeing tour of the Solovetsky Kremlin.

The tour will immerse you in the multifaceted history of the Solovetsky Kremlin, which was built primarily as a defensive fortress – you will see powerful stone walls and towers of the 16th century.

Through the "Holy Gate" you will enter the territory of the monastery, get acquainted with its architectural ensemble, which has a history of more than 500 years.

You will learn how in 1920 the Soviet government liquidated the monastery and transformed the local walls into the first ELEPHANT in the Soviet Union (Solovetsky special purpose camp), and later into STON (Solovetsky special purpose prison).

A special place in the history of the monastery is occupied by the Training Detachment of the Northern Fleet and the Solovetsky Jung School.

You will visit active temples, monuments included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, and the monastery's economic facilities.

13:00-14:00 Lunch at a cafe.

14:00-18:00 Author's tour of the Solovetsky hermitages and the dam of the Red Lake. You will drive to the northern part of the island through iconic and rarely visited places by ordinary tourists. After driving along a dirt road through a dense, noisy forest, you will reach the highest point of the island.

Here you will visit the Holy Ascension Skete and Sekirnaya Gora, a very picturesque place with a dark and terrifying history. You will see a unique lighthouse church and a breathtaking panorama of the White Sea.

The next skete on the route is Savvatievo, where the cells of Savvati and Herman stood, and today there is a fraternal building with greenhouses and vegetable gardens. A little further along the forest road is the Solovetsky Jung Alley, the guide will show you the location of the remains of the dugouts.

Next, you will drive to the Red Lake – from here the amazing lake and canal systems of Solovki begin. If the weather is good, you can swim.

After the tour, return to the hotel.

08:00-09:00 Breakfast at the hotel.

After breakfast– room service, luggage storage.

10:00-13:00 At the end of an eventful trip, you will have a boat trip to Bolshoy Zayatsky Island.

This small but truly unique island is located in the southwestern part of the Solovetsky Archipelago.

Amazing natural vegetation covers the area, so you need to move carefully so as not to damage the delicate flora.

You will see mysterious stone mounds, the purpose of which is still not exactly known, centuries-old labyrinths, the oldest and first seaport in Russia.

And also visit the wooden church of St. Andrew the First-Called, whose history is connected with Peter the Great.

Attention: St. Andrew's Skete is active, we ask you to comply with the requirements of the skete charter and be properly dressed.

After the tour, return by boat to Bolshoy Solovetsky Island.

13:00-14:00 Lunch at a cafe.

After lunch, free time to visit souvenir pavilions and the company store of the Arkhangelsk algae plant, where you can buy products from White Sea algae or for a walk to the Cape of Labyrinths.

15:00 Transfer from the hotel with your belongings to the pier.

16:00 Departure by boat to the village of Rabochiostrovsk.

18:00 Transfer to Kem railway station.

The end of the program.

Please let us know in advance which train you are taking back. Depending on the time of the train, you can book an additional night at the Berth tourist complex (2,800 rubles/person per place in a standard double room).