Kizhi — Valaam — Solovki. Legendary Tour

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

06:30–10:30 We leave by bus to the Northern Ladoga region – to the city of Sortavala (250 km).

We are going to have a simple and very picturesque move to western Karelia.

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

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

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

12:00-13:30 Two walking tours are waiting for you.

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 of red brick.

You will climb Mount Tabor to the Valaam Monastery using the ancient 62-step pilgrimage staircase.

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 Gate, 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 on the meteor to Nikon Bay, this part of the island is called "New Jerusalem".

The architectural and semantic center of this area is the Resurrection Hermitage.

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 pilgrimage service of the Valaam Monastery reserves the right to replace the "New Jerusalem" tour with the "Nikolsky Skete" tour for technical reasons/weather conditions.

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

18:00–22:00 Return to Petrozavodsk to the hotel.

07:00–08:00 After breakfast, the rooms are cleared.

You will find a trip filled with impressions, and therefore not tedious, to the north to the city of Belomorsk (390 km).

08:00-09:00 The first stop is the Kivach Nature Reserve.

09:00-10:00 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.

10:00-12:30 Transfer and excursion to the unique natural site – Belaya Gora.

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

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

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

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

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

13:00–14:00 Lunch at a restaurant on the banks of the Tivdika River.

14:00-18:00 We are going further north, the city of Belomorsk is waiting for you.

18:00-19:30 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 a 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.

10:00-12:00 Excursion to the Belomorsky petroglyphs. 

Petroglyphs are images carved by ancient man on granite rocks. These drawings are at least 7 thousand years old, and you have the opportunity to make an exciting journey to visit a primitive hunter. Most of the drawings here are related to the theme of hunting 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 the cafe.

13:30-17:30 From the passenger port on the White Sea you will go to the Archipelago of the Body. 

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 disembark on the German Body 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 ancient Sami camps were, and you will see real seidas 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 get to the territory of the monastery, get acquainted with its architectural ensemble, the history of which dates back 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 a STONE (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 the existing temples, monuments included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, and objects of the monastery's economic activity.

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

14:00-18:00 Author's tour of the Solovetsky skeets 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. Driving along a dirt road through a dense, noisy forest, you will reach the highest point of the island. 

Here you will visitThe Holy Ascension Monastery and the Axe Mountain are a very picturesque place, but with a dark and terrifying history. You will see a unique lighthouse church and a breathtaking panorama of the White Sea. 

The next skete along 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-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 release, 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 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 the cafe.

After lunch– free time to visit the 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 the railway station of the city of Kem.

The end of the program.

Please inform us in advance which trains you are going back by in order to book a room at the Prichal Hotel if necessary (2,500 rubles/person for a place in a standard double room).