Ladoga Gold in Karelia

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Hospitable Karelia invites you to visit!

An eventful and adventurous three-day tour from St. Petersburg through autumn Karelia with a route along the skerries and reef mountains awaits you.

On this trip, you will see ancient fortresses, trek along the island's forest trails, taste traditional Karelian cuisine, relax in the sauna, and take part in a master class on gates and appreciate the beauty of the famous Ruskeala Mountain Park.

Location

Saint Petersburg, Moskovsky railway station

Contact the tour coordinator

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

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Tour highlights

Relaxing in a picturesque place

You will stay in domed glamping, an autonomous forest hotel with a high level of comfort right on the shores of Lake Ladoga

Interesting master class

You will be able to learn the peculiarities of cooking national pastries and work with authentic grandmother's rolling pins, try out various pinches and shapes.

Atmospheric retro train

You will feel the atmosphere of the past by taking a ride on a train with an interior reminiscent of the carriage in which the chief architect of St. Isaac's Cathedral arrived.

Interesting excursions

Take a guided tour of the Kiryazh Museum and the Korela Fortress

The famous mountain park

During the land tour you will admire the beauty of the Ruskeala marble quarry

Fascinating trekking

Take part in the author's guided walking tour of Havus Island

Itinerary

Day 1 - Fortress "Korela" and "Kiryazh". The road to Ladoga and tasting of Karelian drinks
The journey begins with a meeting at the Moscow railway station in St. Petersburg at 09:00, where you need to get to on your own.
After the meeting in St. Petersburg, you will take a bus to the Northern Ladoga region, visiting iconic natural and historical sites of the Leningrad Region and Karelia along the way.
Breakfast is not included, we recommend a snack on the train.
The first stop on the route will be the Korela Fortress Museum in Priozersk. The fortress "Korela" of the XIV-XVIII centuries (Kexholm fortress) is an object of cultural heritage of federal significance.
The ancient Russian wooden-earth fortress of the XIV-XVI centuries was built by the Novgorodians in 1310 on Castle Island.
In the XVI-XVII centuries, the Swedes rebuilt the fortifications according to the bastion system, erected stone structures of a Round Tower, an Old arsenal, and a Powder magazine on the territory of the fortress.
In the 18th century, during the Suvorov period, the building of the New Arsenal was built, where the museum has been located since 1962.
The museum and fortress complex includes a building with a permanent exhibition of local lore, a large exhibition hall for temporary exhibitions and a souvenir shop in the building of the Old Arsenal, as well as fortress facilities.
Lunch at the Kexholm restaurant.
The next stop will be the Kiryazh Museum in the village. Kurkieki.
Here you will learn about the medieval history of the Northwestern Ladoga region. You will be told who the Kiryals are, how they are connected with the chronicled Korela tribe, what the Viking grave in Kurkieki was like, and much more.
The Kiryazh Museum is interactive, so you can listen to how Karelian speech sounds, try to play unusual musical instruments, and search for hidden runes in the troll's head.
In the evening, you will arrive at the pier, from where you will sail by water to the island located in the very center of the Ladoga skerries (10-20 minutes on the way).
Here you will find accommodation in a glamping and a welcome dinner with dishes of Karelian cuisine.
In the evening, at dinner, you will enjoy a tasting of Karelian tinctures made from local berries, balsam, bitter, and gin. You will learn what drinks are made of and how they are useful, as well as recharge with a good mood.
You will spend the night in cozy hemispherical tents surrounded by a pine forest.

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Day 2 - Havus Island Nature Trail. A water route along the Ladoga skerries. Russian sauna with steam master
After breakfast, you will have a guided walking tour deep into the island of Havus.
You will take a nature trail through the Karelian taiga. You will see geological rocks that can be called the "backbone of the earth": a glacier passing through the territory of Ladoga exposed very ancient stone outcrops, which are up to 2.5 billion years old.
The culmination of the route will be the exit to the Haukkariutta rock ("falcon reef"). From a height of more than 40 meters you will have a wonderful view of the Ladoga skerries.
Lunch at glamping.
After lunch, you will embark on a circular waterway along the Ladoga skerries during the storms.
Ladoga Skerries is a picturesque archipelago in the north of Lake Ladoga, consisting of many small rocky islands separated by straits.
One of the striking features of the Ladoga skerries is the so—called "reef mountains". Reef mountains are called mountains that break off into the lake with sheer cliffs, the height of which can reach 80 meters.
You will climb to the observation point of the Ladoga Skerries with panoramic views of the vast expanses of Ladoga and the Valaam Archipelago (in good weather).
Next, we suggest taking collective steam sessions in our Russian sauna (1.5-2 hours, groups of up to 6-8 people, included in the price of the tour).
Dinner will be served for you in the evening. After that, if you wish, you will be able to complete the Karelian quiz and test your knowledge of the region!

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Day 3 - Master class on gates. Retro train and Ruskeala Mountain Park
After breakfast, a master class on cooking Karelian wickets will be organized for you.
You will learn the cooking features of this national pastry, and a professional chef will show you the "secrets" of making dough, proper molding and other features. You will work with authentic grandmother's rolling pins, try out various pinches and shapes.
Next, our chefs will bake wickets in the oven, and our guide will give a presentation about Ladoga, the largest lake in Europe. You will learn interesting facts about the lake and see how it happens at different times of the year.
After the lecture, you will have time to pack your things. After that, lunch is waiting for you in glampin.
Next, you will go to the pier, where minibuses will be waiting for you, which will take you to the Ruskeala Mountain Park (1 hour on the way).
Our guide will conduct a ground tour in Ruskeala Park. Ruskeala marble quarry is a monument of cultural heritage of Russia. Development here began in 1765. The walls of the famous St. Isaac's Cathedral, Ladozhskaya and Primorskaya metro stations in St. Petersburg are decorated with Ruskeal marble.
The quarry is a huge system of underground tunnels and tunnels connected by vertical shafts. Most of them were flooded after the Great Patriotic War, and the quarry turned into an amazingly beautiful lake with turquoise-tinged water, the transparency of which reaches 15-18 meters.
After the tour of the Ruskeala Mountain Park, you will board the Ruskeala Express, a steam–powered tourist retro-train that runs along the route of the overland road that transported Ruskeala marble to Lake Ladoga.
The interior of the train is decorated in the style of the interior of the carriage on which Auguste Montferrand, the chief architect of St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg, came to Ruskeala.
Evening arrival at Sortavala railway station.
Return tickets must be purchased for train No. 160A departing from Sortavala at 20:52.

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Difficulty

Involves moderate physical activity

Accommodation

Camp Site

2 nights

Comfort

Premium

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The tour includes accommodation in a dome glamping. It is located on Havus Island, surrounded by a picturesque pine forest and Ladoga skerries.

The cost of the tour for 1 person is 59,900 rubles/person.

The surcharge for a single room in the dome is 15,000 rubles.

For children 7-12 years old and per person for an additional location (3rd in the dome) 10% discount.

You will stay in domed glamping, an autonomous forest hotel with a high level of comfort right on the shores of Lake Ladoga. Glamping is located on Havus Island, surrounded by a picturesque pine forest and Ladoga skerries.

On the territory of glamping there are:

The panoramic dome is a restaurant where breakfast and dinner will be served for you every day. There is a dining and tea area inside the tent (hot and cold water, tea, coffee, sweets are always freely available), as well as a relaxation area with a fireplace and board games.
A small lounge area is a place where you can play board games, watch a movie, or just sit with a book while sipping tea with sweets.
13 cozy geo-domes with a capacity of 1-3 adults or 1-4 people with children. Each of them has transformer beds — two comfortable lower beds (800x2000) or a double bed (1400x2000) and an extra bed upstairs with bed linen and towels, bedside tables, a coffee table with armchairs, a wardrobe, as well as sockets, a washbasin with room temperature water and a toilet.
The showers are in a separate building, with heating, hot water, hairdryer, shampoo and shower gel.
A Furako bathhouse on the shore of Lake Ladoga is a heated outdoor wooden font.
A Russian sauna with a panoramic window on Ladoga.
A campfire area with seating.

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Tour conditions

Group

From 5 to 20 tourists

Minimum age

7 years old

Duration

3 days 2 nights

Group meets at

Saint Petersburg, Moskovsky railway station

Included in price

double accommodation in glamping (2 nights);
three meals a day according to the program (except breakfast on the first day and dinner on the last day);
services of experienced guides, instructors, captains and chefs;
transportation services along the route (minibuses, aero/motorboats);
Kiryazh Museum tour;
Korela Fortress tour;
Karelian drinks tasting;
author's guided walking tour of Havus Island;
Ladoga Skerries tour;
Russian sauna with steam master services;
master class on gate preparation;
Ruskeala Mountain Park Land tour;
a ride on the Ruskeala retro train.

Paid extra

air and railway tickets to Saint Petersburg and railway tickets from Sortavala;
dinner on the last day of the program (optional);
sauna-furako – 7,000 rubles / session for up to 2 hours, up to 4 people (optional).

It's important to know

Personal belongings and equipment:

documents in sealed packaging: passport, medical policy;
backpack or travel bag;
an individual first aid kit;
personal hygiene products;
bathing accessories and slates (for visiting the bathhouse or furako).

Clothing and shoes:

a warm winter jacket and trousers;
a down jacket or a vest;
2 pairs of comfortable and warm shoes;
a warm hat, buff gloves or mittens;
wool socks;
thermal underwear;
comfortable clothes for glamping.

Dates and Prices

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

$826

11 – 13 Sep 3 days 2 nights

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$826

2 – 4 Oct 3 days 2 nights

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No need to pay now

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