Legends of Karelia

On the day of the start of the tour, tourists meet with the guide at the train station. A sign with the name of the tour. Meeting from train No. 18 (Moscow — Petrozavodsk). 

If tourists arrive earlier, wait. If tourists arrive by trains later than train No. 18, transfer to the location of the group, with partial loss of the program, without recalculation.

Air and railway tickets are not included in the price of the tour. You can purchase them yourself or contact us for help.

Please observe the dress code when visiting the holy places. 

Women – skirt, shawl, covered shoulders.

Men – trousers (not shorts)

The period from early May to mid-June is particularly dangerous due to the activity of encephalitic ticks. Prepare in advance for a trip to Karelia during this period – get a preventive vaccination against tick-borne encephalitis, take a special ointment with you, as well as clothes and hats that cover all parts of the body as much as possible.

Mosquitoes are found everywhere from late May to early September, but are especially active from early June to mid-July. Woodlice are most active in the morning and evening. Midges, outwardly resembling flies, attack during the day. Horseflies are most active on hot, sunny days. Do not forget the mosquito repellent and midges.

Snakes are found in some areas of Karelia. They are not aggressive, but we recommend that tourists refrain from walking on tall grass and choose closed shoes for traveling.

The climate in Karelia is temperate continental. The summer is cool, but prolonged heat is possible. The weather often changes, there are thunderstorms and prolonged rains. The water in rivers and lakes warms up at the end of June – July to 18-20 degrees C. White nights last until midsummer.

The weather in Karelia is changeable, the wind may suddenly increase, and a storm may start on the lakes. This is especially true of the Onega and Ladoga lakes. In this regard, there may be changes in the excursion programs related to movement on the water.

With a large wave on Lake Ladoga, high-speed vessels do not enter the route for technical reasons, but are replaced by slow-moving ones. Therefore, the travel time to Valaam Island is up to 2 hours in one direction (instead of 50 minutes), and the excursion program on the island is reduced or changed (if it is impossible to get to a particular hermitage by water due to weather conditions).

In connection with the declaration of Sortavala as a border zone, all tourists visiting this region should carry an identity card (civil passports, birth certificates for children) for possible passport control.

Additional medical insurance is not included in the price of the tour. If desired, you can apply for insurance on the website of a Large Country without commission directly from insurance companies.

On Kizhi Island, Valaam Island, all excursions are allowed only by the staff of the relevant museum.

When settling children unaccompanied by their parents (for example, with a grandmother, grandfather, etc.), a notarized power of attorney must be issued. 

Attention when visiting Valaam Island:

In accordance with paragraph 6 of Article 15 of the Federal Law "On Specially Protected Natural Territories", a fee is charged for visits by individuals who do not live in settlements located within the boundaries of the Ladoga Skerries National Park to the territory of the Ladoga Skerries National Park for tourism and recreation purposes.

The fee for visiting the territory of the Ladoga Skerries National Park is 100 rubles per day for individuals who do not live in settlements located within the boundaries of the Ladoga Skerries National Park.

Tourists are obliged to pay the tax on their own on the national park's website.

Privileged categories of citizens need to have supporting documents with them.    

Advance booking of additional services in the mountain park is not possible! 

Tickets for the underground route, boat rental, meals – everything is in the order of the queue and according to the availability of seats.

You can explore all additional services and their cost on the official website. 

In case of force majeure (storm, fog, malfunction of water transport), an excursion program is conducted:

Sightseeing tour of Sortavala, with a visit to the Museum of the private collection of Kronid Gogolev, the Museum of the Northern Ladoga region.

Lunch at a cafe in the city.

Visit to the Museum of Living History "Bastion Park", the park includes:

• Viking Age Museum "Black Bear Fortress";
• Museum of the Soviet-Finnish Conflicts "Four Fronts";
• The Stone Age eco-site;
• The exhibition "The Secret life of insects".

The company reserves the right to change the order of excursions without changing the program as a whole.

Excursions to Kizhi Island and Valaam Island depend on weather conditions. In case of force majeure (storm, fog, malfunction of water transport), excursions are canceled with subsequent recalculation. 

Failure to appear or delay for more than 10 minutes by the time of departure of the day trip for any reason is equivalent to a refusal and does not entail a refund of the funds transferred to the Contractor, except for the fact of the disease, documented from a medical institution.

Refusing to continue along the route as part of a group tour and returning independently to the starting point of the tour for any reason is equivalent to a voluntary refusal of the tour. Weather and climatic factors that do not threaten the life and health of tourists cannot be the basis for a reasonable refusal of the excursion and are considered as a voluntary refusal.