Popular Karelia. Jeep Tour

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We invite you to an exciting jeep tour in Karelia.

During a short trip, you will visit such amazing places as Mount Sampo or Vottovaara. You will see an ancient volcano, ancient villages, the Ladoga coast, the purest reservoirs and other unique and noteworthy places.

You will have a jeep with an experienced guide driver at your disposal, so you can easily enjoy your adventure in Karelia!

The tour is held on request for groups of 2 people from June 1 to October 1.

Location

Petrozavodsk

from

Contact the tour coordinator

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

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Tour highlights

Jeep Adventure

You will feel a surge of adrenaline from overcoming the Karelian off-road and unity with nature

The Spirit of Karelia

You will see the ancient churches and chapels of the unique culture of the Russian North

Delight and inspiration

Take a trip to the most important places of Karelia with stops and snacks in the most picturesque places

Itinerary

Day 1 - Petrozavodsk — "old Murmansk highway" — "Marcial Waters" — Kivach Nature Reserve — stone Port-Threshold on the Suna River — forest hotel
09:00 Meeting at the Petrozavodsk train station, accommodation by jeep.
Breakfast in the cafe.
A short sightseeing tour of the city, a walk along the Onega embankment.
10:00 Departure from Petrozavodsk along the "old Murmansk highway" — the historical path along which Peter the Great passed.
Stop in the village of Tsarevichi at the chapel.
A short stop and a hike up Sampo Mountain (to the top is only a couple of minutes walk).
Sampo is a famous mountain from the Kalevala runes, but this mountain owes its name to the Soviet-Finnish film "Sampo", which was filmed in these places in the 1960s based on the Karelo-Finnish epic "Kalevala".
The mountain offers a magnificent panorama of the forests and islands of Lake Conchesero.
We continue to move along the route.
11:00 Visit to the first Russian resort "Marcial Waters" (founded by Peter I in 1719).
Tasting water from three underground springs, visiting the museum and Peter's Church (1721).
We continue driving along the highway to the Kivach Nature Reserve.
On the way, we will visit the Church of the Holy Trinity (Church of the Holy Trinity) in the village of Konchesero.
A brick single-domed church with a bell tower, built with charitable donations from the Konchesersk Mining Plant.
13:00 Visit to the Kivach Nature Reserve and visit the famous Kivach waterfall.
15:00 Rest and picnic in a pine forest, on the shore of Lake Palaeozero (picnic can be replaced with lunch in a cafe — according to the weather).
We light a barbecue and cook a barbecue on coals.
The aroma of fried meat and the crackling of coals further excites the appetite.
And now a steaming barbecue, fresh vegetables, cheese, and bread appear on the table.
At the end of the picnic — hot tea or coffee with gingerbread.
After eating and resting, we continue along the route.
Travel along the runway of the airfield, hidden in the taiga.
We inspect the stone Porridge on the Suna River.
At the end of the route, we will drive up to the old, but still operating Girvasskaya HPP (Paleozerskaya HPP), built on a rock of volcanic origin.
It was thanks to the dam of the hydroelectric power station, which drained the riverbed of the Suna River, that the oldest volcano, Girvas (3 billion years old), was discovered.
Exit to the M-18 Cola highway.
20:00 Arrival at the forest hotel, located on the shore of the Povenetsky Bay of Lake Onega.
Accommodation in comfortable rooms or a cottage.
Dinner at the hotel restaurant.
A sauna is optional (for an additional fee).

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Day 2 - Medvezhegorsk — Zaonezhye — O. Kizhi
09:00-10:00 Rise, breakfast, check-out.
Departure along the route — Medvezhegorsk — Zaonezhye — O. Kizhi.
Zaonezhye is one of the most distinctive places in Karelia and the Russian North.
The ancestors of modern northern peoples lived here — today's Sami, Veps, Karelians.
Since the 13th century, Russians began to move from the Pskov-Novgorod lands.
In 1478, Zaonezhye, as part of the Novgorod lands, joined the Russian centralized state.
Ancient settlements have been preserved here — some villages are completely abandoned, some are still inhabited by people.
Ancient churches of the 16th and 18th centuries have been preserved in many villages.
Kizhi Island is also located in Zaonezhye.
A few kilometers on asphalt and we turn onto a dirt road and enter Zaonezhye.
We continue to move along forest roads and inspect several ancient villages and the monuments of wooden architecture of the Russian North preserved there — chapels and churches of the 17th and 18th centuries.
Villages are Narrow, Cosmozero, Vegoroks.
In the XV–XVIII centuries, these were rich villages standing on the ancient trade route from Novgorod to the White Sea.
Now the villages are abandoned.
The large church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (VII–VIII centuries) has been preserved here.
We will drive along the ancient village roads to the shore of the Great Bay of Lake Onega — opposite Kizhi Island.
At 14:00, the boat will take us to Kizhi Island for a tour of the Kizhi Museum—Reserve.
16:00 Return from the island to the mainland to the jeeps, lunch.
Departure to Medvezhegorsk.
On the way, we will stop at the top of Mount Lysukha and inspect the Karhumaki Finnish defense node, which was built by the Finnish army during the occupation from 1941 to 1943.
20:00 Return to the forest hotel.

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Day 3 - Hiking to the top of Mount Vottovaara
08:00-09:00 Wake up, breakfast, check out.
Driving along forest roads to the famous Vottovaara Mountain is the highest point of western Karelia and the oldest place of worship — the sacred place of the ancient Sami.
Today we have to climb to the top of Vottovaara!
13:00 Lunch on the way.
At 15:00 We will drive as close as possible to the mountain, leave the jeeps and make a hike to the top of Vottovaara mountain (about 5 km).
Sightseeing of the seids and panoramas opening from the mountain.
In autumn, stunning views of the coniferous green taiga are diluted with bright yellow-red spots of deciduous trees.
And the numerous lakes reflecting the sky look rich blue.
18:00 Descent from Vottovaar to jeeps, driving along the forest road around the mountain.
Inspection of the monument to the partisan detachment, built on a rock by Komsomol members in the 80s.
A staircase cut into the rock leads to the monument.
20:00 Arrival at the hotel (or overnight in the forest, in a tent camp — optional).
Supper.

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Day 4 - Lake Ladoga
09:00-10:00 Rise, breakfast, check-out.
Today our goal is Lake Ladoga.
We are moving along the old logging roads to the south of Karelia, along the Finnish border.
15:00 Rest stop, picnic in nature.
Moving along the route, we will visit Tolvoyarvi National Park.
There are stunningly beautiful Karelian landscapes and a unique relief — lakes cut by ridges of lake.
And during the Finnish campaign and the Great Patriotic War, this area was the scene of fierce battles.
The roads here are abandoned and will require off-road driving skills.
Inspection of the ruins of the Finnish hotel, built in 1939 on the "lake" — a narrow high ridge between the lakes.
21:00 Arrival at the forest hotel.
Supper.
Comfortable rooms with all amenities are waiting for you.
Day 5 - Valaam Island, Ruskeala Mountain Park
07:00-08:00 Early rise, breakfast, departure to the river station in Sortavala.
A trip on the Meteor to Valaam Island in Lake Ladoga.
Tour of the island — visit the Central Manor, the Transfiguration Cathedral, the old fraternal cemetery.
Lunch at the monastery refectory on the island.
16:00 Return to the river station in Sortavala.
Visit the unique museum of wooden paintings by Kronid Gogolev.
The museum is located in an old Finnish building built in 1899.
The unique collection of works by the People's Artist of Russia Kronid Alexandrovich Gogolev, a professional artist who worked in a unique manner (wood carving), is known all over the world.
The main part of the works is a sculptural relief in wood.
17:00 Visit to the Ruskeala Mountain Park.
Initially, these are marble breakers, developed back in the 17th century.
The walls of St. Isaac's Cathedral, Ladozhskaya and Primorskaya metro stations in St. Petersburg are decorated with Ruskeal marble.
A walk along the marble canyon and a visit to the nearby waterfalls on the Tohmajoki River, where the filming of the final scenes of the film "And the dawns are quiet here" took place.
20:00 Arrival at the hotel.
Supper.

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Day 6 - Waterfall "White Bridges" — Kolatselga village — Petrozavodsk
09:00-10:00 Rising, breakfast in the hotel restaurant, departure to Petrozavodsk.
Traffic along the highway along the Ladoga skerries.
12:00 Visit to the waterfall "White Bridges" on the Kulismajoki River, its second name is Yukankoski.
The waterfall is the highest waterfall in the southern part of Karelia — almost 19 m, which is 8 m higher than the most popular and widely known waterfall Kivach.
14:00 Stop in Kolatselga village, inspection of the remains of the Tulmozersk ironworks, built in 1896 by the joint-stock company "Steel", whose shareholders were Grand Duke Peter Nikolaevich (grandson of Nicholas I).
15:00 Lunch in the historical Karelian village of Kinerma (dishes of national Karelian cuisine).
A tour of the village.
19:00 Arrival in Petrozavodsk.
Dinner at the cafe.
20:00 Transfer to the railway station in Petrozavodsk.

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Difficulty

Low physical intensity for amateurs and non-experienced travelers

Accommodation

Hotel

5 nights

Comfort

Midscale

The tour provides accommodation in hotels and guest houses along the route.

The tour is available on request from 2 people.

The cost of the tour for 1 person, depending on the number of seats in the car, RUB.:

When boarding 3 participants in the car + instructor	98 000
When boarding, 2 participants in the car + an instructor	125 000

The accommodation is indicated approximately and depends on the date of the tour and the availability of available places in hotels. You can check the exact location with the manager when booking.

The Forest Hotel is located on the shore of the Povenetsky Bay of Lake Onega.

Accommodation in comfortable rooms or a cottage.

Tour conditions

Group

up to 10 tourists

Minimum age

6 years old

Duration

6 days 5 nights

Group meets at

Petrozavodsk

Included in price

SUVs (car, fuel, driver-guide in each car);
accommodation in hotels and guest houses according to the program;
groceries (catering throughout the route);
individual certificates and souvenirs for each participant;
water transport, entrance fees, excursions.

Paid extra

air and railway tickets to Petrozavodsk and back;
Karelian souvenirs made of stone, birch bark, wood, national drinks, preparations of Karelian mushrooms and berries;
insurance of medical and other unforeseen expenses.

It's important to know

1. Backpack.
All personal items must be carefully packed in a travel backpack. Bags or suitcases will not work, they will be very inconvenient to carry and put in jeeps.

2. Trekking waterproof boots (preferably high — above the bone) or high leather boots.
If there are none, you can take rubber boots, but it can be uncomfortable to be in boots all day.

3. Sneakers — you can wear them in camps.
Most of the time you will be wearing shoes on the route, sneakers.

4. Outerwear:

a tourist waterproof jacket (or windbreaker), with a hood. The jacket should have cuffs on the sleeves, cover the lower back well and be tightly zipped;
trousers are better than waterproof travel trousers, but jeans or any durable trousers that are comfortable for you will also work well;
a sports down jacket is for night gatherings around the campfire. Optional, but it must be very tightly folded and packed so that it does not take up much space;
a hat or cap without nets and holes, if you do not want to wear a hood.

5. Undergarments:

a sweater (sweatshirt) or a pair of thick T-shirts (shirts) with long sleeves;
a pair of warm socks and thin socks for every day;
lightweight sports cotton pants and a lightweight cotton T—shirt - as nightwear;
underwear;
swimming trunks, if you want to swim.

6. Personal hygiene products and anti-mosquito products.

towel, soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, and more;
insect repellents — mosquitoes, horseflies, midges. We recommend using Gardex aerosol products for application to exposed areas of the body.

7. Documents: passport, driver's license (if available).
It is better to pack the documents in a plastic bag or a special sealed case and store them in a backpack pocket during a jeep tour. We recommend making a couple of copies of photocopies of the first pages of the passport.

8. Money.
We recommend that you always have a small amount of cash with you so that, if desired, you can quickly buy drinks or sweets in the village shops on the jeep tour route.

9. Personal items.
We recommend taking sunglasses, a small flashlight, a small penknife, a lighter, handkerchiefs, a small personal first aid kit, a cell phone, and a wristwatch.

10. You can take a camera, a video camera.

Almost all the time you are on the jeep tour route, you are in the forest. Most of the rules of behavior are related to this.

Always fasten your jacket tightly and put on the hood when making your way through the bushes, walking along a narrow forest road or just walking into the woods near the camp site.
When walking through the forest, always look at your feet! To look around, stop first.
When wading through streams, remember — the stones under the water are very slippery.
During the route, follow the safety precautions, which you will be familiarized with before the start of the jeep tour.
During the route, listen to the advice of the instructor. All this is for your own safety.
Try to take an active part in organizing halts and camps, harvesting firewood for the campfire and cooking. To the best of your ability, help the instructors — it's in your best interests.
Take care of nature. Do not pollute camp sites with food waste and packaging. There are special garbage bags in each jeep to collect garbage.

In addition, there are a number of requirements directly related to safety when traveling off-road:

Only persons with a category "B" driver's license are allowed to drive a car.
Persons under the influence of alcohol or drugs are not allowed to drive a car.
While driving, it is necessary to clearly follow the instructions of the instructor, observe the speed recommended by the instructor. Try to drive the car smoothly, avoid sudden maneuvers, accelerations and braking. Remember that on off-road and bad roads, the grip of tires on the surface and handling deteriorates dramatically. After overcoming puddles and mud, when the brake pads are wet and the wheel tread is clogged with clay, the car's brake efficiency decreases dramatically. For the first few seconds, the brakes may not be present at all.
It is always necessary to remember about the possibility of oncoming traffic, often logging trucks move along such roads. At the same time, it should be borne in mind that forest roads are often very narrow and only one car can fit on them, so the possibility of traveling with oncoming traffic can be difficult. But even on wide dirt roads, oncoming traffic can be very dangerous, because it can move at high speed on your side — head-on. You should always be prepared for this, especially when cornering.
When driving on forest roads and off-road, you should always be prepared for the appearance of obstacles on the way, and not only on the road. These can be large stones, gullies, logs sticking out of the ground, and so on. In addition, branches of trees and shrubs often hang down from the roadsides on the road, and trunks of partially fallen trees are also found hanging low over the road. Such obstacles can be extremely dangerous — they can break glass and cause serious injury. Therefore, the car must be driven at a speed that allows you to react urgently (maneuver, slow down or even stop) to any obstacle that suddenly appears.
Off-road, there are often situations when it is necessary to stop completely in front of an obstacle and get out of the car to inspect the obstacle, decide on the possibility of further movement and choose the optimal and safe trajectory. Overcoming some obstacles (dilapidated bridges, fords) may require preliminary exploration and preparatory work (sometimes lengthy) before the start of the movement.
Often, to pass dangerous and difficult obstacles, the help of another person is needed — a crewmate or an instructor who, while outside the car, indicates a safe trajectory. All these actions are performed under the supervision of an instructor.
Remember that the routes of jeep tours are laid on little-used and abandoned roads, so the quality of these roads, their embankments, bridges, etc. can be very poor and change greatly from the moment when the car last passed here. Even if tread marks are visible on the road and it seems that a car has recently passed here, this does not mean that it is safe to follow the same tracks at the moment. You should always be careful and follow the advice and instructions of the instructor.
If overcoming an obstacle requires special driving skills or may endanger crew members, the instructor can get behind the wheel himself and overcome a dangerous area, thereby taking full responsibility for himself. In particularly dangerous cases, the instructor may decide to ban movement along a dangerous section and change the route of the group.
If the instructor believes that the client's driving skills are insufficient in this traffic situation or his actions and reactions are not adequate and further movement may pose a danger to the crew or vehicle, the instructor may suspend the client from driving on this section of the highway.
When stopping, it is necessary to remember about other crews following your car so that they have the opportunity and a place to stop safely. If possible, it is necessary to stop on flat horizontal sections. You can get out from behind the wheel after stopping only after you are completely convinced that the car cannot roll away.
Before the start of each jeep tour, a master class is held, during which customers get acquainted with these rules and receive safety instructions. The master class also contains a large practical part where clients gain off-road driving skills and learn how to pass some basic obstacles. Passing the master class is mandatory for every participant who wants to drive an SUV on the jeep tour route.

Dates and Prices

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

Individual dates available on request

1 Jun – 1 Oct

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$965

29 May – 3 Jun, 2025 6 days 5 nights

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