Wonderful places of Karelia

When visiting active churches and the territory of the inner square of the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Valaam Monastery, men should be without headdresses, women should have skirts and a headdress. 

It is not allowed to visit the monastery in sports or outdoor clothing. During excursions, we recommend that you have comfortable clothes and shoes. You can buy icons, candles, and hand in notes at the monastery's icon and souvenir shops.

The tour takes place under favorable weather conditions and in the absence of a storm warning.

Valaam Island is part of the Valaam Archipelago Nature Park. In accordance with the Federal Law "On the introduction of payment for visits to specially protected natural areas", you need to pay for the visit yourself in the amount of 200 rubles per person. There are preferential categories that are exempt from payment.

Insurance is not included in the tour program. The compulsory medical insurance policy is valid on the territory of the Russian Federation. You can purchase additional travel insurance on the website of a Large Country without commission directly from insurance companies. 

The climate in Karelia is temperate continental. The summer is cool, but prolonged heat is possible. The weather changes frequently, with thunderstorms and heavy rains. The water in rivers and lakes warms up in late June and July to 18-20 degrees C. Until the middle of summer, white nights.

The weather in Karelia is changeable, the wind may suddenly increase, and a storm may break out 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.

When there is 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 one way (instead of 50 minutes), and the excursion program on the island is shortened 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.

It is also important to remember that 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 with you a special ointment, as well as clothes and hats that cover all parts of the body as much as possible.

The best protection against ticks is compliance with safety regulations.:

1. It is not recommended to climb into impenetrable thickets of low-growing shrubs unnecessarily.
2. When moving along the forest road, do not tear off branches.
3. The legs should be completely covered (shorts are not recommended).
4. Sweatpants, tights (preferably with a smooth surface) should be tucked into socks.
5. It is mandatory to have a headdress (cap, headscarf).
6. It is advisable to hide long hair under a headdress.
7. After hiking in the forest, it is necessary to check (shake off) both outerwear and underwear.
8. Examine the whole body.
9. Be sure to comb your hair with a fine comb. If you find a crawling tick, it must be burned. Ticks are very tenacious, it is impossible to crush it.

If you find a tick that has already bitten into your skin:

1. Do not pull it yourself, because you can detach the body from the head (the head can exist without a body).
2. To remove the tick, it is necessary to fill it with camphor or vegetable oil, after 10-15 minutes carefully pull out the tick with tweezers.
3. Lubricate the bite site with greenery or iodine.

Vaccination provides the most effective protection. If the immunization schedule is followed, human diseases are extremely rare and, as a rule, occur in a mild form. The difficulty of vaccination against tick-borne encephalitis lies in the duration of the vaccination course, and you can find out more about it at the vaccination center in your region.

It should be remembered that all vaccinations must be completed 2 weeks before the start of the tick season, i.e. by the end of March.

Tick bite insurance is not included in the price of the tour. We recommend that you insure your health.

Rafting is designed for ordinary urban residents: "beginners". It does not require special physical training, water hiking experience, or even the ability to swim!

Rafts are inflatable rubber vessels with a capacity of 10-16 people + 1 instructor in each raft. Before the start of the rafting, there will be a safety briefing and an instructor will give each tourist equipment: a life jacket and a paddle.

Prepare bathing accessories, because in hot weather there is nothing more pleasant than swimming in clean river water. And after the rafting, a set of dry change of clothes will be useful to change clothes.

The alloy charges everyone with energy and positive emotions!

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

In connection with the entry into force of the new Rules for the provision of hotel services, in accordance with paragraph 18 of these rules, from 01.01.2021:

Minors under the age of 14 are checked into the hotel on the basis of identity documents of their parents (adoptive parents, guardians), accompanying person(s), provided that such accompanying person(s) provides notarized consent of legal representatives (one of them), as well as certificates about the birth of these minors.

Minors who have reached the age of 14 can be accommodated at the hotel in the absence of their legal representatives on the basis of documents certifying the identity of these minors, subject to the notarized consent of the legal representatives.

The company reserves the right to change the order of provision of services without reducing their volume.

Water crossings on Lake Onega (on Kizhi Island) and Lake Ladoga (on Valaam Island) are carried out under favorable weather conditions and in the absence of a storm warning. 

In case of cancellation of the tour due to weather conditions, the customer will be refunded the full price for the unproven services. 

Seating on the bus is free.

Due to the economic situation in the country, the company reserves the right to change prices. Please specify the cost of the tour when booking.

The tour program includes the train schedule that is current as of the date of the tour's publication. Please check the information about the current timetable on the Russian Railways website.

On July 18, Ruskeala Mountain Park will not accept tour groups due to the Ruskeala Symphony Music Festival. The tour will be replaced by a visit to the Bastion Historical Park.