Tour to Karelia «Wonders of Karelia and 2 capitals»

Tour to Karelia «Wonders of Karelia and 2 capitals»

6 days / 5 nights

ITINERARY

Moscow — Petrozavodsk — Kondopoga — Kizhi — Valaam — St. Petersburg

TOUR DETAILS

Bussines-class train Visit Kizhi and Valaam

Meal plan: 5 breakfast + 5 lunch + 5 dinners

BONUS: Visit to real russian camp bath

TRAVEL IN ECOLOGICAL REGION WITHOUT VIRUSES!

PROGRAM:

1 day — Moscow

Arrival to Moscow. Boat trip on the Moscow River. You will see the main attractions of Moscow. The Kremlin and its cathedrals, the main temple of Russia — the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, the Novodevichy monastery, the Grand Sports Arena and the Vorobievy Hills.

During a pleasant walk, you will have dinner with dishes of national Russian cuisine.

Transfer to the railway station and departure to the north of Russia in a comfortable train to Petrozavodsk. Petrozavodsk is the main city of Karelia.

 

2 day — Petrozavodsk — Kivach — Girvas — Kondopoga

Arrival in Petrozavodsk. Meeting and breakfast in traditional karelian’s cafe. Your tour to Karelia begins with a visit to the unique crater of the Girvas volcano. This is the oldest geological object, where you can see petrified volcanic «bombs» and a section of volcanic lava with gas voids. You will have a unique opportunity to walk around the frozen lava of an ancient volcano and take great photos.

After you will go to the Kivach nature park. The park is famous for its beautiful waterfall. Foaming water rushes down with thundering sounds. The waterfall attracts and does not let the audience go for a long time. Walk along a quiet grove of Karelian birch trees and the park’s arboretum. Birch tree is amazing with marbled wood. This tree is a real mystery, about which pundits lead serious disputes about its origin. A visit to the fascinating Museum of Nature, where you will learn a lot of interesting things about Karelian nature.

Transfer to the small town Kondopoga, which is conveniently located on the shores of Lake Onega. On a sightseeing tour you will see architectural masterpieces of glass and stone, original musical clocks with bells that perform familiar melodies, as well as the best “ship” pines in Russia.

Accommodation at the hotel, lunch with dishes of national Karelian cuisine. A little rest.

Further acquaintance with the nature of Karelia. You will go to a completely safe rafting on the Shuya river.  It is important to take with you in a separate package things for changing clothes after rafting, including underwear, swimwear, towels and second shoes. Shoes should be laced or velcro.

Instructors with extensive experience will do safety briefings and teach how to fasten a life jacket and hard hat. Together with the instructors, you will raft along the Shuya River and overcome the threshold Bolshoi Tol. After receiving a shot of adrenaline will be a picnic on the riverbank. At the picnic you will taste: buckwheat with stew, fresh vegetable salad, Karelian trout fish soup and hot herbal tea with cookies. You can taste the Karelian tincture. Bonus for those who wish to know a real Russian bath. Сamping bath has 2 two-section tents with a stove (male and female) firmly hold the temperature of the traditional Russian bath. Return to the hotel, dinner at the hotel, rest.

 

3 day — Onega lake

Breakfast-buffet at the hotel. A sailing bud-boat trip on Lake Onega awaits you. You will embark on a voyage on a boat. This bud-boat is exact copy of the boat that participated in the Great Northern Expedition along the Bering Strait in 1728. The bud-boat was specially built for the

filming a movie of the historical film «First» at the Varyag shipyard in Petrozavodsk.  During the sailing you will know about famous Russian travelers: the Laptev brothers, Vitus Bering, Vasily and Tatyana Pronchishchev, Semyon Chelyuskin. You will learn how to knit sea knots, see and admire the beauty of Onega skerries. During the tour there will be lunch.

After sailing you will have a rest on the shore of Lake Onega. You can ride rowing boats and go fishing or cycling along the shores of Lake Onega.

Back to the hotel, dinner and rest.

 

4 day — Kizhi

Breakfas-buffet at the hotel. Your day will begin with an interactive program with national master classes. You will get acquainted with the culture and traditions of the northern Karelian people. Under the guidance of an professional chef you produce — kalitka. Kalitka is a national pies with a variety of fillings. Next, you will learn how to play the kantele. It is the Karelian harp. You will sing songs known to everyone and learn the movements of Karelian-Finnish dances. You will be taught to make a doll-amulet «Lovebirds». It is a good talisman for family well-being. After the fun workshops, drink tea with delicious kalitkas of your own production. Lunch at the hotel.

Then you will have a water excursion to the famous Kizhi island. The island is included in the UNESCO LIST of World Cultural and Natural Heritage Sites since 1990. To see Kizhi means to see the real Karelia.

You will have a boat trip to the fabulous Zaonezhye on water. This is the most picturesque part of Lake Onega. During a water trip you will see numerous of charming islets. Here is a completely different nature, its Zaonezhsky microclimate. It is warmer and softer.

In Kizhi you will see the ensemble of Kizhi Pogost. The temple complex will amaze you with the fact that it was built without a single nail. You will visit the estate of the Zonezhsky peasant house and one of the oldest wooden churches in Russia — the Church of the Resurrection of Lazarus. It is believed that all ailments are healed by church visitors. Back to the hotel, dinner and relax.

 

5 day — Valaam

Early breakfast buffet at the hotel at 05.45. Check-out the rooms. You are going to the ancient city of Karelia on the shores of Lake Ladoga. it is called Sortavala. It is realy the «architectural encyclopedia of European architecture». There were a lot of famous people in this city whom he inspired with his unusual beauty. A small panoramic city tour.

After tour you will have lunch with dishes of national cuisine.

Excursion to the Valaam island. Here is the center of the spiritual, cultural and orthodox life of Russia. Water way on Ladoga Lake by a meteor boat. You will sail among the fabulous small rocky islands.

Visit of the the central estate of the monastery. You will see the Royal Chapel. It contains a very beautiful mosaic icon «The Sign of the Mother of God.» Excursion in the Transfiguration Cathedral and see the famous and revered «Icon of the Valaam Mother of God»

The relics of the founders of the monastery of Herman and Valaam Sergius are kept in the cathedral. In different places of the archipelago, underground casemates and gun positions from different wars have been preserved.

Return to Sortavala. Transfer to the train station. Departure to St. Petersburg by train. Dinner will be offered during the move in the train. Arrival in St. Petersburg, transfer to the hotel and relax.

 

6 day — St. Petersburg

Breakfast in the hotel. Panoramic city tour of St. Petersburg.

You will see Nevsky Prospect, St. Isaac’s Cathedral, Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood,

the Hermitage, Palace Square with the Alexander Column, Cruiser Aurora, Smolny, Admiralty, Mikhailovsky Castle. Those who wish can visit the Peter and Paul Fortress.

The end of the tour to Karelia and 2 capitals of Russia and back home. See you soon…