Karelia is a unique place that has managed to preserve its savage beauty to the present day in an almost pristine form. Today, it is a home to the cleanest rivers, the thickest forests, and the clearest lakes in Europe. It is not for nothing that those who are forced to live among the stone jungles throughout the year especially like to spend their holidays in Karelia.
Tour programme:
Day 1
Departure from Minsk at 4 p.m. (Druzhnaya bus station, the opposite side of the railway station) to Karelia.
Transit through the territory of Belarus and Ruissia.
Day 2
Arrival in Karelia at 11: 30. An outdoor picnic near the popular Shuya river in a pine forest. Free time (fishing, tourist bath and swimming in the river, or exciting rafting for an additional fee). Rides on the Big Toll (for an additional fee). Duration 1.5 hours. Transfer to the city of Petrozavodsk (28 km). Sightseeing tour of the city, visiting the Governor's Park, walking along the Onega embankment – the world's only Museum of modern avant-garde sculpture in the open air. Presentation of the Desire Tree. Transfer to the first Russian resort "Marcial waters" (70 km). A tour of the Church of the Apostle Peter, degutastation of medicinal mineral water from four springs, ascent to mount Sampo. Transfer to the city of Kondopoga (58 km). Check-in at the Karelia hotel. Complex dinner in cafe "Pohjala" (for an additional fee).
Day 3
Breakfast in the cafe "Pohjala". Excursion to the famous Kizhi island – a UNESCO world cultural and natural heritage site since 1990.
8 a.m. - the water journey (1 hour 30 minutes) will begin on the vast expanse of open Onego from the city of Kondopoga, and will end among the numerous islands called Kizhi skerries. Tour of the ensemble of the Kizhi churchyard, the Church of the Resurrection of Lazarus. Visiting the estate of a Zaonezhsky peasant. The duration of the tour is 5-6 hours. Time spent on Kizhi island is 2.5 hours (for an additional fee). Boat station on the lake Onega shore (300 m from the hotel). Lunch in the cafe "Pohjala" (for an additional fee). Tour of the music carillons – the main sights of Kondopoga. Visiting Girvas – a unique object, the oldest crater of the volcano. Visiting the Kivach waterfall. Visiting the national reserve, nature museum and arboretum. Complex dinner in the cafe "Pohjala" (for an additional fee). Participation in national Karelian workshops.
Day 4
6 a.m. – breakfast in the cafe "Pohjala".
Check-out from the hotel. Transfer to Old Finland (290 km). The first site is the Ruskeala Marble quarry. Acquaintance with the Ivan da Marya cliff. "The Okuniew threshold" stop – the waterfall Ahvenkoski. Transfer to Sortavala. Lunch in the city cafe. Excursion to the island of Valaam. The water trip on the meteor from Sortaval to the island on lake Ladoga is 45 minutes in one direction. During the main tour, we will get acquainted with the Central estate of the monastery and visit the magnificent architectural monument – the current Transfiguration Cathedral. The tour duration is 5 hours. Time spent on the island of Valaam is 2.5-3 hours (for an additional fee). For those who did not go on the tour – a walk through the old streets of Serdobol, a visit to the Church of St. Nicholas. Climb to mount Kuhavuori and a memorable photo stop.
Departure to Minsk. Night transfer.
Day 5
Arrival in Minsk at 4 p.m.
Contact information:
Regional tourism centre
Grodno, 22 Ozheshko str.
+ 375 (152) 39 75 16;
+ 375 (152) 39 74 49;
+ 375 (29) 869 06 02
e-mail: regunivertur@mail.ru
Tags: karelia, recreation, tour, journey, rtc
