Hiking routes for independent hiking in Karelia. Alloys in Karelia. Accommodation and meals during the tours

In Karelia there is everything for lovers of hiking: dense coniferous forests, hundreds of square kilometers of swamps and marshes, which are so interesting to overcome, and, of course, ponds. This land is not in vain called the "country of a thousand lakes." There are more than 60 thousand of them. Among them there are small ones that can be circled in 10 minutes, and the largest lakes in Europe - Ladoga and Onega.

You should buy a tour to Karelia if only to breathe in the purest air, filled with aromas of pine needles and algae, and admire the fantastically beautiful landscapes. For our part, we promise an interesting route full of sights and a good company.

Popular destinations for tours to Karelia

The region has a lot of places worthy of the attention of tourists. We try to cover them all, so every year we add new trips in Karelia. But these destinations are popular at any time of the year with all categories of travelers - both beginners and experienced tourists.

• Ladoga lake .  Here is a real expanse for both backpackers and lovers of rafting. We travel around Ladoga in kayaks and kayaks, admire the magnificent nature of skerries, study the flora and fauna of coniferous forests. The shores of Lake Ladoga are famous for their pristine beaches, where it is convenient to camp and enjoy the sunsets and sunrises over the vast expanse of water. If this is your first time in Karelia, we advise you to go here.
• The coast of the White Sea.  The best place to escape from the clutches of civilization for a while. Landscapes of the coast fascinate with laconic, "cool" beauty. Waves break on moss-covered stones, the light sand of the beach passes into the dark edge of the forest and not a trace of human activity around. There are no endless cafes, stalls, attractions and other tourist "dvizhuhi", as in sea resorts.
• The island of Valaam.  Legendary place on the map of Russia. Here is the famous Valaam Monastery, founded more than a thousand years ago, and villages in which time seemed to freeze in place.
• Kizhi island. Its main attraction is the museum of the same name. Here, as in a kaleidoscope, a panorama of ancient Karelia unfolds. A visit to the museum will give an idea of \u200b\u200bhow people lived here a hundred, three hundred and even a thousand years ago.

Among the other popular destinations in Karelia in 2019 are water tours along the Shuya and Suna rivers, trekking to the Vottovaara and Nuorinen mountains. There are more than 50 trips in this region in our catalog.

Types of hiking

• On foot.  The name speaks for itself - tourists travel on foot. A separate type of such tours are trips with auto escort, where participants go lightly, and escort vehicles carry their luggage.
• Water.  Tourists conquer ponds and kayaks. However, water tours in Karelia can not do without relaxing on the shore and excursions to attractions.

Duration

Cost

Dates

any days

Length

• A two-day hiking trip with dogs overnight in a tent on the shore of Lake Okunevoe. Perch Lake is a good place for fishing, along the banks there are many mushrooms and berries. The partner dog is fastened to the belt and helps to walk, and sometimes carries part of the load.
• The program is suitable for beginners. No special training is required. Age: from 8 years.
• The tour is organized on dates convenient for you upon request from 2 tourists.

Tour program "Hiking in Karelia":

1 day:

Meeting tourists at the railway station of Petrozavodsk.

Transfer to the kennel of sled dogs.
  The nursery is located in the village of Matrosi (30 km from Petrozavodsk).

Breakfast at the guest house.

Excursion to the kennel of sled dogs, acquaintance with expeditionary dogs.

Preparing for the trip: selection of equipment, briefing.

Exit to the route: the village of Matros - Lake Okunevoe.

Picnic on the way.

Arrival at the lake.

Arrangement of the camp.

Fishing, picking mushrooms and berries (optional and according to season).

Dinner by the fire. Overnight in tents.

2 day:

Breakfast in nature.

Preparation of equipment, equipment, briefing before entering the route.

Traveling along the route: Lake Okunevoe - the town of Yumanishki - the village of Matrosi.

Picnic in the forest in the direction of travel.

Return to the kennel sled dogs.

Dinner at the guest house. The menu includes dishes of Karelian national cuisine.

Transfer to Petrozavodsk to the railway station.

When speed doesn't matter. When everything recedes into the background before the beauty of the moment. When you feel alive, breathing in the fresh air of Karelian open spaces. Overcoming every, even a minor obstacle, you feel like a hero of this day and a conqueror of nature, being in harmony with it.

Hiking tours in Karelia and the Kola Peninsula: beauty at every step

Hiking in Karelia and on the Kola Peninsula (Murmansk region) give unique emotions. Having experienced them once, I want to repeat them again and again. For those who love hiking, we have created several extensive programs that will open the Karelian Republic for you from a new perspective. You are waiting for real adventures, with real challenges to open up your opportunities from a new perspective.
That is why all tours of this kind are accompanied by an instructor. And before going on the road, we conduct a mandatory consultation on compliance with security measures. And another important attribute is equipment.

Hiking in Karelia: programs

Our tours last from 3 to 8 days so you can enjoy overnight stays in nature, sunsets and sunrises, as well as see as much beautiful as possible.

We concentrated on the beauties of the Kola Peninsula, because it is here where the most natural landscapes and excellent routes.

For example, our most extensive hike includes the conquest of the peaks of Karnasurt and Kedykvarpakhk, admiring the splendor of the purest Seydozer, and begins in Olenegorsk. You will also experience a completely unforgettable experience from the ford of the river. Crossing the Seidjärviok river, you will see a unique city of shamans hidden inside Mount Ninchurt, which has not yet been thoroughly explored by scientists.

You will also be lucky enough to admire the smooth surface of Lake Sengisyavr and overcome it. On the way you will find incredible, breathtaking beauty, views worthy of magazine covers. Do not forget to bring along a good, solid camera for full-scale shooting, so as not to miss a single decent shot.

Pay attention to our recommendations on physical activity and travelers' abilities. We do not advise unprepared people to participate in such trips, since they involve overcoming mountain ranges, albeit not the highest and most difficult, but requiring physical effort.

The conquest of Vottovaara - the most mysterious mountain of Karelia. These are bizarre sculptures and real natural buildings made of stones, the mystery of which has not yet been solved. Also, the mountain is considered to be a "place of power", attracting mysterious phenomena.

During the trip and ascent to Vottovaara, we will visit the famous stone saids, the amphitheater located at the very top, as well as the “stairway to heaven”. The complex of the nature reserve also includes the so-called "Death Mountain" (the place of death of the partisan detachment during the Great Patriotic War).
In a word, a non-trivial adventure awaits you with the conquest of the most mysterious mountain of the Republic, covered in many secrets, myths and legends.

With the start from Olegenorsk we set off on a separate walking tour to Seydozer. During the campaign we will reach the shore of the famous reservoir, we will camp and enjoy the rest on its shore for the whole day. Another memorable travel detail is a visit to the village of Lovozero, where a museum dedicated to the life of the ancient Sami was created.
Challenge yourself and experience the true beauty of Karelia and the Kola Peninsula with the Forest Tale.

Choose routes and contact us.

Hello, friends!

With this post, I open a series of stories and photo reports about my trips that I go to one way or another from the 8th grade of the school. Not to say that they are especially extreme, but also not purely tourist ones. I went on purely hiking trips, hiking with a climbing slope, horseback riding, kayaking, etc. But the greatest pleasure to me was always delivered by leisurely relaxing trips to Karelia and the Kola Peninsula. Let's start with them. In this part - a short story about a calm, partly walking walk in Karelia. In the next - Karelia car with off-road elements.

So, Karelia.

A place where you constantly want to return. Beautiful nature, tranquility and pacification, thousands of clear lakes, hills covered with reindeer and lingonberries, and of course pine. Being in the midst of this splendor, breathing in crystal clear coniferous air, and you will relax your soul and body from the stuffy, bustling metropolis. Our trip began in Kandalaksha, where you can get by train along the Oktyabrskaya railway in about 30 hours (some of my trips to these parts started with Khibin, but about this place some other time). Kandalaksha station looks quite prehistoric, and not a single detail in it has changed since 1998, when I was in Karelia for the first time.

The purpose of our current trip was simple to disgrace: to live in a native Karelian village, to go lingonberry, visit Hit Island (a place known for its nature and remoteness from settlements, in the center in a small rock there are many beautiful Granat stones similar to Rubin ), go to the White Sea, where to settle in a fishing village and fish with the locals. Like all :)

We started from the village. Since the late 90s, I knew one former mining village a few hours by train from Kandalaksha, and we went there.

From this station 6 km on foot inland and we are there. Unfortunately, I did not have photos of the village, so I will describe it in words. Naturally, like most mining villages, it is half extinct. Houses are abandoned and useless. Yes, at home, whole mines. Together with the change houses, in which helmets and self-rescues lie on the shelves. They have been lying for thirty years. In such places, the feeling that time has stopped does not leave. But without problems and for free you can live in a completely normal hut, it is enough to tell the locals that you are tourists, you just came to stay and pick berries. You will certainly find an empty house with a stove)

Having lived in the village a couple of days, picking up blueberries and just resting from the road, we moved to Heath Island. It is approximately 5 hours walk from the village. Halfway along the dirt road, in which for all 3 hours you will not find a single car or a single person, the second halfway through the forest. The road is not easy, but then - beauty!

An island lost in the middle of the taiga, which can only be crossed from the mainland by raft. On the island itself and around it is pristine nature. After a tiring 5 hours of walking with a 40-kilogram backpack, the long-awaited halt. But not for long. You need to set up camp, find firewood and cook dinner. This is a campaign, baby, not Sochi)

On the way to somewhere in Karelia, it’s very easy to collect a decent amount of good mushrooms that literally grow on the road. They were very useful to us as the first lunch on Heath.

Well, after such a dinner, to which 50 grams were naturally attached, you can remember your childhood as well)

Unfortunately, for reasons beyond our control, we were unable to go to the White Sea and were forced to return to Moscow after parking at Heath. It was decided to go to the sea next year, in the end it turned out a year later, but by car.

The nature of the hit island.

These guys are everywhere, right on the road.

View from the Hit Island to the bay, beyond the bay a huge lake in the middle of the taiga.

Express tent installation in 4 hands.

Light snack while waiting for the train.

Sometimes it is sad to leave, especially if the program is not completed. But, unfortunately, not everything always depends on us.

Now a few tips for a beginner hiker, suddenly someone come in handy)

1. The equipment is personal.

It’s better not to save on equipment. In the campaign "this is your everything." I especially highlight the backpack, knife, boots and jacket.

Backpack - 80-90 liters, with a hard back (usually metal plates) and a strong lumbar strap. The belt is very important! It accounts for up to 50% of the load. Without a lumbar support of 40 kg, you will not pass 300 meters. I advise you to buy once and for all a good backpack of a reputable company. For example, Tatonka, like mine.

Knife - it should be comfortable, not large and not small, not folding and not for 200 rubles. Here everyone chooses for himself, after long experiments I found my knife - Swedish Mora 2000. Only it is difficult to find in Chinese, but the real one.

Boots - I have the whole Salomon’s hiking life. Two pairs, not one has fallen apart in 10+ years of hiking. You can have a columbia, it’s a matter of taste. But in our camping company everyone has salomons. In general, the boots should be lightweight, waterproof , with a high ankle, plus rubber boots, if we go to Karelia.

The jacket is necessarily a membrane, waterproof. But not like a waterproof windbreaker, but a real membrane waterproof jacket.

2. The route. It needs to be thought out in advance, and on the ground only to make adjustments. Explain why I will not, just believe and that's it)

3. Local - without the need to make contact, but not to be scared. Be polite and careful. Money does not shine, do not talk too much.

4. Food - think in advance what you will eat and how. There are two cans, do not save on them. Good stainless steel, one slightly smaller than the other. All dishes are metal, metal mugs are thermo. The main food in the campaign is stew, pasta, rice - with you, and potatoes - with the locals. Vodka - you can local Garant, but only in the norms. stores.

5. Mosquitoes - a lot) And midge) Therefore, anti-mosquitoes and a mesh on the face. Pants are desirable with a rope or rubber band at the bottom so that there are no gaps between the boots and pants.

6. First aid kit - very important. In my group I am responsible for the first-aid kit, I have about 100 items with me. You will be on foot in the taiga, take this seriously!

7. Axes - one, small, but good and sharp.

8. Tents and sleeping bags - lightweight, compact and high quality. Tent - with a good tent. Sleeping bag - designed for the desired temperature regime. No need to take a sleeping bag with a comfort temperature of -12 in August. You just can't sleep in it.

Well, for starters, that's enough, probably) In the next post - a car trip, with photos and a bonus in the form of a report on the preparation of the OFF-road car, this is also interesting. In the comments I will answer questions, if any.

To everyone who read to the end, thank you!

The article talks about how to organize your independent trip to Karelia: when to go, what to see and how to get there.

Russia, close to Finland, is home to the Republic of Karelia, rich in natural beauties and cultural heritage. The land attracts travelers with pristine cleanliness. It is ideal for a quiet, relaxing holiday, and for an active pastime with a continuous change of scenery. Hunting for birds and animals, along stormy rivers, skiing and dog sledding, fishing, excursions - all this awaits curious tourists in Karelia.

Note:  2 useful reviews about independent travel to Karelia

•   about Karelia
•   : advantages and disadvantages
• About the main attractions, and most

How to get to Karelia?

In North-west
  There are 4 options for getting to the republic:

• By train.
    Direct routes are provided between Petrozavodsk and Moscow or St. Petersburg. If there are no direct flights from other cities of Russia, you can always take a ticket with transfers.
• By bus.
    The option is most suitable for residents of St. Petersburg. Flights to Petrozavodsk.
• By plane.
    Near the village of Besovets, 12 km from Petrozavodsk is the main airport of Karelia. Tickets are recommended to be bought in advance.
• By car.
    An excellent option for traveling in Karelia in terms of economy and freedom of movement. Suitable for large families and companies. It is worth considering that in the republic many roads are unpaved.

Pick up a tour to Karelia

When there is no time to plan a trip to Karelia on your own, you can contact the guys from Alem Tour. This is a tour operator we checked. They have been working since 2002 and know all the most beautiful places in the republic. All tours go on a turn-key basis: accommodation + transfer + excursions. In general, we recommend. See what tours to Karelia they offer now.

What to see in Karelia?

A huge number of cultural monuments are concentrated in the republic. The most interesting tourist attractions:

Are you planning a trip? That way!

We have stocked some useful gifts for you. They will help you save money in preparation for your trip.

• Valaam, Solovki  - popular islands that have preserved ancient monasteries and churches, many of which are UNESCO heritage. The islands are also attractive for their natural beauties: dense forests with slender spruces, stone, steep banks, clear river water. You can read more about in a separate article.
• Kizhi Architectural Museum.  On the island, directly in the open air, everyday life samples of peoples living on these lands many centuries ago are collected. During the tour, travelers will learn many legends and customs of local residents.

• White Sea petroglyphs.  On the islands of Karelia, archaeologists have discovered about three dozen ancient sites, as well as images and compositions carved on the rocks dating back to the III millennium BC. It is recommended to consider the drawings accompanied by a guide.
• Ruskeala marble canyon.  It was here that they took marble for St. Petersburg palaces. The canyon is surrounded by ancient trees, which makes it more beautiful and majestic.

• Waterfalls Girvas and Kivach.  The first is unique in its location on the volcano, and the second - in magnitude.
• Body archipelago.  On 16 uninhabited islands, rare birds and animals huddle. An interesting place to visit naturalists.

How to get around Karelia?

The least popular in the republic is railway transport. Since the main task of Karelia is to preserve the pristine beauty of nature, new rails are not laid. For travelers, the October Railway is relevant. On it you can get to the Onega and Kandalaksha Bay of the White Sea, Lake Onega. Branches to Yushkozer, Belomorsk, Sortavala are also laid.

To get acquainted with all the beauties of Karelia, it is recommended to travel by car or rent a car on the spot. Moving along the federal highway M-18 “Kola”, you can turn onto any secondary road that will certainly lead to one of the lakes of the region.

In Karelia there is a sea and river shipping company. The water communication system is well developed here, so travelers can easily travel along the White Sea coast, along the Neva, Svir, lakes Ladoga, Onega, White Sea-Baltic canal.