What to bring / 07.01.2024

rest in Karelia, ski tours in Karelia, recreation centers in Karelia, rafting in Karelia, bicycle tours. Penza tourists traveled through Karelia on bicycles. This tour awaits you

Bicycle tours in Karelia - along taiga trails and ancient villages, where the older generation still retains the real Karelian language; along the banks of fast Karelian rivers and sandy beaches of restless Ladoga and Onega lakes; through the swampy shores of forest lakes and along mossy paths of pine forests.

During all cycling tours you will sleep in a tent, help cook food over a fire with a guide - in general, for a week or more you will be completely immersed in the nature of the unique beauty of the Russian North.

Sample bike tour programs

"Ladoga coast" (Petrozavodsk - Ladoga - Ruskeala waterfalls - Marble Canyon - Finnish hydroelectric power station - Lodeynoye Pole)
This tour is called “Ladoga Coast” because the main part of the trip will take place on the coastal strip of the largest lake in Europe. You will see the breathtaking bright blue or lead-gray (depending on the lighting) expanses of Ladoga, as well as some attractions in the area, some of which are real tourist hits of Karelia: the Ruskeala marble canyon, the Ruskeala waterfalls, the Cross of Sorrow (during the Winter during the war, more than one Soviet army died here), a Finnish hydroelectric power station, etc.

But still, the main goal of the Ladoga Coast tour is to enjoy the beautiful nature of the Ladoga region. It should be noted that the route will not lead anywhere to open Ladoga - you will only contemplate rocky islands covered with pine trees (the famous skerries), which does not detract from the aesthetic pleasure. The tour route is a shortened program of the Ladoga Shore.

1 day
Meeting with the guide at the railway station in Petrozavodsk. Transfer Petrozavodsk – Lyaskelya village, 250 km. Preparing cycling equipment for the hike, safety instructions. Snack. Departure for the route on bicycles: Kharlu village - lake. Jätäskelampi, 12 km. Dinner and overnight in the field.
Day 2
Breakfast. Departure along the route on bicycles: lake. Yatyaskelampi - Sarkisyurya village - vdp. Ruskeala - village Ruskeala - mountain park "Ruskeala" - lake. Matkaselkyalampi, 25 km. Snack with hot tea on the way. Inspection of the Ruskeala marble canyon.
Ruskalskie waterfalls are an unusually picturesque place where the famous film “The Dawns Here Are Quiet” (1972) took place. The Marble Canyon is a monument of the cultural heritage of Russia, officially included in this list in 1998. The unique natural site is also a monument to the industrial history of four peoples - Karelians, Swedes, Russians and Finns. Dinner and overnight in the field.
Day 3
Breakfast. Departure along the route on bicycles: lake. Matkaselkyalampi – Kirkkolahti village – Alalampi village – Hamekoski village (inspection of the Finnish hydroelectric power station), 28 km. Based on the conditions of the route, a hot lunch or snack is provided along the way. Having visited the architectural complex of the former Finnish hydroelectric power station (1937), you will be fascinated by the power of water and the ability of Finnish builders to use natural waterfalls without disturbing the balance with nature. Transfer to Lodeynoye Pole, 250 km. 21:00 Arrival at Lodeynoye Pole station, departure by evening trains.

"Stairway to Heaven"(Petrozavodsk - Konchezero village - Marcial waters - Spasskaya Guba - Palyeozero - Sundozero - Girvas waterfall - Porosozero - Gimoly village - Vottovara city - Kivach waterfall - Petrozavodsk)

Karelian villages and waterfalls await you. But the main thing is the climb to Mount Vottovaara, where you can see many natural attractions (stones of unusual shapes, deep cracks, decays and a “crater” lake, and, finally, a real staircase created by nature itself and going into the sky.

1 day
Meeting with the guide at the railway station in Petrozavodsk. Transfer Petrozavodsk – Konchezero village, 50 km. Lunch in the field. Departure on bicycles along the route: Konchezero village – Marcial Waters (the first Russian resort “Marcial Waters”, tasting water from the springs) – Spasskaya Guba – lake. Palyeozero – Lake Sundozero, 50 km. Snack on the way. Dinner and overnight in the field.
Day 2
Breakfast. Departure on bicycles along the route: Lake Sundozero - Girvas village - lake. Justozero 50 km. The Girvas waterfall, despite its man-made origin, is very beautiful. The height of the waterfall reaches 15 meters, the water descends in several steps, flowing directly into the lake. Snack on the way. Overnight in the field.
Day 3
Breakfast. Departure on bicycles along the route: lake. Justozero - lake Kotchozero – Porosozero village – lake. Yudozero 71 km. Snack on the way. Dinner and overnight in the field.
4 day
Breakfast. Departure on bicycles along the route: Oz. Yudozero – village of Gimoly – foot of the town of Vottovar 30 km. Snack on the way. Dinner and overnight in the field.
5 day
Breakfast. Climbing Mount Vottovar. Wonderful nature, as you approach the top it changes and becomes similar to the northern one, there are dwarf Karelian birch and pine, and mosses. Snack on the way. Return to the parking lot. Dinner and overnight in the field.
Day 6
Breakfast. Climbing Mount Vottovara with a visit to the ancient sanctuary - “Stairways to Heaven”. At the top awaits a pile of high rocks, deep cracks, rock pools, huge boulders of bizarre shape, in the center, as in a volcano crater, a small lake. In some ways, the stone ruins are similar to the Stone Town of Torre Porre Iz in Komi, and some stones are similar to the dolmens of Gelendzhik or even South Korea (if the weather is good, colorful photographs await you that will decorate your photo album). Why such a beautiful name “Stairway to Heaven”? There is no metaphor here - you will actually climb a real staircase, created by nature itself, which rises along the mountainside towards the clouds. Snack on the way. Dinner and overnight in the field.
Day 7
Breakfast. Moving by bike to the village of Gimoly 15 km. Return to Petrozavodsk by minibus route: Gimoly village - VDP. Kivach (examination of the waterfall, visit to the museum of nature and the alley of the “Karelian birch”) - Petrozavodsk 350 km. Snack on the way. The Kivach waterfall is the second largest flat waterfall in Europe, falling in four ledges from a height of 10.7 m. The name of the waterfall comes from the Karelian word “kivas” - snow mountain. 17:30 Arrival in Petrozavodsk. Departure by evening trains.

" Vepsian history"

Bicycle tour with overnight stays in tents. Your journey will take place in places inhabited by the small Finno-Ugric people of Vepsa.

1 day
Meeting guests at the railway station in Podporozhye upon arrival of the train. Preparation of special equipment, personal equipment, safety instructions. Light breakfast in nature. Start of the journey along the route: st. Svir - village Shemenichi - village Pertozero - village Gomorovichi - village Sobolevshchina. Lunch on the way. Driving on asphalt and country roads. Dinner. Overnight in tents on the shore of Lake Yuksovskoye. The length of the day's trek is 50 km.
Day 2
Breakfast. Continuation of movement along the route: Sobolevshchina village - Trenya village - Barany village - Mokhovo village - Kiprushkino village - Voznesenye village. Lunch on the way. Dinner. Overnight in tents on the shore of the Svirskaya Bay of Lake Onega. The length of the day's trek is 50 km.
Day 3
Breakfast. Continuation of movement along the route: Voznesenye village (ferry crossing over the Svir river) - Cape Kulikov - Shcheleyki village - Gimreka village - Uritskaya village - Volodaoskaya village - Kaskesruchey village - Other River village - Rybreka village. Inspection of the Mother of God Church of 1695 in the village of Gimreka and the Varlaam Church of 1697 in the village of Rybreka. Dinner. Further along the route: Rybreka village - Kakkarovo village - village. Sheltozero. The village of Sheltozero is the center of the Vepsian national volost. Dinner. Overnight in tents on the shore of Razmegskaya Bay of Lake Onega. The length of the day's trek is 58 km.
4 day
Breakfast. Day in Zayachaya Guba: optional: relaxation, fishing, volleyball on the sandy shore. Overnight in tents.
5 day
Breakfast. Visit to Russia's only museum of Vepsian history and culture in the village. Sheltozero. Dinner. Continuing along the route: s. Sheltozero - village Shoksha. Dinner. Overnight in tents on the shore of Shoksha Bay of Lake Onega. The length of the day's trek is 30 km.
Day 6
Breakfast. Continuation of movement along the route: Shoksha village - Vodnik camp. Dinner. Dinner on the picturesque shore of Uyskaya Bay of Lake Onega. Overnight in tents. The length of the day's trek is 35 km.
Day 7
Breakfast. Continuation of movement along the route: camp Vodnik - Petrozavodsk (20 km). Lunch at a cafe. Sightseeing excursion program around Petrozavodsk (by prior agreement, for an additional fee). Departure home from the railway station in Petrozavodsk. The length of the day's trek is 20 km. The total length of the entire tour is: 243 km.

Ruskeala Marble Canyon
The Ruskeala Marble Canyon - part of the Ruskeala Mountain Park - is a true masterpiece of the symbiosis of man and nature. At the end of the 18th century, on the orders of Catherine, marble mining was opened here to decorate St. Petersburg under construction (decoration of the Mikhailovsky Castle, Marble Palace, Hermitage, St. Isaac's Cathedral). By the middle of the 19th century, the quarry practically stopped working and over time it was filled with natural waters (according to another version, the quarry was flooded by the Finns).

The length of the quarry is about 450 m, the width is from 60 to 100 m. The walls are dotted with underground adits and drifts, which are connected by vertical shafts. The distance from the highest point of the canyon to its bottom is more than 50 meters, and the transparency of the water reaches 18 meters. Along the perimeter of the canyon you can explore the pedestrian path, covered with marble chips, on which there are observation platforms and a descent into an underground adit.

How many shades of emerald can you imagine? This question involuntarily arises when you walk along the edge of the Ruskeala canyon and see a lake of extraordinary beauty, shimmering with all sorts of shades and changing color with every step, which further enhances the feeling of the unreality of what is happening.

To admire the extraordinary patterns left by nature on the marble walls of the canyon, you should take a ride on the water on a boat rented right there (life jackets are included in the rental price). Half a meter above the water you can see the openings of underground tunnels and grottoes. If you wish, you can swim into the grotto directly by boat or book a dive and explore the bottom with a professional diver.

Ruskeala Mountain Park is located 30 km from the city of Sortavala towards the Finnish border. You can buy a tour at a tour desk in Sortavala, Petrozavodsk, St. Petersburg or go by car - there are signs on the road and parking is available in the park.

Ruskeala waterfalls
The Tokhmajoki River is one of the major waterways of the northern Ladoga region. It originates from Lake Ruokoyarvi near the border with Finland and flows into Lake Ladoga near the village of Helyulya. The length of Tokhmajoki is about 40 km. There are many rapids and small waterfalls on the river. The nature of the rapids is different, there are classic, rocky rapids with chaotic swells, and there are also steeply falling, local rapids.

Among the waterfalls, perhaps the most beautiful is the Ruskeala waterfall Akhvenkoski. Translated from Finnish as “Perch Threshold”. Locals sometimes call it “the waterfall of three bridges.” At this point, the winding Tokhmajoki River crosses the road three times. It is located 3 km from the village of Ruskeala. The waterfall is clearly visible right from the highway; there is a developed area and gazebos. Near the waterfalls there is a car area equipped with benches, canopies and a toilet.

The picturesque waterfall attracts the attention of everyone passing along the road, so motor tourists often stop here for a short rest. The bathing scene of one of the heroines of the film “The Dawns Here Are Quiet” was filmed at this waterfall. Ahvenkoski Waterfall is a whole complex of four waterfalls at the site of the Tohmajoki River overflow. In spring and early summer, numerous groups of tourists and active recreation enthusiasts on catamarans and kayaks pass here. Many groups also go through the waterfalls themselves. The height of the waterfalls is about 3-4 meters.

On the road to Ruskeala, 4 km before the village, there is an inconspicuous forest road to the left that leads to the Rymäkoski Waterfall. You can't get to the waterfall by car. Part of the road is swampy. You will have to walk the last 200 meters. This waterfall used to have a Finnish hydroelectric power station. The old buildings of this hydroelectric power station have survived to this day. In the near future, it is possible that this small hydroelectric power station will be restored.

Upstream of the river, in the village of Ruskeala itself, the Tokhmajoki River crosses the road again, revealing the water riffles of another group of rapids. Although these Karelian waterfalls are not as high as Yukankoski on the Kulismajoki River, their picturesqueness leaves no one indifferent.

Mount Vottovaara
Mount Vottovaara (Votto-Vaara) is located in central Karelia, near the villages of Gimoly and Sukkozero. Its height is only 417 meters, which is however quite a lot for this region. The mountain is shrouded in a huge number of legends that multiply and multiply. This is also facilitated by numerous seids erected by someone in this region and gloomy swamps interspersed with rocks and stories about shamans living on the mountain. UFOs also became elements of the local epic. During the Second World War, partisans were very active in this region, which also influenced the historical appearance of the place.

From a geological point of view, it is a large rock with a rather steep southern slope, 2 kilometers wide. Its length from north to south is about 5-7 km. The mountain is located in a rather remote place, surrounded by swamps and abandoned roads built during Soviet times.

Due to the fact that the mountain is higher than those around it, there are strong winds at its top and the air at the height is cooler than below. As a result, on the slopes you can find many emaciated, broken trees from fairy tales about the “granny hedgehog”. There will be many such trees if you drive another 500-700 kilometers to the north, but, compared to the surrounding hills, the forest looks outlandish and a little creepy. It is not surprising that the mountain is surrounded by a huge number of legends that attract tourists, thrill seekers and simply shamans.

Many believe that this mountain is the abode of evil spirits. It must also be said that many seids were found on the mountain and in its surroundings - pyramids of stones reaching several meters in size. Nowadays tourists build their seids for entertainment, but it is believed that seids were built by the Vikings to mark the fairway. Seids are also used to mark paths in the mountains, etc. It is unclear what the purpose of building the seids at Vottovaara was; maybe it was an unknown natural phenomenon. There should be quite a lot of seids on the mountain, but unfortunately they are located on the southeastern slope, while we went to the southwestern one.

Vottovaara is confused with “Death Mountain,” which is located five kilometers southeast and is notorious for the death of more than a hundred partisans and brigade commander I.A. Grigoriev in 1942. During the popularity of UFOs, the mountain was immediately assigned new popular properties.

Girvas Volcano and Girvas Hydroelectric Power Station
The Girvas volcano is located in the Kondopoga region of Karelia and is an interesting natural attraction. It got its name from the nearest village – Girvas. Of course, it doesn’t look much like a volcano, because its age is approximately 3 billion years. The surroundings here are very beautiful and the Girvas volcano can rightfully be considered one of the most interesting sights of Karelia.

It was discovered in the middle of the last century, geological research was carried out here. Geologists claim that billions of years ago there was active volcanic activity here, and in this region of Karelia there were mountains more than 6 kilometers high. However, the mountains were smoothed by glaciers, which “ironized” these territories for a long time; Girvas volcano was no exception.

The volcano is located in the bed of the Sunna River, now the Girvas hydroelectric power station (officially called Palyozerskaya) has been built there. The thickness of the lava in some places is more than 100 meters, and the total area of the lava field is estimated at a thousand square kilometers.

In May, the so-called Girvas waterfall appears, this happens when the dam shutter is raised at the hydroelectric power station and the water rushes downstream at great speed. At other times of the year, you can walk along the riverbed without any problems, and the water is discharged through a drainage system.

Kivach Nature Reserve
The Kivach Nature Reserve is one of the oldest in Russia and the first in the Republic of Karelia. Established by a resolution of the Council of People's Commissars of the Karelian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic on June 11, 1931. The reason for its creation was probably the Kivach waterfall, which gave the reserve its short, sonorous name. Subsequent study of the nature of this territory showed that the choice of location was very successful. The uniqueness of the combination of the typical - this is how one can determine the diversity of nature of the reserve. Within its boundaries you cannot find anything that is not found anywhere else, with the exception of the waterfall.

The territory allocated for the reserve is interesting in that it includes all the main landforms of southern Karelia. Here you can see selgi (rocks coming to the surface, smoothed by the glacier and having a characteristic rounded shape throughout), and eskers (elongated ridges composed of loose glacial deposits), and the so-called “ram's foreheads” and “curly rocks”, smoothed by the glacier .

Here you can see a large number of lakes, large and very tiny (lamb), of various shapes and sizes, with crystal clear water and rocky shores. Stormy rivers, so beloved by kayakers, flow through young, rapids valleys. The Suna River, one of the largest rivers in Karelia, flows through the reserve. You can often find swamps overgrown with cloudberries and cotton grass.

Palyeozero
Palyeozero is a deep, cold-water body of water. The maximum depth is about 74 m. The deepest northern part of the lake, especially the depression entering the northwestern bay, located near the village. Svyatnavoloka: the southern part is relatively shallow. The bottom topography is rugged; There are several wide depressions, underwater ridges and luds. The bottom is mostly covered with silt; rocky and sandy soils are found near the shores.

Before the arrival of the Sun water, Palyeozero was a reservoir of the salmon-paly type. It was inhabited by palia, vendace, whitefish, smelt, grayling, pike, roach, minnow, burbot, perch, ruff and sculpin. The changes that took place in Palozero influenced the composition of the ichthyofauna and the number of its individual representatives. Paliya has completely disappeared. The removal of soil and siltation of spawning grounds resulted in the death of the eggs laid by the palia. The number of smelt, vendace and whitefish, which were previously the main commercial fish, has sharply decreased.

With the Suna water, bream, bleak and dace, which were previously absent there, entered Palyozero.

I. Roads

This is such a broad topic - after all, traveling by bicycle involves daily use of the road network - so the story about roads will be the most detailed. After all, this is one of our Russian troubles!..

Photo 2. The road between Hämekoski and Alattu.

The first thing I would like to note is that there are few roads! Even if you just open Google Maps, it will be clearly visible that the road network in Karelia has, in fishing parlance, a larger cell compared to neighboring Finland. This is how we live - the terrain and natural areas are the same, and there are an order of magnitude fewer roads...
Second. Not enough asphalt. Actually, in the region under review, this is only the Sortavala highway from the border with the Leningrad region, and the section from Sortavala to the north, to Vyartsilya, where the border crossing to Finland is located.

Photo 3. I.

Photo 4. The road is somewhere in front of the Black Stones camp site on Yanisjärvi.

Separately, I would like to dwell on the “old” asphalt section of the Sortavala highway. Last year, a large section of the route bypassing the village of Kurkijoki was opened, with its long grader section. The new road is very good! But further, right up to the village of Lyaskelya, there is an almost 80-kilometer section of the old road, which seems to have been built along some old Karelian highway - it looks like the ancient Karelians rode here on their donkeys, so they laid it... This road is narrow, it is replete with sharp turns and micro-relief, almost all the time there is a continuous line between the lanes, so columns of cars constantly gather, and in the rare places where overtaking is allowed, everyone is in a hurry to overtake at great risk and at great speed. The roadside is unpaved, bad, often with a “step” between the asphalt. And, since this road is the only one here, all traffic flows along it.. Driving is extremely dangerous! Both by bicycle and by car. I have personally seen car accidents and breakdowns. Apparently it’s not for nothing that in this area there are banners with tow truck phone numbers hanging almost every 50 meters..
In short, riding this section on a bicycle is very unpleasant. There is a very great danger to life. I do not recommend anyone to ride a bicycle along the Sortavala highway in the section between the end of the new road and all the way to the village of Lyaskelya!

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Photo 8. Somewhere after the Alalampi "railway crossing".

In addition to the listed asphalt roads, all other roads are grader, dirt roads and logging roads. The quality of graded roads is generally good.
But I categorically did not like the dirt roads and old, abandoned logging roads. It’s often like this here - you drive, drive, rejoice, oh, what a beautiful path.
But, unfortunately, the joy does not last long. Then - hrenax - impassable mud or impassable puddle. And so on all the time.
There are a lot of puddles on old logging roads. You have to maneuver a lot, real slalom, or even drive at random right through puddles - and here it’s not a fact that you’ll get through safely.

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Photo 11. Railway bridge in front of Hämekoski.

In short, the final rating for Karelian roads is a two!

II. Relief

Oh yes, relief!
Would you say there are no mountains in Karelia? Yes it is. But this is not a plain, not at all! In ancient times, the territory of modern Karelia was covered with a glacier, which formed an extremely rugged topography. In cycling terminology, such terrain is called a “swing” - constantly up and down. Often quite steep up!

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This is the most unpleasant type of terrain for a cyclist - it is terribly exhausting. On a short but steep climb, your legs get tired, your muscles get clogged, and during an equally short descent you don’t have time to rest... And then there’s a new climb. As a result, riding on such swings turns out to be even harder than overcoming a large mountain pass - by the end of the day you are much more exhausted.
Relief rating - one.

III. Border area

Yes, some of the Karelian roads pass through the border area, which is honestly warned about by the corresponding signs and information boards on the roadsides.
And, although several years ago the border regime was significantly weakened - now without a special pass you can move freely outside a 5-kilometer zone from the border - the presence of border territory should be taken into account when planning a hike route, and do not forget about the need to obtain a pass if you plan to enter 5-kilometer border zone.

Photo 14.

In any case, you must have your passport with you.
What rating should I give here? I think it's a three. Still, this is a factor limiting movement, and there is no point in giving a positive rating.

IV. Autonomy

Karelia is one of the most sparsely populated areas of Russia. Accordingly, areas of autonomous movement, without the possibility of replenishing food supplies and emergency assistance, are likely, but, in general, no more than two days.
On our way there were shops in Sortavala, Helyulya, Kaalamo, Suistamo, Leppyasyurya,
Let's give it a four here.

V. Water

Karelia is a land of lakes. And swamps, of course... There are also streams and rivers, but very rarely. I didn’t see a single spring at all.
Moreover, what’s interesting is that the water is all some kind of brown color! Peat, perhaps. In general, it does not cause appetite and requires at least boiling for oral consumption.

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During the walking day, we replenished drinking supplies in villages and hamlets, asked them to draw from wells, and we always had a couple of cups and a half of drinking water with us. Breakfast, lunch and dinner were prepared with water from reservoirs - although yellow, it was certainly harmless after boiling.
In total, the assessment of water availability in the area is three, not higher.

VI. Weather

The northern climate is harsh! It rains often, or very often. Although, we could say we were lucky with the weather during the hike - in 5 days it rained only a couple of times along the way, and once at night.

Photo 18.

But I wouldn’t advise anyone to rely on luck, and be sure to take full rain protection for your backpack and yourself.
When traveling around Karelia, you will certainly get caught in the rain. Or it may even result in heavy and prolonged rains...
The rating here may also not be higher than a three.

VII. Nature

I have often heard enthusiasm about the uniqueness and unsurpassed nature of the Russian North... Nature, of course, is almost all beautiful in its own way. Even the desert can be beautiful. But beauty, as they say, is in the eye of the beholder... I prefer mountains! And in Karelia there are only forests and lakes, sometimes small outcrops of rocks and stones.

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Moreover, this nature of natural conditions will invariably accompany you throughout your entire trip - all of Karelia is approximately the same with minor nuances. Which on the third day evokes a feeling of “Groundhog Day” and, in general, you begin to crave variety.
We must pay tribute to the richness of northern nature. Mushrooms and berries - a sea! We, one might say, were satisfied with the gifts of nature on this trip.

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My rating is a four.

VIII. Overnight stays

The sparse population, the relative inaccessibility of the territory, the presence of vast forests and countless lakes make it possible to organize a super comfortable bivouac at least every evening!
A cozy parking lot among pine trees, on a soft moss bed, on the shore of a lake, and with plenty of wood for a fire - what could be better?

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A solid five!

IX. Attractions

Let's say briefly - they exist. There are few of them, they are not very expressive, most of them are absolutely not worth dreaming of visiting for years, but the attractions are still there.
These include several waterfalls and old Finnish dams scattered throughout Karelia.
Of course, one cannot help but mention Ruskeala - an ancient quarry where marble was mined for the construction of St. Petersburg palaces and temples even under Catherine.
There are several military fortifications, memorials, and obelisks reminiscent of the events of the Great Patriotic War. Wars.
On Ladoga there is the island of Valaam with an ancient monastery, where you can go on an excursion.

Photo 32. White Bridges waterfall.

Photo 33.

Photo 34. Dam on Janisjoki.

Photo 35. Ruskeala.

Photo 36. Ruskeala

And, perhaps, everything in this part of Karelia.
Troika.

X. Gnus

Many people forget about stinging and biting insects in their preparation for a hike... But in vain! At the height of summer, Karelia is full of mosquitoes, midges, and horse flies during the day. Not as much, of course, as in the Sayans, and, especially, in the West Siberian Lowland, or in the Northern Urals, but still plenty.
You should have repellent, bite-proof clothing and a hat covering your body. Otherwise it will be excruciatingly painful in the literal sense of these words!
By the way, a hint: spraying with a vanillin solution helps against midges.
I don’t give this parameter a one only because there are regions that are even worse. I give it a two...

XI. Ladoga

And, finally, what is actually worth going to the Northern Ladoga region for - Lake Ladoga. Complete delight! A huge body of water, with its powerful energy, attractive force and indescribable beauty...
Just in the northern part of the lake are the Ladoga skerries - a network of bays, islands, and peninsulas. You can come here an infinite number of times, and every time you will be amazed by what you see!
Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, there are very few places among the Ladoga skerries where you can drive up to the coastline. But, given the great length of the skerries, there is a place for everyone - those who like a comfortable holiday at a camp site, those who appreciate solitude and meditation, and fans of water tourism.
I don’t even know what else to write here about Ladoga.. This is a must see! So just look at the photos.

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Rating 5, of course.

And what happens in the end?
The average score for Karelia and its part in the Northern Ladoga region is 3.2 points.
Which, in general, fully corresponds to the “better than working” characteristic..
We went, looked, ticked the box, as they say - now we have something to support the conversation, they say, we were, saw, participated... But, to be honest, there is no great desire to repeat such a trip to these places. Ladoga - yes, that’s a different matter, we will come here more than once, but without bicycles! Well, perhaps, there remains a slight interest in going on a bike trip somewhere in more northern Karelia, to the White Sea and the Arctic Circle. Sometime later. Much later.. Because now I really want to go to the mountains!.

Penza tourists traveled around Karelia on bicycles. There were children in the group. Route: Lodeynoye Pole - Megrega - Olonets - Tuloksa - Vidlitsa - Pitkäranta - Rautalahti - Ruskeala - Kaalamo - Sortavala.

Traveling around Karelia on bicycles

Participants: Anna Morozova, Evgenia Morozova, Sasha Kozhevnikov, Sergey Matveev, Oksana Garkavenko, Matvey Teryaev, Anastasia Uraltseva - author of the article.

The idea of organizing a trip around Karelia on bicycles arose spontaneously, like everything else in my life. I would never have thought that I could organize something, much less carry it out. But somehow unexpectedly, my thoughts, carelessly spoken out loud, turned into plans in two days, and as a result, all this flowed into a real campaign; it was too late to retreat. The only problem was that I had no idea how to organize bike trips! So I had only one way out - to distribute responsibilities among all participants, and pretend that I was in charge of all this disgrace.

The trip around Karelia was planned with the participation of children, so the mileage should not be more than 30 km per day. That is, the entire mileage should be no more than 200 km. This turned out to be very difficult because I wanted to cover as much as possible. When I sat down to develop the route, I realized that no matter how hard we tried, we couldn’t make it to 200 km. Tactics had to be changed. We decided to increase the daily mileage to 40-50 km, and to do this, train the children before the hike. Looking ahead, I will say that we drove almost 400 km.

Traveling around Karelia. Difficulties of moving

07/09/2016. I’m starting the report with the landing, because my greatest concerns were related to loading and unloading bicycles. To make it clear: I personally did not usually participate in loading bicycles, i.e. The number of men always exceeded the number of women many times over. Everything was different here. Of the 7 participants, there were only two men and two children! They escorted us from Penza, everything went without any problems. But we had to load ourselves onto the second train in 5 minutes!

07/10/2016. We had to change trains at Liski station. We managed to find out in advance which platform the train was arriving at, but there were 3 tracks! We took the most convenient position in order to start on the announced path. But the path was not announced... The path was announced in 3 minutes. before the train arrives. The minutes of waiting were very tense. Everyone stood in complete silence and at the words: “Fast train...” everyone took a low start and then “.. No. such and such” - everyone exhaled.

The loading plan was worked out to the smallest detail; the special forces would be jealous. The train has arrived. The conductor announced: we are waiting for 2 minutes!!! the train is late. The first time I encountered the fact that the conductor was helping to load the bikes; he didn’t even look at the documents when boarding. In general, it loaded in 3-4 minutes! The worst is over today. But no, the faces of the passengers were also scary when we burst into the carriage with such speed, so many things, and crazy eyes.

07/11/2016 (20 km). We arrived at Lodeynoye Pole station at 15.30. The task was the same, to unload in 5 minutes, but it was no longer scary. Once again, I would like to note that the conductor actively participated in helping unload the bicycles. Unloaded in 3 minutes. The north greeted us with sun and heat of +300C. On the first day we drove 20 km. We stopped for the night on the shore of Vehkozero.

Traveling around Karelia. White Nights

Despite the fact that everyone knew what white nights were, this phenomenon amazed everyone, it was 12 at night, but it was light. And what was even more amazing was the amount of blueberries. She was everywhere.
07/12/2016 (68 km). The start was scheduled for 10.00. We left as planned. We stopped at the Alexander-Svirsky Monastery, and here we were caught by the first Karelian rain, which we safely waited out in the monastery. And they peacefully rolled into the Republic of Karelia.

The problems started when we drove along the Olonka River. There were houses on both sides of the river, and one village passed into another.

At first we looked for a parking lot next to the water, then we realized that it was somehow normal without water, and we were ready to stand in the field, but it was impossible to get close to the field. All fields were surrounded by a moat with water. And then Zhenya suspected something was wrong and said that she was promised no more than 30 km a day, but we had already covered 60, and it was unknown how much more we would travel. We had to put on a smart face and convince that everything was going according to plan, although we ourselves were already close to panic. As a result, local residents suggested the place where we stopped - on the edge of a rye field.

Mead bought at the monastery marked the beginning of the “children’s hike”, 68 km instead of the planned 35. We drove from 10 am to 9 pm, with a stop at the monastery and a stop for lunch. The children made us happy; they survived.

On the shore of Lake Ladoga

07/13/2016 (38 km). We woke up late. We left at 11:30. On the way we ate blueberries and picked chanterelles. We drove 38 km, and as soon as we reached the shore of Lake Ladoga, remembering the experience of the previous day, we immediately decided to stop for the night. Moreover, it was time to clean up and do laundry. Lake Ladoga amazed with its “sea” waves. The children floundered and rode on the waves, and, in my opinion, they were not at all embarrassed that the water was 15 degrees.

The fact that we had not traveled much today became clear when Matvey cut down two trees and broke the saw.
07/14/2016 (82 km). Most of the route passed along the shore of Lake Ladoga, and was impressive with its views. There were a lot of blueberries and wild strawberries, and sometimes there were raspberries and boneberries. So during this trip we got a full dose of vitamins. We stopped at Lake Nietjärvi, where our fifth overnight stay was planned. All days we were ahead of schedule and saved one day.

07/15/2016 (63 km). The route ran through the highway. The asphalt was perfect and it rolled very well, but it soon got boring. It was decided to diversify the route, and we turned to the dirt.

The last 5 km passed directly along the shore of Lake Ladoga. On one side of the road there are rocks, on the other there is a lake and perfect asphalt. When we were looking for a place to camp, it started to rain and rained all night. In the morning we also gathered in the rain. Only then did we realize how lucky we had been with the weather before.

Ruskeala Mountain Park

09/16/2016 (32 km). It rained all day, it started and then stopped. “Ruskeala Mountain Park” was planned for today. First we stopped at the waterfalls.

There we met a group of cyclists. They traveled “light,” and the car carried their belongings. Commercial tours are a very popular type of recreation for these places. We tried “wickets”. This national dish is an open pie made from rye flour with various fillings. Edible, but our pies are tastier, but the wickets are very filling. In general, everything that is needed for the northern people. The mountain park is a marble quarry filled with water.

You can walk along the shore of this quarry, or you can rent a boat and swim along the quarry itself. The only negative is that we arrived on Saturday and there were a lot of people. We had to stand in line to get the boat.

There was an attraction in the park, a rope jump into a marble quarry. Only Matvey made up his mind, which earned everyone a shout of approval.

When they were looking for a parking spot, Zhenya stepped in a wasp’s nest, then she counted 32 bites on her legs, and on her head, face and arms. There was a campsite nearby, they treated her legs with foam, and she shook for another 2 hours. The next day everything went away. We stayed at the campsite. The hot shower was very welcome, and the place was very beautiful. We took a free gazebo and finally had dinner, clean and sitting at the table. And in the morning, some participants in the hike tried to fish.

Last walking day

07/17/2016 (45 km). The last walking day in Karelia was planned for today. We were driving along a good dirt road and met a couple of Finns. They got lost and didn’t know how to get to Sortavala. They were in complete shock: “We are driving and driving, but the road is getting worse and worse...”. This is an ideal road for Russia!

Finding a place to stay overnight in Sortavala turned out to be difficult. There is a lake, but there is no access to it. Some dachas. One summer resident said that there was a dead end here, and there was no access to the lake, and with a sigh she added: “I feel sorry for you, cyclists,” offering to put up tents right at her dacha. We happily agreed.

The place was gorgeous, view of the lake and a beautiful sunset. The next day we were going to the island of Valaam, but as it turned out in the morning - no luck.

07/18/2016 (day). In the morning it was raining, and everyone, without saying a word, slept until 10, although at 8 they were already planning to leave for Valaam. In general, the question to go or not to go was open for us. On the one hand, being in these parts and not visiting the island of Valaam... And on the other hand, all the locals with whom we talked told us that this place has become very commercialized, and the combination of holy places and security in the black leaves a not very good imprint glasses that accompany you throughout the island.

In general, the rain solved all our problems, and we hung out at the dacha all day. We were actually very lucky; it rained all day and stopped towards evening. And we sat on the dry veranda. Towards evening we divided into groups and went for a ride into the city.

The journey through Karelia is completed

07/19/2016 (38 km). The Karelian campaign is completed. Next is Peter. We got up at three in the morning, because... The train was at five. Local summer residents told us that the train is called a “foundling” because it carries cyclists who have not calculated their strength. But everything went according to plan. Cyclists were clearly not uncommon there. Two more were loading with us.

The train turned out to be not an electric train at all, but a diesel locomotive consisting of two cars. At first, only one carriage was opened. And they told us to go to another one and opened it especially for us! Surprisingly, with bicycles - go ahead!

We got to Kuznechnaya station, wait 7 hours for the next train. We decided to ride bicycles to Priozersk and visit the Korela fortress-museum. We cooked pasta on the park lawn and took the next train to St. Petersburg.

In St. Petersburg

Raf was waiting for us. In general, I don’t know about others, but for me it was an amazing evening. Well, firstly, my first campaign was completed successfully, and secondly, it was some kind of atmosphere of unity. A friend came to visit Raf, who also travels by bicycle (then he gave us a tour of St. Petersburg).

Misha arrived, we knew each other from the Georgian campaign, and I was incredibly glad to see him. And we met Raf only a year ago on a bike trip around Belarus. And then I couldn’t even imagine that a year later we would have a “drink” at his home in St. Petersburg. And it was so surprising that all the people at the table, completely different professions, genders and ages, from different cities and with different life experiences, were united by a thirst for adventure and an eternal friend - a bicycle.

07/20/2016. The morning started off hard. But a majestic city awaited us, and there was not a moment to lose. As true connoisseurs of architecture from different eras, we began our journey through the cultural capital of our homeland with a visit to the water park. Then we walked around the city.

Personally, I was in St. Petersburg for the first time, and most of all I was impressed by the number of palaces, parks, and public gardens. A city that is pleasant to just wander around. Everyone really enjoyed the water excursion, and Matvey enjoyed the soft sofas on the boat; he slept peacefully throughout the excursion. We returned home very late.

07/21/2016. Not everyone went to the city. To our great joy, the children decided to stay at home. And without whining, Peter turned out to be even more beautiful. In the evening we tried to organize a communication session with Penza, but it was not very successful; Vadim stubbornly refused to hear or see us.

07/22/2016. We split up again. Some people went to the aquarium. I was very impressed by the feeding of the stingrays and how colorful the fish are in nature. And the other part went on a bike tour of the city, which Andrey organized.

Raising St. Petersburg bridges

But the main goal of today was to raise bridges. We looked at the schedule in advance. The first is Dvortsovy, then Troitsky, Liteyny, along Bolsheokhtinsky we had to move to the other side and finally look at the opening of the Alexander Nevsky Bridge. We met on Palace Square. Various musical groups performed there. It was great.

We looked at the draw of the bridge with fascination; the spectacle shocked us with its grandeur and scope. I was very surprised by the number of people, this is an everyday occurrence for St. Petersburg and we did not immediately attach great importance to this, but in vain! When we decided that it was time to start to admire the next bridge, it turned out that it was completely impossible to go. The people are like in India, and also cars and motorcycles.

We got out with difficulty, when we approached the second one, he was already divorced, and so was the third one. Our speed involuntarily increased, and we were already turning it all the way. Somehow I didn’t really want to stay in the city until the morning. We arrived at the fourth bridge, through which we planned to cross to the other side, simultaneously with its opening.

There was one last chance left - the Alexander Nevsky Bridge or in St. Petersburg until the morning. Racing through St. Petersburg at night on adrenaline is such a drive! Well, in time we emerged victorious from this race! And we got home safely at half past five in the morning! The rise was scheduled for seven. We had a way home ahead of us!

Traveling around Karelia. conclusions

The budget for the trip was 16-18 thousand rubles. The terrain is very easy. Suitable for trained children and unprepared adults. There were no problems with shops along the entire route. We were very lucky with the weather, and the most amazing thing is that there were absolutely no mosquitoes or midges. And most importantly, we were lucky with people who helped us load our bikes, suggested parking spots, and told us about the sights we should definitely visit.

Thanks to Anya, who sheltered us at the dacha, Raf and his entire family: Natasha, Ksyusha and Artyom, for the warm welcome and hospitality! Thanks to Andrey for the excursion and Misha for the sincere company! And to all the participants of the campaign for making it happen. Traveling around Karelia is an unforgettable life event!

Anastasia Uraltseva.

Traveling around Karelia - by water, on bicycles or on foot - will be remembered for a lifetime. To ensure a successful hike, tourists are recommended to take a drug to increase endurance - LEVETON FORTE. This innovative all-natural drug is designed specifically for athletes and tourists, and is recommended by leading sports specialists in Russia.

Age restrictions: Children over 14 years of age can take part in the tour, accompanied by their parents, the cost of the tour is without discounts.
Equipment for cycling trip:
Bicycle “FELT Q 250”, “AlpineBike” is a mountain bike, the technical characteristics of which allow it to be used in rough terrain.
A bright vest and helmet are proven, easy-to-use equipment.
Camp equipment:
Tents - 4-person. The required number of insulating mats are provided for the tent.
Sleeping bags - temperature conditions are optimal for the duration of the tour. If you are taking a personal sleeping bag, you should notify the company in advance.
Utensils - Everyone needs to have personal utensils. Cauldrons, trays and other cooking utensils are provided.
Meals along the route:
Three meals a day. Sometimes, based on the conditions of the route, lunch can be replaced with a snack. The food is prepared by an instructor; help from tourists is not prohibited. The menu includes fresh vegetables and soups.
Safety:
When the group moves along the route, each participant wears a bright bicycle vest and a bicycle helmet. It is necessary to comply with traffic rules and follow safety instructions. The instructor has the right to adjust the route depending on the physical fitness of the group and weather conditions.
Physical exercise:
The cycling route does not require special physical training. The tours are designed for ordinary city people who know how to ride a bicycle and are ready for hiking conditions.
What to take with you:
a backpack without a machine or a travel bag; comfortable hiking clothes: trousers and a light jacket with a hood (anorak), a long-sleeved shirt, 2 pairs of woolen socks, 2 - 3 pairs of plain socks, a swimsuit, T-shirts, cotton gloves, a hat with a visor, a warm jacket, woolen hat, sweater, rain cape, change of underwear; it is recommended to have cycling shorts, shoes: hiking boots or sneakers, replacement shoes, personal items: repellent, sunglasses, bowl, mug, spoon, knife, flashlight with a set of spare batteries, sunscreen and after-sun cream, small polyurethane seat mat, personal hygiene products, personal first aid kit; documents in sealed packaging: passport, medical insurance policy.
Note:
The specific line of the route depends on several factors: the size of the group, weather conditions, technical capabilities of the host party, etc., therefore the final version of the route is brought to the attention of the group before the start of the tour or by the guide immediately upon arrival at the starting point of the route.
Under special circumstances, the itinerary may be changed during the tour.

Directions:
By train Moscow - Petrozavodsk - Moscow No. 18. Departure from Moscow daily at 19:55, arrival in Petrozavodsk the next morning at 09:40.
Departure from Petrozavodsk to Moscow by evening train.

	Winter Active in Karelia

	Snowmobile tours in Karelia




	Rafting in Karelia
	Fishing and hunting in Karelia

Tours in the Murmansk region, the Kola Peninsula and the Khibiny Mountains

Tours to Karelia– an excellent choice for people who want to escape from the concrete jungle of the city into the bosom of nature. Tours to Karelia from Moscow are very affordable. Just a night on the train and you are already there. The variety of tours to Karelia will allow you to choose what you like: there are rafting on wild rivers on catamarans for extreme sports enthusiasts, and rafting on calm rivers on rafts, in which the whole family can participate.

All conditions have been created here. You will visit fascinating places, enjoy centuries-old forests and crystal lakes, ride along winding paths, see masterpieces of Karelian architecture - look into the mysterious world of Karelian natureand culture . For your convenience, your belongings on bicycle tours in Karelia are transported by an escort vehicle. All you have to do is choose a tour based on your physical fitness. Weekend cycling tours in Karelia are available to beginners, but a week-long cycling tour requires good preparation.

And if you are interested in trying several types of recreation in Karelia, welcome to. In such tours you can combine rafting, kayaking, cycling and rock climbing.

If you don’t know what to do in winter, go to Karelia. Here you will find snow-covered forests, sparkling sun, and fresh frosty air. In winter in Karelia you canride on visit the Three Bears zoo complex and the Karelian village of Rubcheyla, get acquainted with Karelian hospitality and Karelian cuisine. Only here you can feel like a conqueror of the northern lands, because man’s friends of amazing beauty and endurance - huskies - will help you in this. You can ride like a breeze through the endless winter expanses on snowmobiles and see all the splendor of winter Kizhi - you can do it over the weekend. You don't have to take time off from work. Just buy tickets for Friday evening and on Monday morning you will already be in Moscow, full of new impressions and positive emotions.

Geography: The Republic of Karelia is part of the Northwestern Federal District. The capital is Petrozavodsk. It is washed by the White Sea in the northeast.

Climate: mild with plenty of precipitation. It changes on the territory of Karelia from marine to temperate continental. Winter is snowy, cool, but usually without severe frosts; if frosts occur, it is only for a few days. Summers are short and warm, with plenty of precipitation.

Relief, rivers, lakes: a hilly plain, turning in the west into the Western Karelian Upland. There are about 27,000 rivers in Karelia, of which the largest are: Vodla, Kem, Onda, Unga, Chirka-Kem, Kovda, Shuya, Suna with the Kivach waterfall, Vyg. There are also about 60,000 lakes in the republic. Ladoga and Onega are the largest lakes in Europe. Other large lakes of Karelia: Nyuk, Pyaozero, Segozero, Syamozero, Topozero, Vygozero, Yushkozero.

Timezone: coincides with Moscow.

The Subpolar Urals do not let go for long

Fishing reports on Lake Saltaim

rest in Karelia, ski tours in Karelia, recreation centers in Karelia, rafting in Karelia, bicycle tours. Penza tourists traveled through Karelia on bicycles. This tour awaits you