I continue the story of our weekend trip to Karelia by car. The main purpose of the trip was the Ruskeala Marble Canyon.

I longed to visit Karelia, because I really wanted to see northern landscapes, rivers and lakes instead of the sights of Thai palm trees and beaches that were pretty greasy.

Sounds weird, doesn't it? I think that many people dream of just the opposite - to soak up the warm sand away from the hustle and bustle and swim in the sea, but when the weather and landscapes outside the window hardly change for five months, you start to want something else. Like most people, I like variety.

From time to time, the guys write questions in social networks about whether I regret that I came to Russia and whether I miss Asia. Where is it! Russia has gorgeous nature, summer is coming, so it's time to continue exploring this vast country, especially since the Ruskeala marble quarry, which opened my eyes in Karelia, is perhaps one of the most striking natural attractions that I had a chance to visit this year. Russia still hides many such treasures.

Hotels and apartments in Sortavala

About the start of the journey organizational issues, prices in Karelia and our hotel you can read in the post:

If you plan to spend the night in the canyon area, keep in mind that the nearest place where you can rent a hotel, apartment or hotel is the city of Sortavala, 30 km from Ruskeala.

It is better to book accommodation in advance, especially on weekends or in summer during the high season. We traveled to May holidays, most of the hotels in Sortavala were occupied.

You can study the prices on several search engines or at least write down the addresses of the hotels you like in order to know exactly where to go. Links to hotels in Sortavala:

So, having settled in a pre-booked Seurahuone hotel in the city of Sortavala, Marina, Kostya and Max went to the Ruskeala canyon, which is located near the village of the same name, 30 km from Sortavala. Approximately the same number of kilometers separate the deposits of marble from the Finnish border.

History of Ruskeala mountain park

mountain park Ruskeala became a tourist attraction only in 2005. It is interesting that it was created at the private expense of several entrepreneurs from the Northern Ladoga region. It took about two years and about 600 thousand rubles to equip the surroundings of the canyon and create a tourist infrastructure.

Until the second half of the 18th century, the territories near Ruskeala belonged to the Swedes, who actively mined marble from the bowels of the earth. After the Northern War, the lands were ceded to Russia, and the quarries were forgotten.

The Russians remembered the marble deposit in those parts under Catherine II, with whose light hand the development resumed, and four marbles began to be mined from the quarries. different types: white with gray streaks, ash gray, white-gray-blue and gray-green.

The construction of St. Petersburg required significant amounts of materials. Blocks were taken from the marble quarries of Ruskeala for facing St. Isaac's Cathedral, the decoration of the Mikhailovsky Castle and many other buildings in St. Petersburg, Gatchina and Leningrad. region, he also laid the floors of the Kazan Cathedral and decorated the memorial of the Brest Fortress in Belarus.

With the beginning of the Soviet-Finnish war in 1939, the development in the quarry completely stopped. After the Second World War, there were feeble attempts to resume marble mining, but the aquifer was already damaged, and the water in the quarry was rising so quickly that the marble miners hurriedly abandoned tractors, cranes and other special equipment.

In 1973, marble mining was resumed in new workings created near Ruskeala. Currently, work is carried out in a limited amount due to the danger of collapse of the quarry.

Parking in the park is free, but the entrance to the park itself is paid. Tickets are sold in this wooden house:

To the right are ticket offices, to the left is the entrance to the territory of the Mountain Park

Souvenirs (magnets, mugs and wooden items) are sold on site. There is also a cafe.

What to see in Ruskeala Mountain Park:

– Marble Canyon Ruskeala

Perhaps one of the most interesting sights of the Mountain Park can be safely called the man-made Marble Canyon. This is a giant bowl, hollowed out by human hands in a mountain layer and filled with groundwater over the years of its existence.

There is a picturesque trail along the canyon, which offers breathtaking views of the grottoes, caves, as well as the incomparable water surface. The walls of the former quarry are pierced with adits, drifts and shafts, in which marble was previously mined. Now most of the workings are flooded with water. The length of the canyon is about 450 m, width - 60-100 m, depth - 30-50 m.

Marble Canyon Ruskeala
Trail around the canyon
Scenic walking path
Toads bask in the sun :)

There are many viewing platforms around the perimeter:

@Photo by Marina Samorosenko

The main thing is not to go behind special fences, because in some places the walls of the canna are destroyed

It is forbidden to enter this site, as it is gradually being destroyed. Relatively recently, 20 tons of earth and rocks fell into the water. Out of ignorance, we spent about half an hour on this site, until a guide passing by said about a possible danger.

Under water on the left you can see the collapsed layers

In addition to the improved quarry, there are several other abandoned or developed quarries on the lands near Ruskeala, but we did not look for them.

— Adits at the Ruskeala quarry

Only one adit remained on the territory of the mountain park, which can be visited without a guide, and which was not flooded by the Finns before the Soviet-Finnish war. To be honest, this is the first adit I have visited in my life.

Before my career trip, I didn’t even know the word. Also, by the way, in St. Petersburg I got acquainted with the concept of “lakhta”. In general, sometimes it is useful to enrich the vocabulary to travel and change the place of residence. :)

Top view of the shaft

An adit is a horizontal or inclined mine working that has access to the earth's surface. At one time, marble was mined in adits.

Entrance to the gallery. It's very cold inside, water dripping from the ceiling Adit from the inside

There is still snow at the bottom

- Ruskeala failure

The Ruskeala failure arose in the 60s of the 20th century as a result of explosions in neighboring quarries. If you go down into this hole on a special rope (the descent will cost 1000 rubles) and go through the tunnel, you can get to the marble production center. Interestingly, the ice in the corridors does not melt even in summer. Previously, it was possible to get to the main quarry through the Ruskeala dip, but now all the passages are blocked.

In winter, the thickness of the ice is about 25 cm. Brave climbers who are not afraid of the cold descend into the Ruskeala failure, spend the night there and carve figures out of ice, so that later tourists invited to the cave can admire the ice sculptures. Also in winter you can go ice skating.

Ruskeala dip in mid-May

We chatted with the guy who is responsible for the descent of tourists into the Ruskeala failure along a rope. He told us a story about how, on the day of our visit, one economical citizen decided to climb into the cave for free through the mine, without informing the workers of the Ruskeala park.

He went on an adventure not alone, but with a friend. Being a clever man, our citizen gave his friend the opportunity to go first. As a result, his comrade fell through the ice without even taking a few steps.

Fortunately, our adventurer extended a helping hand in time and pulled his companion by the scruff of the neck. In general, if you are not an experienced speleologist and not a novice suicide, then it is better to go down into the cave under the supervision of the mountain park staff. The guys assure that they have undergone special training and in case of danger they can save everyone.

Ruskeala failure is still covered with ice

– Italian quarry

After inspecting the Ruskeala dip, you can go along the path to the Italian quarry to see the marble in the section. Relatively recently, the Italians began to develop this part of the quarry, but the quality of the marble at the output turned out to be so low that pasta lovers abandoned their idea and left the development. The fact is that the quality of marble depends on the depth of its location, and on the surface the marble is too fragile.

Italian Quarry

What to do in Ruskeala Mountain Park:

– Diving in Ruskeala Marble Quarry

The marble quarry is very famous and popular among Russian divers (especially among caving divers and tech divers). People come to Ruskeala to dive from the clubs of St. Petersburg and Moscow, because this is the only deep reservoir in the north-west of Russia with underwater caves and excellent transparency. In the quarry, visibility reaches 12 meters, in adits it reaches 17 meters. Inspection of underwater mines is available only to experienced divers.

Equipment remained at the bottom of the quarry. The crane, cars and motorcycles were flooded by the Finns before the start of the 1939-40 war. and now rest peacefully in the depths. Several underwater routes of varying difficulty have been developed.

Under water you can see pieces of a collapsed mountain

Official descent to the banks of the canyon

– Rope descent and bungee jumping to Ruskeala

1. Rope descent. Between opposite shores Marble Canyon ropes are stretched, along which you can go down on a zip-line. Entertainment is popular, with us constantly someone “flyed” on a tightrope with a rattle, but without screams. The length of the rope is approximately 400 meters, the flight height above the water is somewhere from 10 to 30 meters. The cost of pleasure 1000 rubles

2. Tarzanka. In Ruskeala Park you can bungee jump. Price - 600 rub.

A desperate volunteer "floats" on a tightrope. The speed is scanty

- Canyon boat trips

From May 18 to September 30, you can rent a boat in the park to swim along the walls of the canyon. Unfortunately, we went on vacation in Karelia on May 10-11, and boats have not been rented yet. On the boat you can swim in the grottoes. You will have to row on your own, so do not forget to bring a man with strong arms to visit the canyon. Boat rental cost 400 rub/1 hour. The boat fits 4 people.

Caves you can go to by boat

— Walk on the Siberian Husky

Dog sledding is available on Saturdays and Sundays. The length of the track is 2.4 km. Ticket price: 1000 rub- adults. 800 rub- children. In the spring, huskies just lie at the entrance to the canyon.

Huskies sleep peacefully near the canyon

Address and opening hours of Ruskeala park

The address mountain park: Republic of Karelia, Sortavala city, Ruskeala park

Having slept to the sound of birds singing, we decided to go straight to Ruskeala and thought to find a cafe there and have breakfast, remembering that some eateries are indicated on the official website (http://ruskeala.info/ru). But! Sitting in the car, once again looking at the information on the site, I (as already an expert on Sortavala !!!) realized that there are food stalls that are located in Sortavala, and not in Ruskeala. It would be great to drive there more than 30 km in the hope of eating, and not finding anything on the spot - to go back to Sortavala for food. For a hungry family is generally not suitable for receiving impressions, by no means.

And because it was already about 12, then we missed breakfast, but still went there. The restaurant at the hotel was still closed, but they had already let us in and started serving us. The restaurant is expensive, yes. But pasta, pancakes, potato pancakes and dumplings are at quite normal prices, and VERY tasty. And the portions are normal, I would even say huge .. (we had almost enough until the evening), and the coffee with compote is excellent. In general, we ate and went to Ruskeala.

Road to Ruskeala.

The first 10 km is a good road. Beautiful and again - serpentine.

Local architectural beauties. (well, I'm serious! - the beauty of the same). People with humor, apparently ..

The last 20 km to Ruskeala is a bad road. And in some places it is very bad, you have to drive VERY slowly and carefully, because there are pits, and deep at every step.

And either a hurricane passed through the forest, or something else happened. A strange sight.

Suddenly beauty opened before us! These are the Ahinkoski waterfalls. We did not go on the route, because the crowds of people who arrived on several tourist buses did not inspire us. Therefore, only shots “from the shore”.

Roaring loud..

Marble canyon and caves in Ruskeala.

We've arrived. We got into a large parking lot. In front of the entrance to the park - everything is touristy - parking, ticket office, souvenir shops, cafes - yeah, cafes with burgers and even with gates - i.e. there is a place to eat, and excellent toilets. The tourist infrastructure is being rebuilt - everything is nice and thoughtful. We have finally begun to think and act as we should.

Went for tickets. If you just take a walk in the park - then 300 rubles for adults, for schoolchildren and students - cheaper. But + 10% for holidays and weekends. But we also wanted to go to the cave, which is quite expensive. 1200 adult, 700 student, 600 school ticket. and + 10% for the weekend .. Hellishly expensive, of course. But since we have arrived, we go everywhere. In the caves - an organized excursion, you can not do it yourself. Lasts about an hour. Quite interesting and beautiful.

Yes, in the caves year-round 6 degrees above zero, and damp .. Therefore, warm up, especially shoes! All heads are required to wear helmets. (Under them - disposable caps). Everything has been thought of.

It is necessary to go along such dark and low corridors. They warn - if someone is scared, uncomfortable, bad (after all, the caves are underground) - the group is accompanied, in addition to the guide, by a specially trained person who will bring out the one who is sick.

You walk like that, and there are kilotons of stones above you ..

In the big hall there are all sorts of "tourist lures" - ice sculptures and colored lights. This year Isaac. In human growth, probably.

Shimmers in different colors.

It's still early spring here.

caves in Leningrad region or Karelia Yes, but most of them are man-made. Previously, tons of sand were mined there and glass was made at factories, processing. Now everything quarries abandoned and in decline. But this does not prevent desperate seekers of travel and extreme recreation from coming and exploring the mysterious dungeons.

Unexplored passages, narrow tunnels, flocks bats, dampness, layers of earth rocks and dim light from candles - there is a certain romance in this. If you are not afraid of closed space and want to feel like a pioneer speleologist, then we have collected for you the most full list caves Leningrad region (Len. region).

It is not difficult to get to the caves of the Leningrad region, real natural caves of Karelia or the surrounding areas, many quarries are located a couple of hours drive from St. Petersburg. And if you do not know how to get to the caves, the map on our website will help you. detailed map caves, addresses, photos, descriptions and history of places. These and other beautiful places of the Leningrad region are here.

Sablinsky caves

Sablinsky caves in Tosnensky district Leningrad region, perhaps the most popular in the district of St. Petersburg. They are in great demand, thanks to their proximity to St. Petersburg, and these are almost the only caves in which excursions are officially held.

On a paid excursions to the Sablinsky caves You will be shown the largest in the Leningrad region"Left Bank Cave", which has preserved traces of the Ice Age. You will see real bats, sleeping butterflies, a large underground lake and even the remains of fossils, shells and other marine life, because millions of years ago there was the bottom of the sea!

But the caves in Sablino are not only excursions for tourists. There are many more wild, interesting and absolutely free quarries. Of course, visiting the Sablinsky caves of the Tosnensky district without an experienced guide is quite a dangerous occupation, but this does not stop almost anyone. The caves in Sablino are not deep (only 30-50 meters) and everyone can find a way out.

Learn more about information about the Sablinsky caves and waterfalls, the official website, prices for visiting, history, see photos or find out how to get to the Sablinsky caves, on the map we will show you the way, you can see all this.

Leningrad region, pos. Ulyanovka, railway station "Sablino"

Visit from 250 rubles.

marble canyon

marble caves in Karelia located in mountain park "Ruskeala" These are one of the most beautiful and largest caves in Karelia. In summer, you can get to them only by water on a boat, and in winter you can go on foot.

Marble canyon in Ruskeala famous, in addition to huge waterfalls and rocks, for its underwater caves, failures, mines and abandoned adits. Indeed, since the end of the 17th century, marble has been mined here on a large scale. (it was from Ruasquel marble that they builtSt. Isaac's Cathedral and many metro stations). Now work in the galleries has been stopped, but everything is well-groomed and safe. You can get inside and explore the caves of the marble canyon Ruskeala both on an excursion with an instructor and on your own.

You don’t know how to get to the Marble Canyon, all the coordinates are shown on the map). From St. Petersburg the road will take 4-5 hours.

Karelia, pos. Ruskeala, 25 km. from Sortavala

Visit from 0 to 200 rubles.

Oredezhskiye caves (Borshchevskiye)

Borshchiv caves(also called Oredezhsky caves, because they are located near the Oredezh River) - this is a network artificial caves formed as a result of the extraction of quartz sand for the Tarkovichi glass factory.

Before the length of the passages of the Borshchiv caves reached 15 km., but now almost completely overwhelmed. Only 2 entrances remain, the depth of the caves reaches no more than 500 meters. The width of underground corridors is found up to 4 meters, due to the fact that sand was mined by peasants who did not follow the rules of mining, who drove into the adits directly on carts with horses.

Get to the Oredezhsky caves (the map is indicated ) is not difficult, just drive to the final station Oredezh and walk 5 km. on foot.

Leningrad region, pos. Oredezh

Tanechkina cave

One of the main attractions Staraya Ladoga- these are caves on the banks of the Volkhov River. There are several of them here (Staraya Ladoga cave, Malyshka), but the longest cave Leningrad region, and it is also located in Staraya Ladoga - Tanechkina cave. The length of its underground corridors reaches 7.5 km, but despite this, it is not very popular, unlike the Sablinsky caves. Many passages are littered, and in the northern part there is a real underground lake!

Lives in Tanechkina cave the largest colonybats in the north-west of Russia, here they more than 400 individuals!

Leningrad region, Staraya Ladoga, bank of the river Volkhov, 1 km. from Olegov Kurgan

Caves in Rozhdestveno

natural karst caves in Rozhdestveno on the bank of the Gryazna River in the Leningrad Region can be seen on the territory museum-estate of V.V. Nabokov. They are only 20 meters long, but a beautiful cliff of red sand, a forest river and a small waterfall are worth it to come to Rozhdestveno. In one of the caves beats spring water source, stock up on a bottle to take clean water home.

Getting to the caves in Rozhdestveno is very easy. It is enough to go through the parking lot next to the estate and walk along the old alley to the end and turn left.

Leningrad region, Gatchinsky district, pos. Rozhdestveno

Dolozhskaya cave

Dolozhskaya cave in Slantsy- the second largest in the Leningrad region. According to legend, a hermit lived here in the 18th century and died here. And in 1908, a skete was established in it at the Porechenskaya women's community. In 1900, a church was erected on the site, which was completely destroyed during the war.

Now a spring with a holy spring springs from inside, and at the end of the cave there is a miraculous icon of the 16th century.

Leningrad region, Shales

The Republic of Karelia is located in Northern Europe, on the border between Russia and Finland. It is called the center of wooden architecture, the pantry of mushrooms and the most mysterious edge in Russia. Lots of things have been done here beautiful photos, but they are not able to convey the whole gamut of feelings that these places evoke in the traveler. Fabulous taiga forests, transparent lakes, virgin nature, an abundance of historical and architectural monuments - all this must be seen with your own eyes.

Mount Vottovaara

In the central part of the republic, 20 kilometers southeast of the village of Sukkozero, there is a curious place - Mount Vottovaara, the most high peak West Karelian Upland (417 meters).

Locals call this place of power Death Mountain and consider it a portal to other world- here an anomalous effect on electrical equipment, nature, and the human body is noted. The dead silence, as well as the depressing sight of trees bent, broken by the wind and blackened after the fire, enhance the ominous feeling.

In 1978, a complex of ancient cult seids was discovered on the mountain - stones-boulders of a run-in form, located in groups. At the same time, huge blocks lie on smaller ones, creating the impression of stones on legs.

Also on Vottovaara there is a mysterious staircase to the sky - 13 steps carved into the rock, ending in an abyss.

Mount Kivakkatunturi

located in national park Paanajärvi, in the Loukhi district. The height of the mountain is 499 meters, and the name is translated from Finnish as “stone woman” – at the top there are many seids, one of which resembles the head of an old woman.

The ascent to Kivakka is quite easy and takes 1-2 hours - in addition to the trodden path, wooden beams are laid for the convenience of tourists. When climbing, you can see around the landscape features characteristic of these places - hanging swamps and high-altitude lakes lying on the slopes of the mountain and indicating the water content of the rock.

The beauty of Paanajärvi Park is clearly visible from the open top. This place becomes especially picturesque with the advent of autumn, when the plants paint the mountain in yellow-crimson colors.

Ruskeala Mountain Park (Marble Canyon)

The basis of this tourist complex in the Sortavala region of Karelia is a former marble quarry. The blocks mined here were used for facing the palaces and cathedrals of St. Petersburg and other Russian cities. Now these quarries have turned into man-made marble bowls filled with the purest water and cut through by a system of shafts and adits resembling mysterious caves and grottoes.

The mountain park is 450 meters long and about 100 meters wide. It is equipped for tourists - footpaths have been cleared, observation platforms have been created, there is parking for cars, and boat rentals. It is from the water that the most impressive views of the surrounding rocks, up to 20 meters high, open up. Also on the boat you can swim into the marble grotto and admire the bizarre reflection of water in the translucent vaults.

Marble Canyon Caves

No less curious are the mines and adits of the quarry, where you can get on a guided tour. Most of these caves were flooded, but there are also dry ones - the higher the air temperature on the surface, the more deadly cold is felt here.

For the unique acoustics, one of these grottoes is called Musical. However, Proval Cave is of the greatest interest, in the roof of which a hole 20 by 30 meters in size was formed. Another name for the Gap is the Hall of the Mountain King or ice cave It is best to descend into it during the cold season, when the 30-meter water column in the grotto is hidden under ice. Drops flowing from the arches formed numerous ice stalactites and stalagmites, the beauty of which is emphasized by the backlight.

Ruskeala waterfalls (Akhvenkoski waterfalls)

Not far from the village of Ruskeala, where the Tokhmajoki River is divided into several branches, there are 4 small waterfalls. Falling from rocky ledges 3-4 meters high, kvass-colored water foams and rumbles.

The area around is ennobled, there are wooden gazebos, a cafe, a souvenir shop. Once upon a time, the films “The Dawns Here Are Quiet”, “The Dark World” were filmed in these places, now kayaking (canoeing) is carried out along the Tohmajoki River, overcoming waterfalls.

Paanajärvi National Park

This corner wildlife It is located in the north-west of Karelia, in its most elevated part and occupies about 103 thousand hectares. The park owes its name to unique lake Paanajärvi, which arose in the faults of rocks, the boundaries of the park run along the line of this lake and the Olanga River.

The landscapes here are picturesque and diverse - Mountain peaks alternate with gorges, turbulent rivers and noisy waterfalls coexist with the calm expanse of lakes.

The park contains the most high point Republic - Mount Nourunen. Here you can also see the Kivakkakoski waterfall - one of the largest and most powerful in Karelia.

Daylight hours in winter are very short - already from the end of August you can observe Northern Lights. But in summer the sun sets only for 2-3 hours - it's time for white nights.

National Park "Kalevalsky"

This park was created in the extreme west of Karelia in 2006 to preserve one of the last old-growth pine forests in Europe. On the territory of 74 thousand hectares, pines occupy about 70%, the age of many trees reaches 400-450 years.

For thousands of years, these places have been an unchanging habitat for various species of animals and plants, and the virgin beauty of the forests fascinates even now. In the park you can see many large rivers with picturesque waterfalls, deep clean lakes.

There are also several villages here - Voknavolok is considered the cradle of Karelian and Finnish cultures, where the songs of the Kalevala epic were born, many historical and cultural monuments have been preserved in Sudnozero, and Panozero is considered one of the oldest settlements in the region.

Body archipelago

It is a group of 16 small islands in the White Sea, near the city of Kem. In order to preserve the unique landscape and the diversity of flora and fauna, the state landscape reserve "Kuzova" was created here. Now there are special places for visiting tourists on 3 islands - Russian Body, German Body and Chernetsky.

In addition to the beauties of the surrounding nature, the archipelago attracts with an abundance of seids, labyrinths, ancient sites of people from the Mesolithic and Bronze Ages, and religious buildings. The islands are shrouded in many legends and are still a mystery to historians and archaeologists.

Girvas volcano crater

In the small village of Girvas in the Kondopoga region of Karelia, there is the oldest surviving volcano crater in the world, its age is about 2.5 billion years.

Previously, the full-flowing Suna River flowed here, but after the construction of a dam for a hydroelectric power station, its channel was drained, and the water was released along a different path, and now petrified lava flows are clearly visible in the half-empty canyon. The crater itself does not protrude above the ground, but is a depression filled with water.

Waterfall Kivach

Translated from Finnish, the name of the waterfall means "powerful", "swift". It is located on the Suna River and is the fourth largest flat waterfall in Europe. Kivach consists of four rapids with a total height of 10.7 meters, of which the sheer drop of water is 8 meters.

Due to the construction of a hydroelectric power station in this area, there was a large outflow of water, which somewhat reduced the attractiveness of the waterfall. best time spring is considered to be a visit to this attraction, when the Suna is gaining strength, feeding on melt water. In 1931, the State nature reserve"Kivach".

Waterfall White Bridges (Yukankoski)

This waterfall, located on the Kulismajoki River in the Pitkyaranta region of the republic, is one of the highest and most beautiful in Karelia and reaches about 18 meters in height. In summer, the water in the river warms up well, which allows you to swim in it and stand under the falling streams of water.

In 1999, on the territory adjacent to the waterfall, a hydrological nature monument "White Bridges" was established, the area of ​​​​which is 87.9 hectares. Due to its location in the forest, away from the highway, Yukankoski is not very popular with travelers.

Martial waters

This name is given to a balneological and mud resort, as well as a village in the Kondopoga region. The resort was founded by Peter I in 1719 and is the first in Russia.

There are 4 wells here, from which mineral water, their main feature is the amount of iron, which is greater than in other sources in Russia and abroad. In each source, the concentration of iron is different, and the waters also contain calcium, magnesium, manganese, and sodium.

Sapropelic silt sulfide muds extracted from the bottom of Lake Gabozero also have healing properties.

The resort is visited for the treatment of diseases of the blood, cardiovascular, digestive, genitourinary and musculoskeletal systems, respiratory organs. Here, according to the project of Peter I, the Church of St. Peter the Apostle was built, and opposite the temple is the building of the local history museum "Marcial Waters".

Valaam Island

The name of the island translates as " high ground"- it is the largest of the islands of the Valaam archipelago, located in the north of Lake Ladoga.

Every year Valaam attracts thousands of tourists - its rocky territory 9.6 kilometers long and 7.8 kilometers wide is covered with coniferous forests, large and small inland lakes, indented by numerous channels, bays and bays.

Here is the village of Valaam and a monument of Russian architecture - the Valaam stauropegial monastery with many sketes (buildings located in hard-to-reach places).

Good Spirit Island

This island, located on Voronye Lake, is not marked on any geographical map, for which it is often called the Karelian Shambhala. You can get to it while rafting down the Okhta River and only with the help of the tips of the guides.

The place is a paradise for the traveler and is famous for its convenient parking areas, excellent fishing and picturesque surroundings. However, most of all people are attracted by the abundance of wooden handicrafts on the island - real museum under open sky created by the hands of tourists. Some items date back to the 70s of the last century. According to legend, this place is inhabited by spirits that guard the island and inhabit every craft, bringing good luck to its maker.

Solovetsky Islands

This archipelago, which includes more than 100 islands, occupies 347 square kilometers and is the largest in the White Sea. It is located at the entrance to the Onega Bay and is included in the specially protected protected area.

Here is the Solovetsky Monastery with many churches, Maritime Museum, the airport, Botanical Garden, ancient stone labyrinths and a whole system of channels through which you can go by boat.

Near Cape Beluga lives the White Sea beluga whale - a white whale. Beautiful nature and the abundance of historical and architectural monuments attract many excursion groups to these places.

Lake Pisan

This reservoir is located in the central part of the Republic of Karelia, and has a tectonic origin - the lake was formed as a result of a break in the earth's crust, as clearly evidenced by the symmetry of its shores. The name of the lake is translated as "the longest" - occupying up to 200 meters in width, it extends for 5 kilometers in length. In some places, the depth exceeds 200 meters.

On the northern shore of the reservoir there are parking lots, convenient places for fishing and launching boats. When moving south, the banks become higher, forming a gorge with rocks rising 100 meters above the water. Virgin nature, silence and the absence of nearby settlements make this place especially attractive for lovers of solitude.

White Sea

This inland sea, located in the north of the European part of Russia, belongs to the Arctic Ocean basin and has an area of ​​90 square kilometers. Due to the cold water even in summer (up to 20 degrees), there is not too much tourist flow on the White Sea, and nature in many places remains untouched.

On the islands of the sea coast, blueberries and mushrooms grow abundantly, in the water you can see jellyfish, fish, seals and beluga whales. A unique spectacle is the seabed after low tides - it is filled with a variety of living organisms.

Lake Ladoga (Ladoga)

It is located in Karelia and the Leningrad region and is the largest fresh water reservoir in Europe - the length of the lake is 219, and the maximum width is 138 kilometers. The northern shores are high and rocky, with many bays, peninsulas, large and small islands; South coast- shallow, with an abundance of rocky reefs.

Along Ladoga there are a large number of settlements, ports and recreation centers, numerous ships glide along the water surface. Numerous historical finds from different eras have been found at the bottom of the lake, and even now these places are popular among diving enthusiasts. Mirages and brontides also occur here - a rumble coming from the lake, accompanied by the seething of water or weak vibrations of the earth.

Lake Onega (Onego)

This lake is called the younger sister of the great Ladoga - it is the second largest fresh water body in Europe. There are more than 1,500 islands of various sizes on the territory of Onego, dozens of ports and marinas are located on the shores, and the Onego Sailing Regatta is held annually.

The water in the lake is clean and transparent thanks to the mineral shungite, which is literally lined with the bottom. In addition to fish, there is a bivalve mollusk that grows mother-of-pearl balls of pearls in its shell.

Taiga forests rich in mushrooms and berries, the charm of northern nature, a huge number of historical, architectural, and folk art monuments attract many tourists to these places.

Onega petroglyphs

On the east coast Lake Onega in the Pudozh region of Karelia are located ancient cave drawings dating back to the 4th-3rd millennium BC. They are collected in 24 separate groups and cover an area of ​​20 kilometers, more than half of the petroglyphs are located on the capes Peri Nos, Besov Nos and Kladovets.

In total, about 1100 images and signs are carved into the rocks, mainly drawings of birds (especially swans), forest animals, people and boats. Some petroglyphs are up to 4 meters in size.

Among the mystical figures is the mysterious triad "demon, catfish (burbot) and otter (lizard)." In order to neutralize this evil, around the 15th century, the monks of the Murom Holy Assumption Monastery knocked out a Christian cross over the image.

Kinerma village

The name of this ancient Karelian village, lost in the Pryazha region, is translated as "precious land". The settlement, founded over 400 years ago, has up to two dozen houses, half of which are architectural monuments. The buildings are located in a circle, in the center of which is the chapel of the Smolensk Mother of God and the old cemetery.

More recently, the fate of the village was in question, only 1 person lived here permanently. However, thanks to the efforts of local residents, it was possible to restore buildings, improve life, and attract tourists. For the preservation of the historical appearance of Kinerma, it was recognized as a complex monument of the wooden folk architecture of the Karelian Livviks. She also won the competition "The most beautiful village Russia".

Museum-Reserve "Kizhi"

The main part of this unique open-air museum is located on Kizhi Island in Lake Onega. The heart of the collection is the ensemble "Kizhi Pogost", consisting of the 22-domed wooden Church of the Transfiguration, the smaller Church of the Intercession and the bell tower uniting them, now the complex is included in the List world heritage UNESCO.

The museum is constantly replenished with chapels, houses, icons, household items, outbuildings brought from the surrounding Karelian, Russian and Vepsian villages, it also presents a number of historical objects of Zaonezhie and Petrozavodsk.

Assumption Church

The Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is located in the city of Kondopoga, on the shores of Lake Onega. The church was built in 1774 in memory of the peasants who died during the Kizhi uprising (1769-1771).

With a height of 42 meters, it became the tallest wooden church in Karelia. The interior decoration has survived to this day and, with its modesty, contrasts with rich modern temples.

A visit to the Assumption Church is not included in the list of mandatory routes, there is no invasion of tourists, but newlyweds get married and baptize children locals. It is worth coming here for the sake of the surrounding beauty and the special atmosphere of this place.