►Tours ► Russian North Tours ► Karelian Adventure tour

This three day tour consists of a snowmobile safari around Karelia, which in winter resembles the setting of a Russian fairy tale and visit a woooden masterpiece - Kizhi. We have put together this tour so that you can see as much of the republic as possible in a short time. You will visit a world with no real luxuries or pretences in today’s sense of the world, but instead of this you will be rewarded with all the wonders and beauty of nature. You will travel to abandoned and frozen villages and see Karelian forests and lakes in winter. You will get to hear the flowery local speech, taste the local national cuisine and find out about the traditions and customs of the local Karelians and Veps.

You will also have an opportunity to see some of the wildlife of Karelia in the Three Bears Zoo-Complex which is an animal shelter in natural surroundings for injured or weak animals.

The tour is possible for both experienced snowmobile users and for those who have never driven them before. Each day of snowmobiling activity you will travel around 80km across land which is flat in place and hilly in others, sometimes crossing forest paths.

 Arrival to Petrozavodsk.

 Breakfast in a cafe and then transfer to lake Onega pier. 

 Hovercraft ride to Kizhi Island.

 Distance: 65km |  Duration: 1½ hours

  Excursion to Kizhi Island – Kizhi is just one of the 1,369 islands in the north-eastern part of Lake Onega. It is 5.5km long and 1,4km at its widest point. The whole island is an open-air museum of wooden architecture. The main spectacle here though is the Kizhi Pogost which consists of the Transfiguration Church, the Intercession Church and a bell tower surrounded by a wooden fence. The Transfiguration Church is 37 metres tall and, uniquely, has 22 domes. It is famous for having been built without nails and with just one axe.

 Packed lunch.

 Return to Petrozavodsk.

 Transfer to the tourist base.

 Distance: 70km

  Check-in at the base and dinner at the tourist base.

 A round-trip snowmobile tour along a forest path:

 Tourist base → Veshkelitsa village → Tourist base.

Distance: 80km.

 The village of Veshkelitsa stands in the Suojärvi district of Karelia, on hills near seven lakes. The glacier passed - the lakes remained: Kirikiyarvi, Matkayarvi, Kovrayarvi - to list all seven without a mistake can only locals. In Karelia, many settlements are located near the water, on the shore of a lake or a river. But Veshkelitsa is something special. There are 12 lakes in and around the village! You are welcome to discover the folklore tradition of Syamozerya, the performance of the village folklore group. 

  The locals will also treat you to lunch consisting of dishes of Karelian national cuisine.

Return to the tourist base.

  Dinner at a café.

  Breakfast in a cafe. 

 A round-trip snowmobile tour to the Three Bears Zoo-Complex.

 Tourist base → Three Bear Zoo Complex → Tourist base.

Distance: 80km.

• You must be 18 or over to drive the snowmobiles.
• The tour is recommended for children aged 12 and above.
• The places on the tour are limited so we recommend booking in advance.
• The premium train from Moscow has first-class (two beds in a compartment) and second-class (four beds in a compartment) carriages. As it is the most comfortable train to Petrozavodsk, tickets sell out quickly. Approximate prices for a place in first class - USD125, for a place in second class -USD94. The closer to the date of the tour, the more expensive the tickets.
• You should take with you: a backpack, suitable comfortable clothes: trousers, a warm sweater, thick outer socks and thin socks for wearing underneath, t-shirts, warm coat, warm hat, warm gloves and warm walking boots.
• All equipment for the snowmobile is provided, but we recommend that you bring your own head protection for wearing under the helmet.
• A special rate of cancellation fees applies for this tour.

 The recreation centre is located about 70km from Petrozavodsk in the forest on the shore of Syamozero lake. Standard TWIN room has - Each room has TV, bedside tables, chairs, a wardrobe or a chest of drawers for clothes, a coffee table, toilet, shower and sink.