- Active trip in full immersion in nature
- Discovery of the most picturesque part of the lake
- All equipment is provided
- An unspoiled nature 100% away from crowds a stone's throw from both capitals
Lake Ladoga is the largest in Europe. With many islands, its area is approximately 18,000 km2. Ladoga's skerries are rightly considered the most scenic spots on the lake. The "skerries" is a word of Scandinavian origin and literally means "rock in the sea". Indeed, most of the islands that make up the archipelago are small and mostly covered with rocks.
In order for such formations to appear, special geological conditions are required. For example, in the lakes of the central zone of Russia, skerries are almost impossible to find. It is mainly the prerogative of the north-western regions of the country, where in ancient times the territory was plowed by a giant glacier. When the ice melted, many fragments of rocks and narrow depressions remained on the ground, which were immediately filled with water. This is how the skerries were formed.
Ladoga Skerries is a unique natural complex made up of over 650 islands of varying sizes. Each of these islands is called a skerry. Scattered across the northern and northwestern parts of the lake, they form countless straits and fjords. They represent a great danger to the captains of any ship, as some of them are barely visible above the water.
However, for tourists they are a real paradise, ideal for kayaking trips!It is in this absolutely breathtaking setting, in unspoiled nature and away from the crowds, that we will get lost for three days!
NB:
All equipment is included at the price of the trip (kayaks, tents, sleeping bags, groundsheets, camp equipment. This trip does not require significant physical effort, you just need to be in good health and have good mindset to give up the amenities for two nights at the bivouac The itinerary can be adapted to the wishes of the group on site.
- Day 1Boarding, start of kayakingSaint-Petersburg — Ladoga Skerries
- Day 2Continuation of exploration of the Skerries of LadogaLadoga Skerries
- Day 3Last day of explorationLadoga Skerries — Saint-Petersburg
- 09:00Transfer to VatikkaMeet your guide, Pavel, at 9:00 a.m. near the main train station in Saint Petersburg (Moscow Station). Transfer by van or minibus to the starting point of our hike, the village of Vatikka located at the northern edge of the lake.
- 10:30Optional lunch on the roadAs desired by the group - quick lunch break at a roadside cafe.
- 12:00Arrival at the lakeBoarding the kayaks, stowing your belongings in waterproof bags, quickly learning how to handle kayaks, basics of safety on the water. Start of kayaking! We go between the islets, discover the skerries. The first day we make very little trip and after 2-3 hours we stop to camp.
- 20:00Dinner by the fireDinner prepared on the fire by your guide.
- Night in the tent.
2 h transfer (200km)
- 09:00BreakfastBreakfast around the fire.
- 10:00Kayaking between the SkerriesAfter breakfast, tidying up the camp, tidying up things and leaving for kayaking. Today we will cover more distance. We will evolve between the islands Kotatsaari, Ikhamielensaari, Savicalonsaari, discover many fjords, cliffs and straits. In the Helmalanselkya gulf with a little luck we will see the Nerpas! - the freshwater seal of Ladoga.
- 14:00LunchLunch break in a place of our choice: together we spot an islet that we like and we land there.
- 15:00Continuation of the kayak excursion through the skerriesIn the afternoon we will continue our kayak excursion exploring the hiding places of the lake skerries. The advantage of kayaking in the skerries is the protection from the winds of the large lake, we can paddle quietly in the calm waters sheltered between the islands. According to the wishes of the group we decide together the place and time of the setting of the camp for the night.
- 19:00Dinner by the fireInstallation of the camp in a picturesque location of our choice. Dinner by the fire.
- Night in the tent
- 09:00Breakfast around the fire
- 10:00Continuation of the kayak excursionAfter breakfast, dismantling of the camp, storage of belongings and departure by kayak. This last day of our adventure we will focus more on the open game of the lake, if the weather is favorable, to feel the grandeur of the largest lake in Europe!
- 14:00LunchLunch on the longest sandy beach on the lake - Koyonsaari.
- 15:00Last kayaking stepLast stop of our kayaking adventure. Quietly we will paddle to our starting point, the village of Vyatikka. Disembarkation, storage of equipment.
- 17:00Transfer to St. PetersburgTransfer to St. Petersburg by private van or minibus. Arrival at the central station (Moscow station) around 8:00 p.m.
2 h transfer (200km)
| > 6 months | > 8 months | > 10 months |
| Amount of discount (total payment) | ||
| 5% | 10% | 20% |
| Amount of discount (deposit payment) | ||
| 0 | 5% | 10% |
| New departures available soon |
- English-speaking guide
- Accommodation as per itinerary
- Transport as per itinerary
- Meals
- Tent rental
- Sleeping bag rental
- Camping outfit rental
- Dry bag rental
- Personal expenses and tips
They travelled with BaikalNature and speak about their tour. Discover their testimonies!
Since 2012, we collect reviews from travelers who trusted us. At the end of their stay with us, each participant of our tours receives an e-mail asking to answer a survey in order to evaluate the quality of the given services.
Survey focuses on:
- BaikalNature office / customer support
- Quality of accommodation
- Quality of meals
- Friendliness and professionalism of guides / management
- Quality and originality of visits / attractions / events
Rating goes from 1 – very poor to 5 – excellent.
The published rating is the average of the ratings assigned from the traveler to each of those 6 fields.
With due regard for transparency and integrity, we do our best to publish all reviews, good ones as bad ones.
Each review must follow rules below:
- No aggressive, coarse, violent, obscene, comments
- No private data (family name, telephone number, address and e-mail address) concerning both you and BaikalNature team, its hotel managers, transport companies, guides and other agents
- No off-topic. Comments should be directly associated with the given tour and/or our services
Reviews are published as they have been written by their authors.
This webpage is meant to be a space where one’s can share and discuss. Therefore, BaikalNature retains the right to answer travelers' comments.
Data « Overall rating » and « Travel with BaikalNature again? » give the average rating for all received evaluations. They are automatically calculated by our system.