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Kizhi by Snowmobile

Destination: Karelia
Easy - nothing more than normal walking while sight-seeing
Moderately Easy - 1-3 hours of physical activity daily
Moderate - 3-5 hours of physical activity daily
Challenging - 5-7 hours of challenging physical activity daily
Extreme - 7+ hours of challenging/extreme physical activity daily
Difficulty
Basic — most of nights in tents or rooms with shared WC, some nights in comfortable rooms.
Standard — most of nights in comfortable rooms, some nights in tents or rooms with shared WC.
Upgraded — all nights in comfortable rooms.
Comfort
Minimum age of the participant of this trip
2 Days
February - March
Highlights
  • Discovery of Kizhi island and its architectural ensemble
  • Safari by snowmobile through the villages of Karelia
  • Comfortable accommodation and Russian banya
Tour Overview

Take a snowmobile safari through the picturesque villages of Karelia! This is a wonderful tour that will take you to the island of Kizhi by snowmobile with its architectural ensemble. During the trip you will enjoy driving powerful machines among splendid Karelian landscapes. You will see a unique architectural ensemble on the island of Kizhi and ancient buildings of Zaonezhie, “asleep” Karelian villages in winter landscapes and the second largest lake in Europe. After a day of snowmobiling, you can relax in a hot banya. The pleasure of physical activity will be complemented by a cultural discovery of the unique wooden architecture.

Taste dishes of the national Karelian cuisine: traditional pastries, cranberries in sugar, liqueurs and jams from delicious northern berries.

The itinerary passes through woods, marshes, and frozen lakes. The total duration is 5-7 hours a day.

During this tour we use Yamaha VK-540 III snowmobiles. 

Tour programme
  • Day 1
    Ancient village of Karelia
    Petrozavodsk — Kizhi ilsand
  • Day 2
    Open-air museum of Kizhi
    Kizhi island — Petrozavodsk
  • 09:00
    Arrival to Petrozavodsk Railway Station
    *The indicated time is only for the train N18 from Moscow. If you are going to take the train N 658, please, notice that the train from Saint-Petersburg arrives at 6:40 and you will have 3 hours of free time before the tour starts.
  • 09:30
    Breakfast in the cafe
  • 10:10
    Transfer to the Gorka village by bus
  • 11:00
    Instruction
    Equipping. Snowmobile driving and security instruction. A short snowmobile training. After the briefing, we go to the ice of Lake Onega, the second largest lake in Europe. Millions of years ago, a glacier passed through these places, leaving us with an amazingly beautiful landscape.
  • 12:00
    Snowmobile safari starts
    The route runs through authentic villages. One of them is the village of Pegrema, an example of the wooden architecture of Zaonezhie. No well-trodden paths, no smoke from chimneys. The inhabitants left it 50 years ago. Roofs collapsed in huge two-story houses, and only the chapel of Varlaam Khutynsky from the 1770s has survived thanks to caring people.
  • 13:00
    Lunch-picnic
    Instructors prepare a red fish for us on a log, while conducting a master class. We drink tea and taste cloudberry jam.
  • 14:00
    Continuation of the road
  • 16:00
    Arrival to the island and check-in in the homestead
    Accommodation in a guest house, which is located on the shore of Lake Onega, 1 km. from the world famous monument of Russian wooden architecture "Kizhi", the village of Ersnevo.
  • 18:00
    Dinner
  • 19:00
    Russian banya
  • Overnight in the homestead
Photo of the day
Route
Petrozavodsk — Kizhi ilsand
Accommodation
Accommodation in the guest house "Kijskaya blagodat" in Karelia
Twin room
Note

transfer  (90km)

  • 09:00
    Breakfast in the resort
  • 10:00
    Excursion in Kizhi museum
    Guided excursion in the open air museum Kizhi included in the UNESCO World Heritage list.
  • 13:00
    Outdoor lunch
  • 14:00
    Visit of the village Yuzhny Dvor
    Today the village of Yuzhny Dvor is still waiting for us. Explore the church that has been standing here since the 18th century.
  • 15:00
    Continuation of the way by snowmobile
  • 17:00
    Transfer to Petrozavodsk
  • 18:30
    Dinner in the cafe
  • 19:30
    Transfer to the railway station. End of the programme.
Photo of the day
Route
Kizhi island — Petrozavodsk
Note

snowmobiles  (80km)

transfer  (90km)

Detailed description
New departures available soon
Price includes
  • English-speaking guide
  • Russian-spaking guide
  • Accommodation as per itinerary
  • Excursions and visits as per itinerary
  • Accident insurance
  • Letter of invitation
  • Snowmobile and equipment rental
  • Meals according to the program
  • Bathing in springs
  • Airplane/ train tickets
Price does not include
  • Personal expenses and tips
  • Visa fees and travel insurance
  • Optional activities
  • Railway tickets
  • Meals as per itinerary
For more info, please download the detailed description of the trip.
Note

The price is indicated for two persons per snowmobile. Single supplement - 2 500 roubles. Supplement for 1 person on snowmobile -35 000 roubles. The snowmobile driving is allowed for tourists above 18 years old. According to the weather conditions the itinerary can be changed on the similar one (in km). If you want to extend your journey in Karelia, please, let us know of your suggestions. According to your request, we will be glad to book your train tickets.

Reviews
4.50
4.50
Total score
5.00
Work of BaikalNature office before and during travel / customer support
4.00
Quality of accommodation
4.00
Quality of transport / transfers
5.00
Quality of meals
4.00
Friendliness and professionalism of guides / management
5.00
Quality and originality of visits / attractions / events
Mike
From 14 February 2015 to 16 February 2015
Destination: Karelia
Would you like to travel with BaikalNature again? Yes!
Encore un magnifique voyage, dépaysant. Aucune fausse note, organisation très bien huilée. Je recommande vivement.
4.83
4.83
Total score
5.00
Work of BaikalNature office before and during travel / customer support
5.00
Quality of accommodation
4.00
Quality of transport / transfers
5.00
Quality of meals
5.00
Friendliness and professionalism of guides / management
5.00
Quality and originality of visits / attractions / events
Sybille
From 31 January 2015 to 1 February 2015
Destination: Karelia
Would you like to travel with BaikalNature again? Yes!
The transport in Karelia via Marshrutka was ok; on our way to the Snowmobile base the transport was well but on our way back we did not feel secure because there was no safety distance to the cars in front of us!
3.67
3.67
Total score
4.00
Work of BaikalNature office before and during travel / customer support
4.00
Quality of accommodation
4.00
Quality of transport / transfers
3.00
Quality of meals
4.00
Friendliness and professionalism of guides / management
3.00
Quality and originality of visits / attractions / events
Pierre-Henri
From 8 February 2014 to 9 February 2014
Destination: Karelia
Would you like to travel with BaikalNature again? Yes!
Bravo , c'était génial et Maria et son Ami ont été super, accueillants , prévenants , souriants . Le matériel était de qualité La visite de Kiji très intéressante Bref un super séjour ...Merci
4.33
4.33
Total score
5.00
Work of BaikalNature office before and during travel / customer support
4.00
Quality of accommodation
4.00
Quality of transport / transfers
4.00
Quality of meals
5.00
Friendliness and professionalism of guides / management
4.00
Quality and originality of visits / attractions / events
Olivier
From 8 February 2014 to 9 February 2014
Destination: Karelia
Would you like to travel with BaikalNature again? Yes!
Très bonne prestation des accompagnateurs Maria et Andreï
5.00
5.00
Total score
5.00
Work of BaikalNature office before and during travel / customer support
5.00
Quality of accommodation
5.00
Quality of transport / transfers
5.00
Quality of meals
5.00
Friendliness and professionalism of guides / management
5.00
Quality and originality of visits / attractions / events
Philippe
From 8 February 2014 to 9 February 2014
Destination: Karelia
Would you like to travel with BaikalNature again? 
Tout était parfait, nous avons beaucoup apprécié l'organisation à Moscou et sur place.
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