Bicycle tours in Karelia. Active tour of Karelia "Bike weekend in Karelia" (bike tour)

	Winter Active in Karelia
	Snowmobile tours in Karelia
	Rafting in Karelia
	Fishing and hunting in Karelia

Tours in Murmansk region, Kola Peninsula and Khibiny

Tours to Karelia- an excellent choice for people seeking 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. A variety of tours to Karelia will allow you to choose what you like: rafting on stormy rivers on catamarans for extreme lovers, and rafting on calm rivers on rafts, in which the whole family can participate.

All conditions are 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, things in cycling tours in Karelia are transported by an escort car. You just have to choose a tour based on your physical fitness. Bike tours in Karelia for the weekend are available for beginners, but for a week-long bike tour you need 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, fresh frosty air. In winter in Karelia, you canride on visit the zoo complex "Three Bears" and the Karelian village of Rubcheila, get acquainted with Karelian hospitality and Karelian cuisine. Only here you can feel like a conqueror of the northern lands, because the amazing beauty and endurance of human friends - huskies - will help you in this. You can ride with a breeze through the endless winter expanses on snowmobiles, see all the splendor of the 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 abundant rainfall. It changes on the territory of Karelia from maritime to temperate continental. Winter is snowy, cool, but usually without severe frosts, if frosts come, then only for a few days. Summers are short and warm, with high rainfall.

Relief, rivers, lakes: hilly plain, turning in the west into the West 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.

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

Travel information:
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.

Travel across Karelia on bicycles was made by the Penza tourists. There were children in the group. Route: Lodeinoye Pole - Megrega - Olonets - Tuloxa - Vidlitsa - Pitkyaranta - Rautalahti - Ruskeala - Kaalamo - Sortavala.

Traveling around Karelia on bicycles

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

The idea to organize a trip around Karelia on bicycles arose spontaneously, like everything else in my life. I would never have thought that I could organize something, let alone conduct it. But somehow unexpectedly, my thoughts, carelessly spoken aloud, 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 between all the participants, and to pretend myself that I was in charge of all this disgrace.

A trip around Karelia was planned with the participation of children, so the mileage should not have been more than 30 km per day. That is, the entire mileage should be no more than 200 km. It turned out to be very difficult, because I wanted to cover as much as possible. When I sat down to develop a route, I realized that we would not meet 200 km with all our desire. 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.

Journey through Karelia. Difficulties of moving

07/09/2016. I start the report from the landing, because my greatest fears were related to the loading and unloading of bicycles. To make it clear: I personally did not usually participate in the loading of bicycles, i.e. The number of men has always outnumbered the number of women. Everything was different here. Of the 7 participants, there were only two men and two children! We were escorted from Penza, everything went without problems. But the second train had to be loaded by ourselves and in 5 minutes!

07/10/2016. We had to transfer at Liski station. We managed to find out in advance which platform the train was arriving on, 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 arrival of the train. 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 plan for loading was developed to the smallest detail, the special forces would envy. The train has arrived. The conductor announced: we are standing for 2 minutes!!! the train is late. The first time I encountered the fact that the conductor helped to load the bikes, he didn’t even look at the documents when landing. In general, loaded in 3-4 minutes! The worst for today is over. But no, the faces of the passengers were still terrible when we tumbled into the car with such speed, the amount of things, and furious 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 no longer scared. Once again, I want to note that the guide actively participated in helping to unload the bikes. Unloaded in 3 minutes. The north greeted us with sunshine and +300C heat. On the first day we drove 20 km. We stopped for the night on the banks of the Vehkozero.

Journey through Karelia. White Nights

Despite the fact that everyone knew what white nights were, this phenomenon amazed everyone, the time was 12 at night, but it was light. And even more striking was the amount of blueberries. She was everywhere.
07/12/2016 (68 km). The start was scheduled for 10:00. We left according to plan. 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 peacefully rolled into the Republic of Karelia.

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

At first they were looking for a parking lot near the water, then they realized that it was somehow normal even without water, and they were ready to get up already in the field, but it was impossible to get close to the field either. 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, and we had already driven 60, and it was not known how much more we would drive. I had to make a smart face and convince that everything was going according to plan, although we ourselves were already close to panic. As a result, the locals suggested the place where we stopped - on the edge of the rye field.

Medovuha, bought in the monastery, marked the beginning of the "children's hike", 68 km instead of 35 planned. 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). Woke up late. We left at 11:30. On the way, we ate blueberries and gathered 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 already time to put yourself in order and wash. Lake Ladoga struck with its "sea" waves. The children floundered and rode the waves, and, in my opinion, they were not a bit embarrassed that the water was 15 degrees.

It became clear that we had not traveled much today when Matvey cut down two trees and broke the saw.
07/14/2016 (82km). Most of the route passed along the shore of Lake Ladoga, and impressed with its views. There were a lot of blueberries and wild strawberries, sometimes there were raspberries and stone fruits. So for this trip we were completely vitaminized. We stopped at Lake Nietjärvi, where the fifth overnight stay was planned. All days we went 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 this soon got boring. It was decided to diversify the route, and we turned to the ground.

The last 5 km passed directly along the shore of Lake Ladoga. On one side of the road there are rocks, on the other side there is a lake and perfect asphalt. While looking for a place to park, it started to rain and went on all night. In the morning we also gathered in the rain. It was only then that we realized how lucky we were with the weather before.

Ruskeala mountain park

09/16/2016 (32 km). It has been raining all day, it starts and ends. The Ruskeala Mountain Park was planned for today. First we went to the waterfalls.

We met a group of cyclists there. They were traveling "light", and the car was carrying their things. Commercial tours are a very popular form of recreation for these places. We tried the "gates". This national dish is an open rye flour pie with various fillings. Edible, but our pies are tastier, but the gates are very satisfying. 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 queue for the boat.

There was an attraction in the park, a rope jump into a marble quarry. With us, only Matvey made up his mind, which earned a universal exclamation of approval.

When they were looking for a place to park, Zhenya stepped into a hornet's nest, then counted 32 bites on her feet, more on her head, face and hands. There was a campsite nearby, they treated her legs with foam, she was shaking for another 2 hours. The next day it was all gone. We stayed at the campsite. The hot shower was very helpful and the place was very beautiful. We occupied a free gazebo and finally had dinner clean and sitting at the table. And in the morning, some participants in the campaign tried to fish.

Last running day

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

It was not easy to find a place to spend the night in Sortavala. 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 added with a sigh: “I feel sorry for you, cyclists,” suggesting that we set up tents right in her dacha. We gladly agreed.

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

07/18/2016 (day trip). It was raining in the morning, 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 to us. On the one hand, to be in these parts and not visit the island of Valaam ... On the other hand, all the locals with whom we talked, we were told that this place has become very commercialized, and the combination of holy places and security in black leaves a not very good imprint. glasses that accompany you around the island.

In general, the rain solved all our problems, and we hung out in the country all day. In general, we were very lucky, it rained all day and ended in the late afternoon. And we sat on the dry veranda. Toward evening we split into groups and went to ride in the city.

Journey through Karelia completed

07/19/2016 (38 km). The Karelian campaign is over. 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 "foundling", because cyclists who did not calculate their strength throw themselves on it. But everything went according to plan. Cyclists were clearly not uncommon there. Two more were loaded 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 we were told to go to another and opened it especially for us! Surprisingly, with bicycles - go ahead!

We arrived at the Kuznechnaya station, waiting for the next train for 7 hours. We decided to ride bicycles to Priozersk and visit the fortress-museum "Korela". We cooked pasta on the lawn in the park 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 on the whole, and secondly, it was some kind of atmosphere of unity. Raf was visited by a friend who also travels by bike (later he gave us a tour of St. Petersburg).

Misha arrived, we knew him from the Georgian campaign, and I was extremely glad to see him. Yes, and we met Raf, only a year ago on a bike tour in Belarus. And then I could not even imagine that in a year we would drink “a glass of wine” at his house 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, are united by a craving for adventure and an eternal friend - a bicycle.

07/20/2016. The morning started hard. But a majestic one was waiting for us, and there was not a minute to lose. As true connoisseurs of architecture from different eras, we started our journey through the cultural capital of our country 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, squares. A city that is nice to just wander around. Everyone liked the water excursion very much, and Matvey liked the soft sofas on the boat, he peacefully slept the whole 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 was even more beautiful. In the evening they tried to organize a communication session with Penza, but not very successfully, Vadim stubbornly refused to hear and see us.

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

Divorce of St. Petersburg bridges

But the main goal of today was the drawing of bridges. We looked at the timetable. The first - Palace, then Trinity, Liteiny, along Bolsheokhtinsky we had to cross to the other side and finally see another Alexander Nevsky bridge. We met at Palace Square. Various musical groups performed there. It was very cool.

We were fascinated by the drawing of the bridge, the spectacle shocked us with its grandeur and scope. I was very surprised by the number of people, this is a common 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 absolutely impossible to go. People like in India, but also cars and motorcycles.

We got out with difficulty, when we drove up to the second, he was already divorced, to the third - too. Our speed involuntarily increased, and we were already spinning to the fullest. Somehow I did not really want to stay in the city until the morning. We drove up to the fourth bridge, through which we planned to cross to the other side, simultaneously with its divorce.

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

Journey through Karelia. conclusions

The campaign budget was 16-18 thousand rubles. The relief is very light. 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 was that there were absolutely no mosquitoes and midges. And most importantly, we were lucky with people who helped load the bikes, suggested places for parking, told about the sights that we must visit.

Thanks to Anya, who sheltered us at the dacha, Rafa and his whole family: Natasha, Ksyusha and Artyom, for the warm welcome and hospitality! Thanks to Andrey for the tour and Misha for the sincere company! And to all the participants of the campaign for the fact that it took place. Traveling around Karelia is an unforgettable life event!

Anastasia Uraltseva.

Traveling in Karelia - by water, on bicycles or on foot - is remembered for a lifetime. In order for the trip to be successful, tourists are recommended a drug to increase endurance - LEVETON FORTE. This innovative all-natural preparation is designed specifically for athletes and tourists, and is recommended by leading sports experts in Russia.

Karelia is a very large territory! I have heard a lot about the unique nature of this region, the charm of the Russian North, an alluring corner of lakes and forests. And so, in early August, my wife and I decided - we went on a small bike trip around Karelia.

Photo 1. Ahead - Karelia!

My story will not be about our route to a greater extent, it will not contain a diary of a trip. And there will be just impressions and conclusions made on the basis of the trip. The story will be in the form of a rating - I will give my assessment of certain features of the area, aspects of traveling through the land of Karelia, on a 5-point scale, as is done, for example, on tripadvisor.
And immediately a disclaimer: since, as I already said, the Karelian expanses are very vast, our trip covered only a very small part of Karelia, namely, the area that is informally called the Northern Ladoga Region. Therefore, my story-summary concerns only this area and no other. I admit that somewhere in more northern latitudes, a lot can differ for better or worse, I don’t know what is there yet, and therefore remarks in the style of “I had to go there and there!” until they are accepted, do not blame me.

The start was given in the city of Sortavala, where we arrived by car. The finish line was also here - that is, we drove a small circle about 250 km long, in 5 days, in the region lying to the north of Lake Ladoga. Actually, our route can be seen on the travel track.
So, impression number one.

I. Roads

This is such a broad topic - after all, cycling involves the daily use of the road network - so the story about the 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 terms, 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 much asphalt. Actually, in the monitored region, this is only the Sortavala highway from the border with the Leningrad region, and the section from Sortavala to the north, to Vartsila, where the border crossing to Finland is located.

Photo 3. I.

Photo 4. The road somewhere in front of the Black Stones camp site, on Yanisjarvi.

Separately, I would like to stop at the "old" asphalt section of the Sortavala highway. Last year, a large section of the route was opened to bypass the village of Kurkijoki, with its long grader section. The new road is very good! But further, up to the village of Lyaskelya, there is an almost 80-kilometer section of the old road, which, it seems, was built along some old Karelian highway - it looks like the ancient Karelians rode here on their donkeys, and they laid it .. This road is narrow, replete with sharp turns and microrelief, almost all the time there is a continuous lane between the lanes, so columns of cars constantly gather, and in rare places where overtaking is allowed, everyone is in a hurry to overtake at great risk and at great speed. The roadside is unpaved, poor, often with a "step" between the asphalt. And, since this road is the only one here, then all the traffic falls on it .. It is extremely dangerous to drive! Both by bike and by car. I personally saw accidents and "descents" of cars. Apparently not in vain in this area, almost every 50 meters, there are banners with tow truck telephones ..
In short, it is very unpleasant to ride this section on a bicycle. There is a very great danger to life. I do not recommend anyone to ride along the Sortavala highway in the section between the end of the new road, and up to the village of Lyaskelya, on a bicycle!

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

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

Photo 9.

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Photo 11. Railway bridge in front of Hämekoski.

In short, the final score for Karelian roads is a deuce!

II. Relief

Oh yes, relief!
Say, there are no mountains in Karelia? Yes it is. But here and not a plain, by no means! The territory of modern Karelia in ancient times was covered with a glacier, which formed an extremely rugged relief. In cycling terminology, such a relief is called a "swing" - constantly up and down. Often quite steep up!

Photo 12.

Photo 13.

This is the most unpleasant type of terrain for a cyclist - it exhausts terribly. On a short but steep ascent, the legs have time to get tired, the muscles to clog, and for such a short descent they do not have time to rest .. And here is a new ascent. As a result, riding on such a swing turns out to be even harder than overcoming a large mountain pass - by the end of the day you are exhausted much more.
The assessment of the relief is one.

III. border area

Yes, part of the Karelian roads pass through the border area, which is honestly warned by the relevant pavement signs and information boards on the roadsides.
And, although a few years ago the border regime was significantly weakened - now without a special pass you can freely move outside the 5-kilometer zone from the border - the presence of the border area should be taken into account when laying out the route of the hike, and do not forget about the need to issue a pass if you plan to visit 5 km border zone.

Photo 14.

In any case, you must have your passport with you.
What is the rating here? I think three. Still, this is a factor limiting movement, and it makes no sense to give a positive assessment.

IV. autonomy

Karelia is one of the most sparsely populated territories in 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,
We put four here.

V. Water

Karelia is the land of lakes. And swamps, of course .. There are also streams and rivers, but very rarely. Didn't see a single one at all.
And, interestingly, the water is all some kind of brown color! Peat, perhaps. In general, it does not cause appetite and requires at least boiling for ingestion.

Photo 15.

Photo 16.

Photo 17.

During the day we replenished drinking supplies in villages and farms, asked to draw from the wells, and we always had a couple and a half cups of drinking water with us. Breakfast, lunch and dinner were cooked on the water from the reservoirs - albeit yellow, but after boiling it is probably harmless.
In total, the assessment of the water content of the area is a three, not higher.

VI. Weather

The northern climate is harsh! It rains often, or very often. Although, on the trip, we can say, we were lucky with the weather - the rains for 5 days watered us only a couple of times on the way, and once at night.

Photo 18.

But I would not advise anyone to count on luck, and be sure to take full rain protection with you for your backpack and yourself.
While traveling in Karelia, you will certainly get caught in the rain. And it can even charge heavy rains and prolonged ..
The rating here can also be no higher than three.

VII. Nature

I often heard enthusiasm about the uniqueness and unsurpassed nature of the Russian North.. Of course, almost any nature is beautiful in its own way. Even the desert can be beautiful. But beauty, as they say, is in the eye of the beholder.. I like mountains more! 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 the trip - all of Karelia is approximately the same with a few nuances. Which on the third day evokes the feeling of "Groundhog Day" and, in general, begins to want variety.
We must pay tribute to the wealth of northern nature. Mushrooms and berries - the sea! We can say that we were satisfied with the gifts of nature in this campaign.

Photo 27.

Photo 28.

My rating is four.

VIII. Overnight stays

Small population, relative inaccessibility of the territory, the presence of extensive forests and countless lakes, makes it possible to organize a super comfortable bivouac every evening!
A cozy camp among the pines, on a soft moss bedding, and on the shore of the lake, but with an abundance of firewood - what could be better?

Photo 29.

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Photo 31.

Solid five!

IX. Attractions

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

Photo 32. Waterfall "White Bridges".

Photo 33.

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Photo 36

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

X. Gnus

Many people forget about stinging-biting insects in their preparation for the campaign .. But in vain! At the height of summer, Karelia is full of mosquitoes, midges, and horseflies during the day. Not as much, of course, as in the Sayan Mountains, and even more so in the West Siberian Lowland, or in the Northern Urals, but still full.
Repellents and body-covering bite-proof clothing and headgear should be available. And it will be excruciatingly painful in the literal sense of these words!
By the way, hint: from mosquitoes it helps to sprinkle with a solution of vanillin.
I don’t put a one on this parameter just because there are regions even worse. I put two..

XI. Ladoga

And, finally, for the sake of which, in fact, it is worth going to the Northern Ladoga region - Lake Ladoga. Full delight! A huge body of water, with its powerful energy, attractive power and indescribable beauty..
Just in the northern part of the lake are the Ladoga skerries - a network of bays, islands, peninsulas. You can come here an infinite number of times, and every time you will admire 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 here for everyone - both lovers of a comfortable stay at the camp site, and connoisseurs of 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 pictures.

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Rating 5, of course.

And what is the result?
The average assessment of Karelia, its part in the Northern Ladoga region is 3.2 points.
Which, in general, is quite consistent with the characteristic "better than working".
We went, looked, ticked, as they say, put a checkmark - now we have something to support the conversation, they say, we were, we saw, we participated .. But to be honest, there is no great desire to repeat such a trip to these places. Ladoga - yes, this is another matter, we will come here, and more than once, but without bicycles! And, perhaps, there is little interest in going on a bike trip somewhere in the more northern Karelia, to the White Sea and the Arctic Circle. Sometime later. Strongly then .. Because now I really want to go to the mountains!.

And, again, Karelia!

We love to ride bicycles in Karelia. Rumors that Karelia is suitable only for water tourism are greatly exaggerated.

Held.

Here is our plan for the week of August 6-14, 2016, including travel time to the launch site and return to Moscow.

date	What	Kilometers by bike
6th Saturday	Zabroska, train 092h Moscow - Murmansk, departure from the Leningradsky railway station at 20:50.
7th Sunday	Medvezhya Gora station at 14:35. Meet me at the station. We sit on bicycles and go to Penguin Cafe. We have lunch. Further to the shore of Lake Onega about 25 km. We set up camp and have dinner. Bathing at will. Dream.	25
8th Monday	Rise (usually at 7 o'clock), breakfast, fees. The exit is usually at 9. We go to the Klim nose peninsula. On the way, stop for lunch. We set up camp on the peninsula. We walk, have dinner. Bathing at will. If we're lucky, we'll watch the sunset. We might be feeding the ducks. Dream.	68
9th Tuesday	Getting up according to the schedule, breakfast, fees. We don't eat much that day. On the way, the spring is Tsaritsyn Klyuch, shungite mines. We set up camp in the forest near the lamp. We have lunch. We go for a walk through the forest to the tectonic fault and back. Walk about 10 km. Dinner, sleep. Bathing in a lamba is optional.	48
10th Wednesday	Getting up according to the schedule, breakfast, fees. We look Vegoruksy. Further Lambasruchey, a beautiful forest road. You can stop by the Tri Ivana spring + 5 km. We set up camp on the shore of Vanchozero. The escort car with us can reach Lambasrucha, then our paths with the car will disperse until the evening. Further, as usual.	80
11th Thursday	We follow the schedule of food and sleep. We ride on roads with beautiful views. Stop for the night in the vicinity of Lizhma. Perhaps parting with the car on some sections of the road.	88
12th Friday	We follow the schedule of food and sleep. We pass through Kondopoga. Overnight on the bank of Konchozero.	77
13th Saturday	After breakfast and packing, we arrive in Petrozavodsk. Depending on which train you take tickets for, we walk more or less around the city.	40
	Just for a bike ride.	430
14th Sunday	Arrival in Moscow.

The itinerary can be adjusted according to weather and other conditions.
We live in tents. Tents personal equipment. You can read about personal equipment on the page with Recommendations and.

You can put things and bicycles in the car in Moscow in advance, so as not to carry them on the train. Also back. We will agree on the time of loading and unloading closer to the point.

You can physically prepare for the trip if you start from the beginning of the 2016 season. A total of 450 km must be covered for the trip. Skating 20 km around the house does not count.
Equipment can also be prepared in time. It is better to rely on cool weather equipment.

In terms of finances, if there are six participants, then the food that we prepare ourselves and the escort car is 340 dollars per participant.
In addition to these costs, the participant buys train tickets.

Also, if for some reason there will be a visit to a cafe or we suddenly go on an excursion, take a boat or spend the night in a guest house, this is not taken into account in the calculation.
But, if the number of participants is greater, the amount will be recalculated downward.
However, the group is limited to 10 people.
During movement in active ways - prohibition.

Participants over 18 years of age. Not epileptics.

Before the trip, joint rolls are required, they are also PVD.

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If you decide to go, you can make an advance payment - at least $ 150 (bills can be different, even rubles at the exchange rate). We will determine the course at the time of the transfer of money. The remaining amount, depending on the number of participants, transfer until July 5, 2016 at the exchange rate on the day of transfer or any other banknotes with the possibility of exchange in our country.
If someone refuses and there are less than 6 participants, the trip will not take place. I will return the money in the same quantity and quality in which they handed over minus $ 40 (if they handed over on November 29, then at the rate for this date, if another, then on another), if everything happens earlier than a month before the start of the event . If later, then most likely the costs incurred will be higher and the deduction will increase.

If you want to go, but are thinking, you have the opportunity to think until there are 10 people.

The first meeting of the participants took place on November 29, 2015 at Nasushny Khleb coffee house in Kamergersky Lane in Moscow.

If for some reason the trip has to be canceled by me, the entire prepayment will be refunded.

I reserve the right to refuse a trip without explanation.