The walk will start from the Western part of Valaam, from Nikonovskaya Bay, and will lead to the monastic sketes: Voskresensky, Gethsemane and Konevsky, located next to the picturesque lakes.
The Voskresensky skete is most revered by believers. Here, according to legend, the history of Orthodox Karelia begins: about 2000 years ago, while preaching the gospel, Andrew the First-Called was in these places and installed a stone cross. In memory of this, there is a temple dedicated to the Apostle in the skete.
The elegant Voskresensky skete, with a red brick church, is strikingly different from the wooden Gethsemane skete, where everything breathes silence and peace. Tourists will not be able to get on its territory, but everyone will have the opportunity to climb to the observation deck, which offers views of the Nikonovskaya Bay and lake Ladoga. The tour will end with a visit to the monastery farm located near the lake Sisyayarvi.
We would like you to pay close attention to cruises in truly paradise corners of Karelia: mighty rocks, forest lakes, the purest air with the scent of pine trees, picturesque bays, ensembles of monasteries and a collection of unique wooden buildings of local people of the Russian North. Equipped ecological trails along the vast Ladoga and Onega Lakes that are the largest freshwater lakes in Europe!
There are breathtaking panorama of the Monastery Bay of Valaam. Marvelous nature of “taiga island” of Pellotsari, a picturesque marble quarry that is a unique natural park of man-made lakes in the town of Ruskeala near Sortavala. A famous ensemble of the Kizhi churchyard and a string of rocky islets framed by a shoreline cut by bays and narrow straits. It simply must be seen to be believed. And it’s even better to take pictures – they are amazing!
The Solovetsky Islands – is a unique picturesque coastline with extensive woodlands and lakes scattered among them. During the long years on islands, people tied their separate parts by roads and connected the canals of the lake.
Every year many tourists and pilgrims visit Solovki. They want to learn the sights of the islands and see the structures of the Solovetsky Monastery. By visiting this archipelago you can familirize yourself with many fascinating things such as the unique monastic botanical garden, one of the first hydropower stations in Russia, a system of canals, a negotiating stone, mazes that are the monuments of Neolithic culture of II-I millennium BC.