Landscapes inimitable in their beauty, the sent of fresh berries in the air, murmur of the trees blending with birds' singing and the roar of a waterfall…Just 80 km. from Petrozavodsk and you can feel so relaxed. At peace. In unity with nature around you.
Nature Reserve Kivach, founded in 1932, is one of the oldest in Russia. The territory of 10880 ha unites all the landscapes that you can meet in Karelia, 197 species of birds, 48 mammals, 18 species of fish and 569 plants including the famous Karelian Birch.
In the heart of the nature reserve lies waterfall Kivatch, the second among the plain waterfalls in Europe (after the Rhine Waterfalls in Switzerland) by its size — 10.7 m.
The name of the waterfall derives either from a Finnish word «Kivi» (stone) or from a Karelian word «Kivas» (snow mountain). Looking at the roaring white waters that fall from the dark basalt rocks and break into countless tiny drops in summer and doze under a soft white blanket in winter you notice what a delicate perception of nature local people had. The beauty of the waterfall was berhymed by Russian poets and immortalized into countless paintings.