Snowmobile Tour – Winter Kizhi
Hotels:
no Hotels
Program:
07:50 Arrival by train from Moscow. Meeting at the railway station with the guide. Transfer from Petrozavodsk to Gorka Settlement (90 km). Breakfast upon arrival. After breakfast, we take you through snowmobile safety instructions, do a riding briefing and equip you with boots, a special snowmobile suit and a helmet. Now it is time for your snowmobile adventure to begin! Today we will cover the distance of 100 km and plunge into the idyllic winter landscapes and the thrill of speed. Starting in Gorka Settlement we drive to ancient Karelian village called Pegrema. People left this village more than 50 years ago. Big wooden houses remain today empty. We see collapsed roofs but still solid walls made of pine logs. The centre of the village forms the chapel of the 18th century, which is still preserved as a monument of local wooden architecture. Here we make a stop for a picnic lunch. Our instructors grill trout on a log. We drink hot tea and taste local cloudberry jam. After some rest we coninue our away accross the frozen Onego Lake. In the evening we reach our guesthouse, located 1 km away from Kizhi Island. Accommodation. Hot sauna and substantial dinner are waiting for us.
After breakfast we cross the Onego Lake to visit the famous Kizhi Island. During the excursion we get acquainted with the Kizhi Museum of Wooden Architecture and Cultural History with its gem and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kizhi Architectural Ensemble. Afterwards we head to Yuzhniy Dvor Settlement. In the past the settlement stood on a trade route, and its high church will a belfry served also as a navigation sign for boats. Today the village is empty, and only the church errected in the 18th century still faces the Onego Lake and welcomes all travelers. Here we stop for a picnic lunch. The instructors treat us with sandwiches with salted trout, pies of national Karelian cuisine, and crannberries with sugar. When we reach Gorka Settlement, the snowmobile safari is over. We head back to Petrozavodsk by minibus (90 km) to enjoy dinner in the restaurant of Karelian cuisine and share our impressions of the tour. Transfer to the railway station.
Snowmobile equipment:
Snowmobile «Yamaha VK-540 III». Warm windproof overalls, snowmobile helmet, balaclava, snowmobile shoes and gloves.
What to take with you:
Backpack, comfortable clothes: pants, warm sweater, 2 pairs of woolen socks, 2-3 pairs of cotton socks, T-shirts, warm jacket, woolen hat, gloves, warm comfortable shoes.