"The Mystery of Thousand Lakes" Respublika Kareliya by Klod5

Respublika Kareliya Travel Guide: 427 reviews and 844 photos

La Carélie est une large bande de terre au nord de St.Petersburg entre la Finlande et la Mer Blanche. Pour beaucoup de voyageurs amateurs de nature sauvage, elle est associée à un millier de beaux lacs entourés de rivages sauvages et de paysages accidentés couverts d'une dense forêt de pins. La Carélie c'est aussi poissons et animaux sauvages en abondance. Le train de nuit amène le voyageur de St.Petersburg à Petrozavodsk. La capitale de la Carélie fondée par Pierre le Grand sur la rive du Lac Onega est la porte pour la plupart des voyages d'aventures et de découvertes au Nord de la Grande Russie.

Karelia is the land to the north from St.Petersburg between Finland and the White Sea. For many outdoor travelers it is usually associated with thousands of beautiful lakes surrounded by rocky shores and hilly landscape, massive fur- and pine-tree forests and abundance of fish and wild animals. In the distance of overnight train sleeper from St.Petersburg there is Petrozavodsk. The capital of Karelia founded by the Peter the Great on the bank of Lake Onega is the gate for most of adventure travel programs on the Russian North.

Karelia's lake

From here one can also take a hydrofoil boat to come to an amazing museum of wooden Russian architecture on the Kizhi island. Lakes kayaking and rafting down to the river Shuya are "the brand names" of Karelia. Many outdoor travelers return here every year for exciting kayaking holidays together with wild abundant nature and white summer nights. Treking along picturesque granite shores is less popular, though camping on a cosy bay with great fishing would make one's trip to remember.

On the way to Karelia is so called Karelian Isthmus, which stratches between the Gulf of Finland and Ladoga Lake to the north from St.Petersburg. Situated not far from the city it is the most favorite place for it's outdoor-minded citizens. Great diversity of outdoor sports available here makes this place a little mekka for local climbers, white water kayakers, velo bikers or just ramblers. It's reputation among local adventurers can compare with Glen Coe valley in Scotland or Colorado River Gorge.

Ilona Rumyantseva our guide

Ilona our guide

It is my Ilona friend who is going to guide us during this stay in the small Respublika Kareliya.

Ilona is a journalist (more precisely critical of art, now), and she is widely-known in his country, because she worked like journalist to the television.

When I want to bother it, I tell him that I am happy to coast a star of the television.

Follow my travel in the Respublika Kareliya, on the four pages :

An tour on all country of this Respublica :
The Mystery of Thousand Lakes
The capital Petrozavodsk :
Ilona's city so faraway
Valaam and the monastery "Spaso-Preobrazhensky" :
The spiritual light of Russia
Kizhi island and the 82 monuments of wooden architecture :
Magic Kizhi island

All my Russian trips :

Russia
Altayskiy Kray
Barnaul
Gorod Sankt-Peterburg
Saint Petersburg
Novosibirskaya Oblast'
Novosibirsk
Respublika Kareliya
Kizhi
Petrozavodsk
Valaam
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Pros and Cons

Pros:Summer's days very longs, and the midnight sun
Cons:Winter nights very longuest, coldest and hard
In a nutshell:The far North from Ilona

Intro Updated Mar 10, 2007
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Reviews (15)

The Devil's Nose located on the east... Local Customs (2)

Numerous petroglyphs have been found on the east shore of Onega. These Pudozh area paintings tell their own story of how... more travel advice

The miracle of Florus and Lauruz, icon... Local Customs (2)

Science, the arts and folk lore are cherished in Karelia. There are three institutes of higher education in Karelia -... more travel advice

Early morning on Karelia - Respublika Kareliya

Instructions for travelers visiting... What to Pack (4)

Getting ready for the journey The road network in Karelia is more demanding on a vehicle than in western countries.... more travel advice

Karelian's landscape - Respublika Kareliya

Instructions for travelers visiting... What to Pack (4)

Motorist documents When you travel to Karelia by car, you should have a drivers license and vehicle registration... more travel advice

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Comments (5)

cloudberry Jul 27, 2006 at 5:17 AM Report Abuse

Hi there, it seems that we two are the almost only ones who have written tips about Koitajoki river. You took the Russian side and I took the Finnish side, here is a link to my Koitajoki travelogue: http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/tt/7e570/
chaistarr Nov 19, 2004 at 12:52 PM Report Abuse

one word...beautiful!
MargotB Dec 23, 2003 at 9:22 AM Report Abuse

Your photo of Petrozavodsk from Onega lake, all in blue, is probably the most beautiful photo I've ever seen. Your whole site and all the photos are singularly interesting.
Bonobo2005 Dec 22, 2003 at 8:49 AM Report Abuse

This outdoor paradise was completely unknown to me, wow it looks so beautiful and unspoiled! Excellent page!
uk-girl Jun 23, 2003 at 4:44 PM Report Abuse

Hello, I liked your Petrozavodsk page. I think that Ilona the journalist is a love of yours that you cannot have. Is that true?. Beautiful pictures by the way and just a little of such a beautiful country that I would love to visit one day. Thankyou. Emma