KARELIA – Explore two countries, one Karelia

Karelia EXPLORE TWO COUNTRIES – ONE KARELIA

www.visitkarelia.travel

www.visitkarelia.fi

Karelia – THE LAND OF MYTH AND ENCHANTING NATURE

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arelia, lying on both sides of the Finnish-Russian border, has a rich cultural tradition. Beautiful rolling hills surrounding lakes, you are arriving in a true land of myth and tales. The old sung poems of Karelia are the basis of the national epic Kalevala. The forests seem endless, you’ll feel the spirits of the lakes and experience the light Arctic nights.

The two Karelias are united by the same kind of scenery, the rich cuisine and history. And the music has a common tempo. The kantele, a stringed instrument something like a zither, is the traditional instrument whose sound expresses the emotions of joy and sorrow. Karelia has its own language, a mixture of Finnish and Russian. The Karelians are renowned for their hospitality, and particularly popular are Karelian pasties. You’ll have an opportunity to try your hand at making these, a new skill to take home with you as a souvenir!

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here are many highlights. At Koli National Park you can see the whole of Finland in miniature: Lake Pielinen has about 1500 islands spread out below you as you view the scene from the highest point in the Park. At Ruunaa you can shoot the wild rapids, and during the ride you’ll pass through unspoiled nature. And to crown it all, an outdoor meal at a campfire by the riverside. At Bomba, the Pielinen Outdoor Museum, and at Paateri, home of the late wood sculptress Eva Ryynänen you will see the use of wood in buildings and art. Joensuu is a town of the arts which has a new 14-storey wooden apartment block. In Ilomantsi you’ll hear the kantele along with experiencing Karelianism and sampling the cuisine.

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ussian Karelia has the two biggest lakes in Europe: Ladoga and Onega. The pearl of Ladoga is Valaam Orthdox Monastery, lying on an island, which has experienced a renaissance. The golden church domes are visible from afar. Lake Onega has the Unesco World Heritage listed Kizhi Island, whose churches and peasant houses represent a rich and decorative tradition. You travel to Valaam by hydrofoil from Sortavala and to Kizhi from Petrozavodsk, also known as little Petersburg because its architecture is similar to that of its �big brother�. Kinerma village in Karelia was voted the most beautiful village in Russia in 2016 and its idyllic country lanes provide a perfect photo safari.

You cross the Finnish-Russian border at the Niirala international border crossing point. The two Karelias, Finnish and Russian, form one Karelia, which warmly welcomes you for an unforgettable visit!

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NURMES Koli

KUOPIO

Onega

JOENSUU

Finland

Border crossing point

PETROZAVODSK Ruskeala

SORTAVALA Ladoga

Norway SAINT PETERSBURG

HELSINKI

Russia Sweden

Estonia

Latvia

Denmark

Lithuania

Combining Two Beautiful Countries and Karelian Culture Group: min. 6 pax - max. 14 pax Availability: summer 2020 (on request) Duration: 5 days / 4 nights Airport: Joensuu (JOE) or Kuopio (KUO)

Price from 2660 â‚Ź/per person This 5-day-tour shows you the best parts of two beautiful countries, Finland and Russian Karelia.

You will get to know Joensuu, the capital of North Karelia. From Joensuu you will visit the magnificent Koli National Park, where you will experience a scenic national park tour, a private sauna experience and a special 3-course dinner at a tee-pee restaurant by an open fire.

Next we will head across the border to Russian Karelia. Here you get to visit Ruskeala Mountain Park, an abandoned marble quarry filled with groundwater – a cultural heritage site and historic monument.

A guide will also introduce you to Sortavala, a historic town seething with cultural heritage.

In Russian Karelia we will also visit Valaam Monastery at Lake Ladoga. In 1917, Valaam became a part of newly independent Finland, but it was acquired by the USSR after the Winter War.

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Wild Nordic Finland / Lakeland Tel +358 500 788 888 sales@wildnordic.fi Tour Operator Igora Tour 197101, Russia, Saint-Petersburg, 1A Divenskaya Street, office 713. info@igoratour.ru Tel. +78 005 007 696 www.igoratour.ru

Fit Winter Package at Finnish Lakeland with Karelian Twist Group: min. 4 pax Availability: on request 15.1.–31.3.2020 and 2021 Duration: 4 days / 3 nights Airport: Joensuu (JOE) or Kuopio (KUO)

Price from 915 €/per person On the first day the program will take you back to the days of trappers and lumberjacks. You will learn some of the basic traditional bushcraft skills, that are still commonly used in wilderness, such as how to build a campfire, navigating and of course open fire cooking.

The second day will be spend as a biathlon competitor with inside training with eco-rifle and a skiing school with basic techniques.

Koli National Park, the official Finnish National Landscape is one of the most famous attractions in Finland. Here you will take a scenic snowshoeing tour to Koli’s most famous panoramic views and the highest points.

In Nurmes you will go on a snowmobile safari, to the forests and lakes of North Karelia. After the thrilling safari it is time to relax in Bomba Spa and perhaps enjoy a traditional Karelian dinner at Guest House Puukarin Pysäkki (optional).

Wild Nordic Finland / Lakeland Tel +358 500 788 888 sales@wildnordic.fi

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Highlights of Finnish Nature and Wildlife with Bushcraft Skills Group: min. 4 pax Availability: on request 15.5.–30.9.2020 Duration: 6 days / 5 nights Airport: Joensuu (JOE) or Kuopio (KUO)

Price from 1565 €/per person Welcome to a journey to the Finnish Lake District – a unique and partly protected region. The narrow rivers, that wind through the wilderness and the dark lakes offer a breathtakingly beautiful setting for canoeing.

Location for the adventure is Kolovesi National Park, a paddler’s paradise, where rocky cliffs rise over the narrow lake channels that form part of the vast labyrinthine Saimaa Lake System.

Ancient rock paintings give insights into how Finland’s early settlers lived in harmony with nature thousands of years ago.

With luck you might encounter a curious Saimaa ringed seal.

During the tour you will get to learn fishing and how to prepare your own meals by an open fire. Guides for this adventure come from long line of hunter-gatherers and their roots are deep in the land. They speak fluent English and are experts on wilderness cooking.

Lastly it is time for wildlife watching at an observation lodge in Lieksa. Wolverines are the most important target, but you can also photograph bears, foxes and various birds. With luck, you can also spot beavers, lynxes, wolves, swans and various waterfowls.

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Wild Nordic Finland / Lakeland Tel +358 500 788 888 sales@wildnordic.fi

Combining Two Beautiful Countries and Karelian Culture Group: min. 6 pax - max. 14 pax Availability: summer 2020 Duration: 5 days / 4 nights Airport: Joensuu (JOE) or Kuopio (KUO)

Price from 2450 €/per person This 5-day-tour shows you the best parts of two beautiful countries, Finland and Russian Karelia.

On a hilltop amid the forests and fells of Eastern Finland and with views stretching for miles across the beautiful horizon, sits Parppeinvaara Bardic Village. It combines all aspects of Karelian culture; poem singing, kantele music, handicrafts, the Orthodox faith and traditional food in one beautiful village.

New Valamo Monastery is a welcoming working monastery and an active centre of the Orthodox religious way of life and culture in Finland. Located in the beautiful surroundings of Heinävesi, the monastery welcomes visitors throughout the year.

Next we will head across the border to Russian Karelia. Here you get to visit Ruskeala Mountain Park, an abandoned marble quarry filled with groundwater – a cultural heritage site and historic monument. A guide will also introduce you to Sortavala, a historic town seething with cultural heritage.

In Russian Karelia we will also visit Valaam Monastery at Lake Ladoga. In 1917, Valaam became a part of newly independent Finland, but it was acquired by the USSR after the Winter War.

Wild Nordic Finland / Lakeland Tel +358 500 788 888 sales@wildnordic.fi Tour Operator Igora Tour 197101, Russia, Saint-Petersburg, 1A Divenskaya Street, office 713. info@igoratour.ru Tel. +78 005 007 696 www.igoratour.ru

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Top Tips

DISCOVER KARELIA IN FINLAND AND RUSSIA Karelia is a colourful mixture of Finnish and Russian cultures, the homeland of ancient tales and music. The Finnish national epic Kalevala is a collection of Karelian poems and songs and the national instrument is the kantele. Karelia has a rich cuisine especially known for its pasties. The countryside is forest-clad hills, lakes and rivers which provide opportunities to enjoy the peace of nature and silence. Niirala international border crossing point is where you cross between Finland and Russia.

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Tip 1

A trip through the Finnish national landscape Koli is the place to enjoy the Finnish national landscape. The views from the hill-top over Lake Pielinen are Finland in miniature. At Ruunaa in Lieksa you can experience wild nature shooting the rapids in a wood or rubber boat. This is crowned by a camp-fire meal on the riverside!

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Tip 2

Kizhi and Valaam Russian Karelia has two large lakes, Ladoga and Onega, the largest and second largest lakes in Europe. The most famous sight of Ladoga is the monastery of Valaam, enjoying a new renaissance. Its magnificent Orthodox churches represent church architecture through history. Onega has the Kizhi museum island, listed by Unesco as a World Heritage site. The beautiful churches represent north Russian church architecture, and some pearls of village architecture have been re-assembled here from all over Karelia.

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Tip 3

Karelian cuisine Karelian cuisine is influenced by both Russian and Finnish traditions. Try the Karelian pasties, even join in making them! The forests are full of berries and mushrooms, also a major part of Karelian cuisine.

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Tip 4

Cultural heritage

Karelian culture is a mixture of eastern and western.

The Karelians have a rich musical heritage and even their own language. One special feature is the Orthodox faith and its churches, usually timber-built, as are most houses. Old timber architecture can also be found in museums, the largest of which is Lieksa’s Pielinen Outdoor Museum. Wood is also a material for sculpture. Paateri, the home of sculptress Eva Ryynänen, also in Lieksa, is a unique site with its buildings and large sculptures. In Russia’s Sortavala you can visit Kronid Gogolev’s exhibition of wooden sculpture. While Petrozavodsk, the capital of Russian Karelia on the shore of Lake Onega, is known as ”little Petersburg” due to its architecture.

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Photo: Flickr / Ninara, CC BY 2.0

Tip 5

The countryside Kinerma village was voted the most beautiful in Russia in 2016. Deep in the Karelian forests, this is a village of wooden houses surrounding an attractive orthodox chapel, tsasovnja. And the Ruskeala mountain park, created from a former marble quarry, is also worth a visit. The Karelian villages on both sides of the border are an invitation to camera safari walks.

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Welcome to colourful, unique Karelia!

VisitKarelia Joensuu, Finland visitkarelia@visitkarelia.fi www.visitkarelia.fi

Tourist information Center of the Republic of Karelia Karla Marksa,14 Petrozavodsk, Karelia, Russia tic@ticrk.ru, www.visitkarelia.travel