Solovki excursions. Excursions to nightingales. Sightseeing and thematic excursions of the Solovetsky Museum-Reserve

Basic moments

The Solovetsky Islands and the adjacent water area have the status of a specially protected area and a museum-reserve; the spiritual center of the islands, the Solovetsky Stavropegic Monastery, is included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List. Every year, tens of thousands of tourists and pilgrims come to these holy places to get acquainted with their dramatic history, see the stronghold of Orthodoxy in the Far North of Russia, and enjoy the untouched nature, harsh and peaceful at the same time.

The most significant historical, architectural and spiritual monuments of Solovki are located on Bolshoi Solovetsky Island. The main religious buildings, deserts and hermitages are concentrated here. Some other monastic shrines are located on neighboring islands.

Everything on Solovki amazes with its solidity and inviolability: the grandiose stone walls of the Kremlin, roads and a dam on a boulder foundation, which have not seen repairs for hundreds of years, but still serve the people. The dozens of kilometers of man-made canals connecting hundreds of divinely beautiful lakes and endless meadows created by hard-working monks are amazing. Everything here breathes harmony, combining the beauty of nature and the fruits of human labor.

For its guests, the Solovetsky Museum-Reserve has developed more than 20 excursion routes: bus, boat, walking, and each of them will bring you an unforgettable experience!

Solovetsky Monastery

History of the Solovetsky Islands

Human development of the Solovetsky Islands began in Neolithic times, when the aboriginal inhabitants of Pomerania appeared here - the proto-Sami, who hunted sea animals and fished. It is known that in the II-I centuries BC. e. The proto-Sami buried their dead on the islands, erecting mounds over their graves - mounds of boulder stone, which over time formed entire labyrinths. Both names of the archipelago - Solovetsky Islands and Solovki - have Sami roots: in Sami “suollek” means “islands”. Probably, in these places the Sami performed pagan rituals until the Middle Ages.

Since the 11th century, sailing and rowing ships of the Novgorod ushkuiniks - paramilitary squads who were also engaged in commercial fishing - began to appear more and more often in the waters of the White Sea. Following them, monks began to develop these regions, settling in hermitages in complete renunciation from the world. In 1429, the monks Savvaty and German arrived on Bolshoi Solovetsky Island. Here, 13 km from the place where the monastery was later built, they erected a cross and equipped a cell. Soon they were joined by Zosima, a native of Pomerania, who distributed his property to the poor and decided to renounce worldly vanities. The foundation of the Solovetsky Monastery in 1436, which over time became one of the most revered in Russia, is associated with the names of Savvaty, German, Zosima.

From the middle of the 15th century, its first permanent residents began to settle on the archipelago - monks and novices of the monastery. Gradually they organized a strong religious and economic community here. In 1548, the monastery monk Philip became the abbot of the monastery. This abbot, a descendant of the boyar family of the Kolychevs, proved himself to be an extraordinary leader. Under him, instead of wooden religious buildings, they began to build stone ones on Solovki, erected outbuildings, laid roads, connected lakes with canals, created their own fleet, and trade also developed. Near the monastery itself, ponds and cages were built where fish were bred, and on the island of Bolshaya Muksalma, spacious pastures were laid out and a cattle yard was located.

In the second half of the 16th century, during the Livonian War, the Swedes, concerned about the activity of Solovetsky merchant shipping, more than once sent their warships to the island waters. In response, by decree of Ivan the Terrible, to protect the White Sea region, a fortress was erected on Bolshoi Solovetsky Island, where a garrison headed by a governor was stationed.

In the 17th century, tragic events took place on Solovki. The monastic brethren, who rejected the church reforms of Moscow Patriarch Nikon, rebelled and resisted the tsarist army. The uprising was brutally suppressed by the governor Ivan Meshcherinov.

In 1854, during the Crimean War, the Solovetsky Monastery was subjected to prolonged bombardment from the cannons of English frigates. However, the attack resulted in only light damage to individual structures; there were no casualties. Such a miracle confirmed the authority of the monastery among believers.

In the middle of the 19th century, Russian hydrologists and biologists seriously began research in the White Sea region. The first scientific expedition to the Solovetsky Islands was sent in 1876, and in 1881 a biological station, the first on the White Sea, was established on Bolshoi Solovetsky Island. In 1912, a hydroelectric power station was built on a gravity canal near the Holy Lake, one of the first in Russia.

The measured and creative life of the pious islanders was destroyed by the 1917 revolution. The new government liked the strong monastery walls, behind which in the 1920s they built a prison at no extra cost. Even before the advent of the Bolsheviks, criminals and heretics were kept in the monastery premises. But, if over the previous four centuries a little more than three hundred prisoners were imprisoned here, then in just a couple of decades, about a hundred thousand people stayed in the dungeons of the SLON (Solovetsky Special Purpose Camp), and later a correctional institution subordinate to the Gulag. In 1941, the penitentiary structure on the Solovetsky Islands was disbanded.

In the 50s of the last century, Solovki became accessible to visitors, and information about the plight of ancient buildings received a public outcry. In the next decade, restoration work began here, and in 1967 the Solovetsky Historical and Architectural Museum-Reserve began its activities. In 1989, a religious community was registered on Solovki, and a year later – for the first time after the “camp” era on Bolshoi Solovetsky Island – priests celebrated the Divine Liturgy. The day of the revival of the Solovetsky Monastery is considered to be October 25, 1990.

Lighthouse on Top Island

Nature

The landscape of the Solovetsky Islands was determined by an ancient glacier that “ironed” their surface about 13 thousand years ago. After the thick ice cover melted, its traces remained on the islands - huge boulders of crystalline rocks, brought from afar by moving ice retreating to the north. Boulders line up in ridges, they are called moraines. The sandy cover of the Solovetsky Islands is also of glacial origin. These are crystalline rocks worn down by the mighty force of the glacier. On Solovki there are many deposits of semi-precious and ornamental minerals brought here - translucent muscovite quartz, red garnets, pyroxene, green jadeite, reminiscent of precious jade.

The relief outlines of the Solovetsky Islands are changeable and abound in gentle descents and ascents; there are no impressive elevations here. The highest point of the archipelago is Mount Golgotha, located on the island of Anzer. Its height is 200 meters.

The line of the gentle shores of the Solovetsky Islands, in places covered with sparse grass, completely dotted with bizarrely shaped boulders, is clearly outlined by forest, in some places approaching almost the water itself, and in others retreating from it a couple of hundred meters. The ebb and flow of the tides change the landscape. Twice a day, sea waters rapidly approach the island shores and freeze only at the edge of the forest, bringing with them algae, which then outline the coastline in a continuous strip. Low tides, in turn, expose a sandy shore with rocks and orange-red boulders scattered across it.

Most of the Solovetsky Islands are occupied by forests, pine and deciduous, birch groves. In the thicket there is a lot of windfall, tree trunks that have lain on the ground for many years are almost completely covered with thickets of blueberries, lingonberries, blueberries, and crowberries. By the end of summer, the bushes are colored with ripe berries, the forest clearings flash with the crimson colors of fireweed inflorescences and are filled with the delicate aroma of lungwort. Another decoration of the Solovetsky forests is heather. When it blooms, it covers the ground with a continuous carpet of tiny purple flowers, creating a delightful harmony with the rich green colors of the forest. In autumn, the Solovetsky forests turn into a mushroom kingdom.

There are no rivers on Solovki, but the local lakes, glorified in folk legends and described more than once in Russian literature, are simply stunning with their beauty. It seems that the mirror ponds are spread out chaotically on the islands - sometimes in compact groups, sometimes stretched out in a chain, and sometimes scattered. However, in this picturesque chaos there is a certain system built by nature itself. The shape of reservoirs is also varied. Some lakes are perfectly round, others are elliptical, and others are curved in the shape of a horseshoe. Many of them are unnamed, while the names of others have changed several times over the centuries.

It is not known exactly how many lakes there are on the Solovetsky Islands. According to some sources, there are 492 reservoirs, while other sources speak of 562 lakes. Perhaps the reason for this is the blooming of some reservoirs, at a later stage of which they turn into swamps. The swamps themselves occupy a considerable part of Solovki (the exception is the Zayatsky Islands, where they do not exist).

A significant part of the territory of the Solovetsky Islands is meadows, mostly man-made. The quality of the herbs here is first-class, in some places they reach the height of a man.

The fauna of Solovki is not very diverse, but this is compensated by the large number of animals. In the forests you can find reindeer, foxes, squirrels, and hares. There are no large predators here, but local mosquitoes are rightfully nicknamed bloodthirsty ghouls by the islanders. The coastal sea waters are inhabited by seals, beluga whales, bearded seals, harp seals, and herring; the lakes are inhabited by perches, pikes, burbots, and roaches. The world of birds is rich, since the migration route of migratory birds runs through Onega Bay and the Solovetsky Islands.

Climate

The proximity of the Arctic Circle and the breath of the Arctic, of course, leaves an imprint on the local climate. However, the climatic conditions of the Solovetsky Islands are different from the mainland coast of the White Sea and are distinguished by unexpected softness.

The microclimate on Solovki is characterized by some delay in the change of seasons. July-August are the summer months. The period from September 1 to September 20 is considered late summer. Then autumn begins, which lasts until the end of October, when frosts arrive. Winter reigns here for four months. The coldest month is February, but there are years when March temperatures are lower than February.

Quite mild winters on the Solovetsky Islands are due to the fact that the sea, gradually cooling, gives off heat to the land. Until the end of January, the average air temperature rarely drops below 10 °C below zero. In February, when the warming influence of the sea is leveled out, it becomes colder. The average temperature this month is about –12 °C. There are also 30-degree frosts on Solovki, but this does not happen often.

In winter, the Solovetsky Islands are surrounded for several kilometers by a continuous strip of motionless ice. It completely melts only at the end of March, so spring here is always colder than autumn. In April-May, the icy sea intensively transfers cold to the land; daytime temperatures rarely exceed +12 °C.

Summer on Solovki cannot be called hot. The thermometer here fluctuates around +20...+23 °C during the day and never rises above +27 °C; at night it is always cool. During the summer months, precipitation is rare. The weather is clear, only sometimes in the evening there may be pinkish clouds, which, however, do not stay in the sky for long. In the summer months, sea water off the Solovetsky coast warms up, and in July-August its temperature can reach +18...+20 °C.

In June, the sun almost never sets over Solovki. The longest day here lasts 21 hours 56 minutes - exactly the same as the longest night, six months later, in December.

Big Solovetsky Island

Bolshoy Solovetsky Island, which resembles a triangle in its outline, is the largest island in the White Sea. Its capriciously rugged coastline creates picturesque capes, bays, and peninsulas. The distance between the extreme northern and southern points of the island is 24.7 km, the west-east line is 15.8 km. The central part of the island is replete with hills and heights, which are called mountains here, although their height does not exceed 60 m. This ridge is interspersed with a dense network of lakes. The highest point of the Big Solovetsky Island is Mount Sekirnaya (73.5 m). At its top is the Ascension monastery of the Solovetsky Monastery, founded almost two centuries ago. The southern region is a depression, most of which is occupied by peat bogs and semi-overgrown lakes. Encircling the island, a forest stretches along the entire perimeter of the coast. The northern and eastern shores are a kingdom of luxurious pine forests, protecting the central regions of the island from the winds with a powerful wall. Deciduous forest grows on the southern coast.

On a narrow strip of land between the Holy Lake and Blagopoluchiya Bay, open to the sea and cutting almost 2 km deep into the island, is the Solovetsky Kremlin - the core of the Solovetsky Monastery. Thousands of pilgrims and tourists begin their acquaintance with Solovki with its visit. Not far from the architectural and historical complex is the administrative center of the archipelago - the village of Solovetsky. Here ordinary worldly life flows. The village has shops, a post office, a bank, a small airport, and a plant for the production of canned seaweed.

The slender silhouettes of ancient buildings, gradually emerging as you approach the island, amaze with their grandeur. From the east, the Holy Lake is closely adjacent to the ancient walls, which is an integral part of the magnificent architectural composition. It’s hard to believe that the fortification walls, made of huge stone blocks, are the result of human labor, and the Holy Lake is a pit formed during work to connect the Solovetsky lakes into a single hydraulic system.

The appearance of the Solovetsky Kremlin combines the architectural traditions of Russian military defense architecture and the architectural features inherent in Scandinavian fortifications. The unique appearance of the Kremlin is given by its towers protruding beyond the line of the walls, each of which has its own name and special history. Construction of the fortification lasted 11 years and was mostly completed by 1594.

The main entrance to the monastery property is called the Holy Gate. They are located in the western part of the fortress wall and represent a wide arched span. The territory of the architectural complex is conventionally divided into zones. In the center there is a cathedral complex surrounded by residential and utility buildings, in the south there is a courtyard with a mill, in the north there are former prison buildings.

The heart of the Kremlin is the cathedral complex, which, together with the fortress towers, determines its unique silhouette. It was created over almost three centuries, but the main buildings date back to the 16th-17th centuries. The dominant building is the three-tier Transfiguration Cathedral, which is a symbol of the greatness of the Solovetsky Monastery. This five-domed temple was built in the 16th century and its stern appearance resembles a fortress. The thickness of its walls in some places is about five meters, and the corner aisles are similar to fortress towers. On the first tier of the cathedral there are vaulted rooms, used mainly for household needs, on the second - the premises of the temple itself, on the third - four chapels.

An outstanding attraction is the Assumption Refectory Complex, with the construction of which stone construction began on the Solovetsky Islands. It includes the Assumption Church, the Refectory and Cellar Chambers. On holidays, tables are set for guests and brethren in the Refectory today, and delicious monastery bread is still baked in the monastery bakery.

The complex of ancient buildings also includes the Annunciation Church, built in the best traditions of Russian temple architecture. Also on the territory of the monastery you can see a stone water mill built in the 17th century, the oldest in Russia.

During the excursion you will also see religious buildings built in a later period - the Holy Trinity Zosimo-Savatievsky Cathedral, the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, the Cathedral of Metropolitan Philip, the bell tower. A sightseeing walking tour of the Solovetsky Kremlin lasts about three hours. Cost – 400 rubles (in Russian), 650 rubles (in another language).

Hermitages and deserts

Not far from the monastery walls, on the picturesque shore of Lake Igumen, is the Filippova, or Jesus, hermitage. Back in the 16th century, Abbot Philip retired here, spending time in silent prayers. According to the chronicle, one day Jesus Christ appeared to him, after which the abbot built a wooden chapel by the lake with his own hands. In the middle of the 19th century, the chapel was rebuilt into a church named after the Icon of the Mother of God, and later a stone cell building was erected. In 1935, Pavel Florensky, a famous religious figure, philosopher and scientist, worked here in captivity.

Approximately 4 km from the Solovetsky Kremlin, on the shore of Lake Lower Perth, there is the Makarievskaya Hermitage. This corner of the Solovetsky Islands, surrounded by hills, is often called the dacha of Archimandrite Macarius, the Gorka farm, and the Botanical Garden. The local unique microclimate has long been loved by the monastery abbots. At the beginning of the 19th century, one of them, Archimandrite Macarius, built a wooden chapel and two cells here: for his own solitude and for the residence of monks. Then a modest two-story house was built here, and the surrounding land began to be cultivated. Vegetable gardens appeared here, the monks built terraces on the hillsides, where they laid out flower beds, planted berry bushes, cedar trees, apple trees, and in heated greenhouses they grew melons and watermelons.

Today, the Botanical Garden of the Solovetsky Islands is located here, where, just 160 km from the Arctic Circle, gardens with bird cherry, lilac, apple trees bloom, and roses are fragrant. The Botanical Garden presents more than 700 species of plants planted in different historical periods.

Walking and bus excursions are offered to the Makarievskaya Hermitage. A walking tour with an overview of the picturesque surroundings takes about three and a half hours, and a bus ride takes about an hour and a half. Cost – 400 rubles per person.

11 km from the monastery, on Sekirnaya Mountain, is the Holy Ascension Monastery, founded in the 19th century. A three-tier stone church was built here, on the dome of which there is a lighthouse. Since ancient times, at sunset, monks lit a lantern to show the way to sailors and fishermen. They say its light was visible 100 km away. The lighthouse still operates today.

13 km north-west of the Solovetsky Kremlin is the Savvatievsky monastery. Until the 18th century, hermit monks retired to these places, after which monastic fishermen and haymakers lived here in the summer. In the middle of the 19th century, a stone church and cell building were erected here. In the post-revolutionary years, the monastery served as a place of imprisonment for Socialist-Revolutionaries and Mensheviks, and in the 40s of the last century, a school for young naval officers was located here. Today, services are held in the restored church on holidays.

One of the most ancient deserts on the Solovetsky Islands is Isaac’s. It is located in a beautiful area, surrounded by lakes rich in fish. It is known that already in the 17th century there was a wooden chapel dedicated to Isaac of Dalmatia, and later a cell building was built. In the 18th century the desert became a fishing center. During the “camp” era, logging was carried out here. Today, the meadows surrounding the monastery are the most significant monastic hayfields on the Solovetsky Islands.

Journey through the lakes

Anyone who goes on a journey through the Solovetsky lakes and the canals connecting them will never forget these silent shores overgrown with forest, golden sandbanks, water lilies forming a continuous carpet in the backwaters, crystal clear water where flocks of fish frolic, and funny ducklings, chasing the boat and begging for food. The lakes are especially beautiful in the morning, when their mirror-like surface is mysteriously covered with fog. The water in the canals is running, clean, you can drink it without fear, just like hundreds of years ago.

On Bolshoi Solovetsky Island you will have the opportunity to travel through lakes and man-made canals on a small rowing boat, which you will control yourself. Excursions take place along two routes: the Small Circle (5-6 lakes) and the Large Circle (11-12 lakes). Each traveler is given an inflatable vest, and the boat has a life preserver. The boat station is located on the island of Middle Perth, but tickets must be purchased at the tour desk of the museum-reserve (the distance between the points is about 3 km, you will have to walk). Traveling around the lakes takes from 3 hours, the cost is from 550 rubles per person.

At the western tip of the island there is one of the rare places on our planet where, right from the shore, you can watch beluga whales - northern whales, whose color, depending on age, smoothly changes from dark blue to white. It is better to watch them in June-July, when they swim very close to the shore.

Anzersky Island

Anzersky Island, or Anzer, is the second largest island of the Solovetsky archipelago, its territory is 24 km². Anzerskaya Salma Strait separates Anzer from other compactly located islands. The coast of the island is completely dotted with coves, the western coast is especially picturesque, dotted with boulders covered with soft moss, among which lingonberry bushes and wild rose hips hide. The central part of Anzer is similar in its landscape to the Big Solovetsky Island. Here, luxurious forests give way to spacious meadows with tall fragrant grass, they are bordered by lakes with the mirror-like surface of still water, along the roads there are flower carpets woven from fireweed, lungwort, bells, buttercups, violets, forget-me-nots, and dandelions.

Among the other Solovetsky Islands, Anzer is perhaps the most conducive to hermitage. It is 22 km away from the mainland coast, and at times, in unfavorable weather, communication is interrupted for a long time. Excursions depart here from Bolshoi Solovetsky Island by boat, which departs from the pier in Dolgaya Guba Bay. The journey lasts about 12 hours, the cost is from 1600 rubles per person. Excursions around the island are on foot, there is no service here, so take care of food in advance.

During the trip, you will be able to enjoy the view of the magnificent landscapes of the island and visit its two main shrines - strict prayer monasteries: Holy Trinity (XVII century) and Golgotha-Crucifixion (XVIII century). Today both monasteries are active. Formally, they are part of the Solovetsky Monastery, but housekeeping and internal way of life are the prerogative of the monastery residents. They are mostly recluses and devote most of their lives to solitary prayers.

Very close to the main island of the archipelago is the island of Bolshaya Muksalma, they are separated by two straits: the Southern Iron Gate and the Northern Iron Gate. The islands are connected by a kilometer-long causeway, built by monks from stone boulders. You can get to Bolshaya Muksalma by boat or go on an exciting, but quite extreme journey along the dam. If you decide to go on foot, wear rubber shoes and warm clothes, and if you prefer to go on a bicycle, keep in mind that you will have to carry it part of the way, as many parts of the dam are swampy. The width of the dam allows a truck to drive across it, but vehicles are not a good option, as it is very easy to get stuck.

In the morning hours, the dam, shrouded in a whitish haze, looks completely mystical; no less charming landscapes will open up to you here in the pre-sunset hours. At the end of the dam, where Bolshaya Muksalma begins, local fishermen sell delicious smoked fish.

The territory of the island itself is slightly more than 17 km², it is the third largest among the Solovetsky Islands. Here you will not see any forests or lakes; most of the island territory is covered with small forests, among which picturesque groves with low, bizarrely shaped Karelian birch trees stand out.

At the dawn of the Solovetsky Monastery’s existence, these lands were used for grazing the monastery’s cows and horses. Later, a cattle yard was established here, and then hayfields appeared. In 1876, a stone temple was built on the island in the name of Sergius of Rodonezh, and 20 years later - a monastery with the same name. In the 20th century, all the buildings fell into disrepair, but today restoration work is underway here.

Malaya Muksalma

The rocky islet of Malaya Muksalma, the smallest of the Solovetsky Islands, occupies an area of ​​only 0.57 km². It adjoins the island of Bolshaya Muksalma on its south-eastern side and is separated from the latter by a narrow strait, which can be forded at low tide.

Apart from the wooden barn, which is a typical outbuilding of the 19th century, there is only one interesting attraction here - the Chapel of the Nativity. Some historians consider it the oldest building on the Solovetsky Islands.

Zayatsky Islands

Directly opposite the southwestern coast of Bolshoi Solovetsky Island are the Zayatsky Islands - Bolshoy and Maly. Both of them are small. The first occupies an area of ​​1.25 km², and the second – 1.02 km², and is separated by a narrow strait. You can get here from the main island by boat in 45 minutes. The excursion will cost you from 750 rubles per person. The pedestrian route runs along a specially equipped ecological trail, from which it is forbidden to leave.

Despite its proximity to the Bolshoy Solovetsky Island, covered with lush vegetation, the “Hares” or “Bunnies”, as the islanders affectionately call them, show a completely different landscape. The local nature reminds us of the proximity of the Arctic Circle. The area here is deserted, reminiscent of the tundra: rocky ground, sparse bushes, trees in the forests are small and stunted, there are no lakes, swamps, or plowed meadows here. However, this corner of Solovki is filled with its own charm.

Bolshoi Zayatsky Island is famous for the fact that there are megalithic structures dating back to the 2nd-1st centuries BC. e. They are boulder mounds laid out in the shape of a labyrinth. The question of their purpose is still open, but most scientists believe that the stone labyrinths are associated with the pagan funeral cult of the Sami. The fact that similar structures can be found in Ireland, the Scandinavian countries, and northern France may indicate that once upon a time there lived a single civilization in the north of Europe.

On Bolshoi Zayatsky Island there is the first stone harbor in Russia, built back in the 16th century from local boulders. Another famous landmark of the island is the perfectly preserved St. Andrew’s Church, built at the behest of Peter I.

Where to stay

The Solovetsky Islands cannot boast of excellent tourist infrastructure, and in order to find themselves in the kingdom of pristine nature, tourists have to sacrifice a certain amount of comfort. Hotels and tourist complexes are concentrated on Bolshoi Solovetsky Island. They offer both rooms with all amenities and shared rooms where toilets and showers are located on the floor. A double room with amenities will cost you from 4,500 rubles per day. There are several guest houses on the territory of the reserve, where the price for a double room starts from 3,000 rubles.

In the village of Solovetsky, almost every family willingly rents out housing. You can rent a room for 1,500 rubles, an apartment - from 2,550 rubles per day.

Many nature lovers come to Solovki with their own tents. For such guests, on the outskirts of the village there is a site for a tent city. In order to get a place here, you will need permission from the local administration. Additionally, you will have to pay a fee of 250 rubles/day per person. Residents of the town have access to a field kitchen and a bathhouse.

Souvenirs

To remember the Solovetsky Islands, you can purchase illustrated books or photo albums with views of the museum-reserve, Pomeranian souvenirs - animal figurines made of wood. Local gingerbreads called “roe” are popular.

You can find interesting icons in the monastery shops.

Where to eat

Cafes and restaurants are mainly located on the territory of tourist centers and hotels, but from time to time they serve groups and are therefore closed to individual tourists. The menu in Solovetsky establishments is quite varied; dishes are mainly prepared from local products - fish, mushrooms, berries.

You can have a snack in the refectory. On average it will cost 400 rubles per person, in a cafe - a little more. A non-alcoholic hearty dinner in a restaurant - from 1,500 rubles per person.

Transport

Public transport on the Solovetsky Islands is represented by museum and hotel PAZ buses, designed for 25 people. Private transportation is also common here (mostly jeeps and minibuses). You need to negotiate prices with the driver. You can rent a car from a private person (usually about 5,000 rubles/day). Since there are no asphalt roads on Solovki, the speed of transport is no more than 25 km per hour.

Popular transport is boats and motor ships, on which you can travel around the islands and get to the mainland. The cost of the trip is from 600 rubles per person (depending on the distance).

Tourists often rent bicycles, preferring mountain models, since the terrain here is hilly. At rental points you can rent a bicycle for an hour (80-150 rubles) or for a longer period, which will be much cheaper.

• Regardless of what time of year you go to the Solovetsky Islands, take warm clothes, a windbreaker, a waterproof raincoat and shoes with you. Women must wear a long skirt and headscarf to visit places of worship.
• In monasteries and monasteries you need to behave modestly and quietly, you can only take photographs with the blessing of the abbot of the monastery. Mobile phones should be turned off.
• During excursions, you are not allowed to walk around the bus, drink alcohol, or throw garbage out the windows.
• There are no ATMs on Solovki, so you won’t be able to get by here without cash.
• To get a complete picture of the Solovetsky Islands, you will need at least 3 days, but when planning your trip, keep in mind that your stay here can be delayed at any time due to storms, fog, wind, when communication with the mainland is interrupted.

How to get there

There is a small airport on Bolshoi Solovetsky Island. You can fly here from Moscow and St. Petersburg with a transfer in Arkhangelsk. In total it will take about 5 hours. Cost – from 25,000 rubles round trip. The airport is often closed due to weather conditions.

During the shipping season, it is convenient to get to the Solovetsky Islands from the cities of Kemi and Belomorsk, located on the mainland. Those arriving in Kem need to take a minibus to the pier in the village of Rabocheostrovsk (about 20 minutes). Regular and private boats and motor ships depart from here in the summer twice a day. A two-hour trip will cost from 1,500 rubles for an adult, a ticket for a child from 3 to 10 years old - from 750 rubles. Young children can travel for free.

From Belomorsk (from the port of Rybny) it takes longer – about 4 hours. Ticket prices are similar to the previous route.

Travel notes and photographs from a solo hiking trip in June 2014 along the shores of Bolshoi Solovetsky Island and Muksalma Island.
Part 2.

Novaya Sosnovka

Leaving Novaya Sosnovka, I intended to go to Rebalda and spend the night there. In total, we had to walk no more than 15 km, I expected to get there by 5 am.

06/06/2014 23:12:46 Leaving Novaya Sosnovka

Before I had time to get tired, Anzer appeared. In a crooked birch tree a moose practically jumped out from under his feet, and several drops of water spilled out from nowhere... Stop.
A stream runs into the sea, low tide. I decided to sit and then film this wonderful moment.

06/07/2014 2:35:02 White night

I didn’t take pictures until Rebalda. I came there around 6 am and looked around. It seemed strange that dogs did not bark. It can't be that there are no people. The dog barked lazily, as if for show.
Apparently, preparations for the season have begun, boats are being painted and caulked, and tools lie here and there.
I decided to move half a kilometer away from the village and in the morning, after breakfast, go and look around.
Approximately 27 kilometers were covered during the day. I stopped carrying extra water with me, only half a liter to drink on the road.

Immediately after breakfast I went to Rebalda. I read about it before the campaign, but everything was shrouded in a certain superficial Pomeranian spirit, which people living in capitals like to put forward, charming the casual reader, saying that the work is hard, the people are strong, the sea is harsh, the weather is unpredictable.
Of course, even in a year you won’t get the hang of it and understand what hard work and a harsh sea means. I probably won’t even talk about it.
I went to Rebalda to get exclusively superficial impressions of the working-class settlement; I didn’t even talk to the residents, I said hello to those I saw and nothing more. And work there was in full swing, someone was sanding a boat, somewhere a chainsaw was roaring, a dog was barking, and several people were walking along the pier, collecting karbas for the road, which I later met near the Northern Iron Gate.

06/07/2014 13:55:10 Rebalda

On the barn, adjacent to the pier, there is a sign with a “patronizing coloring” (like all the signs on the island), which says that this pier dates back to the mid-19th century (I don’t remember the exact year). At the pier there are men outfitting a boat to go beyond Goreloye for a long fishing trip. The dog barks at me displeasedly, but still wags his tail and, looking from under his brows with a warm gaze, comes up to sniff and caress me.
Anzer is ahead, it’s not time for me to go there, maybe I’ll go there another time.

Rebalda, old pier and Anzer

The village seemed ordinary to me, and what could a small village on the shore of the White Sea seem like? Small houses salted by the sea with a northern gray “tan”, and green boats.
People work here, not just visiting tourists, and there is no point in distracting them or knocking them out of their mood, because it’s the very beginning of the season, joyful moments of preparation, and then work, work, work, food and sleep.

06/07/2014 14:02:23 Solovki, Rebalda

I left Rebalda in the first minutes of the third hour of the day and moved on. Having scheduled a hut on Gorely for my evening stop, I wandered along the sticky bank. The tide was going out.
The shore is familiar, but a little sticky and overgrown. Solovetsky birches have barely blossomed their modest leaves, reminiscent of antennae on the young face of a teenager. Grimacing and whispering something after me, they let me pass further, embarrassed by their beauty. As if out of necessity to escape the cold winds, their trunks were overgrown with moss and hardened. These are not those Russian birches that delight the eye with their whiteness, amazing harmony and luxurious green hair. This is the vanguard of the Solovetsky Forest, in the battle with piercing winds and dreary, intense storms.

Bye, Rebalda!

Farewell, workers' village! Best wishes!

Probably, near every settlement on the shores of the White Sea you can find old boats.

Sandy beaches?
The head is in the hole, and the tail is on the mound. These are worms.

Littoral

I walked for about 2 kilometers along the littoral zone, three hundred meters from the shore. The bottom is mostly solid, but in some places there are viscous areas that are not noticeable to the eye. One of these sections took my boot away, and I, continuing to move, ended up in a puddle. Taking the boot away from him, I put it back on my foot and moved on. It turned out that it was too late to go to the shore and I would have to walk half a kilometer in knee-deep water, one boot was already damp and I, not afraid to get my feet wet, went forward. There was very little left to go to Gorely; Muksalma had long since appeared on the left.

The hut on Gorely was ruined, and I didn’t want to rest in it. After sitting on the shore for ten minutes, I changed my boots to sneakers and moved on. There should be another hut a few kilometers away, where I’ll have lunch and sleep for an hour.
The weather suddenly changed and clouds began to gather. Maybe it will rain.

Goreloye

I met a monk in a black robe and a white hood, who had gone far to the sea to an almost dry shore. Noticing me, he took off his hood and continued to stand without turning around. Passing by, I saw a tall masonry of stones on the shore and an icon standing on it, judging by the color, very faded in the sun; later, in Dolgaya Guba, I came across something similar.

On the way to the hut I saw a boat and was a little confused, because if there is a boat, then there must be people, there is no road here except by sea. In front of the hut there were rows of barbed wire, on which seaweed was dried. He opened the first door and knocked on the second. Something fell inside, the floorboards creaked, and quick, muffled steps rolled to the threshold and ended in a rusty creak. The door opened.

06/07/2014 20:00:53 Solovki

When you are standing on someone else's doorstep on the shores of the White Sea, it seems that the most inappropriate thing would be to appear to the owner of the house with a camera around his neck. Perhaps he would have immediately formed an opinion about the person, classifying him as a blogger. Those who have traveled all over the world in order to write a couple of pages of some text in their open diary and take a hundred photographs. Those for whom a Pomeranian or a black man from Zimbabwe are birds of a feather.

The door opened and warm, welcoming air rushed out from the dimly lit room, completely covered with blankets and clothes. I stood in front of a man about 50 years old. He was not strong in appearance, below average height with short hair. Having said hello and without preamble, I answered his silent question. I answered with a question, because I came with a request. Having asked if they had a place for me for a couple of hours to cook something to eat and take a nap, he immediately replied that they did. It turned out to be a neighboring hut. Accompanying me to her, he said that they had just arrived today, were preparing for the season, and that the hut we were going to had not yet been heated. I assured him that I would be fine even unheated.
He asked about the hut on Ovsyannikovo, saying they worked there 5 years ago, and then moved here. I was glad when I said that the hut was still there and still strong. He showed the well and went home.
After preparing food and sleeping, I moved on.

08.06.2014

On the left is Muksalma. It seems close, but I won’t get there until the tenth of June.
The stones form bizarre figures in which you can see intent. Cold wind is blowing. This is Solovki.

08.06.2014 0:39:52

Long lip.

If you look at a map of the island, you can see how the narrow corridor of the Long Lip cuts into it from the east, almost from Muksalma. It stretches for 3 kilometers to the south, finally breaking up into many coves and islands. The southern part of the bay has only a dozen islands covered with pine trees.
Something came to life in Tom Sawyer's memory.
Birds sing, the soft surf gently rubs against the stones. The water is clear, you can’t even believe that it’s sea water, you can’t shake the feeling that you can scoop it into your hands and drink to your heart’s content. It's cold, there aren't even mosquitoes. The shore is solid, but there are also damp, swampy places.
Nobody here. I would like a small house on one of these islands.

08.06.2014 1:19:08

A few hours and you can rest. I was too lazy to change my shoes, my sneakers had been wet for a long time, but I decided to still wear boots and wear a warm sweater with a windbreaker. It became warm and cheerful.
I bow in response to the birch trees, say hello to the stones and laugh along with the little cheerful streams!
Why did I come here? Why did you even take an extra 7 kg of photographic equipment with you? Is it really necessary to capture them in photography in order to remember the moods in the air?
Probably not.
It was possible to do without a camera, but then how can we tell other people how beautiful and gentle our northern nature is?
And she's beautiful...

06/08/2014 2:31:21 Long

It's half past three, the sun is hiding behind a narrow strip of clouds that have ringed the horizon with an impenetrable wall. The first rays will break through only after an hour and a half. A hare walked past, emphasizing its indifference by stopping and looking at me for a long time.
As soon as I see the sun, I'll go to bed.

Long lip. It is enough to look at the map to guess why this bay has such a telling name. But to understand this, you need to walk along its entire length on foot.
When will the sun appear...

Here comes the sun! The day has passed, it's time to sleep.
28 kilometers covered.

08.06.2014 5:01:02

There was less than half a liter of water left in the morning. He boiled water, made porridge, ate and moved on. The sneakers are dry, if the opportunity arises I’ll wear them. After 40 minutes I reached the stream, drank and took it with me. There's still a long way to go. The sun was just shining, now there are clouds and a little rain, the weather is changing before our eyes. The sun is back. It's not hard to walk anymore. That feeling creeps in when you realize that the matter is coming to an end and you begin to feel the time.

Stream in Long Bay:

He came out onto some road, walking along Dolgaya from the west. I followed it. Some kind of pier, a car is driving, soon a village.
I'm changing my travel plan.
I’ll go into the village and walk around the rest of the island counterclockwise.
At the entrance to the village there is an airport and a little further there is a tent camp. The music is blaring, screams are heard, there is fun there, I wish I could pass quickly...

There won't be an evening stop today, I'll grab something to eat at the store and move on.
I bought bread and a can of stew and moved forward, eating along the way. I went ashore directly from the Kremlin. The weather is gloomy.

It was so nice to get away from the village; it evoked some kind of unbearable melancholy.

Could they imagine what would happen here...
Can we?

06/08/2014 22:04:35 Someone’s Solovki

Weather.

I walked from the village, there was a red sunset, but it wasn’t interesting, I didn’t want to take pictures, I didn’t want to stop. It would be more likely to lose sight of the Zayatskys. I passed some well-kept houses, it looked like a PINRO base. There are flowers on the windows.
Southwestern Cape. Judging by the map, there is such a swamp and some rivers, as many as 2. I wish I could cross them somehow.
I reached these very rivers. It stinks of rotten sea. People built small stone passages - wonderful. The Zayatskys have finally disappeared.
I went around the cape, now the east is open, and I’ll spend the night here. Cold and damp, like the White Sea.
I sleep with the entrance open, the mosquito net is fastened just in case, it suddenly gets warmer and mosquitoes appear.
Anyone who gets to Solovki in such weather, with such an empty grayish sky, will be unlucky.
Tomorrow I’ll definitely be on Muksalm, at least I’ll spend the night there.

09.06.2014

I slept well, the birch bushes provided good protection from the wind.
I prepared food, there was only enough water left for one porridge. It’s cold, you won’t want to drink for a long time. The tent got a little wet from condensation, so I decided not to dry it now, but to dry it at an evening rest.
In the evening I met guys from Kem and St. Petersburg, they try to walk along the White Sea every year. That year we reached Zhizhgin from Kem, but more on that later.

Solovki.
From somewhere, the image of the Kremlin immediately emerges.

White Sea.
Suddenly karbas and nets appeared, some romantics immediately picture fishermen’s huts hung with nets and a warm, almost native atmosphere in them.

Solovki on the White Sea - and by combining these two generally accepted cliches, we get a more vivid image of Solovki, imposed by laziness and the habit of going where they take us.
But this is nonsense, and the photo is also so-so. I took it on the go, without looking through the viewfinder.

Nightingales are not like that, they are alive.

Berezovka.

I’m going to her, there are 5 kilometers left to walk. Sneakers are good, but sometimes you have to jump on rocks. It’s cold, but sometimes the wind disappears completely, the coast is rugged. I know that there is a hut there, in which I will cook food and dry the tent while I sleep.
The water ran out, I turned to Lake Kisloye and collected 3 liters of water. It's not sour at all.
What soft and deep moss is here! Above the knee, it’s like walking on a feather bed, it’s so hard. There are ridges of stones, as if they were brought in specially. When I come to the hut, I’ll immediately make some tea and drink something hot.
It smells like smoke, that means people. That's right, man. We talked a little. From Saint-Petersburg. They showed me a free hut.
Again such a building as on Sosnovka. There is also a pier there.

06/09/2014 19:30:46 Solovki, Berezovka

Old pier.

The pier is really old and the building is old.
The stones are reminiscent of monks, and the barrels are reminiscent of the Soviet Union.
I ate, slept and dried out the tent. I took some pictures around. Reminds me of the Summer Coast from Letniy Navolok to Ukhtnavolok.

Away.

The sky is shining through! Maybe it will inflate...
I went to see the guys from St. Petersburg, they settled in a neighboring hut. They are warm, comfortable, and sat down there for 2 liters of tea. That year they went on this boat to Letnyaya Zolotitsa, where they didn’t believe them that they had come from Kem. We were on Zhizhgin.
And that year I walked to Letnyaya Zolotitsa from Severodvinsk, but a couple of months earlier than them, right at the beginning of June. We talked about this and that - about Ukraine, and about the forest, and about Solovki... I barely left them at one in the morning. We need to get to Muksalma and sleep there. While we were talking, the sky cleared completely, and when I walked, it tightened again. The night is somehow gloomy, too dark to be white.

It's like the sky is about to fall. A wide empty toe, at the very end of it there is a forest. The grass is swaying.
It looks like we will have to walk along the dam in such poor weather.

10.06.2014

The dawn was good, like a gray winter afternoon.
It's time to go to the dam. How was it even built?
Would today's monks be able to build something like this?

10.06.2014 3:41:45

I'm walking along the dam! This was goal number three.
I'll take it off on the way back, tomorrow the weather will be good.
I wish I could walk along it in a storm.
I see the Long Lip. A few days ago I entered it along the right bank, tomorrow I will go along the left.

10.06.2014 4:31:07

Muksalma, Ivanovskaya Tonya.

Having passed the dam and briefly examined the buildings, I pitched a tent in a nearby birch grove and went to bed.
In the morning the path lay to the north, where Ivanovskaya Tonya hid. Walking a bit, I decided to take my time and arrange an evening stop there.
I arrived, the weather was sunny, but cold. I went into the “hut”. Purely. As in all the huts I visited on Solovki, there are many printed icons hanging on the walls. There is another hut there, but I didn’t go into it. There is MTS.
I decided to go back along the shore. Driving on the roads is not interesting and very boring. But still, it is simply necessary to walk along them, and not to travel by transport. And in general, if you shoot, then only on foot, otherwise you won’t even understand what you filmed there, why you went... First you need to feel the nature, its power in front of you. Take yourself into your own hands and don’t leave anything on it, take all the garbage with you and carry it without throwing it away for at least a month. I accidentally broke a twig, I apologize. On this trip I did not make a single fire, because it is prohibited on the island, and why would there be a fire when modern gas burners take up very little space in a backpack, add 120 g of weight, and one gas cylinder is 230 g (with a cylinder - 350 d) will provide you with hot food 2 times a day for 6 days. Very comfortably. That year, while passing the Summer Beach, I did not take a burner with me and cooked everything over a fire. It’s very hard and takes a long time, and you’ll be thoroughly smoked.
I slept well, I’m in a great mood, but I can already feel the end. Have I been to Novaya Sosnovka, Rebalda, Savvatievo, Dolgaya, Ovsyannikovo? Did you pass Pechak, Beryozovka, Beluzhiy, Perech-navolok... I was there, but so long ago, so far away...
A little sad. Tomorrow will happen too soon...

Muksalma, Tonya Ivanovskaya

I walk easily, it’s as if my backpack is no longer there. The big island leads me to the dam. I really want to go slower, but I can’t. What kind of cross is there in front? We need to look.

According to Muksalma

Just a cross. But they don’t just put up crosses on the White Sea, something happened here. This is Solovki, a lot of things happened here.
The air seems to be saturated with the sea, the White Sea.
Evening, ten minutes past ten. The main thing is not to rush.
The sea seems to be basking in the sun, waddling and exposing its tender wet sides to it. What does it think...
It was a good storm if it threw such logs so high.

Solovki. Sea and cross

I didn’t see the hut along the shore. In some places there is barbed wire, like clotheslines in yards, and seaweed is dried on it.
Somehow it even got warmer or something.

The moon came out quietly. Evening on Muksalm

11.06.2014

White Nights

We are used to sleeping at night, so we are deprived of the opportunity to see the white night with our own eyes. Maybe it would even be strange to suddenly see a man admiring her on the street. Not by some objects, which in her light took on a completely unusual appearance, but by herself.
Sometimes it feels like the eyes are eating her up, and it’s impossible to get enough, impossible to tear yourself away.
Here is the dam.

11.06.2014 0:48:29

The low tide puzzled me a little - where did the rocky islands come from? Yesterday the view was a little different.
I was walking to the moon.

06/11/2014 2:22 Dam

There was just over half an hour left before dawn.
The building is not that old. Construction began on it in 1827, and in 1865 it looked the same as it does now.
There was a cattle yard on Muksalma. Huge pastures with lush grass made it possible to keep 120 cows and calves and the same number of horses.
The dam stretches from shallow to shallow, bending now to the right, now to the left. Its bends also serve as breakwaters and ice cutters.
It is difficult to imagine a force capable of destroying it... but what can a person know about time? I think time will destroy everything.

“... So how was the Solovetsky stone fortress built? Yes, very simple. Along the already existing very ancient walls made of huge boulders, a brick wall was built on top, over which a wooden roof was built. For this, the monastery had enough of its own strength. To carry out such work, 2-3 experienced masons and 10 auxiliary workers were enough. And the construction time was determined by the productivity of brick production, which in 10-12 years provided 2000 cubic meters of brick necessary for such construction. The monks didn’t carry boulders!..” Follow the link below.

Milepost.

The dam has ended, or maybe it has just begun.
I'm used to the North. The last night in Dolgaya and that’s it, all that remains is to climb Sekirnaya, but I’ll leave that for the night before leaving.

11.06.2014

Morning

The sun had already been in the air for an hour, reflecting off the smooth surface of the bay with the young foliage of birch trees and old pine trunks. I didn't want to sleep. I didn’t want to do it tomorrow either. It was a beautiful morning! The sun was slightly hot, and the cool night air still reigned in the shade.

11.06.2014 4:59:57

Eleventh of June, three o'clock in the afternoon.
The dream passed unnoticed. Someone asked, “How did you spend your life?” - as if a colleague at work asked about the past weekend. The boat passed by and did not give an answer. Awoke. I collected myself and moved on.
It's only a few hours to go, but then what?

Long lip.

“Long” turned out to be not long at all. He climbed through the forest and tore his boot. Warm. I took a swim, the water was terribly cold. Evening is ahead, what to do there? The Kremlin evokes conflicting feelings: on the one hand, you want to look at it for a long time, but on the other hand, you don’t even want to go inside. And a thousand years ago he was here, everyone talks about it.

Silence.

The silence was suddenly interrupted - broken by the sound of a passing car. A car, a chainsaw, some kind of unpleasant buzzing... Previously, axes sounded, and the sound spoke volumes, now chainsaws roar. Construction and nothing more.
Sit and be silent in front of you. I carry with me only the night singing of birds and the quiet roar of the sea. See you.

To be continued...

One of the most popular tourist destinations in the north of the European part of Russia - Solovetsky Islands. Travelers go to Solovki independently and organized group tours, exclusively to the islands or in combination with other attractions, by air and sea, on small ships and on large cruise ships.

What attracts Solovki? Variety and richness. Amazing northern nature and memorable landscapes are combined here with living history, revealing itself at every step, and one of the most “prayed” places of Russian Orthodoxy is now inseparable from the terrible prison camp times. The significance of Solovki is internationally recognized: the Solovetsky historical and cultural complex was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1992.

Many tourists notice the special attraction of Solovki; once they have been there, they return to the islands from time to time. A special word was even coined for this phenomenon: they “became sleepy.”

Where are Solovki located?

The Solovetsky Archipelago lies in White Sea at the exit from Onega Bay almost at an equal distance from both its banks - the Kemsky coast and the Onega Peninsula.

How to get to Solovki?

There are two ways to the Solovetsky Islands: by sea and by air.

The Tamarin pier on Bolshoi Solovetsky Island is able to accommodate fairly large vessels. Regular sea communication with the mainland is carried out with two ports of the Kem coast: with Kem (or rather, its suburban village of Rabocheostrovsk) and with Belomorsk. From Kemi 2-2.5 hours, from Belomorsk 3.5-4.

Both Belomorsk and Kem are railway stations on the Moscow-Murmansk train route.

For the arrival of President Putin to Solovki in 2001, the runway of the airport in the village of Solovetsky was updated and currently the islands are reliably connected to the mainland by regular air transportation, depending only on weather conditions. The most popular flights are from Arkhangelsk (50 min.), from Moscow and Petrozavodsk. It is possible to order private air taxi flights from Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Composition of the Solovetsky Archipelago

The main island of Solovki is Bolshoy Solovetsky with an area of ​​246 km 2. It is on it that the Kremlin (monastery) and the village of Solovetsky are located. The island is covered with a network of many lakes, some of which are combined into a lake-canal system. The island is wooded, with coniferous and broad-leaved trees.

The second largest island of the archipelago is Anzersky (or Anzer for short), lying northeast of Solovetsky. Currently, it is almost completely “under the authority” of the monastery monasteries. Tourists get to it only during pilgrimage visits, blessed by the monastery authorities.

To the east of Solovetsky Island there are two small islands: Bolshaya and Malaya Muksalma, and to the west are the Bolshoy and Maly Zayatsky Islands. The archipelago also includes more than a hundred small islands.

Sights of Solovki

Of course, the central attraction of Solovki is the Kremlin, that is, the stauropegial monastery of the Transfiguration of the Savior, a fortress with boulder walls and huge towers. On the territory of the Kremlin there is the central Transfiguration Cathedral, the Assumption Church with a refectory chamber, a bell tower, the gateway Annunciation, St. Nicholas and Filippovskaya churches. In addition to the monastery itself, there is a museum in the Kremlin.

In the northern part of the island on Sekirnaya Mountain, 12 km from the monastery, there is the Sekiro-Voznesensky monastery with an original lighthouse church.

The Botanical Garden, also known as the Gorka farm, also known as the Makaryevskaya Hermitage, or the Archimandrite's dacha, is located in a hollow sheltered from the winds. Plants that are unusual for the European North are grown and acclimatized here.

Among the hydraulic structures of the islands, the system of canals connecting the lakes, the boulder dam connecting Solovetsky Island with Muksalma, and the Filippovsky Gardens, a fenced-off sea bay adapted for storing live fish, deserve special attention.

The guides will tell you more about monasteries and chapels, small museums, historical and natural monuments, etc.

Anzer Island is famous for its austere monasteries.

On Zayatsky Island there is a completely different nature from Bolshoi Solovetsky, mysterious ancient labyrinths and St. Andrew's Church, built by Peter I.

History of Solovki

The Solovetsky Archipelago, like the entire north of Europe, received its current appearance with the retreat of the glacier 10 thousand years ago. Gradually, the lands freed from ice are being developed by humans.

The Solovetsky archipelago in calm weather is quite easily accessible by boat from the Kem side, moving from island to island, through the Kem skerries and the Kuzov archipelago, you can get to Solovki, so the islands were developed quite a long time ago.

It is likely that the first people on Solovki were representatives of the same hunter-gatherer culture that spread across the north of modern Norway and Finland. Ring seals were found in abundance on the islands; it can be assumed that Solovki served as hunting grounds with seasonal settlements.

On Anzer, Bolshoi Solovetsky and, especially, Bolshoi Zayatsky Islands you can see artifacts of the prehistoric period. Zayatsky Island is simply covered with labyrinths, the largest of which is 25-27 m in diameter. The purpose of the labyrinths is controversial; of the many hypotheses, the most plausible is the connection with the funeral cult: the soul of the deceased should not find a way out into the world of the living. Although no remains were apparently found in the labyrinths themselves, burnt remains of humans and game animals dating back to the 2nd-1.5th millennium BC were found in the nearby stone pyramid slides. e. The simultaneity of burials and labyrinths is assumed, although nothing speaks against earlier or later construction of labyrinths.

In the XI-XII centuries. Pomorie is firmly included in the zone of interests of Novgorod, Russian settlements appear on the shores of the White Sea, and the subethnic group of Pomors is gradually taking shape. Orthodox monasteries became centers of Russian expansion. Communities gathered around the hermits who went into the wild desert areas, which over time formed into monasteries, which received the surrounding villages and industries into their possession. The emergence of the Solovetsky Monastery was part of precisely this process.

The monks Savvaty (a student of St. Cyril of Belozersky) and Herman arrived on the Solovetsky Islands in search of desert life. Savvaty soon died, and Herman found himself another fellow priest - Zosima; other brothers gradually joined them and Zosima in 1436 became the first abbot of the newly formed monastery.

The monastery walls were erected as a reliable fortification structure, since the monastery at that time was located in the zone of Russian-Swedish conflicts. At that time, Solovki was a modern and formidable fortress, covering the entrance to Onega Bay and further to Onega.

The heyday of the monastery is associated with the name of another abbot - St. Philip (Kolychev), who later became Metropolitan of Moscow during the time of Ivan the Terrible.

The Solovetsky monk who fled from the monastery was the future patriarch-reformer Nikon.

Under Patriarch Nikon, the Solovetsky Monastery became one of the most important centers of resistance to church reform. An unprecedented moment in history was the eight-year (1668-1676) military siege by the regular royal army of its own monastery, which did not accept the books corrected by Nikon. The powerful fortress withstood assaults, mines and artillery shelling until a defector showed a secret path. The monks were brutally executed or sent into exile, and the monastery was repopulated with new monks from loyal Ukraine.

In 1765 the monastery came under direct subordination to the Synod (became stauropegial).

During the Anglo-Russian Crimean War, in 1854, the monastery withstood fire from English 60-gun steam frigates.

We do not always have time to publish on our website descriptions of all the hotels with which we work. For details, contact your manager by phone. +7 495 938-92-92

26.12.18 47 613 19

I wanted to see the White Sea. The Solovetsky Islands seemed to me the most suitable place for this.

Ekaterina Mikhailova

went to Solovki

This is an archipelago in the Arkhangelsk region, 160 km from the Arctic Circle. I spent six days there: cycling around the islands, eating fish soup, watching white whales.

I organized the trip myself. Before my vacation, I studied a virtual tour of the archipelago, the website of the museum-reserve and VKontakte community about life on Solovki. It turned out unforgettable and twice cheaper than with a tour operator. In this article I’ll tell you how to get to Solovki without a tour operator, what to see and how much it costs.

Expenses on Solovki for six days per person - 15,500 RUR

When to go

You can get to the archipelago by boat from June to October. The rest of the time, the islands can only be reached by air.

The most popular time to visit Solovki is from mid-July to early August. At this time, all excursions and locations are available; you can swim in small lakes inside the island. But there are crowds of tourists and a lot of mosquitoes around.

If you dream of solitude, I recommend going at the end of summer or early autumn. The days are still warm, and the nights are fresh and pleasant. There are a lot of berries and mushrooms in the forest, and you can walk barefoot on the moss. But swimming will most likely be cold. You won't be able to see white whales yet. The last excursion to the cape, from where you can see them, takes place on August 15.

In winter or early spring, people go to Solovki for the northern lights, snowmobile rides through the forest, or winter fishing. Excursions are carried out only upon prior request - you must contact the museum-reserve office at least three days before the trip. The schedule and cost of winter excursions to Solovki can be found on the official website of the museum.

Winter on Solovki is warmer than on the mainland, but snowy and with blizzards. Average temperature - −10 °C. Thirty-degree frost is rare, but due to the wind and humidity the cold is felt more intensely.

Summer on the islands is often cold, although there are exceptions: last year was hot and sunny. The water in the White Sea warms up to 11 degrees on average in summer, and up to 20 degrees off the southern shores. In winter, the sea does not freeze completely and, as local residents say, it even warms up a little.

How to get there

The cheapest way to get to Solovki is by sea. Motor ships depart from the piers of the Karelian cities of Kemi and Belomorsk. The season starts on June 1 and ends on September 20. Dates may vary depending on weather.

Through Kem. Kem can be reached by car along the R-21 highway or by train in the Murmansk direction. It takes 24 hours to travel from Moscow, train No. 016A arrives at half past midnight. A reserved seat ticket costs from two thousand rubles. Train from St. Petersburg No. 022CH takes 13-15 hours. He arrives in Kem two hours before the ship. This is convenient because you don’t have to look for a hotel to stay overnight.

6555 R

I spent it on the way there and back

We bought a ticket for a reserved seat carriage for 1909 RUR 20 days before the trip. In order not to spend the night in Kemi, we drove from Moscow through St. Petersburg and stopped there for 10 hours. I spent 6555 RUR on the way there and back.

The motor ship to Solovki departs from the pier in the village of Rabocheostrovsk near Kem. You can get there by taxi for RUR 100 per person. Taxis stand opposite the train station. The journey will take 15-20 minutes.

You can also get there by bus No. 1. It runs every half hour, the stop is opposite the station. The fare costs 20 RUR. During the season, the Prichal tourist complex operates its own bus, but seats must be booked in advance. The ticket costs 150 RUR.

The motor ships “Vasily Kosyakov” and “Metel” depart from the pier in Rabocheostrovsk. There are two flights per day to Solovki on a fixed schedule. Boarding begins in half an hour, the journey will take two hours. A round trip ticket costs 3200 RUR. Children under three years old travel for free, from three to ten years old - for 1600 RUR.

3200 R

costs a ticket for the ship Kem - Solovki and back

Tickets must be booked in advance on the website of the Prichal tourist complex. There you can also see the schedule of ships and get a booked ticket for the ship Kem - Solovki. Adults will need a passport, children - a birth certificate.

Locals say that private ships go to Solovki. You can’t buy tickets for them in advance or even find out the schedule: the owners simply invite tourists to the pier. When I was in Rabocheostrovsk, I didn’t see them.

Renting an entire private boat will cost 12-25 thousand rubles. It can fit 6-10 people. Boats must be booked in advance. Sometimes owners require advance payment. You can check their phone numbers

Through Belomorsk. The road to Belomorsk takes 1-2 hours less than to Kem. The trains are the same. The pier is located in the village of Shizhnya, a 15-minute drive from the station. You can get there by bus number 6 for 30 R or by taxi.

The three-deck catamaran “Sapphire” sails from the pier to Solovki. It is comfortable: inside there are three passenger salons with toilets, a large promenade deck, a cafe and even a souvenir shop with a library. The catamaran sails along the White Sea for four hours. Departs from Belomorsk at 8:00, and from the islands at 19:00. Tickets can be purchased on the travel company website.

From Arkhangelsk You can get to Solovki by the motor ship "Belomorye". It runs from June to September twice a month. You will have to spend more than a day on the way. The cost of one-way tickets is 2440 RUR. They can be purchased five days before departure at the ticket office in the Northern Shipping Company building. Return tickets are sold directly on board by the captain's assistants. The schedule is published on the shipping company's website.

You can carry only 10 kg of luggage free of charge on the ship. For each extra kilogram you will have to pay an additional 12 rubles.

By air. You can get to Solovki from Arkhangelsk in 50 minutes. Planes fly from two airports: Talagi and Vaskovo.

If you fly from Moscow or St. Petersburg, you can make a connection at Talagi Airport. A one-way ticket to Arkhangelsk costs 3000 RUR, to Solovki - 6955 RUR. Pensioners will receive a 25% discount, children under 12 years old - 50%.

6955 R

minimum price of a plane ticket Arkhangelsk - Solovki

The schedule can be viewed on the Nordavia airline website. It is published annually before the start of the season. In 2018, the plane flew to the island on Mondays and Fridays from April to October. From June to September there were additional flights on Wednesdays and Sundays.

What to see

Solovetsky Monastery- the main attraction of the island. A three-hour walk with a guide and 15-30 tourists will cost 500 RUR.

On the excursion you can learn the history of the island, climb into the fortress, go down to the monastery prison, and look at the mill that the monks built. It seemed to me that this excursion was enough to get to know the island.

boulder dam is a bridge made of stones, which was built by hand by monks in the 19th century. It connects the islands of Bolshoi Solovetsky and Bolshaya Muksalma. The length of the dam is 1.2 km. Now it is being destroyed: stones are falling out of the masonry.

The monks who built it most likely did not think about any artistic expression of the dam, and that is why it is one of the most picturesque places I have ever been. The masonry of a pile of stones of different sizes fits perfectly into the local landscape and seems to be a creation of nature, not man. I was lucky to see the dam in good weather - it felt like I was on the edge of the earth.

The route from the village of Solovetsky to the dam and the island of Bolshaya Muksalma lies through the forest. It's 20 kilometers in both directions, so it's best to rent a bike. If it rained the day before, there may be a lot of mud, huge puddles and swamps along the way. It is better to wear waterproof shoes. I was wearing trekking boots and my feet remained dry.

You can take a bag for berries and mushrooms with you. There are a lot of white chanterelles and chanterelles on Solovki - the locals even ignore the moths and russula. Berries are also plentiful during the season: blueberries literally fall off the branches.

If you are not ready to pedal for a long time, you can get to Bolshaya Muksalma by sea from the pier in Dolgaya Guba. The boat will cost 1500 RUR, guide services - another 350 RUR.

Anzer Island- the most secluded and second largest after Bolshoi Solovetsky. I came here for the sake of the harsh northern climate, the Holy Trinity Skete and untouched nature. There is not even asphalt here: the roads are covered with logs or narrow paths are laid out.

A tour of the island will take the whole day. Due to the complexity of the route, children under 12 years old are not allowed on it. To get there, you have to walk by sea for two and a half hours. Groups are formed in advance, so I recommend booking a place as soon as you find yourself in Solovki. This can be done at the excursion desk of the museum-reserve.

The ticket costs 1600 RUR, the price includes a guide and transfer. You will have to think about lunch yourself: there will be a break during the excursion, but you must bring food with you. Even if there is not a cloud in the sky, it is worth taking a raincoat with you: there is no more capricious weather than on this island anywhere on Solovki.

In the hermitages of the island live monks who decided to devote themselves to solitary prayer and seclusion. To feed themselves, they engage in agriculture and crafts, but still regularly receive bags of food from the Solovetsky Monastery.

They have minimal contact with visitors, for example when mooring boats. The monks do not even make comments to tourists personally, but write on signs: “Sisters, do not touch the gilding - it will wear off.”

On Anzer, tourists visit active monasteries with strict regulations, so the requirements for clothing and behavior are strict. Women need to wear a long skirt and headscarf. Men must take off their hats, put on pants and long-sleeve sweaters. Tourists are also asked not to disturb the peace of the monastery residents: you should not take pictures of them or try to talk to them.

Cape Beluzhy- This is a place where white whales pass within a few meters of land. It is located on Bolshoi Solovetsky Island. For me, Cape Beluzhy was the most significant location on Solovki.

You can see whales only from June 15 to August 15 when the sea is calm. At the end of the season there are fewer beluga whales. You need to go at low tide. I advise you to check the schedule at the excursion desk: low tide can be at eight in the morning or at seven in the evening.

We went to see beluga whales on foot. The road to the cape goes through a dense forest. I tried to ride a bike, but gave up halfway: riding over rocks and roots is very difficult. So I walked back to the trailhead and left him in the parking lot. At the exit from the forest you will have to wade. You can go barefoot, but it’s more comfortable to wear high rubber boots.

We spent a little over an hour on the cape. First, a tourist boat appeared on the horizon, and then beluga whales swam to the shore. We were unable to see them properly and take good photographs: only their backs and occasionally their tails were visible. We had a different idea of ​​meeting whales and regretted not taking binoculars. But the feeling of meeting beluga whales in their natural conditions still cannot be compared with visiting a dolphinarium.

The tourists on the boat were luckier: they turned off the engine and drifted very close to the belugas. Therefore, I advise you to get to the cape by water. You can rent a boat for 1200-1500 RUR per person. From the dry dock, the harbor opposite the monastery, the cape can be reached in 20-25 minutes.

Forty minutes is enough to walk around the entire garden. We thought the garden was big and went there on bicycles. It was a big mistake: they didn’t even let us through the gate. There was no parking, so we just left our bikes by the fence. The village is small, and if a bicycle were lost, it would be easy to find it using the green bike rental tag attached to the seat.

There are many berries, fruit trees and flowers in the Makarievskaya Desert. Once upon a time, monks even grew melons and watermelons in heated greenhouses. We tried currants, but it seems that this was impossible.

On Sekirnaya Mountain The Holy Ascension Skete is located - the former men's punishment cell of the Solovetsky Special Purpose Camp (SLON). There is also a camp cemetery with mass graves of prisoners, and at the top of the mountain there is an observation deck with views of the Savvatiev Hermitage and the White Sea.

I was terrified of the feeling that I was walking on bones. I went down to the cemetery, but could not stay there for more than five minutes. The history of the camp years on Solovki is complex and terrible - even the guides find it difficult to answer what is truth and what is fiction. In the conversations of local residents, this topic seems to be taboo.

Boat trip. There are about four hundred lakes on the Solovetsky Islands. Some of them can be viewed by boat: they are connected by canals that were laid back in the 16th century. They provided the monastery with drinking water, powered a mill, a hydroelectric power station and a sawmill.

You can go on a boat trip with a guide, but we rented a rowing boat for RUR 300 at a station two kilometers north of the monastery on Lake Middle Perth. So we were not limited in time and movement.

There are two routes along the lake-canal system: large, 11 km, and small, 6 km. For guidance, large white boards with arrows are installed on the banks along the canals. It takes three hours to ride in a small circle, and six hours in a large circle, plus incredible endurance. We couldn't handle it and went swimming.

Forest lakes warm up unevenly - the temperature is different everywhere. I recommend stopping at Lake Bolshoye Karzino: there is a pier and a hypnotic view. Just for this place I’m ready to return to Solovki. The small route ends at this lake. There you can rent out boats and go to Svetloye Orlovo: this is one of the most transparent lakes on the island, although it is located in the thickets.

To Bolshoi Zayatsky Island people come to see the mysterious labyrinths. They are lined with stone and overgrown with grass and moss. Who and why put them together is unknown. I liked the version about fish traps: during low tides, the fish supposedly did not have time to find a way out of the labyrinths and remained in the trap, from where fishermen later collected them.

The island can only be visited with a guide and on a wooden path. The museum-reserve has established such a rule to prevent visitors from stealing stones from the labyrinths, accidentally setting fire to the wooden church and harming the vulnerable nature of the island. The soil layer here is only 0.5-2 cm, so the plants die quickly. Twenty years ago, deer trampled the trails, which are still clearly visible.

The island is guarded by a watchman, the caretaker of the monastery and, as the guide joked, the fox Pyotr Alekseevich. If you come on your own, you will not be kicked out or fined, but you will break the rules of the museum-reserve.

A ticket for the excursion costs 800 RUR. It must be booked in advance at the monastery office. The journey by boat takes half an hour, the excursion will take two hours. There is a walking trail around the island.

We managed to quickly see the labyrinths and the church, but I still didn’t have enough time. After the excursion there is no time for free walks, so I could not return to the places I liked, which I did not have time to photograph.

Where to live

Hotels and guest houses. There are no more than ten hotels and guest houses in the village of Solovetsky - I advise you to book accommodation in advance. There are a lot of tourists, and rooms up to 3700 RUR per night are sold out quickly.

The cheapest place to live is at the Peterburgskaya Hotel, which operates on the principle of a hostel. For 450 RUR you can get a bed in an eight-bed room, for 800 RUR you can rent a double room. Shower, toilet and refrigerator are shared on the floor. One of the advantages is the proximity to the Solovetsky Monastery.

450 R

is the cheapest room in the Petersburgskaya Hotel

Guest house rooms cost from 800 RUR to 3700 RUR per night per person. They are quieter, more comfortable and have Wi-Fi. The shower and kitchen are also shared on the floor. Superior rooms and luxury rooms in hotels cost from 5,000 RUR to 14,000 RUR. The price includes buffet breakfast, bathroom and nice design.

We lived in the Pinagor guest house, five minutes from the sea and the monastery. For two nights in a standard double room with shared shower and kitchen, we paid 4800 RUR. The room was booked a month before the trip. Even then, there were no more than five offers in this price category on Booking.

The room had two beds, a double and a single, a table, chairs, a mirror, a shoe rack and a night light. Everything is neat and clean

In the description of the house on Booking they promised Wi-Fi, but in reality there was none. We also had to run after the administrator to check us in, bring us the missing towel, and then accept our room. The advantages are silence, comfort and a cafe with Pomeranian cuisine nearby. For breakfast you can buy homemade milk, and for dinner you can eat fried cod, herring or navaga for 220-250 RUR.

Private sector. You can rent a bed, room or house from local residents. Advertisements are available on the website of the tourist information center. You can also simply knock on the door of the locals: the owners will accommodate you themselves or recommend who to contact. Locals say that some residents offer apartments for rent right on the pier, but I haven’t seen any. In general, renting a room or apartment from residents is cheaper than renting from Air BBC.

The cost depends on the conditions. For 500 RUR you can rent a bed and live in a house with the owner. A separate room with a shared kitchen and shower will cost 600-1000 RUR. Entire houses and apartments are rented out for 1200-2500 RUR. But you shouldn’t expect European-quality renovations and heated floors: these are ordinary village houses.

Camping located at the edge of the forest on the shore of Lake Bannoe. This is the outskirts of the village, it’s a ten-minute walk to the monastery. It is prohibited to pitch tents in other places: the entire territory of the archipelago is a nature reserve. We didn’t know about the ban and settled where we liked. But we didn’t light a fire or throw trash.

A place in a tent camp costs 300 RUR per day per person. The camp area has tables, benches, fire pits and a dry closet. For 200 RUR you can take a summer shower, for 300 RUR you can rent a three-person tent for a day, for 100 RUR you can rent a sleeping bag and a camping mat. A bathhouse for 10 people costs 3000 RUR.

300 R

price of a night in a tent on Solovki

If you plan to live in a tent on Solovki, I advise you to prepare as for a hike. For example, it is worth taking a burner with a pot. It will come in handy if you don’t have dry firewood or a fire pit. The tent must be waterproof, and the sleeping bag must be suitable for temperatures down to −15 degrees. Even if you’re lucky with the weather, it’s always cool on Solovki at night. It’s better to place your tent near a stream so you don’t have to run to the store for water.

Products and cafe

The only local goods on Solovki are bread, seaweed and fish. There are six species of Solovetsky herring alone. The rest of the products are delivered by sea in the summer and by plane in the winter. Therefore, in summer prices in stores are one and a half to two times higher than on the mainland. For example, a liter of milk costs 90 R, a kilogram of bananas - 130 R, apples - 170 R. In winter it’s even more expensive: a dozen eggs will cost 130 R, milk and a small jar of sour cream - 180 R.

The largest grocery store in the village of Solovetsky is located next to the museum exhibition about the Gulag on Zaozernaya Street. In the morning there is a line at the checkout. There is also a Raipo kiosk on Severnaya Street, a private grocery store, Filippovskie Bakeries on Kovaleva Street and two monastery bakeries.

Cafes and restaurants open at 10:00-12:00 and work until 21:00-00:00. There are not many of them on the island: we counted eight establishments. Their food is standard, but tasty. A lunch of hot food, snacks and dessert in a cafe will cost 500-600 RUR. The average bill without alcohol in restaurants is 1000-1200 RUR. Once we ordered Finnish beer, it was tasteless and cost 250 RUR per bottle. Here's what else we tried in local cafes and can recommend:

• baked herring - 120 R per 100 g;
• fried cod - 240 R per 200 g;
• fish dumplings - 300 RUR;
• Solovetsky herring with potatoes - 260 RUR;
• lightly salted salmon or cod - 290 RUR;
• buckwheat or potatoes with porcini mushrooms - 160 RUR.

The cheapest place to eat is in the monastery refectory. A set lunch or dinner of two courses and dessert will cost 200-250 RUR. The food is lean: even pilaf is prepared with mushrooms, not meat. But there are a lot of baked goods: there are ten types of muffins alone. There is even more choice in the monastery bakeries. Fishmongers are most willing to sell cod and herring. Before the excursions, we bought snacks for the road at bakeries.

You can also get inexpensive and tasty food in the former canteen of the Solovetsky regional district - the Cafe "Kayut-Kompaniya". Breakfast will cost 150-200 RUR, two-course lunch - from 350 RUR.

Transport

Bicycles are a popular means of transport on Solovki. There are rental points at hotels, but the largest selection and reasonable prices are in the “Central”, opposite the Filippovskaya Chapel.

Rental costs from 120 to 250 R per hour. It’s more profitable to rent for 10 hours or a day: the administrator gives a generous discount. For 10 hours of riding a mountain speed bike, I paid 1000 RUR, while an hour of renting it costs 200 RUR.

1000 R

I paid for 10 hours of bike rental

The choice of models is large: city, mountain and children's. You can also rent a child seat for 50 R per hour, rubber boots and a bowler hat for 200 R per day. If you wish, you will be given free backpacks, a repair kit and even gloves for your bike.

In two days we drove more than 80 km through rocks, sand, puddles and mud. The bikes never failed, but the brakes squeaked every time water got into them.

There are several cars on the island that are privately owned or owned by hotels. They can be ordered. For example, getting from Tamarino Pier to the Solovetskaya Sloboda hotel costs 150 RUR. We didn’t use them: the island is small and we wanted to explore it completely without missing anything.

For sea walks, fishing or crossing from the mainland to Solovki, you can rent a speedboat or speed boat for 6-15 people. The rental cost depends on the distance of the trip and fluctuates from 2000 to 15,000 R. Phone numbers can be found on the website of the tourist center.

What to take with you

Warm clothes. A set of thermal underwear, a storm jacket and a hat will be needed for sea walks, a sweater or fleece jacket - for hiking in the forest.

Raincoat. It rains frequently from June to September. Exploring the island on a bicycle under an umbrella or making your way through wet thickets is not very comfortable.

Trekking boots. On the islands we walked a lot on sand, rocks and puddles. For walking through the forest and rocky shore, these shoes are more suitable than sneakers.

Remedies for seasickness. On a boat or a motor ship you get motion sickness even in calm weather. When the sea gets a little rough, you can feel every wave.

MTS or Megafon SIM card. Other operators do not work on Solovki, and Wi-Fi is rare. I took three SIM cards with me. Beeline did not connect to the network, Megafon was only enough for interrupted calls, and MTS allowed you to send photos, communicate in instant messengers, and even make video calls. I have not tested Tele2 and Yota.

Cash. There are terminals on the island for paying taxes, transfers and topping up your mobile phone account. There are no ATMs - money can only be withdrawn at a Sberbank branch. There is only one cashier working there and there is almost always a line. Cards are accepted almost nowhere: I only managed to pay at the pharmacy and the Solovetskaya Sloboda restaurant. Therefore, it is better to take cash with you.

Compass useful for walks in the woods if your phone runs out of charge or your paper map gets wet.

Expenses

At the end of August - beginning of September 2018, we spent 15,500 R per person in Solovki for six days. A tour with the same program costs from 32,000 RUR. I spent another 6555 R on the road from Moscow to Kem and back.

32,000 R

A tour to Solovki is worth it. We went on our own and spent 15,500 RUR

We took breakfasts and snacks with us, had a cheap lunch in the monastery refectory, and went to restaurants and cafes only for dinner. We managed to save on housing because we lived in a tent for three days.

Remember

1. The “resort” season on Solovki lasts from mid-June to mid-August. But even at this time, warm clothes will come in handy.
2. I recommend taking cash. You can only pay by card in some cafes and pharmacies. You can withdraw money at a Sberbank branch, but there are huge queues there.
3. If you want to stay in touch, it is better to take MTS or Megafon SIM cards with you.
4. On the island you can stay in guest houses, hotels or hotels. Options for a budget tourist are a room in a private sector or a place in a tent camp.
5. Book your accommodation and boat tickets at least a month before your trip. Tour operators are buying up places en masse.
6. You should take breakfast and snacks with you. On the island, food is 1.2-2 times more expensive, and cafes open late.
7. On the island, spare batteries for your camera or an external battery for your phone will come in handy. Otherwise, it will be a shame not to capture something incredible like belugas playing.
8. If the temperature rises above 15 degrees, you should prepare repellent and wear a hat with a mosquito net. Mosquitoes and midges are merciless.

Thanks to the Solovetsky Museum-Reserve, Pavel Mokhort, Alexey Pudov and Andrey Gulyaev for answering questions during the preparation of the article.