Solovetsky Islands Discovery

Welcome to Russia, welcome to our wonderful ship Nikolay Zharkov! After a brief check-in, you’ll meet the ship’s crew at a delightful cocktail reception – a relaxing way to begin your adventure after a day’s travel.

This jewel of the Golden Ring of Russia dates back to 937 AD, and so is one of the nation’s oldest cities. Its gem-like architecture includes the gold and blue-domed Church of St. Dmitry on the Blood. This is the place to savour traditional Russian life and walk inside the ancient Kremlin.

Kuzino is a small village in the Vologda Oblast. There is an ethnographic complex where the "Prince's Court" - a medieval northern settlement with a reconstructed fortified manor house - is located. On the territory of the manor recreated the courtyard of the local prince with his retinue and servants, with chopped palaces, a tereme and outbuildings. On the first floor there is a reconstructed gridnitsa - a place for guards and feasts in ancient Rus.

At the heart of Europe’s second largest lake – Lake Onega – sits Kizhi Island, home to the Kizhi Pogost UNESCO World Heritage Site. Marvel at its open-air museum of wooden architecture, a truly unique spectacle.

Lock No. 5

Sosnovets is a cosy place that organically combines urban development and the pristine nature of the Russian North. The settlement is famous for being the location of one of the Gulag camps. Sosnovets was one of the most important points during the Second World War, and later a fish breeding factory was opened here, where they were engaged in artificial breeding of salmon.

The town of Belomorsk is located on the shore of the White Sea and is considered a major seaport and railway junction.

Arkhangelsk is the city of white nights on the White Sea and the cradle of Peter the Great's fleet. People come to Arkhangelsk to see the majestic Northern Dvina river, which flows into the White Sea, to get acquainted with the amazing Arkhangelsk wooden architecture, to see the northernmost drawbridge in the world and visit one of the oldest theatres in Russia, as well as to taste the famous gingerbread.

The largest archipelago of the White Sea - the Solovetsky Islands and their water area is a museum-reserve and has the status of a specially protected area. The main pearl of the archipelago - the Transfiguration of the Savior Transfiguration Monastery is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. In the 1920s there was the Solovetsky Special Purpose Camp. Now the museum of the monument to the dark Soviet repressions occupies part of the monastery.

The Arctic Circle lies at latitude 66°33′44″ north of the equator. Everything north of this imaginary line is called the Arctic, the Arctic Circle, the "edge of the world". This is the realm of boundless tundra, white nights and cold Arctic breath. In summer, during the expedition cruise season, the Polar Regions often enjoy sunshine and relative warmth. At this time, the deserted and cold tundra suddenly becomes covered with a carpet of the brightest colours imaginable.

Kandalaksha is the southernmost town of the Murmansk Oblast with more than 500 years of history. "The Pearl of Pomorye" - that's how its residents call Kandalaksha. Kandalaksha is located on the shore of the White Sea in the south-western part of the Murmansk region. According to scientists, people inhabited these places seven thousand years ago, but the first mention of Kandalaksha as a town dates back to the 16th century. There is also information that Novgorodians sent expeditions here from the 11th century in pursuit of furbearers, gyrfalcons, walruses and fish.

The Arctic Circle lies at latitude 66°33′44″ north of the equator. Everything north of this imaginary line is called the Arctic, the Arctic Circle, the "edge of the world". This is the realm of boundless tundra, white nights and cold Arctic breath. In summer, during the expedition cruise season, the Polar Regions often enjoy sunshine and relative warmth. At this time, the deserted and cold tundra suddenly becomes covered with a carpet of the brightest colours imaginable.

The town of Belomorsk is located on the shore of the White Sea and is considered a major seaport and railway junction.

Petrozavodsk is the capital of the Republic of Karelia, the country of blue lakes and rapids, pines and harsh rocks. The city is located on the northwest shore of Lake Onega. Since ancient times, these lands have been inhabited by Karelians and Finns, Vepsians and Sami - descendants of ancient Finno-Ugric tribes.

Today, after passing through the Volga-Baltic Canal, our ship will stop in the village of Goritsy, surrounded by forests of the Vologda region. This land is famous for its monasteries, which history is closely connected with the history of Russia.

Myshkin is an amazing small town on the Volga, which managed to gain the status of a cultural center. People began to populate the territory on which modern Myshkin is located another 3-5 millennia BC.

We hope you’ve had a wonderful journey on board with us, and we hope to see you again soon!