This site is based on the experience of the cycle tour! More is not possible!
Some mentioned sites are only available in German!
Help with translation do Babelfish and InterTran™ offer...
The traveller without command of Russian will also be in Karelia speechless!!! The writing shows information, but it´s for the traveller just an graphical experience. In the bigger towns and touristic areas some foreign speaking Russians are found with some luck... In the country side is this a kind of a miracle! Probably some city dwellers on holiday or tourist guides...
Helpful item is "Point it" by Dieter Graf (ISBN 3-9803130-2-6) with 1200 pictures of useful things and a small atlas to explain
"...this is my homeplace, which is yours..."
The roadmap "Karjala 1:800.000" by "Karttakeskus" is indispensable, not only because of it´s inscription with Cyrillic and Latin letters but also it´s accuracy.
The maps shows a little more than the area along the Finnish-Russian border, from north to south she covers the area from the Barents Sea till Sankt Petersburg and in west to east from Nurmes (Fin) to Onega (Russ).
In Helsinki you will find a map store from "Karttakeskus" in a side street from the Esplanades, within sight from the tourist office.
Even in Russia new roads will be build...
The climate of Karelia has an continental character with a relative warm summer and a quite cold winter. It´s also influenced by the changing length of daylight during the change of season. The best time for travelling lies within middle of July and the middle of August. the weather may change quite rapidly... From showers to the brightest sun shine...
Without rain no rainbow... Just sunshine is boring!
The wavy surface of Karelia was formed within the glacial period there are still traces of ancient mountains left. Simply: The uphills are short but steep!
The "stony lake-forest land" will reward this with unforgettable views!!! Even the pure numbers sound promising: Water covers a quarter of Karelia´s surface and the forest´s (still) the half of the leftover surface...
Ruble are not allowed to be brought into Russia, therefore some money should be changed as soon as possible when you are in Russia. The receipt of changing money should be kept! Large money bills are not very useful, keep in mind that the average wage is worth one 50 $ bill plus a hand full of coins and the subsistence level can be covered by a 20 $ bill and a 5 $ bill plus a hand full of coins... Take small bills like 1 $, 5 $ and so on... Credit-cards, if they are accepted, are quite endangered. Just the data is needed to create duplicates! This shortens the budget rapidly... Take care!
A Visa should be organised in advance of the journey! A invitation is needed! Take the easy way and order it from a visa agency...
An explicit route description is no longer asked! Every traveller has to register within 72 h or the first working day after arrival at the visa-registration-office (OVIR), every district has it own OVIR-office...
The necessity of registration is widely unknown, it is mostly done secretly by the hotel or the travel-/visa-agency... If you stay in private or rented apartment or have got your visa through private invitation, you of your host have to care yourself! In any case the guarantor will suffer from deeds by the visitor...
The fun with the visa-formalities should be left to professionals...
The money for a visa-agency is well spend...
Ferry Rostock (D)-Helsinki (Fin)
The ferry Finnjet is a comfortable and cheap way to the north! Ride simply with the bike into cycle shed on the car deck and off it goes... No trouble with the weight, no need to carry more than needed for overnight stay! The cycle shed will be locked during the voyage... The buffet-restaurant is awesome...
Train Helsinki (Fin)-Kitee (Fin)
Victims of service provided by the German-Bundesbahn can leave their worries behind... You have to remove your luggage from your bike and you have to haul it around, but even persons with long legs will seat spacious! Cool...
Cycle Kitee (Fin)-Värtsila (Fin)
The neglected cycle is now the way to get from Kitee to Värtsila! the Russian border comes into sight, hello Karelia...
Actually it is a shame not to ride the whole way from Helsinki on, the Finnish infrastructure for cyclists is awesome!
Apart from that you will find on your way the Southkarelian Museum in the fortress of Lappeenranta! It shows an amazing diarama of Viipuri (today: Wyborg) build after aerial pictures from 1939. On that time Viipuri was not only the second largest city with a very international atmosphere but also the capital of Karelia.
Border Värtsila (Rus)
Formalities
No Visa no entry! It is not available at the border! The journey had already stopped before it began...
You have to declare the number of your pieces of luggage, the whole amount foreign currency and other expensive goods you want to bring into Russia by filling you out a Customs and Currency Declaration Statement. (Roubles are not allowed to be im- or exported!) Unlike cars you have not to declare your bicycle...
This Statement should not be lost or thrown away!
The whole procedure has three levels (Passport-control / Customs and Currency Declaration / End Control), it can take some time and you should be prepared for that... Use the breaks in between to change money! Keep in mind that only one 50 $ bill can cover nearly the average wage and therefore small border stations could have problems with handling this... Take small bills like 1 $, 5 $ and so on...
The receipt of the change should be kept also!
Even on a cycle-tour other means of transportation have to be used.
Watertaxi
We used a watertaxi to get to Valaam. You can negotiate about the price... We were bad negotiators... There is also a ferry...
Hydrofoil
Take the hydrofoil to the island Kizhi. It is real experience!!! The boats look a little like the stuff from the Thunderbird TV-series!!!
Impatience is expensive! Take regular means of transportation whenever possible!
On the countryside you will find small shops named "Magazin" or "Produkti" (only food). Behind the desk you will find on shelves the things you need, if you are lucky. Say the word "Mozhno" and point with the finger on the desired good. You may have to navigate the shop assistant with "Da" or "Njet" until it is reached. The price will be shown on an Abacus or a calculator...
No problem! Take a calculator with you! You have to pay in Roubles! Exceptions are some hotels, souvenir shops or other private businesses... Dollars are useful here!
Infrastructure
The roads have really earned their reputation! The dirt road provide fun when dry... The bumps on dirt are not so harsh as on tarmac!
Dogs
Karelian dogs like to chase down cyclists. Quite a good way for them to get rid of aggression formed within the relationship "dog-human". Simply shout "Stoj" and the "doggy" will realise, you are a "human being" and no prey...
Visa-control
Even in the remotest village some official will ask for your Visa and your "Marsh-Route". They are so surprised to see an foreigner, that they are even lacking a sheet of paper to write down your passport data. Their authority is shown by a licence card and a label on their sleeve with Cyrillic letters on...
Forest fire
Now and then some forest fire warning signs could be seen during touring, at home even the Tageschau (German TV news) mentioned "...forest fires north from Sankt Petersburg..."... Never the less small fires could be seen every-where, as protecting against the mosquitoes or to cook a soup during fishing...
It is a rough ride on Russian roads! The dogs are a diversion ...
Visa-control are somehow a nice break! They took only place in villages!
Only the others have seen forest fires (Only available in German!)...
A cycle tour in areas like Karelia includes camping. It is no problem, the Russians do the same. But it is not clear, what is allowed or forbidden! Nobody cares about it, there are more important things to care about...
Take care while camping, not to spoil the environment or your own safety!
Apart from the wellknown hotel-monstrosities you may find small hotels with a decent amount of luck. There will be no signs like hotel or something...!
A good way to learn a little about the Russian way of living!
Camping may suit the trapper for a longer period of time, but he will only see the environment! Meeting people is salt in the soup of travelling...
Preparation
Beside the usual immunization like Tetanus, Diphteria and Polio you should consider following vaccinations:
Hepatitis A or/and B
The type A can by caused by dirty water, type B needs the exchange of body fluids...
This desease of the central nervous system is transmitted by ticks. Karelia belongs like Finland to the areas, where the ticks transmit TBE. Do not confuse TBE with lyme!
Health Information for Travelers to Eastern Europe and the Newly Independent States of the Former Soviet Union (NIS)
(Source: CDC)
In any case ask your family doctor first!
On the move
During summer traveller have enough time the enjoy the nuisance of the north, not the ticks but the mosquitoes are really annoying!!!Summer is paradise for them! Everybody else is reminded of hell! The natives try to show as little skin as possible and use small smoky fire, when waiting for bus and so on...! Repellents help, if they cover the whole exposed skin!
Only the first night frost does really help against them!
Another problem is how to get drinking water. A lot of the streaming surface water seems to be clean..., at least is looks like clean water. Tap water has sometimes not a very trustwhorthy appearance... Buy mineral water instead?
Treatment is necessary: Clear water got DRINKWELL Chlorine (chlorine destroys the cell membrane of micro organism) to purify and later DRINKWELL Antichlorine was used to get rid of the chlorine. Micropur (contains silver ions) was used to preserve water for later use!
The following links are only available in German! But they are the best I know...
Informations about purifying water (Author: Guido Eink)
Parameter to detect the quality of water (Author: Guido Eink)
Actual dictionary of drinking water (Source: Certisil)
General hygiene (Author: Guido Eink)
Border Värtsila (Rus)
It was no problem at all, nobody was interesed in my documents (Customs and Currency Declaration / receipt of the money change) except the passport of course... My luggage was also neglected... My cycle put a smile on several faces...