South Kola South Kola a Travel Guide to the Southern Part of Murmansk Oblast
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Jussi Konttinen Jussi A travel guide to the southern part of Murmansk oblast A travel SOUTH KOLA SOUTH KOLA A travel guide to the southern part of Murmansk oblast SOUTH KOLA A travel guide to the southern part of Murmansk oblast Jussi Konttinen 2008 This book was produced in the EU-funded Interreg-Tacis joint project, “LapKola 2 – Development of cross-border tourism business between Lapland and South Kola”. The project belongs to the Interreg III A Northern Kolarctic Neighbourhood Programme. The project is managed by Finnbarents, a joint project unit of Rovaniemi University of Applied Sciences and the University of Lapland. Rovaniemi University of Applied Sciences publication series C, no. 19 ISSN: 1239-7741 ISBN: 978-952-5153-76-7 Translated from the Finnish publication by BSF / Keith Kosola Cover design: Milla Hirvaskari & Suvi Kuusniemi Cover photos: Milla Hirvaskari, Jussi Konttinen & Jaakko Ikävalko (front cover), Nikolai Maximov, Jussi Konttinen & Ilkka Kauppinen (back cover)Photos: Jaakko Ikävalko, Ilkka Kauppinen, Nadežda Kolupajeva, Jussi Konttinen, Nikolai Maksimov, Niko Väistö Maps: Mark Kalinin & Jussi Konttinen Rovaniemi 2008 Kalevaprint, Oulu CONTENTS Map of Southern Kola Region .....................................................6 Foreword ...............................................................................................9 1. Practical information ............................................................. 13 Why go to South Kola? .......................................................... 13 The region and its people ...................................................... 14 Climate ....................................................................................... 15 Nature ........................................................................................ 16 How should I go? ..................................................................... 19 When should I go? .................................................................. 24 Visa and registration ............................................................... 25 Travel limitations ...................................................................... 25 Time ............................................................................................ 26 Language .................................................................................... 26 Currency and expenses ......................................................... 26 What should I take along? ..................................................... 27 Where will I stay the night? .................................................. 27 Where will I eat? ..................................................................... 28 Sauna .......................................................................................... 28 Purchases ................................................................................... 29 Regional maps ........................................................................... 29 Telephone and the Internet ................................................... 30 Dangers ...................................................................................... 31 Fishing and hunting .................................................................. 32 Active vacation ......................................................................... 33 How do I get to South Kola? ................................................ 35 How do I get around in South Kola? ................................... 38 Table of distances ...................................................................... 41 Map of Southern Kola Region ............................................... 44 2. Alakurtti ........................................................................................ 45 The border ................................................................................ 45 The border zone ..................................................................... 45 From the border to Alakurtti ............................................... 46 Salla Fell ..................................................................................... 47 Former Sallansuu parish village and cemeteries ............... 47 Kairala and Kuolajärvi villages ............................................... 50 Vuorijärvi village ....................................................................... 50 Kutsajoki River Nature Reserve .......................................... 50 Tuntsajoki River (Tumcha) ..................................................... 53 Alakurtti ..................................................................................... 53 From Alakurtti to Kandalaksha ............................................. 55 Verman ....................................................................................... 56 Zarechensk ............................................................................... 56 3. Kandalaksha ................................................................................ 57 St. Petersburg-Murmansk road ............................................. 57 Kanda-Viking vacation village ................................................ 58 Vitino .......................................................................................... 58 Knyazhaya Guba and Zelenoborsk ...................................... 59 Lesozavodsky ............................................................................ 59 Kovda .......................................................................................... 59 Kandalaksha .............................................................................. 60 Statoil Oasis .............................................................................. 66 Kandalaksha Nature Reserve ................................................ 67 White Sea .................................................................................. 67 White Sea diving ...................................................................... 68 The road from Kandalaksha to Varzuga .............................. 68 Kandalaksha area fells ............................................................. 69 Sieidi sacrificial stones ............................................................ 70 Labyrinths .................................................................................. 71 Luvenga ...................................................................................... 72 Kolvitsa ....................................................................................... 73 Map: Kandalaksha ...................................................................... 75 Photos ................................................................................................ 77 4. Umba and the Ter Coast ....................................................... 97 Porya Bay ................................................................................... 97 Kanozero Lake rock drawings .............................................. 97 The road from Umba to Kirovsk ......................................... 98 Umba .......................................................................................... 98 The Pomors ............................................................................101 Tonya Tetrina and the Turiy Peninsula ...............................102 Kuzreka ....................................................................................104 Olenitsa ....................................................................................104 Kashkarantsy ...........................................................................105 Amethyst rocks ......................................................................105 Varzuga .....................................................................................105 Kuzomen and the desert .....................................................107 The White Sea coast from Ustye-Varzugi to Chavanga 108 Chavanga ..................................................................................110 Pink Salmon (Gorbusha) ......................................................112 From Chavanga to Tetrino ...................................................113 Bears’ honeymoon ................................................................113 Tetrino ......................................................................................114 The deepest essence of low tide biking ...........................114 East of Tetrino ........................................................................115 Strelna ......................................................................................116 Chapoma .................................................................................116 Pyalitsa .....................................................................................116 Pulonga River, Lihodeyevka River and Babya River ........116 Map: Umba and the Ter Coast ............................................117 5. Polyarnye Zori ..........................................................................118 Lysaya Gora ski centre .........................................................122 North of Polyarnye Zori ......................................................123 Kovdor .....................................................................................124 Lapland Biosphere Reserve .................................................125 Map: Polyarnye Zori ..............................................................127 6. Apatity .........................................................................................128