Expeditions to the Kola Peninsula

Exactly a week has passed since we returned from our UNFORGETTABLE trip... and I still can't get over the Kola Peninsula! 

No wonder you fell in love with it and devoted so many years to this region. I must say that the north is the north, but the way you choose routes, how you plan each day, the evenings in the camp filled with information and atmosphere — it's a whole different art form! I give you a high five! I not only visited this polar land, but also got to know its history, as if I went on an excursion :)) 

Anyway, with you, even to the ends of the earth :) we just need to improve the gear ;) 

p.s. in March, reserve a spot for me in the ski trek

The beauty of nature is incredible: crimson forest, endless White Sea, and crazy sunsets. The route was not difficult, the food was so diverse that I didn't want anything after returning) The tent is a cool tool that can withstand any weather) I'll be back again)

While watching another video about northern travels on one of the platforms, I learned about Pavel in the comments. I wrote to him the same evening and received an exhaustive answer, which served as a positive impetus for the decision to go on a trek.

I immediately liked Pavel's thorough, informal approach to organizing the trek, there are no small things for him. The route is perfectly planned, taking into account the places for day stops and overnight stays, sources of water, etc. On the trek, I was pleasantly surprised that the travelers were given leisure time after dinner.

Pavel turned on the projector and we watched documentaries and cartoons in our 'dining tent' and discussed the day that had passed. Far from the comforts of civilization, this was very encouraging, it seems to me, for tired tourists.

Assembling a group for the trek is another great merit of Pavel. Our group developed a very warm relationship with each other during the trek. We still continue to communicate in the common chat. And I hope to see my 'tribesmen' again on the next trek!

I didn't know what a trek was, I wanted to be somewhere far away in a beautiful place and head towards the sea. Different people were walking next to me, some already knew what a trek was, others were like me. 

They say that in order to convey your idea or feelings, you need to take a person along the same route. And Pavel took us through berries, delicious food, incredible nature, warm evenings, sincere stories, everything was easy and fun as it should be for people who know and love their job with all their hearts.

Thank you and see you on the Ya....)

The landscapes and views are breathtaking to the core and even further!

You look in one direction, there the tundra begins to shimmer with colorful hues, look the other way — endless sea, even an ocean with its inhabitants (seal pups, cetaceans will accompany almost the entire journey).

I consider this route one of the best in terms of effort and beauty seen.

The trek itself is very conveniently organized, with accommodation on the first and last days. Comfortable transfer. Special thanks for the good varied food on the route!
All stops are in very beautiful places, although it's hard to find anything ugly there.

I want to highlight that Pavel not only leads the way, but also tells about these places from a geographical, historical, and even ethnographic point of view! Great thanks for these stories, it was very interesting!

I highly recommend this trek to fall in love with the Kola Peninsula for a lifetime!

The trek was super great! There was so much beauty there, as if no one had reached it yet, and we were the first ones like that.

I'd like to note that for me it was really a mental rest, when you don't have to worry about anything, take care of anything. Except maybe scaring off bears, but by the middle of the trek even that becomes more confident and less scary.

The food was very tasty, Pasha and Roma are super gourmet chefs. Safety was at a high level, I didn't even doubt it.

It was also interesting to study the history of the Kola Peninsula, and how you, Pasha, enthusiastically tell about it yourself and study everything. The team was very cheerful. Two weeks later, I still miss it and want to return to those wonderful northern days in the tundra!

I went on a hike to Daliye Zelentsy completely by chance. A friend suggested signing up and I agreed.

Then there were a number of organizational moments and the hike itself, of course. The nature of the Kola Peninsula is beautiful and exceeds all expectations, but most of all I liked Pasha's work.

Everything is thought out to the smallest detail in terms of organization. Interviews with potential participants, gear recommendations, hotel before and after the hike, no duty roster, maintaining a positive atmosphere in the group and caring for each participant of the hike and many other nuances. All this provides the best possible impressions and a comfortable atmosphere in the group.

The hike was very different from the usual commercial hikes I've been on before and I think it can be called exemplary)

Many thanks and best wishes to Pasha and Ilya!
I will definitely try to go with them again.

The journey begins with a small climb up a hill, inhaling the most delicious and freshest cool air, taking in the incredible expanse and beauty around, smiling and feeling absolutely happy — that's it — what I've been waiting for all year.

On this trek, the tundra is beautiful with its brutal beauty, the hills and rocks are low, wide, and massive, their walls are smooth, and they seem to tell that they have been here for millions of years, carved by a glacier, adorned by winds and waves, they do not age — they become more and more beautiful.

Early summer is a special time for the tundra: there are no thickets anywhere yet — all the leaves and buds are just gaining strength and look like an incredible tender miracle surrounded by massive stones. Birds are preparing to become parents: they incubate their clutches, protect them, and drive away uninvited guests.

A special pleasure is to walk along the shore during low tide — you can meet all the little sea creatures, watch the shrimp and crabs rushing about, the snails crawling slowly, and around there are whole fields of sandworms. It's so great that in such a cold sea there is so much incredible life.

For me, the tundra has become the most beloved place in the world, a place where I feel at home. Here it is always easy to breathe, the wind is blowing, there is an abundance of tasty and clean water, and there is so much beauty that the field of vision is not enough to see everything at once, because the beauty here is in everything — even underfoot there is an incredible carpet of mosses and reindeer moss. It is always different — behind every hill there is always something new waiting for you that will not leave you indifferent.

And the tundra loves you, even when you are tired and the weather is bad, you will definitely be cheered up: the sun will appear from behind the clouds, a huge seid, a rushing herd of deer, a whale in the sea, or you will be treated to berries.

I am very grateful to Pasha for all these incredible miracles. Words have not yet been invented to describe how much.

Pasha sees all this incredible beauty and knows how to infect others with it and share it. When I go on a trip with Pasha, I don't go to overcome something, but to live my best life. I know for sure that everything will be thought out and organized, that I will be fed very deliciously, supported, sheltered from the wind in a chum, told a lot about this region and its exploration, and also that no one will get lost, because there is a rear guide and everyone can go at a comfortable pace.

And Pasha is always in touch and you can get advice from him to choose the perfect gear, and then enjoy the trip both under the local Arctic rain and in +5 degrees, which feel like -2 due to the gusts of wind, and in +25 — all this diversity can happen in one day, but you will be ready for it, because Pasha is the best, and he has already thought of everything).

The Kola North is a place that you can't visit once and not think about returning. This is what happened to me, no matter how many times I visited it, you leave with a sad heart, it doesn't let you go, this is what happened this year as well.

Having explored a little of the northern part of the Kola Peninsula and the coast of the Barents Sea, I decided to see what's there in the south, because there's also a sea there, the White Sea, and who else but Pavel Rudenko can take you there, to walk through impassable forests, swamps, immerse yourself in mosses, walk on reindeer moss and eat berries to your heart's content and reach the seashore. The decision was made and the trek should happen.

The weather in the Kola Peninsula made the impossible possible, the lack of rain and high temperatures made it possible to trek in boots, as the moisture decreased significantly, the forest is dry, the temperature is comfortable, the almost complete absence of rain made this trek as relaxing as possible. But this will not always be the case and it is important to know, the Kola Peninsula does not forgive mistakes and does not like relaxed tourists, so you need to get ready thoroughly.

The Tersky coast amazed with its diverse nature, it differs from the northern coast, the forest is overgrown with fallen trees, in the center of which there are fantastic reindeer moss fields, a lot of berries, no mice or other small rodents and, as a result, no predators (foxes) that can put on a show in the camp at night for careless tourists. Unreal views from the hills to the sea and islands, and after we reached the shore and walked for two days along the low tide, it's just out of this world.

The sea is full of colorful jellyfish, kelp and other marine flora and fauna under your feet, and ahead, among the stones, you can observe those who feed on all these gifts, the owner of the taiga, the Brown bear, who slowly wanders along the shore and does not pay attention to tourists, but you should not relax, after all, it's a wild and very large animal, but not conflict, and therefore, having made some noise, we sent him into the forest for berries, and went further ourselves.

The sea is calmer and quieter than the Barents Sea, but it also has its own power, on the way we met sea seals, swimming in a large company, they sometimes looked at us, how we walk and watch them with monoculars, by the way, all the equipment for safety and observation is provided by the guide and it's just an incredibly convenient service.

Food on the route is a whole different story, the cuisine is diverse and very nutritious, if you want to lose weight on a trek, it's not about Pasha and Anya. These two people cooked such dishes that some participants lost their speech. I won't tell you about the menu, you'll see everything for yourself.

The campsites are organized with the best views of all the beauty of the nature of the north and with the possibility of radial walks without backpacks. The route is absolutely not stressful and very beautiful, the locations change one another as in a movie, first the forest, then the sea, then the forest again, then the hills, lakes and of course the aurora, otherwise it wouldn't be the Kola Peninsula.

Sometimes it seems that the trek with Pavel Rudenko has a certain scenario and everything happens as if according to it, first a bear, then ptarmigans, then the aurora, then a meteor shower and it's very cool when it happens like that.

I highly recommend this trek as a way to clear your head of unnecessary clutter and just relax your soul and body.
The north is in the blood, the fire is in the chest.

Skiing trips with cold nights and even with a sleigh is an absolute exotic in our region, supported by a small number of enthusiasts.

And organized commercial walking is something that literally could not have been dreamed of for a couple of years. But I really believed that Pasha would bring up this topic in the end. And so it was born. I immediately grabbed this ticket to happiness.

I dare say that I am a person who has all the equipment for this kind of activity, wintering in these parts just for the purposes of this kind of entertainment, and I can easily go solo or with my wife. And an uncompromising approach is very important in this matter: if we go with a sleigh, then everything is with a sleigh. If it's cold, then it's cold all the days. Therefore, my subjective assessment of the campaign was very high.

In short: everything was top))

Learn more about the main points:
- the logistics are excellent. Due to possible transport problems, sidings like drop-offs and drop-offs were thought out.
- If you don't have your own equipment, it's really cool and high-quality.: hilly, helsport, fjalraven... everything that pleases the ear of a lover of Scandinavian themes is available here and you can try it.
- all safety rituals have been observed: registration with the Ministry of Emergency Situations, satellite communication, communication with participants on this topic.

- there are also requirements for the participants themselves, as well as for their equipment. After all, here the problem of one becomes the problem of all, and this is taken into account.
- food. My wife and I basically go on sublimates and don't risk culinary experiments on camping trips, but! The food looked great and no one complained in words or actions. Thanks to the second guide Sasha!)
- the general atmosphere was maintained and there was no oppression. We were pretty unlucky with the weather, there was a thaw. But there was no melting and despondency. Down with the gloom!)

In general, Pasha's hiking has a progressive view of tourism, which is good news. I am very glad that I got into the first "stream" and I will gladly go again in a few years to see how it all developed., Reflect on the difference between these years)

I absolutely recommend everyone to go exactly in this form: it is skiing, it is sledding, it is cold overnight stays. And Pasha has a great chance to roll into this topic)