Valaam Archipelago, Valaam, Republic of Karelia, Russia
This beautiful, mostly forested archipelago in the north of Lake Ladoga consists of around 50 isles tightly clustered around a 27.8-sq-km main island, where the Transfiguration Monastery is the main drawcard.
If you’re overwhelmed by the stampede of pilgrims, explore a dozen other smaller churches, chapels and sketes on pretty headlands, quiet inland bays or bridged islets. It’s by no means an essential sight, however – if you are island-hopping in the region and pressed for time, Kizhi and the Solovetsky Islands have far more to offer.
Epic Russia Culture & Adventure Route © Monika Newbound
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