4x4 Arctic Winter Off-road Adventure on Kola Peninsula

Day 1: Salla border – Kandalaksha (200 km - 3h)
Your winter adventure starts after crossing the Russian border point named Salla. A snowy/icy road of almost 200 km will bring you to the first town named Kandalaksha. Check-in in the hotel. Dinner on your own in a recommended restaurant or café. This day is without guiding.
If there is a good broadcast you can go for Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) watching.
Icy roads: 200 km, cleaned roads: 10 km, Off-road: 0 km.

Day 2: Kandalaksha – Varzuga village (250 km - 8h)
Breakfast. Meeting the guide with a real 4x4 Russian army truck. Drive along the White Sea coast to Varzuga village direction. Visit the Pomor Village Kashkarantsy on the shore of Frozen White Sea. On the way try outs onto deep snow roads to the White Sea shore. Improvised wilderness lunch on the way. Arrival at Varzuga village. Dinner and overnight in a house of local people in more-person rooms.
If there is a good broadcast you can go for Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) watching.
Icy roads: 250 km, Off-road: max 20 km. (B,L,D)

Day 3: Varzuga – Kuzomen – Varzuga (40 km - 8h)
Breakfast. Today we try to reach the most eastern point of the Kola Peninsula what can be reached by off-road vehicles; remote village Kuzomen. Snow dunes and snow desert is waiting to cross. Possibility to see wild horses. Drive back to Varzuga village for dinner, sauna and overnight in the guesthouse.
If there is a good broadcast you can go for Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) watching.
Icy roads: 250 km, Off-road: max 20 km.(B,L,D).

Day 4: Varzuga – Oktyabrsky
After breakfast we drive the same way back to Kandalaksha. Lunch in a small café on the way. Continue to Kirovsk city and to Oktyabrsky village. Dinner and overnight in a small guesthouse..
If there is a good broadcast you can go for Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) watching.
Cleaned roads: 70 km, Icy roads: 335 km (B,L,D).

Day 5: Oktyabrsky – Inga (50 km - 8h).
After breakfast try to drive to Inga village (50 km south of Oktyabrsky). There is no guarantee that we can reach it because of snow conditions. If we can manage we have dinner and stay the night in a Saami Sot house named “Vezha”, possibility to sleep like the Saami; around the campfire. If we cannot manage to drive to Inga, then we drive back to the guesthouse for dinner, sauna (traditional of hot tube) and overnight.
If there is a good broadcast you can go for Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) watching.
Snowy roads: 50 km (B,L,D).

Day 6: Inga – Oktyabrsky (50 km – 6h).
Breakfast. If we stayed the night in Inga then we have to drive the same way back to Oktyabrsky. If we stayed at the guesthouse then we can try another road to reach the rests of a Stalin Gulag OR we can try our luck with ice fishing (optional). The host will bring us by snowmobile and sledge to a huge lake surrounded by mountains, where we can drill holes and make ice fishing. Dinner, sauna and overnight in the guesthouse.
If there is a good broadcast you can go for Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) watching.
Snowy roads: 50 km (B,L,D).

Day 7: Oktyabrsky – Snowmobile safari – Murmansk (250km – 8h).
After breakfast leaving Oktyabrsky and drive to our safari house for a 4 hour snowmobile safari on the foot of Khibiny mountains. After instructions how to drive a snowmobile the off-road guide will leave you. You are going to make a guided snowmobile tour in the beautiful mountain landscape. You can enjoy beautiful panoramic mountain views and drink a cuo of hot tea in a small hotel in the Northern part of Khibiny Mountains. After that back to the Safari house. Possibility to have lunch in a café and/or visit a Snow Village on your own. Drive according a detailed decription to World’s biggest city above the Polar Circle Murmansk. Check-in at the hotel in the centre. Time for sightseeing the city on your own. We provide you with map and description. Dinner on your own in recommended café’s.
If there is a good broadcast you can go for Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) watching.
Icy roads: 35 km, cleaned roads: 115 km. (B).

Day 8: Time to say Farewell 4x4 Arctic Winter Adventure and Russia
After breakfast you have time to visit the city of Murmansk. You can visit museums like the Historical Museum, Atomic Icebreaker and the Northern Fleet Museum. It is only 250 km to the Norwegian border and takes 4 hours or 300 km to Finland (Ivalo) and takes 5 hours.
Cleaned roads 20km, Icy roads: 230 km (to Norway) or 280 km to Finland. (B).

Info and additional options for this Arctic Ice Roads Adventure:

• You can prolong your tour with an extra day by having a daytrip to Teriberka village and the Barents Sea. It goes as follows: After breakfast at 9:00 a.m., a guide meet you in the hotel and together you drive to Teriberka on the coast of the Barents Sea. This is an interesting and beautiful 120 km long icy road through the tundra. Your guide will tell you about the history and life of the Teriberka village, which has been known since 1523. In good weather, you will visit a beautiful (icy) waterfall that falls directly into the Arctic Sea. Teriberka became famous after the film "Leviathan" by the producer Alexei Zvyagintsev in 2015. Lunch in a cafe on the bank of the Barents Sea. Then return to Murmansk. Dinner in a recommended restaurant. Overnight at hotel. (B,-,-)
• Kandalaksha:
  • Boat excursion to "Babylon Labyrinth", a stone structure of archaeological interest
  • Traditional shashlyk meal
• Varzuga village:
  • Hospitality in guesthouse. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and overnight.
  • Sauna for groups in guesthouse.
  • To visit the wooden Uspenkaya Church dated from 1674.
  • A hike to the Holy springs in the forest behind Varzuga village (4 km). A local guide to show way to the Springs.
  • Possibility to go salmon fishing in Varzuga river on your own. A ferryman can bring you to a good fishing spot.
  • Fishing license “Catch – Release”.
  • Rental fishing equipment.
  • Possibility to go professional salmon fishing at sport fishing camp: Sobachy Porog. A full day fishing with guide service incl. lunch and dinner.
• Kirovsk area:
  • Excursion in Mineralogical Museum in Kirovsk.
  • Excursion in Museum of the North in Kirovsk
  • Excursion in Northern Botanical garden near Kirovsk
  • Alpine skiing on the best slopes of NW Russia in Kirovsk
  • Cross country skiing on lighted tracks near Kirovsk
  • Info about Snow-village near Kirovsk
  • Info about Snow-mobile safaris in Khibiny Tundra
  • See link above for more info
• Murmansk:
  • Tickets for museums and museum excursions cost between RUB 100 and RUB 1000 per person.
  • Entrance ticket to Atomic Icebreaker to join an excursion in Russian language: RUR 600 pp. Individual excursion to Atomic Icebreaker with a lecture in English language can be arranged.
  • City excursion in Hero city Murmansk.
  • Trip to Husky kennel close to Murmansk.
  • Trip to Saami Settlement close to Lovozero.
  • Trip to Teriberka and the Barents sea shore.
  • Trip to Husky Park close to Lovozero.
  • Trip to Lovozero village; Capital of the Saami.
• Single- or double-entry invitations for Russian visa request.