Practical Information

Excursions

Solovki is the main part of Mir Corporation’s popular Gulag Archipelago tour. Call them on 206-624-7289, fax 206-624-7360 or email [email protected]. Their Moscow partners are Smart Travel, tel. (7095) 233-1765.

The company Pomortour (formerly Arkhangelsktourist, tel 8-8182-439797 from inside Russia) handles excursions both by boat and chartered plane from Arkhangelsk on the sea’s eastern shore, and claims over 30 years experience in tourism. Cruises on the company’s  small, rather cramped ship the Yuzhar run weekly, subject to demand, from Friday to Monday  till the end of September, and cost $250 per person, including entry permit, accommodation and full board on ship, and excursions on the island

.

Arkhangelsk Intourist (8-8182-491430, 435925) can arrange bookings on the regular weekday flights to the islands, entry permits, excursions  and lodgings on the island all year round, as can Arkhangelsk’s top hotel, the Pur Navolok (tel 8-8182-433458, fax 8-8182-438104).

Shorter boat trips can also be arranged from the Kem Tourist Base in Karelia, tel. (operator assisted) 20385.

Accommodation

Visitors staying on Solovetsky Island can choose between  rooms in apartments and a four-room guest house, converted in 1993 from a guard house for the nearby prison (built in 1987 but never used for its original purpose). The guest house is pleasantly rustic and clean, with three hearty meals served daily and a banya nearby. At this time, camping is not allowed on the islands.

Entry permits

Yes, you need visas to visit Solovki — the archipelago is a frontier zone. Because of rules and regulations that even the regional administrations don’t completely understand, visitors must obtain an entry for Solovki on their current visa from the local  Visa and Registration Office (OVIR). So, if traveling individually, give yourself three days or so to go through this process (invitations are required from someone on the island). Any of the tourist agencies handling trips to Solovetsky will be able to arrange permits, which are usually part of their package.

Tips

This is a rustic island. Luxuries like cinemas  or sidewalk cafes (or real coffee) are out, roads run from marginal to worse — buses rattle over washboard-like dirt roads or plunge through moguls on muddy lanes.

There are few things to buy on the island so bring all you need to be comfortable.

The best time to come is September, when the island is at its most colorful and peaceful, and mosquitoes are relatively rare (in summer, bug repellant is essential). Winter is also delightful. Cross-country skiing in winter-muffled woods and steamy banya baths are the highlights.

If a visit to the nearby Anzer or Great Zayats islands is desired, please notify the tourist agency or island management at least three days in advance so a boat can be arranged. Anzer island is home to the tiny Trinity and Golgotha skeets[monasteries]) and Great Zayats has 12 of the prehistoric rock mazes mentioned above.