Kola peninsula

"Land of the midnight sun", "the kingdom of the polar night", "harsh Pohjola–the ancient Lapp Land", "Russian Lapland" – all these epithets relate to the KolaPeninsula.

Popular among amateur tourists, this region is visited every year by more and more  of eco-friendly tourists. There is indeed some special things worth visiting –huge forest lowlands and mountain forests ("tundras"), many lakes, river rapids and waterfalls, rare minerals, outstanding flora and fauna, ancient monuments – one have an opportunity to see it all as a part of wonderful tours.

Most of the peninsula lies north of the Arctic Circle, for a month and a half the sun can not be spotted there, and in winter a polar night reigns on the Kola for the same period of time. In fall and winte rmonths, the darkness of the night is suddenly replaced by miraculous flashes of aurora borealis.

Fewer and fewer territories on Earth remain unaffected by human activities. One of such corners is the Laplandsky Nature Reserve, in which grow forests managed to survive since the last glacier disappeared. Some trees are up to 600 years old!

First and foremost, tourists are attracted by the mountain ranges of the Kola Peninsula, the most famous of which is Khibiny. About 40% of the peninsula's terrain is occupied by swamps, so travelling on foot is not always the best optiont here. Therefore, water routes are a very pleasant way toget to know the nature of this region. Winter ski trails are also popular.

Tourists will take a fancy for acquaintance with the Saami culture – local national cuisine, lifestyle of reindeer herders, special reindeer grazing system.