Kalevala (Калевала) is a small settlement in Karelia lost in woods and surrounded by lakes and swamps. You need to get to Kem (Кемь) (24 hrs from Moscow) first and then to drive to or take minibus to Kalevala (170 km). Here are some pictures for you to get an impression on winter in this fairy-tale land.

There is a tourist company that owns a hotel and a tourist base there. Its name is “Welt” (Велт – Карельские путешествия). I can recommend to plan your trip to Kalevala with them. They offer rooms, food, transfer, activities of almost every kind. In summer these are boating, four-wheeling, rafting, fishing, dog-trekking, excursions, hikes, Russian sauna and you can hire a husky for a day or spend time at the husky kennels. In winter it is skiing, husky-sledding, snowmobiling, fishing, Russian sauna. Their site is http://kalevala-welt.ru/ email trips@onego.ru and trips2003@yandex.ru. Ask if you have questions

If you go back from Kalevala via Kem train station and your train arrives at the platform 2 and the platform 1 is occupied by another train, you will need to enter this train on platform 1 and get off it to board your train…