Side-by-Side Expedition along the White Sea Coast

Today we will start our adventure! First, transfer to our starting point -village Varzuga, the first documented settlement in Kola peninsula. Here we will equip our gear and after detailed safety briefing and driving tips finally get into our Side-by-Sides. Before setting out enroute, we will drive up to the viewpoint to have a look at the Pomor village.

According to Novgorodian chronicle in 1419 a Norwegian warband of 500 people burned Varzuga monastery as part of the pillaging campaign. The place there the monastery once stood is marked with a commemoration cross. The river divides the village into two parts. The jewel of the right-hand side is the church of Dormition – a holy place for the whole Kola peninsula and a masterpiece of wooden architecture built in 1674.

Then, we ride to the White Sea along a beautiful forest road and through famous Kuzomen sands. On reaching the shore, we move along the sandy coastline to a stunning massive red rock. Here we meet one of the geological wonders of Kola peninsula – the amethyst shore of Tersky Coast. This place is famous for large deposits of amethysts that were mined by monks since 16th century. Nowadays there are no big amethysts left, but it is possible to take a smaller one as a souvenir!

After making beautiful photos we turn to the mouth of river Varzuga. Here we will take a ferry to get to the other side and move to the real challenge of the first day – rocky hill. After detailed driving guidelines from our guides, we will overcome 3 km of rocky road shattered by cargo trucks and all-terrain vehicles. The last part of the route for today is a high-speed trail along a sandy dirt road passing through forests and a suspension bridge across river Chavonga. In Chavonga village we’ll stay for the night in cosy guest houses with all conveniences and hospitable hosts.

Trails along sands, rocks and even a deep ford crossing provide us a great opportunity to appreciate the power of our BRP side-by-sides and get lots of unforgettable emotions.

The route of the fifth day is no less exciting. Our goal for the day is to reach river Strelna – the southernmost point of Kola peninsula. Part of the route will go through swamps, so be ready for challenges and adventures! It is possible we will have to use winches equipped on our side-by-sides.

Midway we will enter the village Tetrino founded on a spot of fishermen stops and saltworks of the 17th century. During the winter there is only one person living in the village, but in summer the life comes back into village as townsfolk born in the village bring their families to stay in summer houses. The village is one of the most interesting parts of our tour for the herds of wild horses that graze there. These Siberian breed horses were taken to Tersky coast in Soviet times. Since then the horses settled down in a new place, divided into three herds and peacefully live in the wilds. They are not afraid of people and will gladly agree to photos in exchange for something tasty.

4 km away from Tetrino we will cross a river and ride to the final destination for the day – Strelna, one of the most picturesque rivers of our region. Here we will enjoy the natural beauty of the surrounding untouched nature and make unique photos of roaring rapids, canyons, strange rocks of red marble and, last but not least, spectacular waterfall.

On the sixth day we will continue immersion into culture and everyday life of Pomor people – native people of the White Sea coast and Tersky coast specifically. We will visit ethnic museum in Chavonga village with the local guide and, after the tour, we’ll re-enact the main trade of Pomors - go fishing.

Half of the group will be bank fishing on the river, while the other half will swim several hundreds meters away from the shore on a tradition Pomor boat – karbas. Here we will try to catch fish using the same methods as people 1000 years before us. After lunch that will include fish, the groups will change and we will continue fishing until the evening.

In the day’s finale we will have dinner on the seashore. We will cook delicious soup made of fish that we caught earlier that day. Surrounded by pristine nature, listening to the quiet rustle of the waves and occasional cries of seabirds, we will raise a glass of wine or a more traditional Russian drink and make a toast to the beauty of this region and magic charm of Tersky coast.