Boats

Local residents call the Northern Ladoga Lake - Karelian Switzerland for the beauty of its mountains, green valleys, rocky islands and quiet skerries.

There is a legend that once in these places lived big people, called metelilyayeny, "noisy people" - fairy creatures from the Karelian legends. On the islands are often found Linnmäki - fortifications, according to the legend, they were composed by these creatures and represent powerful rocks with remains of trees.

In Ladoga Lake there are more than 600 islands with a total area of ​​more than 1 hectare. Among them is Valaam, where the ancient Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery is located. Most of the islands (about 500) are located in the northern part of the lake, which are often called the skerries. Separated by narrow straits, numerous islets create a unique landscape here. The island rocks, which sometimes reach 60-70 m in height, are combined with the rugged banks of the big earth and bays that are unlike each other.