The Komi Republic is not the most famous region of Russia. It also cannot be called touristically developed, although there is something to see in these parts. I was born in the capital of Komi – the city of Syktyvkar – and lived there for 18 years. I love returning to my homeland for clean air and untouched nature. I’ll tell you how interesting it is for even experienced tourists to spend time in the republic.
How to get there
The flight to Syktyvkar from Moscow will take about two hours. The cost of an air ticket is 8,700 rubles round trip*.
Where to stay
The most popular hotels in Syktyvkar, which are located in the center, within walking distance of the main attractions:
“Avalon” – from 4200 rubles per night per person*;
“Syktyvkar” – from 2500 rubles per night per person*;
“Palace” — from 4500 rubles per night per person*.
Things to do
See Russian Stonehenge
Manpupuner is translated from the Mansi language as a small mountain of idols; it is often compared to the English Stonehenge. The plateau is located on the territory of the Pechora-Ilychsky Nature Reserve and consists of seven weathering pillars. Each is the height of a 10-story building, 30-40 meters. About 200 million years ago there was a whole mountain range here, but gradually the rock collapsed due to weathering. Only parts of it have survived – in the form of pillars. At the end of the last century, UNESCO included the virgin forests of Komi, and with them the Manpupuner ridge, on the World Heritage List. And in 2007, according to the results of a popular vote, Russian Stonehenge was added to the list of wonders of Russia.
The plateau is visited from February 1 to March 31 and from June 15 to September 15. There are several ways to get to the pillars. Prepared tourists go skiing or walking. An easier option is by helicopter. For comparison: walking – 4 days, flying – 3 hours.
How to get there: A helicopter tour costs from 30,000 rubles per person. Start in the city of Troitsko-Pechorsk. You can get there from Syktyvkar by bus or through a travel companion search service. Travel time is 6-7 hours, the cost of the trip is about 1000 rubles*.
Where to stay: To visit the Pechora-Ilychsky Nature Reserve you will have to pay 300 rubles* per person, the pass is issued on the park’s website. You cannot be on the territory without a guide. The reserve staff organizes excursions costing from 280 to 1000 rubles*. You can spend the night on the plateau. A place in a guest house for one night costs 2300 rubles*.
Learn to bake shangi and paint with oil
In the village of Yb near Syktyvkar, which the locals call “Ybitsa”, there is a Finno-Ugric ethnopark. The cultural heritage of 24 related Finno-Ugric peoples is presented here: Finns, Hungarians, Komi-Zyryans, Mansi, Karelians.
On the territory of the ethnopark there is a Komi farmstead, a rope park, and a moose farm. Tourists are introduced to traditional crafts: they learn how to bake shangi (this is the name of a pastry common in the Russian North), paint with oil, make a musical instrument from hogweed, a rag doll-amulet, products from birch bark. Activities vary depending on the time of year.
Also on the territory there is an unusual museum of oil art “Chutskoye Oil”. According to the creators, this is the first museum of its kind in the world. There are paintings by artists who use oil, oil waste and gas condensate in their works.
The ethnopark is known as the site of the gastrofestival of Finno-Ugric peoples “ShangaFest”. The main dish of the holiday is shangi: with cottage cheese, potatoes, berries. In addition to baked goods, they offer national dishes: Komi-style cabbage (boiled cabbage, traditionally it was pickled in a trough, but now it’s simply in jars with anise and dill seeds); azya shyd, or pea and pearl barley soup, which is cooked with sour cream and soaked black bread; yukva, or ear; various fish and a national holiday drink – sur, an analogue of beer. If you can’t get to ShangaFest itself, you can stop by the local restaurant Finnougria. National cuisine is served there all year round. Take milk mushrooms, deer tongue, salmon Komi style and salad with radish.
How to get there: To the ethnopark from From the city bus station there is bus number 514. The ride takes 50 minutes, the ticket costs 90 rubles, and is sold at the suburban ticket office and on the Komiavtotrans website. A taxi will cost 1000 rubles*.
Watch how Vorkuta dies
Photo: Anna Krivitskaya/Shutterstock.com
Vorkuta is the easternmost city in Europe, located beyond the Arctic Circle. Winter here lasts 8 months a year, and summer can be hot. Unlike Syktyvkar, Vorkuta has been heard of in the rest of Russia and even abroad. This fame is rather sad and is associated with the creation in 1938 of Vorkutlag – one of the largest Gulag camps, which existed until 1960. You can learn more about that time at the historical and geological museum “City in the North of Russia”. It is located in the City Recreation and Tourism Center. The museum’s exposition is dedicated to the history of Vorkutlag, Vorkuta and neighboring villages. Entrance to the museum is free.
How to get there
Vorkuta is located 900 kilometers from Syktyvkar. There is no road there. It takes 24 hours to travel by train from Syktyvkar; a one-way ticket costs from 2,000 rubles*. There is a direct train from Moscow to Vorkuta, the travel time is almost two days. Along the way you can see from the window the main cities of Komi – Ukhta, Sosnogorsk, Pechora, Inta.
A faster and more convenient way to get to Vorkuta is by plane. A direct flight from Moscow will cost you 25,000 rubles per person round trip, from Syktyvkar – 9,900 rubles*.
Where to stay
Hotel “Sever” – from 1900 rubles per night per person*;
Hotel “Gornyak” – from 1200 rubles per night per person*.
The coal industry is a city-forming industry: 55,000 people live in the city, of which 7,000 are engaged in coal. In the 90s, 13 large mines operated in the vicinity of Vorkuta. Now there are four left – Vorgashorskaya, Vorkutinskaya, Komsomolskaya, Zapolyarnaya. An AR application “Vorkuta – mines in a circle” was created for tourists. It’s free and only works on Android. To launch, you need to enable geolocation on your smartphone and visit the places indicated on the map as part of an excursion, which can be ordered in the exhibition hall. Tourists will learn about the history of the development of the Arctic zone and take an excursion into the Gulag era.
I traveled from Syktyvkar to Vorkuta by train. Already on the way, I was impressed by the tundra: outside the window, an endless white blanket stretches to the horizon. The harsh nature of the Arctic is attractive in its own way. On a tour of the city and the Vorkuta Ring, the guide spoke about the history and showed the village of Rudnik, where the first prisoners were taken.
The architectural ensemble of the city is interesting. After the collapse of the USSR, slogans like “Glory to the conquerors of the Arctic!” were preserved here. Soviet signs hang on shops.
If you agree, you can visit the training mine of the Vorkuta College. Some people will be interested in abandoned buildings, especially in the villages around the city. Tourists are also attracted by gastronomy. I brought home venison. Despite the fact that Vorkuta is a city on the edge of the world with a harsh climate, I do not regret visiting here. For local residents, -43 degrees outside is not a reason to stay at home. Vorkuta has a complex history and a clear ending: it will soon turn into a city of shift workers. This makes me sad.Vladislav Kozlov
celebrated his birthday in Vorkuta
Take a trip to the Trinity-Stephano-Ulyanovsk Monastery
It was founded in the 14th century, but most of the buildings were built at the end of the 19th century. To this day they have survived only partially. In 1918, the monastery was desecrated and looted; it was restored only after the collapse of the USSR. Now there are six churches operating here and 15 people live permanently: they bake bread, do restoration work, work on the farm and in workshops.
The monastery looks equally good in both winter and summer. The territory offers a beautiful view of the Vychegda River. It’s nice to walk here and watch the fate of the Russian village. You can see horses and donkeys. Sometimes priests invite visitors to a meal.
How to get there: the monastery is located in the village of Ulyanovo. The distance from Syktyvkar is 160 kilometers. From the city bus station, bus No. 521 runs to the village of Ust-Kulom. Travel time is 2.5 hours, a ticket costs about 500 rubles*.
Climb the Ural Mountains
Mount Narodnaya is the highest point of the Ural Mountains. Its height is 1895 meters. Tourist groups go to Narodnaya in winter and summer. In fact, winter tours take place in the spring due to the harsh climate. The main difference between hiking in the summer is that tourists sleep in tents. In winter, travelers spend the night in heated houses at the base. Therefore, winter tours are more expensive: for three days you will have to pay 27,000 rubles*. Climbing the mountain in summer costs 17,000 rubles*.
The path to the mountain is not close. First, we traveled 13 hours by train from Syktyvkar to Inta. From there, another 7 hours took us on a shift to the mountains.
When we arrived, I was so impressed by the beauty of nature that I forgot about the difficult path. In the valley through which a wide mountain river flows, hundreds of reindeer grazed.
Well, when you see the mountain, you think: how can you even get up there? Climbing it takes 9-11 hours, including the descent. Madness. In the end, almost everyone got in, but many, including me, admitted that sometimes they wanted to give up everything. This is the essence of such a rest: you clench your fists and take a step forward. And once you get up, enjoying the stunning view of the mountains, you realize that it was worth it.Vladislav Kozlov
conquered Mount Narodnaya
Photos: shutterstock.com/unsplash.com
*Prices valid at time of publication
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