Seal pups and Solovki. Two days over the White Sea
Harp seal pups—whitecoats—can be seen in only a few places in the world, and the White Sea is one of them. We fly out to them by helicopter, and in the evening it’s the Solovetsky Islands, a guesthouse and a Pomor dinner.
Two days, two sides of the North
Over the White Sea ice fields to the harp seal breeding grounds.
We land on the ice and spend an hour near the newborn seals. We photograph them from a distance and never touch them.
Check into the guesthouse, then a walk to the monastery walls at sunset.
White Sea fish and local produce.
A tour of the fortress and the monastery: history, architecture and the lives of the people of the archipelago.
Lunch made from local produce.
By helicopter over the White Sea; you’re in the city by evening.
Whitecoats. A few weeks a year
Harp seal pups are born on the ice in late February and shed their white coats two or three weeks later. The window is short, so we set the dates by the ice and the weather.
Arkhangelsk – the White Sea ice – Solovki
About an hour’s flight to the seal colony, then another half hour to Solovki. The way back is a direct flight over the sea.
If the weather grounds the helicopter
The pilot decides whether to fly based on the weather along the route. If the helicopter can’t fly, we move the departure to the next flying window; if there isn’t one, we move your whole trip to dates that suit you. You don’t lose your deposit.
Included: the helicopter for the whole route, a night at a guesthouse on the Solovetsky Islands, meals and a tour of the monastery. The only extras are flights to Arkhangelsk, a night in town, alcohol and personal insurance.
A 50% deposit secures your dates; the balance is paid on arrival in Arkhangelsk.
The ice and Solovki
Ask about dates and rates
Tell us how many of you there are—we’ll pick dates by the ice and the weather and send you rates.
