Tersky District: Petroglyphs, Pomor History and Landscapes

In Tersky District, archaeological evidence, Pomor history and diverse landscapes offer different reasons to visit. You can focus your plans in various ways: on the Kanozero petroglyphs, museums and historic sites in Umba, or nature and hiking destinations. The range of themes thus extends from cultural heritage and collections to rivers, forests and sandy terrain.

Protected Area and Sandy Landscape

The Varzugsky Nature Reserve extends across Tersky and Lovozersky districts. It was established to protect rivers, riverbanks, forests, European freshwater pearl mussels and Atlantic salmon. The reserve includes the Kitsa, Varzuga, Yuziya, Pana and Indel rivers, as well as Lake Kizskoye. Varzugsky is therefore a protected area in the wider region, not exclusively in Tersky District.

Near Kuzomen lie the Kuzomen Sands, an anthropogenic sandy wasteland showing signs of early regrowth. Here, an open sandy landscape meets the first signs of returning vegetation. Together with the nature reserve, it creates a contrast between a protected landscape with named rivers and habitats and an area of sand shaped by human influence.

Petroglyphs and Historic Sites

The Kanozero petroglyphs are an archaeological monument dating from the 4th to 2nd millennium BC and a cultural heritage site of federal significance. The Kanozero Petroglyphs Museum Reserve offers a trip to Kanozero to see the unique rock art complex on the lake’s islands. The museum reserve’s exhibition hall in Umba covers the discovery and study of the rock art. This gives you two ways to explore the subject: an excursion to the complex on the lake islands and an exhibition about its discovery and research.

Tonya Tetrina is a restored open-air complex devoted to history and ethnography. The site is documented from the 15th century onward. Its historical context and its present form as an open-air complex are two distinct aspects of this visitor destination. Check current access arrangements before planning a visit.

Museums and a Hiking Trail in Umba

The Museum of History, Culture and Everyday Life of the Tersky Pomors in Umba displays numerous authentic objects from the Pomor past and striking evidence of Pomor culture. The Amethyst Museum in Umba has a different focus: its topics include the Mys Korabl deposit, natural and artificial varieties of quartz, and amethysts from deposits in Russia and around the world. Umba thus offers a focus on both cultural history and minerals and their origins.

The museum reserve also offers the 5.5 km guided hiking trail “A Walk Along the ‘Old Pomor Village of Umba’ Ecological and Local History Trail.” Compared with the trip to Kanozero, whose destination is the rock art complex on the lake islands, the trail offers a specific hiking route. The two experiences therefore have different focuses: a designated walking route or an excursion to the petroglyphs.

Before planning, check the museums’ current opening hours and visitor regulations in Umba, as well as access to Tonya Tetrina. Contact the museum reserve to confirm current arrangements for the trip to Kanozero and the guided hiking trail.

Discover more destinations: Pechengsky District, Olenegorsk, Kandalaksha, Severomorsk, Kolsky District, Monchegorsk, Murmansk, Kirovsk.

Go to the regional travel overview: Murmansk Oblast.