Travel Services
General Information
"The Arctic Circle" Dive Center and Lodge Location: Nilmoguba Village, Loukhskiy District, Karelia Republic, Russia.
We provide transfer by car or by minibus from Kuusamo or Murmansk aiports and from Chupa railway station.
The route from Kuusamo to the Arctic Circle Dive Centre is currently inaccessible due to the closed land borders at the Salla Checkpoint
You should book your own connecting flights to and out of Moscow, St. Petersburg or Kuusamo via Helsinki, depending on the way you choose. Please contact your travel agent for international flight reservations, and after it inform us of your arrival date, time and flight number so that we can book hotel and airport transfers for you.
If you prefer to stay longer in Moscow, St. Petersburg or Kuusamo we will be glad to book accommodation and arrange a special programme for you. This could include, for example, city sightseeing, theatre visits, etc.
Dear guests, please be aware that there is a special registration procedure for foreign citizens visiting the part of the White Sea coast where we are located. This procedure involves getting a special permission which is not associated with getting a visa.
After receiving your application for a tour and your passport details, we make a preliminary booking and submit a request for the permission to the relevant public authorities.
We will inform you as soon as we receive a response to this request (normally a response comes not later than 3 weeks from the application). In case the response is negative and you have already made the payment, we will refund your money.
So far we haven’t received a negative response to any of such requests.
Russian Entry Visa
According to the visa policy of Russia, foreign nationals wishing to enter the Russian Federation must obtain a visa as a permit to travel to, enter and remain in the country. There are some visa exemptions, based on bilateral or multilateral agreements with a number of countries whose citizens are either exempt from visa, or can purchase a visa online.
Citizens of countries without such an agreement with Russia must obtain a visa in advance from a Russian diplomatic mission or visa centre. For your convenience, the information pertaining to the visa application process is detailed here.
In order to obtain a Russian entry visa the following documents must be submitted to the Russian Consulate in your country of residence:
1. A completed visa application (two per person). All entries on the form must be typed or printed in block letters in English or Russian and signed by the applicant. Incomplete visa application forms will not be processed.
2. A national passport valid for at least six month after the date of intended departure from Russia. Holders of travel documents other than passports (Permits to re-enter the United States of America, Refugee Travel Document, etc.) must apply in person with a documentary proof of their legal status.
3. Three standard passport-size pictures of the applicant, signed on the back by the applicant.
4. The following documents:
- Invitation for Tourist Visa (provided by The Arctic Circle Dive Centre)
- Visa Support Letter - standard tourist confirmation from the hosting Russian tourist company registered with the MFA of Russia;
- Original voucher issued by an authorized travel agency, indicating full name of the traveler, date of birth, passport number, dates of entry and departure, name of the hosting Russian tourist company.
A hotel reservation alone is not valid for obtaining a tourist visa. The invitations must be on letterheads and contain full name of the invited person, his/her date of birth, passport number, period of stay in Russia and cities to be visited. The invitations must be signed by authorized persons and sealed.
5. Bank Money Order, Postal Money Order or Certified (by the Bank) Company Check payable to the Russian Consulate General for visa processing. Personal checks and cash are not accepted.
In order to provide you with an Invitation and Visa Support Letter we need the following information:
- Surname
- First Name
- Birth date
- Citizenship
- Passport number
- Date of passport’s expire
- Dates being in Russia
- Cities to visit in Russia
When we get it and you book your tour to "The Arctic Circle" Dive Center and Lodge, we'll send you an Invitation (Visa support letter) and a Voucher.
To locate the Russian Consular office that serves your region and to obtain further information, please contact the Russian Consulate directly or visit www.russianembassy.net.
Besides the Invitation and Visa Support Letter we'll be pleased to offer you the following services, provided by our company:
1. Accommodation in a Hotel during your stay in Moscow, St. Petersburg or Kuusamo (we recommend a chain of Holliday Inn Hotels in Moscow and St. Petersburg, and Tropiki Hotel in Kuusamo).
2. Transfers in Moscow and St. Petersburg (airport-hotel etc.).
Our driver will meet you in the airport with your name sign and take you to the hotel where you stay / pick you up from your hotel lobby with a sign and take you to the airport.
3. A wide range of excursions in Moscow (Moscow city sightseeing tour, Kremlin Grounds, Cathedrals and Armory Chamber tours, visit to the Theatre etc).
How to Book a Program
There are two ways to book a program:
- With the help of leading dive travel agencies;
- Directly via our Moscow office managers.
If you would like not only to book a trip but also to discuss your itinerary with our consultant, please, feel free to e-mail or call us. Contact person: Diana.
You can choose a suitable variant of group programs from our tour schedule, if you'd like to take part in a number of prearranged activities according to the program's subjects. The programs can be arranged for experienced or novice divers, travellers fond of nature, active or educational tourism, families with children - we do our best to make the vacation on the White Sea coast unforgettable for every guest who has come to visit our Tourism Centre and to see the wonders of this amazing region!
Tailor-made trips can be organised all year round. The best period for summer vacation is from May till September, while winter tours are most attractive from the end of December till the beginning of April. If you want to have some excursions on your individual tour or go diving, please inform us beforehand so that we could arrange everything in due period of time.
Do not hesitate to contact us — we look forward to hearing from you and will be glad to answer any question in order to explain the details and help you to make the right choice!
For your convenience, it is not necessary to come to our Moscow office in person, we can discuss all the details over the phone or via e-mail and exchange scanned or electronic documents, pay the bill by bank transfer or bank card.
