In Okulovsky District, travel themes range from around 200 lakes and the Msta river landscape to historic bus excursions, a hydroelectric power station as cultural heritage, and canoe slalom. When planning your trip, you can consider nature, cultural history and water sports as distinct areas of interest.
Lakes and river landscape
There are around 200 lakes of various sizes in Okulovsky District. Some are lined with pine forests, others lie among dense woodlands, while still others spread across open terrain. If you plan your trip around landscape themes, you can distinguish between wooded shores, lakes in forest settings and open surroundings.
In the “Semiruchye” area, seven spring-fed streams flow into the river along a 200-metre stretch of the Msta’s left bank. One of them is a stream from the spring of the Great Martyr Panteleimon. The two water-related features differ markedly in scale: on the one hand, there are around 200 lakes in various settings; on the other, a precisely defined stretch of riverbank with seven spring-fed streams.
Cultural heritage at Borovno Hydroelectric Power Station
Borovno Hydroelectric Power Station is a valuable natural, hydraulic engineering and industrial monument in Okulovsky District, as well as a cultural heritage site in Novgorod Oblast. Water in Okulovsky District is therefore not only a landscape theme, but is also associated with a hydraulic engineering and industrial monument.
Bus excursions with different stops
One route on the “Okulovskimi tropami istorii” one-day bus excursions runs from Okulovka via Likhaya Krucha and the “Baldazary” hills, then back to Okulovka. Another route runs from Okulovka via the hydroelectric power station, Pogost, Gorneshno and Gory, then back to Okulovka. The one-day excursions are organised for groups of 15 to 25 people aged 10 and over. Confirm current arrangements with the organiser before your trip.
The Okulovsky District Museum lists the “Puteshestvie po Biankovskim mestam” bus excursion on the Okulovka–Borovno–Okulovka route. Other museum excursions include a circular route to “Strana Div” and a local history bus route via Okulovka–Kulotino–Boevo–Opechek–Okulovka. An excursion to the spring of Saint Seraphim of Sarov at the holy well “Kresty” is also listed. Ask the museum about current availability; also check with them about access arrangements for this excursion.
Museum and canoe slalom
The main exhibition at the Okulovsky Local History Museum is dedicated to the traveller Nikolay Miklukho-Maklay, who was born in this area. The museum also lists a city tour titled “Nash gorod,nam dorog”. This offers a biographical exhibition and a tour with its own city-themed title as two distinct options. Ask the museum about dates and availability for its excursions.
The Okulovsky canoe slalom course comprises a children's section, a training section and a main section with a difficulty rating of five. All-Russian competitions are held on the main section. The three names give an overview of the course layout; the sporting theme offers a different focus from the museum and history excursions.
More destinations
Discover more destinations: Sukhoye, Borovichsky District, Novgorodsky District, Chudovsky District, Malovisherskiy rayon, Demyanskiy rayon, Malovishersky District, Khvoyninskiy rayon.
For the higher-level travel overview: Novgorod Oblast.
