Protected nature and communication with animals is the best cure for moping. During this animal tour you will visit four farms and three huge reserves, see with your own eyes rare birds and animals in their habitats, look at the livestock industry in a different way. You will learn how to cook cheese and horseshoe. And maybe you'll even get a picture drawn by a colt. In a word, it'll be fun!
We will spend most of the day in the "Crane Motherland" - the reserve where cranes and other birds live. Before dinner we will talk to exotic animals in the country club "El Rancho", and finish this beautiful day in a Russian bath on the bank of the river Zhabnya.
"Crane Homeland is not a zoo, nursery or farm. It is carefully protected forests and swamps, where wild birds and animals live. It is simply impossible to walk here, and the visit should be agreed at least 2 days before the excursion. The format of the tour is unusual. Cars with tourists going by caravan, at low speed. Along the route (which is about 50 km long) frequent stops are made. Excursionists are given binoculars and telescopes with the help of which one can see cranes, sandpipers, birds of prey and other beautiful creatures. The tours start at 11 a.m. with a lecture about the sanctuary. After the instruction at 12:15 the excursionists leave for the park. The excursion ends at about 16:00. The cost of the tour - 500 rubles, children under 5 years - free of charge. Bring biscuits and tea in a thermos: during the three-hour walk you will definitely want to have a snack. *" Attention! In May excursions are held only a couple of times a month, in June excursions do not happen because of the breeding season of birds. The easiest way to get on an excursion in the period from July to September, then the cranes fly away. Look for all the details [on the official website](http://www.craneland.ru/).
We will stop for a late lunch - or early dinner - at the country club "El Rancho" in the village of Horobrovo. Restaurant's kitchen products are delivered from the restaurant's own farm, and traditional methods of cooking are qualitatively rethought. We'll stay on the farm for an hour. You'll have a place to walk on 300 hectares! I recommend visiting the club's residents, among whom are Yaroslavl Iberians - a hybrid of wild boars and domestic pigs. Also on the farm live cows and sheep (including a rare four-horned sheep Jacoba), curly pigs, pearl queens and even two lynx saved from poachers.
On the bank of the beautiful river Zhabnya, in the village of Myshino, there is a park-hotel "Deck". We will come here to steam in a Russian bath. Distance to the river here - only 15 meters. After the steaming you can plunge into the cool water: for this purpose on the bank there are scaffolding with stairs. [Booking](http://hotel-paluba.ru/) The sauna has to be booked in advance.
The second day we'll spend in Kalyazin and its surroundings. We will swim to the famous flooded bell tower, we will visit a snail farm. In the afternoon we'll have a rest in a pine forest on the bank of the Volga river, where we'll get acquainted with rare spotted deer, and meet the sunset on the summer terrace of the local yacht club.
The main attraction of the Kalyazin is the bell tower, standing alone in the middle of the water surface. In the Soviet era, the town was half-inundated during the construction of the Uglich hydroelectric power plant. Old houses were mired under the water column, and only the five-tier bell tower of the Nikolo-Zhabensky monastery still reminds us of the past. It's a real crime to end up in Kalyazin and not swim to the bell tower. You can get to it on a rented motor catamaran (about 4000 rubles per hour from the yacht club). If you want to save money, make an agreement with local residents - for 300-400 rubles you will be given a lift to the bell tower and back. A little more expensive will be a water tour around picturesque surroundings and islands.
The Kalyazin Yacht Club has the largest snail farm in Russia. Here you will be shown how young snails hatch, what they eat and where they wait for winter hibernation. You can also visit the mini-museum and, of course, taste snail dishes with a glass of good wine.
We will have lunch in the cafe "Visit" - a good roadside cafe with reasonable prices. Fragrant khachapuri with cheese, boiled borscht, large portions and pleasant service - the cafe is so popular among tourists and locals.
There is no infrastructure on the Kalyazin beaches. Camping "Deer Bor" offers more pleasant views and conditions. It is the best place in the neighborhood to enjoy the scent of pine trees, relax in nature and enjoy themselves. Entrance to the base territory paid. You can drive up to the beaches by car. Entering the water here is gentle, bathing brings one pleasure. In addition to bathing, the camping site's main attraction is interaction with red-listed spotted deer. The animals live here in natural conditions on a huge fenced area and with great pleasure come with a fence to take a treat from the hands of guests.
We go back to Kalyazin tonight. I offer dinner at the yacht club - this is probably the most elegant institution in town. It's also the most pleasant place to meet sunsets.
Early in the morning we leave for Uglich, where we will visit a tasting of local farmer's cheeses and the manor of Russian life with horses. In the afternoon we will arrive in the city, where everything is connected with mice. We will spend the evening on the bank of the Rybinskoye reservoir - a huge lake of fanciful shape and inexpressible beauty.
Cozy Uglich stands on the bank of the Volga. This city is a part of the Great Golden Ring of Russia - should we say how many amazing architectural beauties there are! Near the Kremlin, in the culinary studio "Garage" (15 Yaroslavskaya St.), gastronomic master classes "Tasting of craft cheeses from Uglich" are held. Here you can try several sorts of cheese and cook two delicious dishes by yourself using local cheeses.
We'll have lunch at the trendy Brunch Restaurant. It can be praised for its cozy atmosphere and stylish interior, and to the chef no questions. Not without reason "Brunch" is considered one of the best restaurants in town.
Under Ugich, in the village of Ivashkovo, there is a very interesting place - the "Museum of Workhorse". Here guests are welcome to dive into peasant life and workshops on harnessing, saddling and clearing the horse's hoof. The estate contains a herd of three dozen thoroughbred horses used in the farm. Horses are allowed to ride - horseback riding tours are organized for experienced riders. Live on the farm - chickens, gentlemen, turkeys, sheep, piglets - you can feed and squeeze some of them. The star of the museum is the colt called Orlik: he can draw. Those who wish can buy his paintings. To get on a tour of the estate, it is necessary to call in advance by phone: 8 (962) 203-50-03.
The Myshkin Ward complex (aka Mouse Palace) was opened in 2008. It is more focused on children, but adults will also have fun here. The building of the museum is stylized as a palace, it is surrounded by a well-kept park with bridges. In the museum you will learn about the heroic deeds of mice in medicine, science and space, learn to use humane mousetraps, and in the mini-zoo you will admire live mice. Visits to the palace are possible by prior request or according to a schedule that is updated daily (check [here](http://www.myshkintour.ru/)). If you find yourself at the gates of the castle at 15:00, you will witness the music clock working under the roof - to the music from the "Nutcracker" the mouse will invite you to the rooms.
We'll hold off for an hour on Myshkin. The legend of the origin of the name of the city sounds as follows: one prince came to rest on the bank of the Volga River and suddenly woke up from the fact that a mouse crawled across his face. At first, the prince got angry, but then he saw that the mouse had saved him from the crawling snake. It's a charming town, small, clean. Every second house here is a small museum. Many people try to connect with mice, be it museums or restaurant names.
And here we are on the bank of the Rybinskoye reservoir. Let's not rush into anything. We'll have a nice dinner at the restaurant of the Chesnava country club. The menu includes dishes of Russian and European cuisine, which you can taste in three halls in different styles.
We'll take the first half of the day to visit the Darwin Nature Reserve. It is located on the bank of the Rybinskoye reservoir and is a specially protected area. The area of the complex - more than 112 thousand hectares, of which more than half is land, and the rest - on the coastal waters. We will spend the rest of our time actively - choose the classes to your liking.
Isn't it time for gas? Drive to Gazprom Neft filling stations to refill the tank, install a mobile application and pay for fuel from the comfort of your car. [App Store](https://itunes.apple.com/ru/app/set-azs-gazpromneft/id502808508) [Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gpn.azs)
In the town of Protivoie, you can rent a motorboat for the whole day to reach the village of Borok by water (sailing about 4 km). From here the journey begins in the Darwin Biosphere Reserve. Once in place, first take a look at the Museum of Nature - since its founding in the 60s, little has changed here, but the tour will help you learn a lot. After the museum we set off to conquer the ecological trails laid out in the reserve. The nature park has become home to rare birds listed in the Red Book: golden eagles and peregrine falcons, black storks, eagle owls. During the walk you can climb the observation deck for bird and wild animal watching, see the eggplant and bear scratching (and there are many of them), visit the enclosure for vipers and wounded birds. *" Attention! You can visit the reserve only with the prior permission of the complex administration.
Let's go back to the coast of the Confrontier for lunch. Look at the Protected Waters base. It has an excellent restaurant serving Russian cuisine - for example, a pork fryer, fire cutlets and beef stroganoff. In the afternoon I suggest using the services of the base. You can go on a short kayak alloy, play paintball or understand the basics of mountaineering. Water amusements (wakeboarding, water skiing, banana riding), shooting gallery and fishing gear rental are also available. You can also have dinner here. The planned activities should be notified to administrators [in advance](http://naohotu69.ru/) - at least one day in advance.
In the morning we leave the Rybinskoye reservoir and head towards Tver. On the way we will visit the curious old town Krasny Kholm and gather water in the holy spring. We'll spend a couple of hours at the agro-tourist farm "Ivanovka", where we'll get acquainted with the village farmstead, pet a raccoon and feed roll turkeys.
Let's go stretch the bones in the town of Red Hill. It appeared as a trading village in the 16th century. There is a legend about the origin of the name of the town. Empress Catherine II was amazed by the beauty of the city on a hill, buried in greenery and flowers - and ordered to call it Red, so the Beautiful Hill. Be sure to visit Nikolaev Antoniev Monastery here. It dates back to 1461, when Old Antony settled at the confluence of rivers. In addition, there are many ancient buildings and merchant houses in the city, which are truly admired for their beauty.
I offer lunch in Bezecka, in the cafe "Dolce Vita", which was recently renamed "Gusto Coffe". This institution is loved by locals for nourishing complex lunches, variety of desserts and cozy atmosphere.
Let's take a break at the spring of St. Elijah the Prophet. Don't worry, you won't miss it: there's a sign on the road. The spring is furnished, there's an overlay hay with a cross. The approach to water is convenient, so you can easily get water on the road here.
On the bank of the river Kava, 20 km from the city of Tver, is an agro-tourist farm "Ivanovka". Here you can get acquainted with the village farmstead, ride the "grey goat" and milk the goat, pet a raccoon and feed the rolling turkeys. You will be told about traditions of Russian tea drinking in merchant and peasant families and taught to melt the samovar. For an extra fee you can forge a coin at the smithy and taste the farm products - milk, goat cheese, lard. If you have time, try to conquer the trolls, practice on a climbing wall or run over suspension bridges. The farm can be visited with or without a tour. On weekends [complex](https://ferma-ivanovka.ru/) is open until 18:00. About visit on weekdays it is necessary to agree in advance by phone specified on a site.
Let's go to Tver for dinner. There are a lot of worthy restaurants here, but I suggest to choose "BarDak" - a cozy family restaurant with excellent cuisine and live music.
In the morning we'll visit Tver Goat Museum - perhaps the most ironic museum in the city. In the afternoon we will try to conquer a part of Zavidovo National Park - a corner recognized by UNESCO as one of the most ecologically clean places on earth. On the territory of 56 700 hectares there is a scientific and experimental farm, in protected areas live elks and bears, marals and spotted deer. Walking on the territory is not possible (and convenient) everywhere, so let's examine the local beauties with the help of recreational complexes.
Before leaving Tver, we'll stop by the Goat Museum. The symbol of the city has turned into an inexhaustible source for creativity. Souvenirs and exhibits for the museum are created with great love for their work and a great sense of humor. By the way, for visitors by the name Kozlov(a) the entrance is free. * Sunday [museum](http://xn----8sbnhckijcz3c.xn--p1ai/) is open from 12:00, closed Monday. *
The restaurant "Crimea" is located on the territory of the golf course and the natural park "Yamskaya Les". It boasts its own coastal zone and a cozy lounge terrace. Prices are expected to be high, but quite justified: beautiful service, interior and first-class service conquer from the first second.
Those wishing to have a rest on the territory of the reserve can visit the recreational complexes. They include a huge complex "Zavidovo" with an area of 56 ha, a camping site, a couple of recreation centers, as well as a sports and entertainment center ["Summer Water Area"](http://aqualeto-zavidovo.com/). Golf courses have been built on the territory of these complexes, tens of kilometers of walking and cycling paths have been laid, and there are conditions for water sports. Of particular interest is the "Ant Path", along which there is a whole plethora of huge anthills with their hardworking inhabitants.
Dinner is served in the authentic Italian restaurant "Mamma Italia" in Solnechnogorsk. What to taste: fresh oysters with lemon, salad with Kamchatka crab and mango. And then - how it goes.