Kirovsk and the Khibiny Mountains

The northernmost botanical garden in Russia and one of the three existing Polar botanical gardens in the world. The tropical greenhouses against the background of the mountains are impressive, especially in winter, but even more impressive is the walk along the eco-trail from the foot of the mountain to the Vud'yavrchorr Botanical Circus. The route is only about 1 km long and goes through 4 high belts, and at the top there are beautiful panoramic views of the inner Khibiny and Kirovsk. Only excursion groups are allowed on the trail, you can sign up for one at website.
Tours are available Tuesday through Saturday at 10:00 and 12:00 by appointment only. Applications are accepted by phone +7(921) 043-41-50 from 09:00 to 16:00 from Monday to Friday.
Greenhouse visiting schedule (accompanied): Tuesday-Saturday: 2:00 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Sunday: 13:00, 14:00 and 15:00

The picturesque lake, surrounded by forest, bears the proud title "the pearl of the Khibiny". Once there was a geological station on its shore, now there's a tourist camp with guest houses, a gazebo, a bathhouse, pancakes and tea. In the lake you can catch pike, perch, redfin, grayling and whitefish, and a lot of berries grow here: cloudberries, cranberries, blueberries and cowberries. A separate plus is that you can come here by car.

For lunch stop by the best café in Kirovsk. There's a pleasant atmosphere, cosy surroundings and delicious food with beautiful serving. On the menu, look out for local specialties like venison with lingonberries and Northern Lights dessert.

This beautiful building with a clock tower once housed a fire station, but after renovation it was replaced by a modern museum dedicated to mining. In the halls there is a huge collection of colorful minerals and ore, models of mines with illumination and a signal siren, interactive stands immersing in the history of exploration of the Kola Peninsula. The museum is free and very interesting.
It is possible to get on a tour in the tower of the museum, only by appointment, you can sign up by phone +78153132887.
Admission and tours are free.

Practically in the centre of Kirovsk there is an abandoned railway station. It used to receive trains from Moscow and St. Petersburg, had storage rooms, kiosks, cash desks and even a restaurant. But in 1996, transport links ceased, and today the dilapidated Stalinist Empire-inspired building looks more like a whale skeleton from the movie "Lephyathon".

Kirovsk is situated on the shore of the largest and most famous lake of the Khibiny tundras - Bolshoi Vudyavr. You can appreciate its beauty by climbing one of the trails on the nearby mountain, where you can enjoy incredible views of the lake surface and the city itself.

The acquaintance with Kirovsk will be pleasant to finish in a cozy cafe with quiet music. The menu includes classics of European cuisine, but there are also interesting seafood dishes, such as White Sea soup with cod, salmon and mussels.

It's time to go back to Murmansk, from where in the morning you will leave for the Barents Sea.
Gain your strength, there is still a lot of interesting things ahead!