Hiking from Valamo Monastery to Lintula Monastery

The monastery walk connects the only two Orthodox monasteries in Finland: the monastery of Valamo and the Lintula nunnery. The route is 20 km in one direction. The route has a variety of narrow paths, with suitable transition sections along sandy roads in between. An annual crusade procession follows the route of the Monastery Walk from Valamo to Lintula. The route of the monastery pilgrimage takes in the varied terrain of eastern Finland. In addition to paths, the route includes longitudinal paths and sandy roads.

The route is marked on the terrain with blue signs. There is also a shorter Prayer Path from the Valamo gate, marked in orange. The signs run partly in unison and partly cross the monastery walk. If you want an extra kilometre of narrow path to start with, you can follow the orange path for the first two kilometres, then continue along the blue path.

After Varissuo, the route continues through old mossy spruce until you reach Taivalkoda. The home is owned and maintained by the Varistaipalee Village Association. The clean and spacious building can accommodate eight hikers.

The next few kilometres from home to the canal are idle, partly along sandy roads. In the canal area, it's worth slowing down, as the canal and its surroundings are listed as a nationally significant built cultural environment. The Taivallahti canal is part of the Heinävesi waterway, one of Finland's national landscapes.

Highlights:

- silence

- tranquility

- interesting and varied route

- monastic accommodation and atmosphere