lagatik river cruise

Gateway to Boracay

Exploring the Lush Natural Attractions of Kalibo

Aklan’s capital Kalibo is an awesome destination in itself and not just a jump-off point to Boracay. For many people, the idea of exploring this town’s off-the-beaten-track attractions—which include white sand beaches, waterfalls and mangrove parks—might be more interesting than squeezing into crowded beaches and pricey hotels along with hordes of other tourists.

The trip to Kalibo, sponsored by the Department of Tourism, is a fascinating discovery of the town’s well-preserved natural treasures and its cultural and historical heritage. The distinctly cool weather and laid-back culture came as a surprise, since the town is seen as one of the business hubs of the Western Visayas region and an international gateway.

Here are six reasons why more people should visit Kalibo:

Ati-atihan . Kalibo’s most famous attraction brings thousands of local and foreign tourists to the town every third week of January. One of the country’s grandest and oldest festivals, the Ati-atihan feature costumed soot-faced performers taking to the streets to dance to drumbeats in honor of the Santo Niño.

The Aklan Freedom Shrine. At the town center is the Aklan Freedom Shrine, at the center of which a monument to the heroism of Aklanon revolutionaries who joined the Katipunan during the Spanish occupation. The 19 Steps monument contains the mortal remains of the 19 Martyrs of Aklan and the effigy of their leader Francisco Del Castillo.

The Lagatik River Cruise. The Lagatik river cruise in New Washington town lets visitors enjoy a sumptuous lunch of the town’s best seafood and fresh tropical fruits for only P500 per person while cruising the serene river fringed by lush mangroves. For those who love to sing, you can hit that perfect pitch as the ship has a videoke on board. The town of New Washington is also the birthplace of the well-loved Jaime Cardinal Sin. In honor of the late Manila archbishop, the townfolk have established a shrine at the town center near his ancestral house.

Jawili Falls. Memorable trips are made with spontaneous decisions. The crystal-clear waters of Jawili Falls in Tangalan town never fail to entice passersby to take a quick dip, even those who come there with no plans to swim. Foreign and local tourists who take side tours around Kalibo often drop by here to scale the seven towering cascades. There are now small amenities such as shower rooms, cottages and a small restaurant in the area. Visitors do not need to hike to get there as the first basin is accessible from the main road. The entrance fee is only P10.

Bakhawan Eco-Park. Kalibo is also a haven of eco-tourism. A must-visit in Kalibo is the idyllic Bakhawan Eco-Park in New Buswang. The 170-hectare mangrove reforestation area was built in the 1990s to address the frequent flooding in the town and aims to protect and maintain the rich ecosystem of Kalibo. Take a relaxing walk around the eco-park, crossing man-made bamboo bridges to reach the picture-perfect scenery of a tranquil river with a lush mangrove forest as backdrop. There is a small colorful boat tied at the end of the footbridge, as if waiting for travelers who want to further explore nature’s beauty. Be sure to reach the end of the path of the lush forest mangrove to get the fascinating view of the sea. The serenity that this place brings is more than enough to stay in this town. The Bakhawan ecopark can be reached in 20 minutes by tricycle or private vehicle from the town proper. Entrance to the ecopark costs P100 per adult while students pay only P50 (effective November 2014).

Piña silk. Aklanons are also known to have pioneered the 8th century tradition of pineapple fiber weaving. Piña silk has been a popular choice offabric for the Philippine elite since the Spanish era. The fabric is usually used for making formal clothes such as the barong Tagalog and the terno; home accessories, and personal items like handkerchiefs. The piña-weaving industry is an important source of livelihood for many Aklanons. If you want to check out some of the weaving, visit the La Herminia Arts and Crafts and the Dela Cruz House of Piña.

(Text and photos by SOPHIA TORRES/GMA Network)

Exploring the lush natural attractions of Kalibo, Aklan

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Bakhawan Ecopark: Aklan’s prime ecotourism destination

Leony Garcia
November 16, 2014
7 minute read

IF there is one thing that Aklan province can be proud of and can contribute to the rest of the Philippines—besides the huge economic gains brought by the island of Boracay, of course—it’s its highly successful ecotourism project.

As huge bodies of water surround the country’s 7,107 islands and leave coastal settlements vulnerable during natural calamities, a group of Kalibonhons in the capital town of Kalibo has found a solution that could withstand the destructive forces of nature: it has converted a mudflat into a beautiful mangrove forest, one that serves as the town’s first line of defense against storm surges. This “solution” has become a tourist attraction known as Bakhawan Ecopark and Research Center. The word bakhawan means “mangrove” in the local language.

Wide mudflats used to sprawl on the coast of Kalibo’s Barangay New Buswang, which made the village prone to floods and storm surges during weather disturbances. The local government; the Department of Environment and Natural Resources; and non-governmental organizations, including the United Services and Welfare Assistance Group and the Kalibo Save the Mangroves Association (Kasama), addressed the problem in 1990 by turning the muddy shoreline into a mangrove reforestation site. They started with 50 hectares, which later grew to more than four times that size as the project progressed.

The community-based project did not only address the barangay’s flood problems, but also gave its participants a source of livelihood. Kasama members/families were assigned areas for them to maintain and manage. In return, they receive salaries and are allowed to harvest mud crabs and shellfish in the areas given to them. The mangrove-reforestation project has served local communities in two ways: it provided a sustainable solution against flooding and a means to generate income.

Kalibo’s prime ecotourism attraction

TODAY Bakhawan Ecopark stretches into a 220-hectare mangrove forest and serves as one of Kalibo’s prime tourist attractions. During the recent Manila Media Familiarization Tour hosted by the Department of Tourism, media representatives enjoyed the ecopark’s relaxing ambiance and fresh air while strolling on the 1.3-kilometer bamboo and wooden trail that runs deep into the forest—which is teeming with different species of mangroves and wildlife—and ends with a scenic view of the beach. Indeed, a perfect hideaway where one could commune with Mother Nature.

The ecopark also serves as a sanctuary for different types of birds and marine creatures. Other features of the ecopark include a watchtower, souvenir shop, canteen, massage area, charcoal briquetting, picnic huts and a Center for International Mangrove Studies.

The media representatives also had the chance to witness how a tamilok, or wood worm, are gathered from the bakawan trees and eaten straight from the tree’s bark. According to locals, tamilok—which tasted like an oyster—is an aphrodisiac, and gathering them has become a major activity for visitors.

Dubbed the Philippines’s most successful mangrove reforestation project, the Bakhawan Ecopark has set a benchmark for a greener Philippines, earning local and foreign recognition. For one, the United Nations’s Food and Agriculture Organization hailed it as one of the exemplary forests managed in the entire Asia-Pacific region. It has also been awarded as the Golden Eagle award for excellence in environmental preservation.

On January 22 the Provincial Capitol of Aklan , headed by its Economic Enterprise Development Department, had 8,000 new mangrove propagules planted on a two-hectare area of the ecopark. The activity was aimed at minimizing climate change and to replace the mangrove trees that were destroyed by Supertyphoon Yolanda (international code name Haiyan) last November.

Other sights to see

ASIDE from Boracay, Aklan is famous for its Ati-Atihan Festival. One of the oldest and grandest festivals in the Philippines, the Ati-Atihan traces its roots to as far as 1212 AD. Every January Kalibo comes alive as dancers

wearing feathered headdresses and covered in soot to portray dark-skinned Atis, dominate the streets and shout “Viva Señor Santo Niño! [Long live the Holy Child!]” and “Hala bira! [Go for it!]”

Experience what Aklan has to offer and enjoy its laidback charms through its interesting destinations and activities:

Take a dip in the crystal-clear waters of Jawili Falls. Jawili Falls are made up of seven waterfalls and emerald green basins. It may not look impressive at first, but there’s no denying its uniqueness. The waters in Jawili’s dark natural pools cascade like gigantic steps carved from a mountainside. Water pours from each basin, creating numerous waterfalls in the process.

Foreign tourists vacationing in Boracay usually drop by the falls via the arranged tours offered in the famed island-resort. The falls are also a good spot for picnicking with family or friends. The place has been developed for the convenience of tourists; cottages and shower rooms are available, and a modest restaurant is open.

Visit Aklan’s oldest church. At more than 110 years old, Saint John Nepomucene Church in Tanglan town is considered as Aklan’s oldest church. Its limestones are said to be quite similar with those used on the Saint Thomas of Villanova Church in Miag-ao, Iloilo province.

Historical records say the people of this municipality built this church—named in honor of the patron saint of the Tangalanons—during the Spanish colonial era. They also say men, women and children were forced to carry on their heads, from Barangay Afga to Poblacion, the limestone bricks that were used in the construction of the church, which lasted for almost 28 years. These people were not compensated for their efforts; the only consolation they got was regarding these efforts as an offering to God.

During our visit, we found the church in a dismal state, which was in stark contrast to the newly built municipal hall adjacent to it.

We wondered: How was the municipal government able to construct a new building while it left a historic house of worship in disrepair.

Experience Christmas all year round at Jojo’s Christmas Cottage . Found at the heart of Sampaguita Gardens, Jojo’s Christmas Cottage is a three-story Victorian mansion that celebrates Christmas all year round. Inside are various Christmas dolls, figurines, trees and decorations, as well as a Precious Moments collection, a lifestyle brand created by American artist Samuel J. Butcher, who has spent most of his life in the Philippines.

Owned by Butcher himself, he named his property Sampaguita because of his fondness for little kids selling sampaguita. Jojo’s Christmas Cottage was named after a member of Butcher’s loyal staff.

The sprawling 2.6-hectare property also feature 48 guestrooms and suites; three restaurants; convention facilities; a business center; a spa and fitness center; two swimming pools; circus rides; a 43-foot aquarium; an Oriental garden, the Precious Moments gallery; and the Samuel J. Butcher Mansion, which has a vast antique collection and stunning pieces of bric-a-bracs and other Oriental items.

Watch native pineapple leaves transform into intricately woven pińa cloth. Aklan’s top local product, pińa jusi, or Philippine silk, comes from the red pineapple variety. This fabric is regarded as the most exquisite of all fabrics because of its sheen and softness. Primarily used to make the barong Tagalog and terno , modern designers now use it for gowns and haute-couture dresses, which have been showcased in international fashion shows.

We visited the La Herminia Heritage Arts and Crafts, where we saw how pińa was made: the leaves are scraped; the fibers are tied one by one; and then woven together. This process lasts almost an entire month.

According to Bog Tambong of La Herminia, a pińa gown made of the linawan (pure fiber) and has hand-made embroidery costs between P10,000 and P12,000. No wonder La Herminia’s clients include popular Manila-based designers Rajo Laurel and Paul Cabral.

Enjoy the Lagatik River Cruise. Ten minutes away from Kalibo is the historic municipality of New Washington, named after US President George Washington and best known as the hometown of the late Archibishop Jaime Cardinal Sin of Manila. Exploring this coastal town is more fun by taking a cruise of the Lagatik River.

River-cruising, as a unique tourism experience in Aklan, has been developed by the Dumaguit-Batan Ferries Corp. The home port of the cruise ship is Sitio Malogo in Barangay Polo. This is the barangay next to and east of Poblacion in New Washington. The place is now called The Yard, because this is where ships are built.

It also has a waiting area for clients with a restaurant-bar and souvenir shop. Lagatik River, which is the river south of the Poblacion, connects the port of New Washington to the Sibuyan Sea and the high seas. It stretches along some of the municipality’s barangays at a length of 9.6 kilometers.

Enjoy the beauty of nature and breathe fresh air along the way from the mangroves found in the waters of New Washington to Tinagong Dagat (Hidden Sea in English) of Batan town.

Tinagong Dagat is approximately 8 km long and 4 km wide. It is between Altavas town and Batan, and also partly hidden from Batan Bay by two islands that are fringed with mangroves, thick undergrowth and rocky beaches.

Cruises last for three hours and are available three times a day (7 to 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 3 to 6 p.m.). Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served, with these meals accompanied by live music onboard.

Possible short stopovers during the cruise are the Capis-pisan islet, fish-fattening farms and fish/oyster farms. At the islet, a resthouse was constructed by the College of Fisheries and Marine Sciences of Aklan State University (formerly Aklan National College of Fisheries).

The dinner cruise is now popular among families and school groups, as well as professionals, and local and foreign tourists.

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8 Best places to visit in New Washington Aklan

By: Mariz Nicole C. Guanco

Explore the picturesque spots amidst the verdant topography of New Washington and discover what makes it “The Beautiful and Bountiful” town of Aklan.

Find out the rich history of the place known as the hometown of the former Archbishop of Manila and the late Jaime Cardinal Sin, while being recognized for the Blood Compact Celebration done every third day of March. After much wandering around and sightseeing, fear not of an empty stomach, for New Washington is dubbed as the Sea Foods Capital of Aklan, and you'll understand why once you get a chance to taste the local cuisine.

New Washington is a third-class municipality in the province of Aklan located at the northern part of Panay Island. It is a coastal municipality and an agricultural town having 16 barangays found either near the coastline or near the rice fields. It is the native town of Aklanon Katipuneros Romualdo Dalida, Isidro Jimenez, Cornelio Delfin, Valeriano Dalida, Benito Motus, Albino Rabaria, Teodorico Motus, and Juan Dalida who willingly performed blood compact as a symbol of eternal friendship and brotherhood in the fight for independence against the Spaniard regime.

The municipality of New Washington used to be called Fonda Lagatic because of the apparent Lagatik River which flows through the place at a length of 9.6 kilometres. It changed its name after being established on January 15, 1904. New Washington, as we now know it, was named after George Washington, the first president of the United States, as a tribute to the Thomasites, a group of American teachers who had fostered education in the Philippines in the early 1900s, then trained Filipino teachers with English as the medium of instruction.

Get ready to list down a bunch of places in New Washington to add on your travel bucket list. This article will cover the best places to visit while you’re here.

8. Fatima Lighthouse

This mysterious place at Barangay Fatima, New Washington, Aklan is a secret that only lives to shine at night to safely guide fishermen and small vessels. But now the word is out! Marvel at the beautiful scenery that awaits you. If you find beauty in simplicity, are searching for tranquillity, or just opt for less crowded places, this is the place to be.

7. Tambak Seawall

6. New Washington Town Plaza

5. Pink Sisters Convent

Find time to visit the only contemporary nunnery in Aklan and in the whole Western Visayas. Located at Barangay Polo, New Washington, Aklan, the nuns here wear pink garments, thus the convent was named Pink Sisters. Seek divine intervention for your troubles or thank the Lord for your abundance, as you connect with God and pray at this haven for human souls. Buy religious materials like rosaries, bracelets, books and other religious souvenirs to help the Pink Sisters nuns earn a little profit for their everyday expenses and charity works and assistance.

4. Ortega’s Beach Resort

3. Ocean View Resort Bar & Restaurant

2. Isla Kapispisan

Explore this hidden paradise in Barangay Pinamuk-an, New Washington, Aklan. Pispis, the Visayan root word of its name “Kapispisan,” means birds, and Kapispisan, meaning flock of birds. Isla Kapispisan is a bird sanctuary converted from an abandoned 32-hectare fishpond into a mangrove reforestation, aqua silviculture, and ecotourism site through the efforts of ASU-College of Fisheries and Marine Sciences (ASU-CFMS), New Washington LGU and other cooperating agencies in the year 1997. It has become a place for learning for the fishery sectors and is slowly but surely becoming a tourist destination here in Aklan.

1. Jodan Vill Resort

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Have fun in aklan, enjoy a river cruise, 2 comments:.

hi..do we have to pay 2500pesos for the cruise plus the meal? or this is a separate thing?

550/ meal and cruise

Alfonso Ribeiro Says 'I Didn't Think I Would Enjoy' a Disney Cruise, But Admits He Had a Blast (Exclusive)

The Dancing with the Stars host took a multigenerational family trip on the intimate, eight-day Adventures by Disney river cruise

Courtesy of Disney

Alfonso Ribeiro was in for a surprise when he set off on a unique cruise this summer!

In the beginning of August, the Dancing with the Stars host, 52, embarked on an intimate, eight-day River Rhine Cruise by Adventures by Disney with nine of his family members for a multigenerational vacation. The group included Alfonso, his wife Angela Unkrich , his youngest three children — sons Alfonso "AJ" Lincoln, 10, and Anders Reyn, 9, and daughter Ava Sue, 5 — his parents and his in-laws.

When it came to agreeing to the excursion, which makes stops in Strasbourg, France; Rüdesheim, Germany; Amsterdam and more, Alfonso tells PEOPLE in an exclusive interview that he needed a bit of convincing.

"Everybody was on board and I was like, 'All right, I guess if y'all want to do it, I'll go do it.' And then I ended up really enjoying it," he admits.

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air alum shares, "[I] didn't think I would enjoy it as much as I did. It was kind of a shock. But I really, really enjoyed it. It was really a fun time. The kids really loved it [ and] my wife loved it." The cruise even got the stamp of approval from his mother, who told him, "This was really one of my nicest vacations I've ever been on."

Unlike Disney's large ocean cruise ships, Alfonso's voyage was on a smaller ship that only holds about 150 guests, allowing the crew to offer more personalized service.

Alfonso describes his time on board as "really intimate, really cozy," noting, "It's the same as a normal river cruise, except Disney elevates it big time."

Speaking about the Adventure Guides and experts on the boat, the America's Funniest Home Videos host says that they arranged nearly every part of his vacation. "So there's completely nothing you need to do. They've got all the excursions planned," he explains.

His favorite stop was in Strasburg, which is a small town in northeastern Germany. The itinerary for this part of the River Rhine Cruise includes a tour of the city on a Batorama canal boat.

The actor also enjoyed a sight-seeing excursion during which the guests gathered on the top deck of the boat and watched like "50 castles along the river." He says, "By this point, you've created friends, there other parents or other families that are all hanging out. So everyone's on the top deck, and there was wine and cheese. It was just beautiful."

Other adventures offered on the trip, according to Adventures by Disney include riding a toboggan and learning how to make wooden pipes, visiting a medieval village, exploring a wine cave, and going on a coffee and hot chocolate tasting tour.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Despite his trepidations, Alfonso says he came away from his river cruise a true believe and has been sharing that they are in fact "for everyone."

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Great Volga Dream Cruise - Volga River

Europe
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Volga River

As a Russian, I think I know every bend of it but this time around it was in Yaroslavl' that I... read more

Flight in to St Petersburg board boat after a fantastic city tour Russian people so so friendly. A... read more

Great Volga Dream Cruise

We booked the Gold Level cruise with Volga Dream. The standard of the hotels in both Moscow (St Regis) and St Petersburg (Kempinski) was outstanding, definitely 5 star. The local guides provided at Moscow and St Petersburg were both excellent. They spoke fluent English and certainly knew what that were talking about and more recentlythan happy to answer questions. The guides at the smaller towns/village were also quite good for the most part. We enjoyed our time on the ship. We had a mid-level room, so had full size windows rather than portholes but not as big as a suite. Whilst not very big we found it quite adequate and there was sufficient storage room. The bathroom was certainly on the small side but once again quite adequate. The shower cubicle is definitely on the smaller size so if this is important to you you really needed to upgrade to a suite where the shower is twice as big. The housekeeping staff proceed a daily service and a turndown service in the evening. The food on board was extremely good. I think nearly everyone has to go on a diet after finishing the cruise. The provision of an area where you could always get free coffee/tea and snacks was a very nice touch. The service provided by the staff was uniformly good. There was a good mix of nationalities (16 I believe) on board but for our particular cruise it was predominately Australian, Americans and Germans. There were activities each day of the cruise and special mention had to go to Dr. Ludmilla Seleznevs as the guest lecturer on Russian history and politics. Her lectures were a highlight of the trip and discussions at meal times. If booking this trip I suggest that you book Moscow to St Petersburg if possible as the scenery and sites get better and better when traveling that way. I would mention in regards to tipping (which is not included in the tour price) that once you start the cruise there is basically no access to an ATM so you really need to put some cash away for that. Quite a number of guests were struggling to find sufficient cash to give the staff as they had spent their cash buying souvenirs along the way. For whatever reason it is not possible to use your credit card for tipping. The only complaint that I would have is that the cost of the WiFi if not cheap and coverage is quite spotty as you are often cruising through areas with poor coverage. It is really only suitable for getting and sending emails and not for downloading anything. Regardless I would heartily recommend this trip for those who are interested in seeing a bit more of Russia than Moscow and St Petersburg.

We recently took a group of 17 New Zealanders on a cruise of the Volga River on the MS Lev Tolstoy, a typical river cruise boat. We found the trip to be far above our expectations - the trip was excellent. Our English speaking guide, a young lady, couldn't do enough for us, was very knowledgeable on all things Russian. All of the staff were friendly and helpful. The food was excellent, the off-shore visits interesting with good local guides and the shipboard entertainment and activities were plentiful. The cabins were quite small but they did take our luggage out of the room and store it and we managed very well. The beds were comfortable and the air-con easy to adjust. Cabin windows were also able to be opened. The tour started in St Petersburg and our group tour was well organised with large coaches picking us up from the wharf (no charge). We had a comprehensive city tour as well as a marvellous tour of the Hermitage. When we were off the boat for any full day we were taken to excellent restaurants for a 4-course lunch so that meant for the 10 days of the tour we never had to buy a meal. We were docked in St Petersburg for 3 nights giving plenty of time for the various tours, some of which were optional extras. The boat then travelled through the night along the river and by day we visited Peterhof, Mandrogi, Kizhi, Goritsy, Uglich, Yaroslavl. The local guides all spoke excellent English and were forthcoming regarding the "soviet times". All of these places were different and interesting but all had beautiful churches. Kizhi, particularly was quite an amazing island. Local markets were set up at the wharves in the above places and it was a bit disappointing to be rushed at this end of the day - our group would have like a bit more time to poke about the market stalls. The food on board was excellent, too excellent if anything, with plenty of variety for breakfast and lovely salads, breads and hot dishes for lunch. Dinner was also very nice, four courses, ordered the previous day, together with a glass of wine, beer or fruit juice. The dining room staff were very quick to assess our preferences and really looked after us - their English was lacking a bit but the interaction only made for a few laughs. The onboard entertainment was good, and there were Russian language lessons, dance lessons, painting of Russian dolls, exercise classes, a bridge tour, a treasure hunt and a pirates' dress-up evening. An enjoyable concert was held after the Captain's dinner with most of the passengers taking part. Being a group we had our own "drinks" sessions and there was no problem with us having our own drinks, in one of the larger cabins or out on the back deck. We had 3 nights in Moscow at the end of the cruise and the tours here were also excellent. I loved Moscow, having had a pre-conceived idea about it being a grey city with its citizens being solemn and mournful - not a bit of it - Moscow was colourful and vibrant and the locals smiling and friendly. I particularly loved the visit to the Metro stations with their amazing, varying art. I would recommend this cruise for sightseeing, good eating, good fun and variety and as a good all-round relaxing holiday.

I just came back from a cruise from St. Petersburg to Moscow with the "Volga Dream" First of all, the trip was very pleasant and instructive. There are some little things, however, which have not been so delightful. First of all, we were quite unlucky with boarding. The ship could not reach St Petersburg due to a heavy storm. So we had to make a trip of 400 km, partly through unpaved roads in the forest, and the whole trip took 9 1/2 hour from 3 PM to half past twelve a.m. On the first glance the ship looks okay, however, furniture partly has been heavily used and armchairs looks shabby. The real problem: The ship was built in the 50s (1957?) according to standards which don't fit into presence. The engines had been exchanged, but only according to the same completely outdated construction in Czechia. In the fifties apparently balance shafts were not state of the art. As a result, there are always strong vibrations coming from the three engines. So nobody could sleep the full night, and at the end of the trip everyone was very tired. The food is good, maybe not first class but okay. The service is super, and everyone was very friendly. Of course it was unpleasant that we had to pay eight dollars a day for the internet and the internet was very slow and sometimes did to not work. But most of the passengers were senior people who did not need WLAN A journey into the past: The ship is controlled in the old-fashioned way by commands of the bridge to the engine room. The excursion were very good and instructive. As a conclusion: A bit overpriced but a good experience.

Just returned from Russian Waterways tour with Value World Tours. MS Andre Rubelov. Cannot say enough about the service & experience of your tour guides , director, the structure of Value world tours, all of it was beyond my expectations traveling solo. I'm already planning my next trip.

We started from St. Petersburg. A wonderful city where we had almost full 4 days - accomodation was on a ship, far from the city center. There were city buses to take you to the end of Nevski prospect or to metro station. Tickets were cheap, but you need two and transfer would take some 40 minues if roads are not jammed. With organized sightseeing of city plus trip to Pushkinovo and Imperial palace there (marvelous) and Peterhof (skipped that as I have been there earlier, but this is also wonderful) just a walk along Nevski prospect (4.5 km) takes a good part of the day. Many of the churches wonderfully decorated. Plenty of restaurants, but everything saying café would prefer you having a lunch instead of coffee only. Try Soviet café (green and red chains), good meals and you can also try kvas, price mild to your pocket. We started our cruise in the evening of the fourth day, cruise took 5 days. Probably many will find this part boring, especially if the weather is bad. We had great weather and enjoyed small green islands or cities we visited, like Mandrogi, Kizhi, Goritsy, Uglich, Yaroslavl, but expect to spend 3-4 hours at most there, all the rest is cruise (1320 km from St. P. to Moscow, but some parts are overlapping). Thanks to nice weather we could be on the decks a lot, nature beautiful and there is some 800 km of woods - so calming and relaxing. Water may be cleaner or not so clean (brownish), but no litter at all in water or on the banks, unbelievable! Many locks on a way, interesting for kids (but other parts f the cruise probably not), musicians were pretty good, lady singer actually excellent and piano player very good (a student). Cabin was our biggest disappointment, but we have seen many other ships while docking and all had the cabins of the same size and style. It is like compartment in train, beds narrow and squeaky, not very comfortable. One person better lay on the bed while the other is walking around. This ship does not offer cabins for 3, have seen those on another ship, would not recommend that at all (cabin of the same size, just one extra bed is above the other bed). Toilet is small and you use it as a shower at the same time, so basically water drains but it stays kind of wet until next morning when room maid arrives. Smaller towels were changed daily, larger every 2-3 days. Cruise offers full board, meals were with a Russian touch, lots of beetroot, cabbage, not plentiful, but we liked it and it was enough (some in our group were not so enthusiastic with food, but they disliked some vegetables). Prices of coffee (100 rubles - 1.5 EUR) and drinks (Russian beer 130 rubles - 2 EUR) on board acceptable. Souvenirs on board too expensive. During the night, especially at lower speeds in canals, resonance may occur in the cabin preventing you of sleep - but strange enough, even my wife who is a light sleeper slept better than at home. In Moscow we had only a day and a half, to little to explore the city. Ship was at Northern river port, far away from center, but nearest metro station was 15 minutes walk and in 35 minutes by metro you can reach the Red Square. Overall I enjoyed this trip, but next time will go to these two cities by plane only. However, would be interested to try another river cruises in Russia, despite the limited comfort on aboard, which reminded me of my younger days and camping holidays. Coming with the group from Serbia the price we pay was great, I have seen some prices for the groups from Canada or USA, those were really expensive. Hope you get larger cabin for such a price - hope, but doubt it.

We had a wonderful holiday cruising down the Volga river on Lev tolstoy travelling from Moscow to St Petersburg.The ship is owned by a Russian company called vodohod.They have several ships.We booked a junior suite which was slightly bigger than standard rooms.Bathroom was a small cubicle with shower,toilet and wash basin. Everything was very clean .The food was exceptional. The staff and guides were very friendly and helpful.We met people from France,Spain Germany, China and few from UK. We were divided into different language groups with a guide for each group. We visited few small towns and villages along the way. Wifi was available at the library area .There was some entertainment on board. This cruise and visit to Moscow and St Petersburg made me think that everything you hear about Russia on newspapes is not true.Communism is gone and people are like anybody else. Only thing is they are not much exposed to foreigners mainly due to language problems but in tourist places they all spoke English ..

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