Kola Reserve
Sample Itinerary
Most anglers will travel through Helsinki Finland on the convenient Finnair charter flight every Saturday morning, on their last leg of flights to Murmansk Russia. The short charter will get you into Murmansk in the late morning, with plenty of time to catch the helicopter into camp and still have enough time to get a half day of fishing on Saturday afternoon. One week trips run from Saturday to Saturday. The helicopter transfer from Murmansk to the lodge runs just around 1 and a half hours.
Saturday of Arrival:
• 06:00 - Breakfast at your hotel
• 07:30 - Charter flight departure from HEL to MMK
• 11:00 - Arrival in Murmansk
• 12:00 - Helicopter transfer into camp (based on weather)
• 14:00 - Arrival into camp
• 16:00 - Fishing
• 20:00 - Dinner
Upon arrival in camp you will have plenty of time to settle into your cabin, enjoy a light lunch and be given the weekly orientation of the Kola Reserve program. You will be assigned your fishing partner and beat rotation at this lunch and given your fly time for that afternoon's departure to fishing. Dinner will be served at 8:00pm daily after returning to the lodge between 6pm and 7pm. A rotation will be assigned to anglers to fish the home pool during after dinner hours, until 1am.
Every day, guests of the Lodge are transferred to the different pools of the Lumbovka or Kachkovka rivers by helicopter. Maximum flight time is under 20 minutes. Two fishermen and one guide are transferred to each beat. There is a daily rotation of pools.
There may be some flexibility from week to week in the itinerary, but a typical week would be as follows:
Sunday to Friday (6 Full Fishing Days):
• 06:30 - Coffee
• 08:00 - Breakfast made to order
• 08:30 - Organize gear for fishing
• 09:00 - Departure for your designated pool, by helicopter or ATV
• 09:15 - Begin fishing at your assigned pools
• 13:00 - Lunch on the River
• 13:30 - Return to fishing your beat
• 18:00 - Load onto the helicopter for the return flight to camp
• 18:30 - Arrive back at the lodge. Showers and the banya are ready to go. Clean up for dinner
• 19:00 - Cocktail hour
• 20:00 - Dinner
• 21:30 - Relaxing time. Fishing at the home pool is still open until 1:00am with a guide, based on assignment.
After your last day of angling on Friday, you will want to pack as much as possible and be prepared for an early departure from camp Saturday morning. Anglers will wake up in camp for an early breakfast and helicopter departure back to Murmansk. The Finnair charter flight departure from Murmansk is scheduled for Saturday in the late morning. You will arrive back in Helsinki in the late afternoon with the choice to continue traveling on to home, or you may choose the more comfortable option of getting a room at the Hilton again and traveling home Sunday morning.
Saturday of Departure:
• 06:00 - Breakfast made to order. Finish the last of your packing
• 07:30 - Helicopter transfer to Murmansk
• 12:00 - Charter flight departure from Murmansk to Helsinki
• 16:15 - Arrival at the Helsinki airport