Nature Trips Around Novgorod Region
Novgorod Region is our favorite destination for nature trips in the European part of Russia. Covered by Taiga forests it's perfect for a camping trip or for a stay at a real Russian village house somewhere very green and quiet.
The most popular destination is the Valdai national park about 2 hours south towards Moscow. It's a beautiful place, but it's pretty crowded. A more interesting choice is to go towards Borovichi town and further up, to Korobozha lake where you can find some serene spots for wild camping on the shore of a beautiful ice-age lake.
Alternatively, you can travel to Okulovka (which is a stop between Moscow and St. Petersburg), thus, easily reachable. There you can go to Borovno lake, which is inside Valdai national park. For a more comfortable stay, there's a really nice village called Gorneshno situated on that lake. There you can stay in a real village house and try the real Russian sauna.