Girvas Volcanic Hollows

The Girvas hollows lie in Medvezhyegorsk District a few kilometres from town. A group of round lakes sits in volcanic craters ~700 million years old — traces of ancient activity on the Fennoscandian shield. Bolshoye Girvas is the largest; Malye Girvas and others have regular shapes and steep banks. The scenery contrasts with typical Karelian forest and granite — dark basalt dominates. Short eco-trails and viewpoints serve the lakes; the site is on the Girvas–Paanajarvi tourist route but remains a geology stop, not a spa resort. Easy to combine with Medvezhyegorsk and the White Sea–Baltic Canal — a short stop for volcanic landforms in the North.