Yamka

The village of Yamka is home to extravagantly bearded Old Believers, as well as genuinely lived-in (and well-labelled) historic houses. Its pretty lake-side setting is a 15-minute walk up the east coast of the island from the reserve. The reserve’s seasonal staff sleep communally here in the 1905 Pertyakov House, with a traditional-style outdoor banya hut (like a sauna) at the waterside. Two doors south, outside Moshikova House, is a curious blue-eyed pagan totem that’s somewhat reminiscent of an Easter Island moai.