# Sumarokovo Moose Farm near Kostroma > The Sumarokovo Moose Farm is a research farm where moose have been tamed and milked since 1963, about 20 km in a straight line east of central Kostroma. You can only visit with a guide; tours last 30 minutes to 1 h 20 min. Entry is 300 ₽, 200 ₽ for children from 4, under-4s free. Open daily 10:00–15:00 — arrive by 14:00, as the moose head off into the forest by three. Web page: https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/sumarokovo-moose-farm - City: [Kostroma](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma), Russia - YesGo score: 22/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 1 h 30 min - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry: 300 ₽ adults - Reduced: 200 ₽ — children from 4, school pupils, students, pensioners, people with disabilities - Free: Children under 4 - Included: Guided tour and carrots to feed the moose; photos and video free - Opening hours: Daily 10:00–15:00, 31 December 10:00–13:00 - Tour length: 30 min to 1 h 20 min depending on the season - Booking: Only for groups over 20; others join the next tour on arrival - Language: Tours are in Russian; staff speak only Russian - Payment: Cash only — the farm has poor internet - Moose milk: Tastings June to September; 2,000 ₽ a litre - Taxi from the centre: ≈ 35–40 min each way - Bus: Suburban bus towards Gushchino or Sintsovo to the Spas stop, then ≈ 6 km on foot - Coordinates: 57.67556, 41.20667 - Facts checked: 30.10.2026 ## Key facts - **1963** — the farm was founded under the Kostroma agricultural research station (source: Official website of the Sumarokovsky nature reserve, farm history; English Wikipedia, “Kostroma Moose Farm”) - **≈ 20 km** — in a straight line from central Kostroma to the farm gate; further by road (source: Farm website (A. N. Minaev), “How to find the moose farm”; our calculation from Wikidata coordinates) - **≈ 36,000 ha** — of protected land around the farm, closed to hunting since 1991 — the moose graze in the wild (source: Official website of the Sumarokovsky nature reserve, farm history; farm website (A. N. Minaev)) - **1949** — the first experimental moose farm opened in the Pechora-Ilych reserve; Kostroma built on its experience (source: Official website of the Sumarokovsky nature reserve; English Wikipedia, “Kostroma Moose Farm”) - **May 1970** — the first calf was born on the farm — before that, calves were collected from the forest (source: Official website of the Sumarokovsky nature reserve; farm website (A. N. Minaev)) - **67 moose** — the farm’s largest herd, in 1978 (source: Official website of the Sumarokovsky nature reserve; English Wikipedia, “Kostroma Moose Farm”) - **16 cows** — milked at the same time in 1985 — the farm’s record (source: Official website of the Sumarokovsky nature reserve; English Wikipedia, “Kostroma Moose Farm”) - **Over 10 %** — fat in moose milk, with over 8 % protein (source: Official website of the Sumarokovsky nature reserve, moose milk page; farm website (A. N. Minaev)) - **Sanatorium** — the farm’s milk goes to the nearby Ivan Susanin sanatorium (source: Official website of the Sumarokovsky nature reserve; English Wikipedia, “Kostroma Moose Farm”) ## Kostroma moose farm tickets and opening hours **Entry is 300 ₽ for adults and 200 ₽** for children from four, school pupils, students, pensioners and people with disabilities. Under-fours go free. The ticket covers a guided tour and a bag of washed, chopped carrots to feed the moose; photos and video cost nothing extra. The farm is open **every day of the year, 10:00–15:00**, and until 13:00 on 31 December. You can’t wander around on your own: if you turn up independently you join the next group, or staff put together a new one — sometimes you wait for a free guide. Only groups of more than 20 need to book. Tours are in Russian and the farm staff speak only Russian. Even without the commentary, the moose are the show — but a guided trip from Kostroma with an English-speaking guide makes the visit much easier. > **Bring roubles in cash** Visa and Mastercard cards issued abroad have not worked in Russia since March 2022, and according to the farm’s website it takes cash only anyway because of poor internet. Carry roubles for the entry, the milk tasting and souvenirs. Taxis ordered through the Yandex Go app can also be paid in cash. > **Come at 10:00, not at 14:00** Visitors are welcome from 10:00, but at 15:00 the tours stop, the gates open and many moose walk off to their forest pastures. The later you arrive, the less you see. Aim to be at the gate between 10 and 11. ## How to get to the moose farm from Kostroma 1. **By taxi — the easy way, about 35–40 minutes** from Susanin Square. Ask for «Сумароковская лосиная ферма» (the Sumarokovo moose farm), not just Sumarokovo: another village of that name lies 60 km away in the opposite direction. Arrange for the driver to wait — there are no taxis to flag down at the farm. 2. **By car.** Follow Sovetskaya Street out of town onto the Kineshemskoye highway. In Poddubnoye, just past the first houses, fork left towards Ikonnikovo. Drive through Semyonkovo and Gridino; 1.3 km after the Gridino bus stop turn right at the big «Сумароковская лосиная ферма» sign. It’s about 6 km more through Spas and Demidkovo; the last kilometre is gravel. 3. **By public transport.** From Susanin Square take a city bus or minibus to the bus station, which now shares a building with the railway station. Suburban buses towards **Gushchino** or **Sintsovo** leave 6–7 times a day and take 20–25 minutes to the **Spas** stop, the one after Gridino — tell the driver in advance. 4. From Spas it’s about 6 km on foot along a quiet road, more than an hour. In summer some weekend buses run all the way to Sumarokovo, but the farm’s own website calls them unreliable. Check the timetable in a map app the day before. 5. **On a guided tour** — about three hours including the drive from Kostroma, with transport sorted and no turn to miss. ## What is the Sumarokovo Moose Farm? It’s a working research farm that has spent more than sixty years trying to turn the moose into a domestic animal. It was founded in 1963 under the Kostroma agricultural research station and now belongs to a regional body, the Sumarokovsky state nature reserve. Cows are milked, calves are bottle-raised, and adults wear GPS collars. What makes it different from a zoo is **semi-free keeping**. The moose spend most of their lives in the reserve’s forest and come to the farm by choice — for oat porridge, for milking, for the feeders. So you might meet a full-grown cow in the car park, or not see one at all, depending on the season and the weather. Visitors watch moose of different ages through the fence and feed them the guide’s carrots. In summer and autumn you can step into the pen with this year’s calves. It’s not a petting zoo with guaranteed cuddles — it’s a real farm with its own rules, and that is exactly why YesGo rates it. ## When to see moose calves, season by season - **Late April – May:** calves are born. You see them only through a double fence while they are in quarantine; the May holidays are the busiest days. - **From early June:** calves spend the day in a pen that visitors may enter and photograph. Touching and hugging them is allowed only from August–September, and only when the farm is quiet. - **Summer:** adult cows head into the forest after milking and rarely appear. Young two- and three-year-olds are kept by the entrance — they’re the ones you feed. - **June – September:** fresh moose milk — a small tasting portion after the tour. - **Winter:** many adult cows come to the calving pen for aspen bark, and you can feed them carrots through the fence. - **All year:** the milking stalls, the GPS collars and the story of how a moose is tamed from its first days. > **The moose walk around freely** Adult moose may turn up by the car park, the toilets or the entrance arch. Don’t approach or follow them, keep children by the hand and don’t let them run. No clapping, no arm-waving, and don’t bend down to pick up a dropped carrot. Your own food for the animals is handed in before the tour, and pets are not allowed. ## Can you drink moose milk at the farm? Yes, in season. The cows are milked twice a day; the milk has been certified since 2009 and mostly goes to the nearby Ivan Susanin sanatorium, which treats stomach conditions. It’s over 10 % fat and over 8 % protein — thick, and nothing like cow’s milk. After the tour you can buy a small tasting portion; fresh milk is available from June to September. A whole litre costs 2,000 ₽ and has to be ordered in advance. The two farm websites quote different tasting sizes and prices, so check on the spot. ## A short history of moose farming in Russia The Soviet idea of taming the moose dates from the 1940s: in 1949 the first experimental moose farm opened in the Pechora-Ilych reserve in the Komi Republic. The Kostroma farm was set up in 1963 on its experience. The first calves were taken from local forests, five adults arrived from Pechora in 1968, and the farm’s own first calf was born in May 1970. Its heyday was the 1970s and 1980s — 67 moose in 1978, 16 cows in milk in 1985. Hunting on the land was banned in 1991 and the reserve grew to around 36,000 hectares. The Kostroma farm is still going. ## Is the Kostroma moose farm worth it? Worth it if you’re in Kostroma with children, or for two days or more. Standing a few steps from a living moose is something no museum in town can give you, and the round trip with a tour fits into half a day. With only one day, YesGo says stay in the centre — the [Ipatiev Monastery](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/ipatiev-monastery) and the old trading rows give you more. And don’t expect a petting zoo: in summer the adult cows may be out in the forest, calves can’t be touched until August, and after 15:00 there is little to see. ## Before you go: checklist - [ ] Leaving early enough to be at the farm by 10–11 - [ ] Roubles in cash — foreign cards don’t work in Russia - [ ] Student or pensioner ID for a reduced ticket - [ ] Taxi booked with waiting time, or a tour with transport - [ ] The farm’s name written in Russian for the driver - [ ] No dog and no snacks for the moose - [ ] Closed shoes and tick repellent from spring to autumn ## Moose farm vs Ipatiev Monastery vs Kostromskaya Sloboda | | Moose farm | Ipatiev Monastery | Kostromskaya Sloboda | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | What it is | Research farm with tame moose | Monastery linked to the rise of the Romanovs | Open-air museum of wooden architecture | | Where | Out of town, ≈ 20 km straight line | In town, across the Kostroma river | In town, next to the monastery | | Getting around | Taxi, car or tour | City transport or on foot | City transport or on foot | | With kids | Top pick | More for adults | Good — log houses and yards | | Best time | Mornings, May – September | Any day | Warm season | The monastery and the Sloboda sit side by side and pair easily into one day in town. The moose farm is a half-day trip of its own: moose in the morning, the centre after lunch. ## Moose in the morning, the old town by afternoon Be at the farm when it opens, get back to Susanin Square for lunch, walk through the trading rows and finish at the Snow Maiden’s Terem — a hit with kids. Add them to your route — YesGo fits in the timing and transfers. 1. [Sumarokovo Moose Farm](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/sumarokovo-moose-farm) — YesGo score 22/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · 300 ₽, children from 4: 200 ₽ 2. [Susanin Square](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/susanin-square) — YesGo score 47/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free 3. [Kostroma Trading Rows](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/kostroma-trading-rows) — YesGo score 47/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · Free 4. [Snow Maiden's Terem](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/snow-maiden-terem) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · from 490 RUB, full visit 890 RUB > **Want to pat a calf? Go on a late-summer weekday** Calves may be touched from August–September and only when there are few visitors. At weekends and on holidays the guides keep everyone behind the fence. A weekday at the end of August or in September is your best chance. ## Good to know In Russian the farm is Sumarokovskaya losinaya ferma (Сумароковская лосиная ферма); locals also call it the Kostroma «loseferma». Don’t confuse it with Sumarokovo in Susaninsky district, 60 km away, or with moose farms in the Komi Republic and elsewhere in Russia. The postal address on Prospekt Mira in Kostroma is only an office — there are no moose there. ## Tips - The best hour is 10:00: the moose are by the pens after their morning porridge, guides are free, crowds are thin. - Half a day: taxi for 10:00 → tour and milk tasting → back for lunch on [Susanin Square](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/susanin-square). - With kids, pair the farm with the [Snow Maiden’s Terem](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/snow-maiden-terem) — together they make Kostroma’s best family day. - If no adult moose come to the fence, don’t be disappointed: in summer they graze in the forest and come back only for milking. - Calves under a year old are never fed anything — not even carrots or branches from their own feeder. - Flash photography is fine — moose don’t react to it — but laser pointers and UV torches are banned. ## Questions ### Do you need a tour to visit the Kostroma moose farm? You can arrive on your own, but you can’t walk around unaccompanied: independent visitors join the next guided group on site. Only groups of more than 20 need to book ahead. ### How much is entry to the moose farm? 300 ₽ for adults and 200 ₽ for children from four, students and pensioners; under-fours are free. The price includes the guided tour and carrots to feed the moose. Cash only. ### What are the moose farm opening hours? Daily 10:00–15:00, and until 13:00 on 31 December. Arrive by 14:00 — tours end at 15:00 and many moose leave for the forest. ### How do I get to the moose farm from Kostroma? A taxi takes about 35–40 minutes from the centre. By bus, ride towards Gushchino or Sintsovo to the Spas stop after Gridino, then walk about 6 km. A guided tour with transport is the easiest option. ### How far is the moose farm from Kostroma? About 20 km in a straight line east of the city centre, near the village of Sumarokovo in Krasnoselsky district. By road it’s further, via the village of Gridino. ### Can you try moose milk? Yes. A small tasting portion is sold after the tour, with fresh milk from June to September. A litre costs 2,000 ₽ and must be ordered in advance. ### When is the best time to see moose calves? Calves are born in late April and May but are shown only through a fence until June. From June you can enter their pen; touching is allowed from August–September if it’s quiet. ### Can you pet the moose? Mostly you feed them carrots through the fence. Calves may be touched from late summer when visitors are few; adult moose roam freely, and getting close to them is at your own risk. ### Is the moose farm open in winter? Yes, all year, and in winter many adult cows come to the pens for aspen bark. From January to March, call ahead in case the herd is out at a forest feeding site. ## How we checked Prices, hours, tour length, group booking and the litre price of milk come from the official website of the Sumarokovsky nature reserve. The farm website run by researcher A. N. Minaev gives the same 2026 prices but says visitors are received from 10:00 to 14:00 and tours end at 15:00 — hence our advice to arrive by 14:00. Cash-only payment, seasons, visitor rules and buses come only from Minaev’s site with no official confirmation, so they are marked “verifying”. Tasting portions differ: 50 g for 100 ₽ on the reserve’s site, 25 ml for 50 ₽ on Minaev’s; the milk season is given as from May or from June to September, so we don’t quote a tasting price. Winter: the reserve’s history page says the moose spend the deep-snow months at a forest felling site, while Minaev’s 2026 notes say the mobile camps were abandoned and the moose come to the main pens all year — hence the advice to call ahead from January to March. Distance: Wikipedia says about 25 km east, Minaev less than 20 km from the centre; our calculation from coordinates gives about 20 km in a straight line. The taxi time is an estimate, not official. Tour language is inferred from the farm website’s note that staff speak only Russian. ## Sources - Official website of the Sumarokovsky state nature reserve: Services, Contacts, Farm history and Moose milk pages — prices, hours, booking, phone numbers, history, milk - Sumarokovo Moose Farm website by A. N. Minaev, senior researcher at the Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, updated October 2026: guided tours, how to find the farm, how tame moose are kept, moose milk - English Wikipedia: Kostroma Moose Farm; Wikidata Q6433580 — gate coordinates - Tripster: tours to the Sumarokovo moose farm from Kostroma - Visa and Mastercard statements on suspending operations in Russia, March 2022 --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.