Skitsky Island, a small rocky outcrop connected to Valaam by a footbridge, holds the Skete of All Saints — one of several hermitage communities scattered across the archipelago. The white-painted church and simple wooden buildings sit among ancient spruce and pine trees, giving the place a calm quite different from the bustle around the main monastery.
The walk from the main complex takes about half an hour along a forest path. It is worth the effort: the island has a quality of stillness that the main monastery, with its tour groups and pilgrims, sometimes lacks. The views back across the water to the main island are particularly good in the late afternoon light.