Finland: Oulanka and the Kuusamo Wilderness

1. Day 1: Arrive in Helsinki

   Helsinki Airport to your hotel in central Helsinki

   • Drive about 30 min
   • Dinner
   • Stay in Helsinki
   Day 1 details

   Land at Helsinki Airport, about 20 km north of the city, where a driver meets you in arrivals for the drive to a central hotel near the harbour. Plan to land by about 3 pm so you are in time for the early-evening walk. Your See Sight Tours guide meets the group in the hotel lobby for a short briefing on the week: what the days in Kuusamo look like, what to wear, and how the summer or winter programme runs. Then we walk the centre together: the Market Square by the South Harbour, the green dome of Helsinki Cathedral above Senate Square, the long park of the Esplanadi, and the seafront out towards Kaivopuisto, where the islands of the archipelago start. In summer the light lasts well into the night; in winter the walk is short and the city is lit. We finish with a welcome dinner of Finnish food at a restaurant in the centre.

   Included

   • Pick-up at Helsinki Airport (HEL)
   • Welcome briefing with your guide
   • Evening walk: the Market Square, Senate Square, Helsinki Cathedral and the Esplanadi
   • Welcome dinner in central Helsinki

   Free time: Free until the early-evening briefing

   Activity: About 3 km on foot on city streets.

   

2. Day 2: Fly north to Kuusamo and Ruka

   Helsinki to Kuusamo by air, then Ruka

   • Drive about 30 min
   • Breakfast and dinner
   • Stay in Ruka
   Day 2 details

   After breakfast we take the domestic flight from Helsinki to Kuusamo, about an hour and a half, over a country of lakes and forest that gets whiter or greener the further north you go. Our minibus and driver meet the group at the small Kuusamo airport for the half-hour drive to Ruka, the fell village that is our base for six nights. Ruka has shops, cafes and restaurants within a short walk of the hotel, which matters on the free evenings. After lunch on your own and time to settle in, we walk up the slopes of Konttainen, the fell beside the village, for a first look over the lakes and forests towards Oulanka. On winter departures we first fit everyone with a thermal overall, boots and mittens for the week, and the walk is a short loop on snowshoes. Dinner together at the hotel, and on clear winter nights your guide watches the aurora forecast.

   Included

   • Flight from Helsinki to Kuusamo (KAO)
   • Transfer to Ruka
   • Winter clothing fitted for the week (winter departures)
   • Guided walk or snowshoe on Konttainen fell
   • Dinner at the hotel

   Easier option: Skip the fell walk and stay in the village; the walk is a short climb of about 2 to 3 km.

   Free time: Time to settle in before the afternoon walk

   Activity: About 2 to 3 km on foot, with a steady climb of about 150 m.

3. Day 3: The Little Bear's Ring

   Ruka to Juuma, the Little Bear's Ring in Oulanka National Park, and back

   • Drive about 1 h
   • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
   • Stay in Ruka
   Day 3 details

   A morning start for the drive of about half an hour to Juuma, the hamlet where the Little Bear's Ring, Pieni Karhunkierros, begins. In summer this is a loop of about 12 km through Oulanka National Park, and we walk it from the morning so the busiest stretch is behind us before the midday day-hikers arrive. The path follows the Kitkajoki through pine forest and over wooden steps: the old mill at the Myllykoski rapids, the narrow gorge where the Jyrava falls drop about 9 m, and the suspension bridges that sway over the river. Lunch is cooked over a fire at a lean-to shelter on the trail. In winter the rapids steam between snow and ice, and we snowshoe a section of about 6 to 8 km to Myllykoski and Jyrava and back, with the same fire lunch. Back in Ruka by late afternoon for a hot shower and dinner together.

   Included

   • The Little Bear's Ring with your guide: Myllykoski, the Jyrava falls and the Kitkajoki suspension bridges
   • Snowshoes and poles on winter departures
   • Lunch cooked over a fire on the trail
   • Dinner in Ruka

   Easier option: Walk only from Juuma to Myllykoski and Jyrava and back, about 4 to 5 km, and wait at the lean-to fire for the others.

   More active option: In summer, add the climb to the Ristikallio viewpoint above the Kitkajoki.

   Activity: The longest walking day: about 12 km over 5 to 6 hours in summer on roots, rocks and wooden steps; about 6 to 8 km on snowshoes in winter.

   

4. Day 4: The Oulanka river, or huskies in the snow

   Ruka to the Oulanka river and Kiutakongas (summer) or a husky farm near Ruka (winter), and back

   • Drive about 1.5 h
   • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
   • Stay in Ruka
   Day 4 details

   In summer we drive about 50 minutes north to the Oulanka river, where a local outfitter gives a short safety talk and hands out canoes, two to a boat. We paddle a calm stretch of about 15 km with your guide and an outfitter's guide, past sandy banks and forest, over three to four hours; rapids on this stretch are carried round or skipped. Lunch is a fire on a sandbank. Afterwards we walk to the Kiutakongas rapids, where the river breaks white through red dolomite cliffs. In winter we go instead to a husky farm near Ruka: the mushers show you how to drive and brake a sled and how they care for the dogs, then you ride about 10 km through snowy forest, two to a sled and taking turns to drive. Lunch is at the farm by the fire. The afternoon is free, and on winter nights your guide takes a group out for the aurora if the sky is clear.

   Included

   • Summer: guided canoe trip of about 15 km on the Oulanka river, with all equipment
   • Summer: walk to the Kiutakongas rapids
   • Winter: husky safari of about 10 km with a farm visit
   • Winter: an aurora outing with your guide on a clear evening
   • Lunch by the fire, dinner in Ruka

   Easier option: In summer, sit in the middle of a three-person canoe with the guide, or skip the paddle and meet the group at Kiutakongas. In winter, ride in the sled without driving.

   Free time: Late afternoon free in Ruka

   Activity: No canoe experience is needed. Life jackets are provided; you will get wet feet getting in and out.

   

5. Day 5: Reindeer, then bears or the aurora

   Ruka to a reindeer farm, then a bear hide east of Kuusamo (summer) or a dark spot outside Ruka (winter)

   • Drive about 2 h
   • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
   • Stay in Ruka
   Day 5 details

   A slower morning, then a visit to a reindeer farm in the Kuusamo area, where a herding family explains the year of a herder: calving in spring, the round-ups in autumn, and how the animals roam free in the forest. You can feed the reindeer, and in winter take a short sleigh ride behind one. Lunch is at the farm, often a reindeer or salmon soup by the fire. The afternoon is free. On summer departures we eat an early dinner and drive about an hour towards the eastern border to a bear hide, where a local guide settles the group into a wooden hut with viewing slots. We sit quietly through the light evening, often until about midnight, for brown bears and sometimes wolverines; sightings are likely but never promised. On winter departures the evening is an aurora outing to a dark lakeshore away from village light, with a campfire and hot berry juice, if the sky allows.

   Included

   • Reindeer farm visit with a herding family, with a sleigh ride in winter
   • Lunch at the farm
   • Summer: an evening at a bear hide with a local guide
   • Winter: an aurora evening with a campfire
   • Dinner in Ruka

   Easier option: Skip the late evening and stay in Ruka; dinner is in the village either way.

   Free time: Afternoon free in Ruka

   Activity: The bear hide means 5 to 6 hours of sitting quietly with a toilet in the hut; bring a warm layer and a book for the slow hours. Hides run through September; we confirm the season with the outfitter for each departure.

   

6. Day 6: A free day in Ruka

   Ruka

   • Breakfast
   • Stay in Ruka
   Day 6 details

   A day with nothing planned. Sleep in, walk to a cafe in the village, or take one of the short list of options your guide can book for you, each priced before you travel rather than sold on the day. In summer you can hike the Valtavaara ridge east of Ruka, known for its birdlife and long views, rent a mountain bike, try stand-up paddling on a lake, or fish for grayling with a local guide. In winter Ruka is a ski resort with downhill runs above the village and many kilometres of groomed cross-country trails; you can also take a snowmobile safari, try ice fishing on a frozen lake, or borrow a kick sled and go along the village tracks. Your guide is in Ruka all day for advice and to help with bookings. Lunch and dinner are on your own, and the village restaurants are a short walk from the hotel.

   Included

   • Your guide in Ruka for advice and bookings

   Optional experiences

   • Summer: Valtavaara hike, mountain bike rental, stand-up paddling, guided fishing
   • Winter: downhill or cross-country skiing, snowmobile safari, ice fishing

   Free time: The whole day is free

   

7. Day 7: Riisitunturi and the smoke sauna

   Ruka to Riisitunturi National Park, then a lakeside smoke sauna, and back

   • Drive about 1.5 h
   • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
   • Stay in Ruka
   Day 7 details

   We drive about 40 minutes west to Riisitunturi National Park, a small park of fells and hanging bogs. In winter it is known for tykky, the thick crowns of frozen snow that bend the spruces into strange white shapes, heaviest from January; we snowshoe a loop of about 4 to 5 km up among them to views over the frozen lakes. In summer the same walk crosses sloping mires on duckboards to the open fell top. Lunch is by a fire. In the late afternoon we go to a traditional smoke sauna by a lake, heated for hours with a wood fire and then aired so only the soft heat and the smell of smoke remain. Finnish sauna culture is on UNESCO's list of intangible heritage. Between rounds you swim in the lake in summer or dip through a hole in the ice in winter, if you dare. A farewell dinner follows.

   Included

   • Riisitunturi National Park with your guide, on snowshoes in winter
   • Lunch by a fire
   • Traditional smoke sauna by a lake, with a lake swim or ice-hole dip
   • Farewell dinner

   Easier option: Walk the first part of the trail only and wait by the fire.

   Activity: About 4 to 5 km on foot or snowshoes with a climb of about 150 m. Bring a swimsuit and a towel for the sauna; mixed saunas are usually in swimsuits.

8. Day 8: Fly back to Helsinki

   Ruka to Kuusamo Airport, then by air to Helsinki Airport

   • Drive about 30 min
   • Breakfast
   Day 8 details

   A last breakfast in Ruka and, if the flight allows, a short walk in the village or one more look at the view from the fells. Our minibus takes the group to Kuusamo airport, about half an hour, for the domestic flight back to Helsinki of about an hour and a half. Your guide flies with you and sees you to the connection area at Helsinki Airport, where the trip ends. Flight times from Kuusamo change by season and by day of the week, so book your onward flight home from Helsinki for the afternoon or later; we confirm the time of the Kuusamo flight and the latest safe connection with your final itinerary. If you would rather stay on, we can book an extra night in Helsinki for you, close to the Market Square and the ferry to the island fortress of Suomenlinna, which is on UNESCO's World Heritage List.

   Included

   • Transfer to Kuusamo Airport (KAO)
   • Flight from Kuusamo to Helsinki Airport (HEL)

   Optional experiences

   • Extra night in Helsinki, booked on request

   Activity: Book a flight home from Helsinki leaving in the afternoon or later; we confirm the latest safe time.

Wildlife and weather: In June and July the nights barely get dark at Kuusamo, and mosquitoes are at their worst. August is warm and calmer, and early to mid September brings ruska, the autumn colour on the fells, and the first chance of an aurora. Bear hides run through September, confirmed with the outfitter for each departure. In winter, December days have only a few hours of light, temperatures of minus 15 to minus 30 degrees Celsius are normal, and the snow load on the trees is heaviest from January. The aurora needs a dark, clear sky and is never certain.

• Helsinki1 night
• Ruka6 nights