Wanderlust Travel Magazine (UK)
Footnotes
Finland
THE TRIP
The author was a guest of Visitfinland (visitfinland. com), Magnetic North Travel (01664 400103; magneticnorthtravel.com) and Wild Taiga (wildtaiga.fi). A seven-day itinerary staying at the Arctic Giant Bird House, Luxury Bear Hide Cabins and camping with huskies (which includes accommodation, breakfast, picnic lunches, dinner, guide services, activities, sauna and all the equipment needed) starts from £2,300, based on two people sharing (excludes flights).
Vital statistics
Capital: Helsinki
Population: 5.3million
Language(s): Finnish and Swedish. English is spoken in Helsinki and in larger attractions outside of the capital.
Time: GMT+2 International dialling code: +358 Visa: Not required by UK nationals. Money: Euro (€), currently around €1.17 to the UK£. ATMS are available in Helsinki and credit cards are accepted almost everywhere. Carry some cash for smaller restaurants and cafés.
When to go
December-april: Unequivocally winter when temperatures plummet (and stay) south of 0°C. It’s a great time for visiting Finnish Lapland, seeing the northern lights and enjoying snowy activities, but less so for bear watching as they go into hibernation.
May-early September:
A prime time for Lakeland wildlife watching. Temperatures warm up (high teens/low 20s) and during June and July offer near 24-hour daylight, though in those months biting insects can be a nuisance. May or late August-september are ideal with less people, few insects but lots of wildlife.
October-november: The shoulder season. Temperatures are cool and hours of daylight get shorter. Wildlife watching opportunities are limited.
Health & safety
No specific vaccinations are required. Tap water is of a very high quality and perfectly safe to drink. The main issues are extreme weather temperatures (it can get very cold and wet) and biting insects in the summer (which are an annoyance rather than much of a health risk). There is a risk of tick-borne encephalitis (for which there is a vaccine) so be tick-aware and use plenty of repellents.
When watching bears or any wildlife remember to keep a safe distance (at least 150m if not in a hide). Listen carefully and follow all instructions given about staying inside the hides during certain hours.
Getting there
Finnair (flights.finnair.com) offers daily flights from London, Manchester and Edinburgh to Helsinki from £96 return; flights take around three hours. To get to Lakeland you need to fly to Kajaani. Finnair has two daily flights to the region from Helsinki from £94 return; journey time is around 1hr 20mins.
Getting around
In Helsinki visiting the many islands is easy via the public ferries with same-day island hopping tickets from €7 (£6). The city itself is very walkable and a good bus network makes travel easy if needed, with single fares from €6 (£5). To explore further, consider hiring an ebike. A five-day ebiking trip from Helsinki to Espoo, with Magnetic North Travel, returning via the coastal path (including bikes,
equipment, GPS, four nights’ accommodation, 24/7 support and luggage storage) costs from £699pp (excluding flights).
Accommodation
In Helsinki, the Marski by Scandic hotel (scandichotels. com) is handily located in the city centre close to other attractions. Prices from €120 (£100) night. Other options are Hawkhill Villas (hawkhill.fi/en), prices from £350pp for a four-day stay – minimum allowed, and the Iglu Hut at Nuuksio Reindeer Park (nussksioreindeerpark.fi/en) from €360pn.
In Lakeland, the Wild Brown Bear Centre (bearcentre.fi) offers brand new luxury hides complete with large picture windows, underfloor heating, a kitchenette, flushing toilet and microphones so you can listen to the outside sounds, for €495pp (£420) per night. In Paltamo, doubles at the Arctic Giant Birdhouse Hotel (arcticgiant.fi/en) with a lake view cost €171 (£145) per night.
Food & drink
In Helsinki, fish is available everywhere. Expect herring and lots of it – served with new potatoes and also pickled on rye bread or blini. If you’re after something sweet, try a pulla (cinnamon bun) with afternoon tea. Foraging is practised by many. Newbies should explore with an expert – be sure to take a supply of salmiakki (salted liquorice).
Further reading & information
Finland (Lonely Planet, 2018) visitfinland.com myhelsinki.fi/en visitespoo.fi/en
Planning guides
Finland Travel Guide Archive article
Midnight sun – issue 147 Husky sledding – issue 142 Photographing the northern lights – issue 130