Have you ever ever heard of the Arctic Lakeland in Finland, and why it’s so particular? Right here we’ll inform you all about it and provide you with 8 causes to go to, in summer season and in winter!
We’ve only in the near past returned from our tenth journey to Finland (fifth time in winter!) and with each go to, our love for the nation grows stronger. There’s one thing very particular about Finland in winter – true, it’s chilly and the solar is within the sky just for just a few hours every day, however the sunshine is simply magical. We’ve already spoken about it in our article about visiting Oulu in winter in case you’re interested by it.
When speaking about Finland within the coldest months of the yr, most individuals instantly consider a snowy trip to Lapland, possibly with just a few days within the capital to expertise Helsinki in winter. Don’t get me improper, Lapland is wonderful, however it may get expensive and fairly busy, particularly in case you choose to remain in Rovaniemi.
We have now another for you – Arctic Lakeland, the northern a part of Finland’s lake-filled heart, positioned simply south of Lapland. This area gives many conventional ‘winter in Finland’ actions – assume assembly Santa, snowshoeing, smoke sauna adopted by ice swimming, and good probabilities to see the Northern Lights, all at a way more reasonably priced worth in comparison with Lapland.
In summer season, Arctic Lakeland turns into an journey paradise. You may go canoeing and kayaking, mountaineering and biking alongside offbeat trails, and even camp outdoors as you would like, due to Finland’s Everyman’s Right.
And there’s extra! The area hosts some of the essential (and greenest!) chamber music festivals on the planet, so in case you’re extra of a music particular person than an outside particular person, there’s additionally a very good purpose so that you can go to Arctic Lakeland in Finland.
Now, let’s have an in depth have a look at Arctic Lakeland, the way to get there, and what to anticipate in summer season and winter.
The place is Arctic Lakeland?
The area of Arctic Lakeland, also called Kainuu, extends simply south of Lapland and east of Oulu and the Gulf of Bothnia, as much as the border with Russia. The primary city within the area is Kajaani, the place you’ll additionally discover the airport, and the second largest is Kuhmo, residence to the chamber music competition we talked about above.
Different notable locations in Arctic Lakeland are Vuokatti, certainly one of Finland’s prime snowboarding resorts, and Hossa Nationwide Park, identified for its out of doors actions and historical rock work.
Arctic Lakeland Sensible Data
The way to Get To Arctic Lakeland
- By Aircraft: fly Finnair from Helsinki to Kajaani airport (KAJ), a tiny regional airport with just one/2 flights a day to and from the Finnish capital. Flights have been not too long ago began once more after being halted as a result of pandemic.
- By Prepare: there’s additionally a railway station in Kajaani. Journey time from Helsinki is about 6/7 hours.
- By Automobile: it takes roughly 7 hours to drive from Helsinki to Kajaani. Contemplating that in case you’re travelling independently you’ll want a automotive to get round Arctic Lakeland, you may as well choose to drive there from Helsinki, maybe stopping in Mikkeli or North Karelia.
The way to Get Round Arctic Lakeland
One of many principal appeals of Arctic Lakeland is the truth that it’s so quiet and distant. Your complete area is residence to solely 70,000 individuals, half of which stay in Kajaani. There may be public transport, however buses are fairly rare, so it’s significantly better to have your individual automotive – particularly in case you’re planning to journey to a number of areas throughout the area.
Roads in Finland are often well-maintained. In winter they’re not all the time clear from snow and ice, however in case you hire a automotive in the course of the winter months it should include spiked tires, making it simple and protected to drive on the snow. Don’t neglect to all the time listen although!
Arctic Lakeland in Winter – Climate
Nicely, you didn’t come to Arctic Lakeland in winter for the sunny climate, did you? The area in winter is chilly, and by chilly we imply someplace round -10/-20°C, dipping even additional to -30°C at instances. Keep in mind to layer up, put money into good-quality thermal underwear and pack heavy mittens and hand heaters to be comfy.
If you’re planning to participate in out of doors actions, your supplier will often supply technical tools resembling heavy-duty winter boots, overalls, and mittens. These are completely important in case of actions like snowmobiling and husky rides, particularly if the temperature is -20 or decrease.
By way of daylight hours, once we visited in January the solar rose round 9.30 AM and set at roughly 3 PM. Many actions are additionally enjoyable to do throughout blue hour and even at evening time – like admiring the northern lights, despite the fact that this time we weren’t fortunate in that respect.
Arctic Lakeland in Summer season – Climate
This a part of Finland is ideal to escape the warmth of southern and central Europe in summer season. The most popular month is July, the place most temperatures often hover round 20°C, and about 10°C at evening. It’s heat sufficient to swim within the many lakes across the area, and to take pleasure in spending time outside with out having to retreat inside within the hottest a part of the day.
In summer season, the times are just about endless. The area doesn’t fairly expertise the Midnight solar because it’s south of the Arctic Circle, however in June and July the solar units round 11 PM and rises simply a few hours later, so it by no means actually will get absolutely darkish.
Temperatures often begin to lower significantly by mid-August onwards, marking the start of ruska, the Finnish autumn. The great factors are that the timber are full of fantastic colors and the nights begin to get darkish – that means you may need the chance to see the Northern Lights with out being chilly!
4 Causes to Go to Arctic Lakeland in Winter
We visited Arctic Lakeland within the month of January 2024 over a interval of 4 days, flying out and in of Kajaani from Helsinki.
We spent the primary two nights at Resort Kalevala in Kuhmo, about 2 hours drive from Kajaani Airport, and the ultimate evening at Lentiira Vacation Village, about 40 minutes north, and stopped at Vuokatti on the way in which again. We skilled all of the winter actions throughout our keep, and likewise visited Kuhmo and the Bear Centre.
1) Go Cross-Nation Snowboarding
Finland is a rustic with only a few mountains, so often when a Finn invitations you to go ‘snowboarding’, more often than not they imply cross-country snowboarding. There are many alternatives to strive cross-country snowboarding throughout Arctic Lakeland, or to study in case you’ve by no means tried earlier than.
We spent a fantastic morning cross-country snowboarding in Kuhmo, from Resort Kalevala to the little island of Harakkasaari. Circumstances have been simply excellent, the snow was powdery and dry, and the tracks have been in nice situation and simple to observe. The temperature was chilly, about -15°C, however so long as we saved transferring, we barely felt it.
We skied throughout certainly one of many frozen lakes and previous snow-covered pine timber to succeed in the island, the place we had a glass of heat blueberry juice earlier than snowboarding again. We’re fairly acquainted with cross-country snowboarding, however our group included some individuals who had by no means skied earlier than, and everybody loved the expertise.
Should you’re visiting Arctic Lakeland in winter and wish to strive cross-country snowboarding, chances are high your resort will supply skis and tools for hire, or there might be a rental store close by. Those that favor Alpine snowboarding may also discover a place to take pleasure in their favorite sport in Arctic Lakeland. Vuokatti is certainly one of Finland’s largest ski resorts, with a wide range of runs and cross-country trails for all ranges.
Between one run and one other in Vuokatti, be sure you go to Heikkilän Pirtti, a cafè in a pink wood home run by a pleasant couple, serving scrumptious soups, selfmade truffles and different consolation meals, excellent for a break earlier than heading again into the snow.
2) Meet Santa at Pohjolan Talo
Wait, I do know what you’ll say. Didn’t Santa stay in Lapland? What’s he doing in Arctic Lakeland? Nicely, apparently Santa does have his headquarters in Lapland, however he returns again to his home in Kuhmo on the finish of the Christmas rush – or so it goes.
Pohjolan Talo is a set of conventional Karelian wood buildings, simply 200 meters from Resort Kalevala in Kuhmo. In summer season, Pohjolan Talo homes a scrumptious burger restaurant; in winter, it turns into Santa’s home, and youngsters are welcome to go to to satisfy the large man himself.
Everybody else can be part of a wide range of craft programmes accessible all year long – as an example, it’s possible you’ll discover ways to bake adorned gingerbread cookies, or make your individual Christmas playing cards from scratch.
3) Go Snowshoeing within the Wilderness
Along with cross-country snowboarding, snowshoeing is our favorite winter exercise, a sustainable method to take pleasure in nature and silence. The benefit of snowshoeing is that anybody can do it, and there’s no want of particular coaching or classes – you simply strap your snowshoes on and set off!
We went snowshoeing on the frozen lake reverse Lentiira Vacation Village – snowshoes and backcountry skis are each accessible for rental, and there’s no must have a information with you, however you’ll be able to definitely ask reception to rearrange one in case you favor.
We advocate snowshoes over backcountry skis in case you’re not acquainted with snowboarding. Snowshoeing is absolutely enjoyable to do in deep snow, but it surely does get tiring after some time, so be sure that to avoid wasting power for the journey again!
4) Take pleasure in Smoke Sauna and Ice Swimming
You may’t probably go to Finland with out having an genuine sauna! Our favorite is smoke sauna, or savusauna in Finnish, probably the most conventional and genuine form – we clarify extra about how it’s and the way it works in our article about our favourite sauna experiences in Finland.
In Arctic Lakeland, you’ll be able to strive smoke sauna at Lentiira Vacation Village. Smoke sauna is sort of costly because it takes a number of hours to warmth the sauna to the required temperature utilizing solely wooden hearth, due to this fact it is strongly recommended primarily in case you are visiting with a bunch.
After sauna, Finns will head to a lake or the ocean for a refreshing dip. That is particularly helpful in winter, as immersion in chilly water has countless benefits for our health – it reduces blood strain, boosts the immune system, reduces stress and gives an exquisite endorphin increase. I can personally attest that is true!
At Lentiira, there’s an ice gap only a few steps from the sauna the place you’ll be able to strive ice swimming for your self. Keep in mind to cowl your head with a beanie and management your respiratory, because the affect with chilly water will make you hyperventilate. Begin with just a few seconds, after which progressively construct up. It’s severely addictive!
4 Causes to Go to Arctic Lakeland in Summer season
5) Kuhmo Chamber Music Pageant
Yearly in July, the glowing lakes and inexperienced forests of the area turn out to be the background for the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival, attracting classical music followers and performers from everywhere in the world.
The 2024 version will happen from July 14th to twenty seventh and can embrace over 60 concert events on the theme of “Borderlands”, impressed by Finland becoming a member of NATO and the brand new significance of the nation’s japanese border in view of current political developments.
Most concert events are held within the lovely Kuhmo Arts Heart – Lentua Corridor seats 668 individuals, and it’s identified for its unimaginable acoustics due to moveable panels made with locally-sourced timber. Different occasions happen in areas round Kuhmo, together with the first faculty and a gorgeous wood church.
6) Go to the Bear Centre
Between April and October, Arctic Lakeland turns into a terrific vacation spot for bear pictures. Neglect spending hours and hours in crowded, freezing hides – the Bear Centre close to Lentiira has spacious, comfy shelters, with seats and huge home windows to arrange your digicam for unforgettable pictures.
Bears hibernate in the course of the winter, and usually begin changing into lively in late April. Each month gives completely different bear watching alternatives – as an example, Might is rutting season, whereas in June you’ll be able to {photograph} bears surrounded by cotton grass, and in September you’ll be able to see the timber change color.
The Bear Centre boasts an unimaginable 90/99% success charge in the case of bear watching, and in case you are very very fortunate certainly you would possibly even see one of many different massive carnivores that inhabit the realm – lynx, wolves and wolverines.
Those that actually need to spoil themselves can keep within the Bear Heart luxurious cabins, with massive home windows overlooking the forest, that means you’ll be able to see bears whereas mendacity in mattress. There’s additionally a sound system you’ll be able to activate to be alerted when bears are approaching the cabin, to be sure you gained’t miss a viewing!
7) Go Canoeing in Hossa
Canoeing is one other enjoyable purpose to go to in Arctic Lakeland in summer season, and probably the greatest locations to do it’s Hossa Nationwide Park, about 2 and a half hours drive out of Kuhmo.
Hossa gives a wide range of canoeing and kayaking routes, starting from placid paddles throughout lakes to expeditions with class 3 rapids that final for a number of days, tenting within the wilderness.
Be sure to go to the Hossa Nationwide Park data centre earlier than you set off, or higher nonetheless contact an area operator for information on appropriate routes and to hire tools. You could find additional data on the Wild Taiga web site.
8) Discover the Forest by Fatbike
Arctic Lakeland is stuffed with forests, and an effective way to discover in summer season is on the saddle of a fatbike – common or electrical, as much as you.
Simply in case you’re not acquainted, fatbikes have wider tires in comparison with mountain bikes, making them particularly appropriate to free terrain, roots and rocks, all situations you would possibly discover in a Finnish forest.. There are a number of operators renting out fatbikes and e-fatbikes, and even providing guided excursions in case you favor to discover with an area.
One other fantastic purpose to go to Arctic Lakeland in summer season!
Our time in Arctic Lakeland was supported by Go to Kuhmo, Wild Taiga and Toolbox Consulting as a part of the Uncover Finland, Estonia and Sweden 2024 media tour undertaking.
