The best Highlights of North Karelia - Lake Pielinen tour
The route takes you around the lovely Lake Pielinen. The main attractions are small villages and towns with Karelian forests and hills, as well as magnificent sights such as Koli, one of our national landscapes.
Meet the locals and get to know the Karelian culture and way of life and from the delicious cuisine.
Welcome to Eastern Finland.
Available: 1.5. - 30.9.2025
Group size: 10 - 50
Program:
1. Day Nurmes
Arrival in the Break Sokos Hotel Spa Bomba.
Nurmes Bomba Spa. Bomba is a unique resort on the shore of Lake Pielinen. Break Sokos Hotel Spa Bomba must be experienced by yourself. The Bomba House and Karelian Village are an attraction in itself, and they are part of Break Sokos Hotel Bomba as well.www.bomba.fi
• Accommodation at Bomba Spa Hotel
2. Day Nurmes
A visit to the House Museum of Murtovaara
The House Museum of Murtovaara is an attraction in Valtimo’s Halmejärvi. Murtovaara is the only museum in Finland focused on inhabitation on tree-covered hills. The site is located in the wilderness far away from main roads and 22 kilometres away from the Valtimo parish village. The yard of the museum is not accessible by car: the rest of the way must be walked on an old cartway. The house museum is a nationally valuable culture historical destination. The museum consists of 16 log houses built in different centuries. The oldest house marked with a year, ”Ikäpirtti” (”Old Cottage”), dates back to the 18th century. The museum presents a clear picture of the development of the peasant house from the 18th century to modern day. Here the different developmental stages of the farmhouse living-room and oven can be clearly seen in one place.
Karelian Dinner at Guesthouse
Guesthouse offer local food made from pure ingredients in the Karelian way.
Back to Break Sokos Hotel Bomba.
3. Day Lieksa Ruunaa
After breakfast driving to the Ruunaa Area at Lieksa. Welcome to adventure and rafting. The Ruunaa rapids of Lieksanjoki River are an unforgettable experience.
- Whitewater rafting with traditional Wooden boat or Rubberboat.
- The boat route from Matkalahti to Naarajoki bridge is about 30 km.
- The trip takes about 4 hours including a lunch outdoors.
• Accommodation Kestikievari Herranniemi.
Welcome to Herranniemi
Enjoy traditional rustic athmosphere in the national landscape of Koli. From opposite side of lake Pielinen you can have fantastic view to the hills over the lake. Delicious traditional food, cosy accommodation, friendly and communicative service and seasonal activities give you unique oppoturnity to spend unforgettable holiday. Herranniemi is located in the center of the culture village Vuonislahti, straight by the Finland`s fourth biggest lake Pielinen. Dinner and sauna.
4. Day
After breakfast a Visit Nearby famous sculpture Eva Ryynänen`s atelier and unique timber church. Paateri – The Atelier of Artist Eva Ryynänen. Paateri is the atelier and home of artist and sculptor Eva Ryynänen (1915-2001) situated in the village of Vuonisjärvi. It is located about 27 km from the town centre of Lieksa. Paateri was Ryynänen’s home even before her career as a sculptor. There she farmed and raised cattle with her husband Paavo Ryynänen. The museum, located in beautiful surroundings on a lake shore, consists of Ryynänen’s unique and personal house, completed in 1953, as well as her roomy atelier, a round gallery cafe and a church made of sturdy timbers. All of the buildings were designed by Eva and inside them one can marvel at her handiwork: sculptures, reliefs and other unique works.
Driving to National Park Koli.
Guided tour at the top of Koli - the best of Koli
Welcome to discover the spectacular scenery and nature of Koli National Park! This scenic tour includes Koli’s most famous panoramic views and the highest points in the Koli National Park: Ukko-Koli, Akka-Koli and Paha-Koli. From the Koli hills you can admire the vast Lake Pielinen 250 metres below you, the old-growth forests, Kolinuuro gorge and the Lake Herajärvi valley formed by the last glacier.
During the tour, your guide tells you interesting facts and stories about Koli, its history, nature and culture, as well as artists who have found inspiration in the Koli hills. You see spectacular views throughout the tour, and you have plenty of time to enjoy them and take photos. Welcome to experience the essence of Koli National Park and discover why Koli is one of the best-loved national landscapes of Finland!
Visit Nature Centre Ukko
The Koli Nature Centre Ukko offers Finland's best known national landscape, the hills of Eastern Finland and heritage sites. The Koli Heritage Exhibition displays Koli's geological features, natural environment and culture in a variety of ways and provides advice and tips for hiking in the Koli National Park. The Nature Centre is only a few hundred metres from the Ukko-Koli lookout point – one glimpse of the national landscape and you will be captivated by Koli forever.
• Accommodation at Hotel Koli Kylä
5. Day
After breakfast. Visit The Koli Sculpture Garden
Koli Sculpture Park is a unique art attraction in Finland, which fills a park area of almost a hectare with its works. The varied area according to the seasons is crowned by the magnificent sculptures made by Lasse Martikainen, a garden entrepreneur and self-student in Koli. In the park you can see dozens of works of art of different sizes inspired by mythology and the nature of Koli. The materials of the sculptures are versatile and weatherproof, such as metals, stone, fiberglass and recycled materials. Both old greenhouse gutters and heating pipes have given the park new life.
Driving to Juuka village and Puu-Juuka. Stop over the Nunnanlahti, Stone Center.
Puu-Juuka (Wooden Juuka) is the old centre of Juuka’s parish village. The oldest buildings in the area are from the turn of the 20th century and they remain in use as housing, business premises and public buildings. Puu-Juuka contains many protected buildings and it is a site of culture historical significance. It is also a rare surviving example of how Finnish parish villages were traditionally built.
Driving back to Nurmes and Break Sokos Hotel Bomba.
Stop over Nurmes Old Centre, Puu-Nurmes and take a walk there.
On a ridge shaded by steep streets and beautiful birches, right in the heart of Nurmes you can find the protected and historically valuable Puu-Nurmes and Vanha Kauppala. The majority of the area’s building property dates from the 1880s to the 1930s, and therefore Puu-Nurmes is known as one of the best-preserved wooden house areas in Finland. The residents of the area are especially lucky, as the ridge offers magnificent views of Lake Nurmesjärvi and Lake Pielinen. You too can admire the scenery and explore the area on foot to admire its birch-lined streets and idyllic cityscape at its best. Travel tip: you can visit one of the wooden houses in the area, Voima Villa!
• Accommodation at Bomba Spa Hotel
6. Day
After breakfast. Driving to Kuopio.
Guided city tour by bus or walking tuor in city centre.
Your own time for shopping.
- Accommodation Laplands Hotel Kuopio
Price: from 1800€/person/6 nights, 7 Days
Incl.
Nurmes: Break Sokos Hotel Spa Bomba 2 two nights in doubleroom, breakfast. Entrance fee to Murtovaara museo. Dinner at Guesthouse.
Lieksa: Whitewater rafting and Lunch in outdoor. Accommodation Kestikievari Herranniemi, breakfast and dinner. Sauna. Entrance fee to Paateri – The Atelier of Artist Eva Ryynänen.
Koli: Accommodation at Koli. Breakfast and dinner. Guided tour at the top of Koli. Entrance fee to The Nature Centre Ukko. Entrance fee to The Koli Sculpture Garden.
