Welcome to pure nature - All inclusive hiking tour
Welcome to pure nature Finland with its 40 national parks is a paradise for hikers and backpackers. Hiking is the most popular way to get to know Finland's natural attractions. This hike offers four different experiences of our nature. Take your backpack and come along!
On a guided national park and nature reserve hiking trip you will enjoy magnificent scenery when trekking in unspoiled nature. When you choose a guided trip you will get much more out of your wildlife experience. With the help of a guide you will get to know the area and its history while listening to interesting stories along the way.
For this hiking trip we have chosen three national parks and one Nature reserve area which differ considerably from each other: Koli, Tiilikka, Hiidenportti (Goblin’s gate) and Raesärkät. The trips are suited for travellers with average fitness and who are keen on hiking in fresh air. Welcome to an all-inclusive hiking experience!
Tour Highlights:
- National Parks
- Pure nature
- Local way of live
- Local pure food
- Silence and without hurry tour
- Sustainable travel mode
Program
1. Day
• Arrival to The Guesthouse. Dinner and getting to know hiking program. Sauna.
2. Day
• Hiking at Natureserve Raesärkät
Raesärkä nature reserve is a beautiful day trip destination in a ridge landscape. The hiking trail that runs through the area follows the old cart road and the bottom of the wheel track. The rest stops are along the route at a short distance from each other. In addition to ridges, Raesärkkie's landscape includes calm marshes, clear lakes, river bends and old forest with diverse inhabitants. Raesärkkie's scenery has been admired for decades, and the area is a popular local recreation destination.
3. Day
• Hiking at Hiidenportti
The gorge of Hiidenportti is a spectacular sight. Along the trail leading up to the gorge you can experience the mystical spruce forest and the austere beauty of the the flowery meadow.
Places to see at Hiidenportti: the gorge with its upright cliffs is the most popular sight of the national park. On the forested hill of Kovasinvaara there is a desolated cabin which gives the traveller a view on the life in the wilderness and presents the local traditional landscape. Also the cultural history of the area is introduced by places like dams for log floating and burn-beaten birch forests.
The hiking route: The trail follows the river Porttijoki south to the the sandbank of Käärmesärkkä and leads then south-east to the recreational fishing area of Peurajärvi. The distance between Hiidenportti and Käärmesärkkä is about 10 km.
- Or Hiidenkierros Trail, 5 km / Circle Trail.
Trail Category: intermediate and demanding.
• Dinner and sauna at the guesthouse.
4. Day
• Hiking at Tiilikkajärvi
The spectacular sandy beach of Tiilikkajärvi is called Venäjänhiekka (Russian sand) which is no coincidence: in the year of the peace treaty of Täyssinä (1595) a memorial stone was placed there to mark the demarcation. On the stone you can see a crown and a cross representing Sweden and Russia, the two countries at war. On the sandy beaches, forested hills, odorous swamps and in the sighing forests you can feel nature at its most powerful.
The hiking route: The circular routes of Uiton kierto (7km) and Autionkierto (3,2 km) or 17 km Tiilikan kierto.
Trail Category: Intermediate or Intermediate
• Dinner and sauna at the guesthouse.
5. Day
• Hiking at Koli
Koli is best known for the magnificent views you get to enjoy on top of the forested hill. Over the years it has inspired famous artists like Jean Sibelius, Eero Järnefelt and Juhani Aho as well as ordinary hikers and backpackers who love hiking in the area. The highest point, Ukko-Koli rises 347 metres above sea level and 253 metres above Lake Pielinen. The view you get from the top has been named the best known Finnish national landscape.
There are several hilltops in the area where you can stop to admire the wonderful view over Lake Pielinen. Underneath the lookout spot of Akka-Koli there is also something called Hiljaisuuden temppeli (The temple of tranquility) which is a popular wedding chapel.
The hiking route: Mäkrä trail 7,2 km. The starting point for the circular route is Ukon Yläpiha (where the hotel and the wildlife centre of Ukko are located). From there the trail goes over the hilltops of Koli descending then to the glades of Mäkränaho and Purolanaho only to go up again to the forested hill of Mäkrävaara. The next destinations will then be the forested hill Pieni-Mäkrä and the glades of Ikolanaho and Mäkränaho. From there you can go over the hilltops back to the starting point at the hotel.
Things to see along the route: the national landscape from top of Koli, the glades, the lookout spot of Mäkrävaara, the place where the artist Eero Järnefelt used to paint and the diverse, untouched nature on the forested hills.
Trail Category: Demanding or Intermediate
Or Kasken Kierros Nature Trail 2.5-5 km + The Trail of The Tops 1.4 km.
Trail Category: Easy
• Dinner and sauna at the guesthouse.
6. Day
Day of from hiking. Free day to explore the city and local life.
Tips: Bomba house and Karelian village, Bomba Karelian Spa, Nurmes old town
Option: Possibility to go rafting on the rapids of Ruuna or wildlife watching tour. Boat tour on the lake Pielinen and picnic at the Kynsisaari iceland.
7. Day
• Breakfast. Time to say Hei, hei.
Groupsize: min 8 person. Max 15 person.
Groupsize: min 8 max 30 person. Groups more than 15 person/ Accommodation in Bomba area at Karelian Village
Valid: By request April-October 2024
The package price is from 1490€/ person / 6 nights, 7 days.
The price includes accommodation in double rooms and full board at the one Hiking guesthouse or three guesthouses.
Full board: breakfast, lunch, coffee / tea, dinner, a sauna bath, a packed lunch for excursions, a guided hiking tours and transportation in the hiking trip.
Transfer > < Joensuu, Kuopio, Airport or railway station/Nurme, Joensuu, Kuopio.
An extra day including accommodation and breakfast is available at the price of 60€/person.
Please note:
- Not suitable for disabled or those with limited mobility.
- Most trails can be easily walked in sports shoes or walking shoes during dry weather, though hiking boots be useful, as terrain can vary considerably even over short distances. Weatherproof clothing.
More information:
ww.nationalparks.fi/kolinp
www.nationalparks.fi/hiidenporttinp
www.nationalparks.fi/tiilikkajarvinp
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