Kuusamo - Small town, big adventure

Northern lights over a frozen lake. Photo: Harri Tarvainen/Ruka Sauna Tour/Visit Finland.

Kuusamo is a small town of 15,000 people in the North-East Finland (not quite in Lapland!). Despite the town's small size, Kuusamo is well-known nature and winter-sport destination all around the world. Ruka Ski Resort and Oulanka National Park have made this sparsely populated municipality popular destination for approximately one million Finnish and international visitors every year. Located in the North, Kuusamo is a very good place to spot northern lights in the wintertime, that is if you can endure freezing cold climate!

Oulanka National Park in autumn. Photo: Julia Kivelä/Visit Finland.

Oulanka National Park is one of Finland’s 40 national parks. Known from its gorgeous and rugged landscape, this 290 km2 park attracts over 200,000 visitors from every corner of the world each year. Oulanka National Park’s landscape was formed by water, and different water elements still dominate the landscape today, which can be admired while hiking through its many trails.

Oulanka National Park’s varying terrace and numerous micro-climates offer a home for many vulnerable and rare species, like for Fairy Slipper orchid, which is the symbol of Oulanka National Park. National Park continues across the border in Russia: Paanajärvi National Park is Oulanka’s twin park, and they both contribute in preserving the unique nature and local species of the region.

Frozen hut on top of the hill Valtavaara. Photo: Ismo Pekkarinen/Visit Finland.

Karhunkierros (Bear’s Ring) is a world famous hiking trail situated in the National Park of Oulanka. This 82 kilometres long hiking track goes through versatile and breathtaking landscapes, which include multiple gorges, swamps, and different types of forests. Nine hanging bridges take visitors over rivers Oulankajoki and Kitkajoki, and multiple impressive waterfalls can be admired close by.  Most parts of the hiking trail are accessible all around the year, but long winter hikes are recommended only for experienced hikers due to harsh winter weather and heavy snow cover. The temperature during the winter can drop around –40 °C and there is only a couple of hours of daylight during darkest winter months. Hiking trails in Finland are well kept, and Karhunkierros has many free wilderness huts and resting stops so pace can be set to a suitable level for all hikers and groups.

Great shorter hiking option in Kuusamo is Karhunkierros-trail’s little sibling, circular hiking trail Pieni Karhunkierros (Little Bear’s Ring). This 12 kilometres long route is moderately demanding, but amazing landscapes like Ristikallio and impressive waterfall Jyrävä make the hike worthwhile. Do not forget to familiarize yourself with Everyman's rights before hiking!

Sulo Karjalainen and Juuso the bear. Photo: Antti Viitala/Visit Finland.

Speaking of bears: Even if Kuusamo locates very far north, we do not have polar bears roaming in the streets. We, however, have a healthy number of brown bears! Ancient Finns worshipped but also feared these giants, and to prevent summoning bears, they used different euphemisms when talking about them (e.g. King or Apple of the Forest, and Honeypaw). There are chances of seeing these 300 kg beasts in the wilderness, but it is rare. Bear watching safaris are one option to meet bears, but the easiest way is to give a visit to the Predator Centre during the summer when bears are not hibernating. The owner, Sulo Karjalainen, is famous because of his close and extraordinary relationship with bears who live in the centre. The most famous bear in Finland, and the residence of the Predator Centre, Juuso, has become a global sensation in the art scene.

Snowshoeing in Ruka. Photo: Harri Tarvainen/Visit Finland.

The second biggest ski resort in Finland, Ruka, offers an endless number of winter activities. Ruka Ski Resort has 35 groomed runs and 21 ski lifts, and ski season is over 200 days long! For 2018-2019 ski season, first two slopes were opened 5th of October and last slopes are planned to be closed in May. If downhill skiing is not your cup of tea, Ruka is also a great destination for those who want to challenge themselves or just enjoy the winter atmosphere on cross-country skis. Ruka is a perfect destination for skiers from every skill levels with over 160 kilometres of marked routes. If skiing gets boring, there are endless other activities including snowshoeing, ice fishing, ice climbing, husky safaris, hiking, and ice-floating.

After/during a long day full of exciting activities, some relaxation and good food are always welcome. Ruka and Kuusamo area have all together over 60 restaurants where you can indulge local cuisines or whatever you feel like having, there are plenty of options!

Lake landscape in Kuusamo. Photo: Harri Tarvainen/Visit Finland.

Kuusamo is your go-to destination if you enjoy your holidays either fast or slow (or maybe a bit of both?). Kuusamo area has over 6.900 cottages, and most of them come with a sauna. I cannot think anything more relaxing than chilling after a sauna on a front porch of a cottage, listening to the Finnish summer nights' silence, which is occasionally broken by haunting calls of Black-Throated Diver. Every time I think of my time growing up in Kuusamo, I fondly think about moments like those. For me, the essence of Finland and being a Finn can be found in them.