Finland wildlife short break
Highlights
Wildlife watching in Finland’s taiga forests | Stay in traditional taiga village of Lentiira | Predator hides | European brown bear | Wolves | Reindeer | Elk | Expert local naturalist guideDescription of Finland wildlife short break
This Finland wildlife holiday is a small group, short break in the heartlands of Finland’s taiga forests, right up on the Russian border. These forests are famous for their proliferation of wildlife, with trees covering almost seventy per cent of the landscape here, very much untouched by development.In this stunning part of Finland you will get a chance to see European brown bear, wolves, elk and reindeer. The elusive lynx and wolverine are also present in these forests, and no better place to see all of the region’s fauna than in wildlife watching hides, where you will spend two nights with your expert guide. In the hides there is comfortable seating, a bed and a dry toilet.
Your guide is also an expert in the ecosystems of the taiga forests, and is a font of knowledge on the history of this region, lakes, peat bogs as well as local cultural heritage. There are many stories to be shared while sitting up into the night waiting for wildlife to appear, over coffee and Finnish snacks.
Your main base on this trip is Lentiira, a tiny and very traditional village close to the Russian border which is surrounded by lakes. As this is a summer trip, running between May and end August, you will have the benefit of long days giving you plenty of time, therefore, to explore the village and its surroundings.
Travel Team
If you'd like to chat about this holiday or need help finding one we're very happy to help. The Travel Team.
01273 823 700 Calling from outside the UK? rosy@responsibletravel.comCheck dates
Responsible tourism
As the pioneers of responsible tourism, we screen every trip so you can travel knowing your holiday will help support conservation and local people.
The company’s home base is in the tiny village of Lentiira in East Finland located near the Russian border. The area has a varied wildlife and nature including valuable boreal forest, the Taiga. Many rare European animals such as wolverine, wild forest reindeer, elk, flying squirrel, European brown bears and wolves can be found in our region. During our excursions we not only provide scientific facts about these animals, but we also relate associated traditional tales and beliefs to our guests as they see how we lead our everyday lives amongst such wildlife.
We encourage our visitors to keep an open mind as they get to know our wildlife, to understand their behaviour and to respect and protect the environment in which our wildlife lives. Our company has been engaged in compiling one of the first Codes of Conduct for wildlife tourism in Finland that sets out how to behave to ensure the implementation of safety and wildlife protection measures in wildlife tourism.
Our company’s own practices are even more strict than common guidelines and we use them without exception. We know the safety distances of different animal species that we must respect to guarantee that wildlife watching is safe and stress-free for both our customers and wildlife. For safety reasons and to ensure the comfort of all our customers, alcohol and other intoxicating substances are not permitted on our excursions. Smoking is prohibited in and near the hides.
The Impacts of this Trip
Our guides are trained and experienced; to implement our varied program we cooperate and use specialist guides and entrepreneurs, e.g. wildlife, husky and canoeing guides. We also cooperate with our local nature conservation association, village association and the national Natural Resources Institute Finland. All the guides working for us get fair wages and the co operation is supporting both us and the other small companies in the area.
Our company donates euro per every visitor to European wildlife protection funds, FERUS in France. WWF or Finnish nature protection association.
We shop in Kuhmo town and also buy locally produced food and natural products, such as berry juices and fish, from local people. We follow the local tradition and pick berries and mushrooms found in the forest and bogs. When doing this we leave the easiest places in our village for the local elderly people and go a bit further to collect these treasures for us and our guests.
We tell our clients about the local traditions and crafts and advice them where to find locally baked goods and crafts. One popular souvenir is woolen stockings and wooden cup named kuksa.
Company owner has been a member of the local nature conservation association since 2005 and we organise small events (nest box building, guided nature excursions, birding excursions, and a nature adventure trail for children) on a voluntary basis for the villagers, our guests and anyone who wants to participate.
The company’s home base is in the tiny village of Lentiira in East Finland located near the Russian border. The area has a varied wildlife and nature including valuable boreal forest, the Taiga. Many rare European animals such as wolverine, wild forest reindeer, elk, flying squirrel, European brown bears and wolves can be found in our region. During our excursions we not only provide scientific facts about these animals, but we also relate associated traditional tales and beliefs to our guests as they see how we lead our everyday lives amongst such wildlife.
We encourage our visitors to keep an open mind as they get to know our wildlife, to understand their behaviour and to respect and protect the environment in which our wildlife lives. Our company has been engaged in compiling one of the first Codes of Conduct for wildlife tourism in Finland that sets out how to behave to ensure the implementation of safety and wildlife protection measures in wildlife tourism.
Our company’s own practices are even more strict than common guidelines and we use them without exception. We know the safety distances of different animal species that we must respect to guarantee that wildlife watching is safe and stress-free for both our customers and wildlife. For safety reasons and to ensure the comfort of all our customers, alcohol and other intoxicating substances are not permitted on our excursions. Smoking is prohibited in and near the hides.
The Impacts of this Trip
Our guides are trained and experienced; to implement our varied program we cooperate and use specialist guides and entrepreneurs, e.g. wildlife, husky and canoeing guides. We also cooperate with our local nature conservation association, village association and the national Natural Resources Institute Finland. All the guides working for us get fair wages and the co operation is supporting both us and the other small companies in the area.
Our company donates euro per every visitor to European wildlife protection funds, FERUS in France. WWF or Finnish nature protection association.
We shop in Kuhmo town and also buy locally produced food and natural products, such as berry juices and fish, from local people. We follow the local tradition and pick berries and mushrooms found in the forest and bogs. When doing this we leave the easiest places in our village for the local elderly people and go a bit further to collect these treasures for us and our guests.
We tell our clients about the local traditions and crafts and advice them where to find locally baked goods and crafts. One popular souvenir is woolen stockings and wooden cup named kuksa.
Company owner has been a member of the local nature conservation association since 2005 and we organise small events (nest box building, guided nature excursions, birding excursions, and a nature adventure trail for children) on a voluntary basis for the villagers, our guests and anyone who wants to participate.
3 Reviews of Finland wildlife short break
Reviewed on 16 Oct 2019 by Dawn Westwood
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Fantastic wildlife photography experience- particularly loved spending time in the hides- saw bear and wolverine every day
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Do not hesitate to book - you won’t regret it!
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
A brilliant experience- Sabrina went out of her way to make this a truly memorable holiday
Reviewed on 19 Aug 2019 by Alberto Delgado
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Bear watching and even seen a total of 24 species, counting a lot birds on the list. And as a wildlife lover this is so great. Though I miss the wolf.
I learned a lot about predators and taiga forest thanks to our great guide, who also gave us a lot of attention. The silence of the taiga forest.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
add an extra night in the hide.It is wildlife!
Mosquito repelent, rubber boots. Try all the Finnish berries and cakes!
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
yes I did.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
It exceed my expectations good in all. I recommended it specially for wildlife and nature lovers.
Reviewed on 24 Jul 2019 by Yasmin Surani
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Seeing wild bears in their natural environment. There is a lot of adrenaline when (if!) they finally arrive. You have to try to be very still and quiet, while also try
to capture them with your camera. Being in the forest is a very serene, magical experience, as is exploring paths around Lentiira.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Take plenty of mosquito repellent, and don't be put off by the relatively informal nature of the booking process. It's a one-woman operation, so your host is
very busy collecting guests from the airport/station, preparing meals and rooms, plus of course guiding. It all went very smoothly! Also, book more than one
night in the hide to avoid potential disappointment.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
There was definitely the feeling that we were living relatively cleanly and simply. In the bear hides, we were without water and electricity. We were educated
about how import it is to minimise the impact of human action on nature, and encouraged to learn about all the different wildlife who call the Finnish Taiga
home.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
We had a wonderful time! We set out to see bears, but we really got much more out of the trip than we expected. We learnt a lot about European predators,
and the forest environment. And we generally enjoyed exploring the area, and seeing the various landmarks around Lentiira. We were well hosted by a
knowledgeable and accommodating nature-lover, who gave us a lot of attention, even eating meals with us, and spending 1/2 nights in the hide with us.
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