Finland, known also as the Land of a Thousand Lakes, is famous for its natural beauty and quiet landscapes. While the natural surroundings serve as a playground for many holiday activities, the cities and towns offer many interesting cultural attractions. Finnish photographer Juha Kalaoja shares his list of ten most beautiful landscapes in Finland. 

10. Porvoo Old Town

Photograph: VisitFinland

The Old Town of Porvoo is famous for its colorful buildings and its maze of streets which date back to the Middle Ages. Even if the town has suffered many devastating fires during the past centuries, the original atmosphere is still present in the area. Nowadays, Old Porvoo attracts a lot of visitors from all over the world, and it is no wonder – the town is astonishingly beautiful both in summer and in winter.

Text and photos: Marjaana Tasala

This year 2017 is very special to us Finns, because our beloved home country is turning respectably 100 years old! There have already been all kinds of celebrations going on through Finland, but one major occasion worth mentioning is the newest addition to Finnish National Parks – Hossa. Oh Hossa, a true paradise for anyone keen on pristine northern wilderness. Its clear waters lure you to hop on your kayak and enjoy the peaceful stillness. Its meandering paths through wild green forests and rugged rocks invite you to a nature adventure you will never forget. Hossa National Park truly is a sight to see.

Fascinating nature attractions with diverse wildlife

Imagine a mystical landscape full of ridges formed by Ice Age glaciers, and a mosaic dotted by over a hundred crystal clear lakes and ponds. Some of them might be the most clear ones you have ever seen! Like Lake Öllöri, which is situated next to Hossa Visitor Centre. Or narrow Muikkupuro Stream, which campfire site is one of the most attractive places to have a well deserved break between your hiking or paddling trip through Hossa National Park.

Julma-Ölkky canyon lake in Hossa National Park

Finland’s biggest canyon lake, Julma-Ölkky, and its 50 meters high rocky walls can be found from Hossa, too. This massive natural formation is actually best viewed from the lake, so grab a canoe and paddle in your own pace or hop on a cruise boat, which will take you to a 30 minute long ride from shore to shore.

The wildlife in Hossa is like nowhere else, because the king of Finnish forests lives around there. While you are unlikely to meet a brown bear on the park’s hiking paths, you are almost sure to encounter one on an organized bear safari. Santa’s little helpers, reindeers, also belong to Hossa’s scenery along with the Siberian jay and many other bird and wild animal species.

Unique history telling its stories from the stone age

Finlands former president Urho Kekkonen loved Hossa’s scenery so much, that he was planning to be a permanent resident there after retiring. Unfortunately, he didn’t ever have the chance to move there, but as a passionate fisherman he visited Hossa several times.

But historically the most valuable thing in Hossa might be the famous Värikallio rock paintings. On the surface of the rock wall along an ancient water route are over 60 separate figures illustrating the traditional northern worldview. The paintings are estimated to be even 4500 years old and are a definite must see destination if you are visiting the area.

Activities whole year round (and for families too)

On summer time clear waters and whispering pine forests invite Hossa’s visitors to activities like diving, trekking, canoeing, fishing, supping, berry and mushroom picking – you name it. There are 100 kilometers of marked hiking trails, so all the best natural spots are easily accessible by foot or cross-country bike. If you would like to roam Hossa’s wonders with a canoe, 60 kilometers of water routes will provide you enough canoeing for days.

Or is stillness something you are looking for? You are definitely in a right place. Hossa’s peaceful atmosphere will calm you down and instructed yoga and mindfulness moments are of course available too. Relaxing quietness of the wilderness will charge your batteries like nothing else before.

Hossa is an excellent destination for families with children too! Most of the marked hiking routes are easy and perfect for little feet to lumber. The National Park also provides trails that are suitable for people with reduced mobility, so these routes are accessible by baby carriage or wheelchair.

During the snowy white winter months cross-country skiing, snowmobiling and snow shoeing are one of the most popular activities. But you mustn’t forget a true Finnish winter experience – a refreshing dip in icy water! Because believe it or not, swimming in a hole in the ice leaves you feeling fantastic. And of course you can do it straight from the warmth of a wood heated sauna.

Where to stay and how to get there?

There are several resorts and other accommodation possibilities in the surrounding area. You can choose to lodge in one of the cozy cabins, lean-to shelters or wilderness hut or even hotel and of course camping is possible too. But remember, campfires are only permitted in spots designated for this purpose.

Was that convincing enough for you to pack your bags and travel to north-eastern Finland? Flights from Helsinki to Kuusamo and Kajaani will take you quite near, and from the airport it is easy to reach the park by a rental car.

Accommodation in Hossa: check out the large selection of rental cottages near Hossa National Park

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Marjaana Tasala co-writes two blogs: RIMMA + LAURA (www.rimmalaura.com) and Fall into Finland (www.fallintofinland.com). We recommend you to follow her amazing photos on Instagram, too.

In Finland it’s very easy to arrange adventurous excursions and experiences, even for a short visit. Wild nature is near everywhere you go, even in the capital city Helsinki.

Helsinki is also a popular stopover destination especially when flying between Asia and Europe. As you might guess, the capital offers plenty of things to do, even if you had only a few hours in the city.

Planning a trip with a stopover in Helsinki is getting so popular these days that Finland’s leading airline Finnair created its own stopover program for international travelers. You can spend up to 5 days in Finland before your connecting flight, but how to decide how to spend those stopover days?

The easy way is to book tailored tours, when your tour operator will take care of the transport between the airport and your stopover destinations as well. Adventurous travelers might want to plan an unforgettable stopover in Helsinki all by themselves.

Are you one of them? Read on, because we have some suggestions how to plan an unforgettable stopover in Helsinki with 4 interesting itineraries for adventurous and outdoorsy travelers.

It probably doesn’t come as a surprise to you that Finland is the land of unique landscapes, pure nature, thousands and thousands of lakes and the cleanest air in the world. Besides this, every keen traveller knows Helsinki, the beautiful capital of Finland, and of course Lapland—The home of Santa Claus, white winters, reindeer and northern lights.

But how about the rest of Finland? With so many unique destinations, it would be a crime to be satisfied with Helsinki and Lapland only. Therefore we asked 4 travel professionals to share their best travel tips: Where to go in Finland in 2017?

Freedom to roam is something extremely unique to Nordic countries, including Finland. Also known as ‘Everyman’s Rights’, freedom to roam allows everyone to enjoy the forests, lakes, fields and parks anywhere in Finland and, most importantly, completely free of charge.

You might have heard about freedom to roam before, but were you aware that Finns—or even Nordics—are not the only ones who are privileged to benefit from it? We want to reveal the best 5 ways how also you can enjoy the Finnish freedom to roam, no matter where are you from.

When charging your batteries in Finnish nature, it’s good to remember that great freedom comes with great responsibilities. At first it might feel too amazing to be true, when thinking of all the wonderful things freedom to roam allows you to do on the beaches, lakes and forests. But you’ll get used to it very quickly.

And when you get used to it, it’s very easy to forget that not everything is allowed—not even in Finland!

Let’s have a closer look how to enjoy the freedom to roam in Finland. And how not to.

Finland is a land of green forests, clean air and pure nature. In Finland you also have freedom to roam; No matter whether you are local or a tourist, everyone has a right to get in touch with Finnish nature. The best way of doing this is to visit one or more of the 40 Finnish national parks all over the country.

Unlike in some countries, Finnish nature – including national parks – is available for everyone and completely free of charge to enter. Each national park in Finland has it’s own unique landscapes and attractions and also a visitor centre where you can get detailed information about places to visit, hiking routes, campfire sites, restaurants, cafés and other services in the area.

Did you know that only a 20-minute walk in the forest lowers your blood pressure and reduces stress? They are good enough reasons to take a small tour and visit 5 beautiful national parks with their most famous attractions right now.

Are you ready? Let’s go!