Cross-country skiing vacation in Finland's eastern wilderness
Not for absolute novice skiers, this cross-country adventure takes you through Finland's magnificent and raw eastern wilderness: forests, lakes and swamps.
Hossa National Park Jatkonsalmi Rajakartano Arola Martinselkonen Wilderness Centre Martinselkonen Nature Reserve Daily saunas Cross-country skiiing Home-cooked traditional food Ice swimming
1140 excluding flights
Price includes: Accommodation with full board, English speaking guiding, luggage transfers, sauna daily, airport transfers.
No single supplement (shared room with same sex traveler/s). Ski equipment rental 60 . Minimum age: 14 years.
No single supplement (shared room with same sex traveler/s). Ski equipment rental 60 . Minimum age: 14 years.
Description of Cross-country skiing vacation in Finland's eastern wilderness
Price information
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Vacation information
Our top tip:
Remeber to stretch properly at the end of each day.
Trip type:
Small group. Max. 12 skiers.
Activity level:
Moderate. Average distance 20km daily.
Accomm:
6 nights local hotel.
Solos:
Solo travelers welcome. Single rooms only available at some hotels for a surcharge.
Meals:
Full board.
Included:
Accommodation, meals, transfers, luggage transport, guide, daily sauna.
Reviews
22 Reviews of Cross-country skiing vacation in Finland's eastern wilderness
4.5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed on 02 Apr 2023 by Jane Clark
Excellent guide and staying in local accommodation. Read full reviewReviewed on 12 Mar 2023 by Charlotte Stetson
The skiing! I've been cross-country skiing for many years and have skied in quite a few places. Up until this trip, skiing in Norway topped the list of the best places, but skiing through the Finnish wilderness has bumped it down to number 2. Read full reviewReviewed on 20 Mar 2022 by Margaret Zurawski
This was a truly memorable experience which was well organised and executed. Read full reviewReviewed on 09 Mar 2020 by Christopher Bird
A good break with a great bunch of people and led by an excellent guide who had a wealth of information and worked really hard to keep us comfortable Read full reviewReviewed on 01 Mar 2020 by Douglas Scott
Very very good....All the Nordic skiing in beautiful scenery. Great fellow travelers and a lovely guide. Read full reviewReviewed on 08 Apr 2018 by Catherine Evan-Jones
Lunches around campfire, homemade pizza made by our guide in the wilderness cabin, discovering animal tracks in the snow, fabulous porridge and traditional Easter pudding "Mammi" and other Easter treats arranged by our guide Kimmo. Read full reviewReviewed on 03 Apr 2018 by Demetrio Castignola
I can't decide which was my most memorable moment. I could say the ski along the border, the lunch breaks around the fire as well. For me the travel was very nice. Amazing food and excellent location all long the trip, very nice people (guides and others), breathe-taking landscapes. Read full reviewReviewed on 25 Mar 2018 by Gerald Rosenberg
There were several memorable moments including: -a day skiing on fresh snow through snow-covered pine trees on gently rolling terrain-jumping into a hole cut into the ice of a frozen lake after a sauna-daily saunas-a display of the Northern Lights. Read full reviewReviewed on 24 Mar 2018 by Gerard Paviet
The highlight was the quietness when skiing in this wild environment and having a warm lunch waiting for us. Read full reviewReviewed on 13 Mar 2018 by Lu Sutton
The bliss of gliding along in pure, winter wilderness far from the madding crowd of downhill slopes or groomed trails. The abundance of wildlife tracks and changing scenery and with an additional bonus of an interesting group of 8 different nationalities made for a stimulating day every day. Read full reviewReviewed on 21 Mar 2018 by Elaine Powley
Just being in that unique landscape of magical winter beauty, snow, frozen lakes and the trees in their winter clothes. Peace, tranquillity, time and space to absorb the wilderness while gently traversing on skiis. And then the Northern Lights were switched on... Read full reviewReviewed on 27 Feb 2018 by Cristina Galvin
Staying at Helena's homestay where she greeted us so warmly, served us sumptuous feasts for dinner & breakfast & told us stories, at turns poignant and powerful, from life on the Russian border during & after the war. It was riveting to listen to her & a real eye-opener, prompting me to look up more about the history of the area and the people living on both sides of the frontier. Read full reviewReviewed on 27 Feb 2017 by Paul Cundy
I really enjoyed the total immersion in the beautiful Finnish wilderness and the ability to enjoy it's peace on your own, at your own pace, whilst also knowing you had a great team to catch up with. The locations and cabins were just stunning. Top notch. A genuine adventure and great fun. Read full reviewReviewed on 06 Mar 2017 by Mike Rendell
The most exciting moment was after several days of grey skies we were sitting down to our evening meal at the unserviced Kovavaara lodge when the sky cleared and we caught a display of the Northern Lights unaffected by any artificial lights. We had a nice balance of different nationalities which added to the enjoyment. Read full reviewReviewed on 26 Feb 2017 by Karen Wood
The most memorable was finding fresh foot prints in the snow made by a passing wolverine! A great way to explore this remote part of Finland. Read full reviewReviewed on 03 Apr 2016 by Evi Zouganeli
Just fantastic all the way. Great forests, lakes, paths, nature; delicious food; relaxing sauna; great people; great company. Read full reviewReviewed on 29 Mar 2016 by Helen Stocks
Really enjoyable vacation. All the people we met were friendly, hospitable and easy-going. Read full reviewReviewed on 11 Mar 2015 by Anna Jeffrey
Staying in a log house without electricity or running water, surrounded by a snowy, silent landscape & enjoying a sauna after a day skiing across frozen lakes, over bogs and through forests. Read full reviewReviewed on 02 Apr 2014 by Alan Reimer
The most memorable part of the vacation was the professional organisation & friendly & welcoming people at the places we stayed at. Read full reviewReviewed on 27 Mar 2014 by Elizabeth Babos
The most memorable part was each day -- Skiing (47 KM on the longest day) under sunny, blue skies with beautiful scenery, fun people and a supportive, helpful guide, eating lunch by the fire, seeing the Russian border and animal tracks, then having a well deserved sauna and delicious meal. Read full reviewResponsible Travel
As the pioneers of responsible tourism, we've screened this (and every) vacation so that you can travel knowing it will help support the places and people that you visit, and the planet. Read how below.
Planet
Traveling from place to place on skies is very eco-friendly. The carbon dioxide emission arising from passenger and service transport for each client during the skiing tour is four kilograms per day. For comparison, this amounts to what is caused by a thirty-kilometre tour in a normal passenger car.The volume of waste is minimised by avoiding the use of unnecessary packaging material. Disposable plates and cups are not used. During the tour, all paper and cardboard packaging waste is burned. Easily decomposing garbage, such as coffee grounds and used tea bags, are composted or disposed of by means of "distributed composting". All other waste is taken back from the tour or trip. Back at the base, the waste is classified and recycled as far as possible.
A well-balanced connection with nature is the foundation of all our operations. Thus considering the environment constitutes an essential part of our business philosophy and is also of utmost importance to the success of the whole operation. The basic business idea of our company is to offer the tourist a range of products which are in concordance with Finnish nature. The products are specially designed to fuse into a harmonious whole with nature, special attention being paid to the immediate environment in which the activities take place.
We encourage our clients to show consideration for the environment: the visitors are offered a chance to take part in activities contributing to sustainable development. The adequacy of environmental activities is regularly assessed by means of collecting customer feedback.
In 2022 we were working in Travelife program and reached Travelife Partner status in. November. The award recognizes our efforts regarding sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility. To receive Travelife Partner level we had to comply with more than 100 criteria, related to office management, product range, international business partners and customer information.
People
On this trip you will visit the local companies and will enjoy their services. For example on day 5 you will arrive to Arola where you will be welcomed by Seppδnen family who is running this authentic place. You can here the stories from the war time and how they changed the farming into small tourism business years ago. Helena΄s cooking, where everything is local, fish from the river, elk from the forest, vegetables from the garden, berries from the forest, brings the local food culture live. Travelers bring valuable income which enables family (parents, their children and grandchildren) to live their lives in this remote area.Our company does not own any hotel, restaurant or buses for transportation. We buy all these services from the local operators. Also the guides of our tours are locals for as much as possible. So the money which we get from the clients goes for 70% for the local companies in the area and the guides.
In our purchases, we are committed to preferring durable, locally produced, high-quality products. Disposable products are avoided as far as possible. Ecologically sound products are acquired whenever possible.
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