Brown bear watching in Finland
| country: | Finland |
| trip type: | A small group adventure |
| departures: | 2009: 29 May, 12 Jun, 31 Jul |
| price: | From £849 - £865 (4 days) including flights from the UK, from £459 excluding flights |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Sparsely populated Eastern Finland is an untamed expanse of pristine natural beauty. The vast, dense taiga forest, interspersed with lakes and rivers, offers a haven to the elusive European brown bear.
Heading deep into the forest to specially prepared observation hides, we aim to spot this amazing animal in its natural habitat during this exciting long weekend.
Forest and lakes: Our idyllically located lakeside hotel is our gateway to the Kainuu region, one of the final true wilderness areas in Europe. Walking the easily manageable forest trails, visiting a nature centre or taking a guided canoe tour on Lake Jämäsjärvi are amongst the activities available here - with the ubiquitous Finnish sauna, followed by a swim in the lake offering the perfect end to a day.
Brown bears: Travelling east towards the Russian border we enter brown bear territory. Finland is home to approximately 1000 bears; but the proximity of this area to the Arctic Circle, with resultant long hours of daylight increases the chances of viewing these predominantly nocturnal animals. Our isolated hides, located in a small open wetland area, have been adapted to maximize the chances of spotting bears, whilst balancing the needs for a level of comfort. As well as bears, sightings of elk, fox and wolverines are also possible. Leaving the hides, there is the opportunity to gain a greater insight into the natural history of this remote area on a day time walk accompanied by a local naturalist guide.
Heading deep into the forest to specially prepared observation hides, we aim to spot this amazing animal in its natural habitat during this exciting long weekend.
Forest and lakes: Our idyllically located lakeside hotel is our gateway to the Kainuu region, one of the final true wilderness areas in Europe. Walking the easily manageable forest trails, visiting a nature centre or taking a guided canoe tour on Lake Jämäsjärvi are amongst the activities available here - with the ubiquitous Finnish sauna, followed by a swim in the lake offering the perfect end to a day.
Brown bears: Travelling east towards the Russian border we enter brown bear territory. Finland is home to approximately 1000 bears; but the proximity of this area to the Arctic Circle, with resultant long hours of daylight increases the chances of viewing these predominantly nocturnal animals. Our isolated hides, located in a small open wetland area, have been adapted to maximize the chances of spotting bears, whilst balancing the needs for a level of comfort. As well as bears, sightings of elk, fox and wolverines are also possible. Leaving the hides, there is the opportunity to gain a greater insight into the natural history of this remote area on a day time walk accompanied by a local naturalist guide.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Fly London/Kajaani; transfer to Kuhmo; Finnish sauna. |
| Day 2: | Optional activities include walking forest trails/canoe tour; transfer to bear hides for overnight bear watching. |
| Day 3: | Guided nature walk; second night in bear hide (optional). |
| Day 4: | Morning walks; transfer to Kajaani, fly London. |
small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places.how this holiday makes a difference
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The aim of this tour is to witness the endangered Brown Bear in its natural environment without creating any impact. We travel to a remote wilderness area in Finland where local experts take us on guided nature walks so we can learn about the bears and their habitat. All accommodation and transport is locally owned and run on this low impact, wildlife specific tour. A portion of the money we pay to stay in the bear hides goes towards the national park and the protection of the bears and their natural habitat.
Our Tour Leaders are all trained by us in the importance of responsible tourism with guidance given on how they can make a difference. This then percolates down through those they deal with. As well as the above, we support a variety of charities and projects worldwide which support vulnerable communities and habitats including Friends of Conservation, Hope Worldwide and Send A Cow. We are also actively engaged with UK travel industry bodies which promote best practice in responsible tourism, such as Tourism Concern, The Travel Foundation and AITO. Our commitment to responsible tourism is not limited to our overseas operation and we have measures to ensure our UK office operates according to our responsible tourism policy. Carbon offsets for all flights booked with us are included in the tour cost. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |