Hiking in remote national parks on the border of Finland and Russia (Karelia)

Join me on this unique 8-day hiking trip and discover two national parks in Russia and Finland. In the wild, untouched but still gentle Russian Karelia region, we will visit the Paanajärvi National Park, and the Oulanka National Park on Finland, near the Russian border.

I will take you on an incredible bear watching experience, to discover the the bear in his homeland in Kuusamo, Russia. It will be 8 days of pure nature experience, far away from villages and towns, at the time of midnight sun in the country.

The number of visitors in the Paanajärvi National Park is strictly regulated, so we will enjoy a vast, untouched wilderness, that you can hardly find anywhere else. We will stay in a simple wilderness hut, right by the water.

Before we drive more than 1000 km to the Paanajärvi National Park in ​​Russian Karelia, we experience versatile activities in the Oulanka National Park, on the adjacent Finnish side. We will enjoy great hikes, through gorges, on idyllic lakes and rushing rivers and over promising hills with a view over Russia, where we will experience the second part of this hiking trip.

We will hardly see any bears during the day hikes. However, we will likely see them when we go out in the wild, for a an evening bear watching guided tour. Just right on the border with Russia, from a safe hideaway and at a safe distance, we can observe and photograph the adult animals and young bears as they roam under the setting sun.

Finland proudly boasts an incredible number of lakes: the country is home to 187,888 lakes! So, just in front of our accommodation there is a lake, where you can enjoy your first canoeing experience. Would you prefer to travel longer and experience different landscapes? Then you can take a guided canoeing day trip close to the Russian border. On the way, there is a great chance that you can watch reindeer from the canoe, which are located on the shore.

On the Finnish side we spend the night directly at the Oulanka National Park in Kuusamo, directly on the lake shore and far away from the city in simple wooden apartments. The property has been repeatedly honored with several international sustainability awards. Here we enjoy local, organic food.

The apartments have double rooms and single rooms. If you prefer something more spacious, you can stay in a larger chalet (see pictures above). The chalet offers 3 separate bedrooms, a spacious lounge, a fireplace and even a kitchen and 2 saunas overlooking the lake only a few meters away. The chalet is for 3 to  6 people maximum.

In Russian Karelia we spend the night in a wilderness cabin with a bedroom. Depending on the group size we will stay in two wild huts. There are no double or single rooms. In Russian Karelia, an experienced, English speaking guide will guide us. He will also be our driver and will cook for us in the hut and prepare local specialties. He will therefore look after us all round. I will support him and ensure the translation for the group.

For the journey we fly comfortably from Zurich to Kuusamo with one change. Afterwards, we will have a short ride with the shuttle bus (about 30 minutes) to the accommodation directly on the lake. The journey by train and bus would unfortunately take almost half of the week.

I am a multi-lingual hiking guide, and I also speak fluent Finnish. I have organized this trip and will personally lead it. I have been to Finland and especially Lapland for 20 years. With this trip to Russian Karelia I extend my offer further eastward.

Are you in for this incredible journey? Just send me a request, book your trip and get ready for an great hiking trip in Russia and Finland!

Click here if you want to check out many other summer hiking and snowshoeing tours I also guide in Finnish Lapland and Switzerland.