| Status | Starts | Group size | Leader | Duration/price Inc. flights from/to UK | Duration/price Exc. international flights | Single supp. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Available | Max. 10 | TBC | 6 days: £1,895 pp. | 6 days: £1,695 pp. | £220 | |||
| Available | Max. 10 | TBC | 6 days: £1,895 pp. | 6 days: £1,695 pp. | £220 | |||
| Available | Max. 10 | TBC | 6 days: £2,095 pp. | 6 days: £1,895 pp. | £220 | |||
| Available | Max. 10 | TBC | 6 days: £2,095 pp. | 6 days: £1,895 pp. | £220 | |||
Long evenings and early dawns allow incomparable opportunities to watch and photograph the wildlife of the forest on this 6-day tour in Finland. Staying at purpose built hides, night vigils with a naturalist guide reward you with close-ups of brown bears, wolverines and occasionally wolves.
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- Fly from London via Helsinki to Kaajani and transfer by road to the Martinselkonen Wilds Centre, a journey of approximately two hours. Depending on the times of the flights, there may be time for dinner in the evening after checking in to the lodge.
- Accommodation: Martinselkonen Wilderness Lodge, 5-nights on full board basis.
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- After breakfast you can go for a walk in the nearby forest by way of an introduction to this ecosystem, returning to the lodge for lunch. Following an early dinner, at around 16:00, you will be driven to the drop-off point in Martinselkonen Nature Reserve, then walk nearly two kilometres along a forest track to the hide for your first overnight bear watch. Outdoor clothing and waterproof walking boots are essential as much of the ground is boggy. You should also bring a waterproof jacket and a warm fleece. The hides are unheated and may get quite chilly in the early hours of the morning, so prepare accordingly and dress in layers. This will be the pattern for the next three days at Martinselkonen and you will spend the night in different hide each evening.
- During the day, there are optional excursions available including a guided boat trip on Öllörinjärvi (Wilderness Lake). The lake is a popular nesting place for birds, and elk may sometimes be seen swimming across the lake.
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- For the final night in Finland, you will head out to the hides once again and spend the evening there for one last opportunity to observe the wildlife of the Finnish taiga forest before returning to our accommodation around 2300 as there will be a relatively early start the following morning for the transfer back to the airport.
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- This morning it is time to check out and depart for the transfer back to Kajaani* airport (one and a half hours' drive) and the return flights back to the UK via Helsinki.
All prices are per person and include:
- Services of the naturalist leader
- Flights
- Transfers
- Accommodation
- All meals
- Guided activities
Accommodation
We spend five nights at Martinselkonen Wilderness Lodge, which is located close to one of Europe's premier bear-viewing spots. The lodge is small with a highly personal atmosphere – local produce such as vegetables, berries, fish, moose and reindeer meat feature large in the meals, and in the comfortable dining room there's always a hot coffee pot to greet you.
Situated 10 kilometres from the lodge are two communal hides in a forest clearing. The hides accommodation 9-10 people and have comfortable seating, a sleeping area and a dry toilet. Other smaller, more rustic, hides are available for keen photographers. All the hides have camera ports and a knowledgeable guide is on hand to answer questions and help you to see bears and other wildlife.
Meals
All meals are included.
Flights
Price includes return scheduled flights London – Kajaani – London.
Birds
The forest around Martinselkonen offers opportunities to see woodland birds such as woodpeckers, and rare eastern species such as Siberian jay and rustic bunting.
- Black kite
- White-tailed eagle
- Tengmalm's owl
- Siberian tit
In addition, five owl species are found in the area around Viiksimo: the Northern hawk owl, great grey owl, Ural owl, Eurasian eagle owl and Eurasian pygmy owl.
Mammals
There are incomparable opportunities to watch and photograph the wildlife of the forest on this small group trip in Finland.
- European brown bear
- Wolverine
- Moose
- Eurasian beaver
Photography
At Martinselkonen Wilderness Lodge, smaller, more rustic, hides are available for keen photographers.