Quick Facts
Country/region visited: Finland, Linnansaari National Park, Northern Lake Saimaa. The area visited is famous for its natural beauty, rich fauna, and excellent lake kayaking opportunities. Linnansaari is the largest national park in Southern Finland.
Type: Guided Tour
Start/end: Helsinki (City Centre or Helsinki International Airport)
Duration: 3 days/three nights (Thursday evening to Sunday evening)
Itinerary in short:
Day 1 (Thursday): Helsinki – Oravi (Savonlinna), travel by minibus
Day 2 (Friday): All day kayaking, Linnansaari National Park, Lake Saimaa
Day 3 (Saturday): All day kayaking, Linnansaari National Park, Lake Saimaa
Day 4 (Sunday): Oravi (Savonlinna) – Helsinki, travel by private minibus
Suitability: This trip is mainly focusing on kayaking in the national park of Linnansaari, Lake Saimaa. At least some previous kayaking experience is required, but all kayaks and the gear are provided by Adverento Travel. All nights are spent in hotels or cabins, but there is an optional one night in a tentsile, tent, or hammock, which is great fun, of course. This trip is also highly recommended for kayaking clubs with serious paddlers. The length and duration of the kayaking trips on Friday and Saturday are subject to weather conditions, but in any case, are longer than eight hours and 25 km each day.
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1 (Thursday): Helsinki – Oravi (Savonlinna), travel by minibus
Meet your guide and driver and join the group in Central Helsinki at 17:00. Sit back and enjoy the scenic drive from Helsinki to Lake Saimaa area. It is nearly 400 km from Helsinki to Oravi, so we arrive rather late in the evening. Oravi is one the true highlights of the entire Finnish Lakeland. It is an old industrial site turned to a very beautiful and atmospheric travel centre. Also, it is a natural starting point for any trips to two national parks, Linnansaari and Kolovesi. We spend the night in a hotel or cabins in Oravi.
Day 2 (Friday): All day kayaking, Linnansaari National Park, Lake Saimaa
We start off the day in Oravi, launch the kayaks, and paddle to the main island of the magnificent Linnansaari national park. The national park consists of more than 130 small islands and is the largest national park in Southern Finland. We spend the day kayaking and hiking the nature trails of Linnansaari. It surely is a great nature encounter with beautiful views and scenery where ever you go. With a bit luck, it is also possible to see the endangered Saimaa ringed seal or an osprey. The lunch is a picnic lunch in Linnansaari. The length of the kayaking tour depends on the weather conditions, but we spend the whole day exploring the magical national park. In the evening we return to Oravi to spend a nice evening after a full-day kayaking trip.
Day 3 (Saturday): All day kayaking, Linnansaari National Park, Lake Saimaa
We wake up early and have a breakfast at the hotel or cabins. Then we launch the kayaks again and continue kayaking in Linnansaari National Park. Again, we spend the whole day exploring the magical national park. The lunch is a picnic lunch in one of the 130 islands of the national park. In the evening we return to Oravi for a great fish dinner in the marina.
Day 4 (Sunday): Oravi (Savonlinna) – Helsinki, travel by private minibus
After the night in the hotel, we start our journey back to Helsinki. On our way back, it is possible to visit the historic town of Savonlinna and its medieval castle. Savonlinna is one of the most beautiful summer cities in Finland. We arrive in Helsinki at 17:00 in the afternoon.
