Quick Facts:
Country/region visited: Finland, Kolovesi National Park, Northern Lake Saimaa. The area visited is famous for its natural beauty, wilderness, and excellent lake kayaking opportunities. Indeed, kayaking or canoeing are practically the only ways to explore this fascinating national park. It is a 400 km’s drive from Helsinki, but definitely worth it!
Type: Guided Tour
Start/end: Helsinki (City Centre or Helsinki International Airport)
Duration: 3 days/three nights (Thursday evening to Sunday evening)
Suitability: This trip is mainly focusing on kayaking in the wilderness national park of Kolovesi, Lake Saimaa. At least some previous kayaking experience is required, but all kayaks and the gear are provided by Adverento Travel. One night is spent in a tent, tentsile, or hammock. 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, will be longer than eight hours and 25 km each day.
Itinerary in short:
Day 1 (Thursday): Helsinki – Savonlinna, travel by minibus
Day 2 (Friday): All day kayaking, Kolovesi National Park, Lake Saimaa
Day 3 (Saturday): All day kayaking, Kolovesi National Park, Lake Saimaa
Day 4 (Sunday): Savonlinna – Helsinki, travel by private minibus
Detailed Itinerary:
Day 1 (Thursday): Helsinki – Savonlinna, travel by private 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 350 km from Helsinki to Savonlinna, so we arrive rather late in the evening. Nevertheless, it is possible to have a good dinner and relax in the historic town of Savonlinna. We spend the night in a hotel in central Savonlinna.
Day 2 (Friday): Savonlinna – Kolovesi National Park, travel by private minibus
We wake up early and have a breakfast at the hotel. Then is a 60 km drive to Kolovesi National Park, where we launch the kayaks and start a full-day kayaking tour. The length of the trip depends on the weather conditions, but we spend the whole day exploring the magical national park. The lunch is a picnic lunch in one of the designated camping areas of the national park. We probably see a lot of different birds and it is even possible to see the rare Saimaa ringed seal. We also visit a site of ancient rock paintings in the national park. In the evening we set up a camp in one of the islands, have a dinner around the campfire and spend the night in tents, tentsiles, or hammocks.
Day 3 (Saturday): Kolovesi National Park – Savonlinna, travel by private minibus
The archipelago in Kolovesi national park is enormous full of sights and attractions. So, we’ll have another sporty day kayaking in the national park. We also visit an old canal of Pilppa. The lunch is a picnic lunch in one of the designated camping areas of the national park. In the early evening we return to Kirkkoranta, where we launched the kayaks yesterday and drive back to Savonlinna. We check in to a hotel and get ready for a dinner in one the restaurants of Savonlinna.
Day 4 (Sunday): Savonlinna – Helsinki, travel by private minibus
After the night in the hotel, it is a good time to see a bit of Savonlinna, one of the most attractive and beautiful towns in Finland. We spend the morning by sightseeing in the town and then start our journey back to Helsinki, where we arrive at 17:00 in the afternoon.
