Kainuu

Kainuu is one of Finland's loneliest landscapes: vast forests, bogs, and lakes between Oulu and the Russian border, where bears seem to outnumber villages. A vacation in Kainuu combines winter sports in Vuokatti, wildlife watching, and traces of the rune singers, whose songs found their way into the national epic, the Kalevala.

Forests and Water

The region lies in eastern central Finland and borders Russia. Lake Oulujärvi in the west, "the sea of Kainuu," is fringed with sandy beaches, while endless spruce and pine forests stretch across the east. Around 70,000 people live here, a good half of them in Kajaani and Sotkamo. Forestry, mining, and tourism are the main employers. In summer, visitors paddle across chains of lakes; in winter, snowmobile and husky tours wind through the snow-covered forests. In the villages near the border, the tradition of the rune singers once thrived, passing verses down orally through generations.

Things to See in Kainuu

Kajaani has the ruins of a Swedish castle on an island in the river and a monument to Elias Lönnrot, who worked here as a physician and compiled the Kalevala. Vuokatti, near Sotkamo, is a year-round destination with ski slopes, a cross-country ski tunnel that has snow even in summer, and hiking trails in the hills. In Hiidenportti National Park, a rocky gorge opens up in the forest, and Paljakka National Park offers old-growth spruce forest. In the Suomussalmi and Kuhmo area, operators offer observation huts for watching bears, wolves, and wolverines. On the Raate Road near Suomussalmi, a museum and a memorial made of stones commemorate the battle of the Winter War of 1939/40; the artwork "Silent People," with hundreds of straw figures standing in a field, is a moving sight by the roadside. Kuhmo hosts a well-known chamber music festival in July.

Food, Getting There, and Best Time to Visit

Kainuu's cuisine is simple: rieska flatbread, fish soup, kalakukko, and reindeer dishes. In late summer, locals pick cloudberries and lingonberries. You can reach Kajaani from Helsinki by train in about six hours or by plane. The best time to visit is June through September for wilderness and hiking, and December through March for skiing and the northern lights.