What happens in a reindeer round-up?

Reindeer wander freely in the nature of Northern Finland. However, they are semi-domesticated animals: every reindeer has an owner. But how do the owners know where their reindeer are, how many of them may have disappeared and how many new fawns have been born? That’s why regular reindeer round-ups are needed. There are special kinds […]

Who cares about Halloween? We have Kekri! 5 facts about the Finnish harvest celebration when even ghosts go to sauna

Kekri is an old Finnish agricultural harvest festival celebrated in autumn, and it’s also the time for the souls and spirits of the dead to visit us who are still living here on Earth. This is the time when even ghosts go to sauna!  Halloween or All Hallow’s Eve has spred all around the world […]

19 tips for travelling foodies: visit these places to get a true flavour of South East Finland

In co-opetarion with Visit Kouvola, Visit Kotka-Hamina and GoSaimaa South East Finland has some of the country’s most rugged and wild landscapes with access to excellent services. Only a short journey away from Helsinki, amidst the sounds of rushing rivers and rustling forests, you can find yourself amongst quirky cafes and excellent restaurants. We put […]

Kuksa – Crafting the traditional wooden cup

So what is a kuksa and what’s so special about it? It is a wooden cup that has almost sacred status among traditional hikers, bushcrafters, fell-goers and so on. Many claim that it actually originates here from Finland but I think it would be safer to say that it has Nordic origins. The saying goes […]

Wild berries of the north are real superfood

The long summer days and cool temperature increase the aromaticity and pigments of wild berries. The unique aroma and the colours are produced by flavonoids and other polyphenols. The antioxidising efficiency of berries is greater than that of other plants. Over 40 edible berries grow in Finnish forests. Due to the arctic growing conditions, they […]

Symphonic metal band Nightwish inspired by the backwoods

We share the same ancestors as the birch tree, from which this firewood was taken. That is the world’s most beautiful fact. Understanding how everything is connected, could provide an important insight into the well-being of mankind. In the belly of a dark tipi-like hut, a bright fire hisses and crackles. Trees exhale their final […]

‘I’m most proud of Finnish nature as a Finn’ [Finland 100/Suomi 100]

As Finland is celebrating its 100 years of independence in 2017, I could not come up with a far more excellent idea than talking to Finnish people from different walks of life about the idea of Finnishness. The centenary year gives the Finns plenty of reasons to look back at the past and rejoice at […]

MIDNIGHT SUN FILM FESTIVAL @ SODANKYLÄ (Welcome To Finland #4)

One of the best festivals in Finland must be Midnight Sun Film Festival held in Sodankylä, Lapland a week before midsummer. We migrate there like lemmings to enjoy nightless nights and overdoses of movies. By Timo Wilderness. MORE WTF: WTF#1 NORTHERN LIGHTS WTF#2 NATIONAL PARK NUUKSIO WTF#3 FINNISH WINTER COTTAGE FOLLOW SHMOLLOW: SUBSCRIBE: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_c… INSTAGRAM: […]

FINNISH WINTER COTTAGE (Welcome To Finland #3)

By Timo Wilderness. We made a trip to a hideout cottage to Northern Finland near Lapland. All the traditional joys like cross-country skiing, sauna and ice swimming included. The whole thing was ridiculously stereotypical Finland. And so beautiful. MORE WTF: WTF#1 NORTHERN LIGHTS WTF#2 NATIONAL PARK NUUKSIO FOLLOW SHMOLLOW: SUBSCRIBE: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_c… INSTAGRAM: @timowilderness http://instagram.com/timowilderness TWITTER: […]