Day Description

Day 3 starts by packing up the waterproof bags we have provided you the previous night. We will stay the next night in a different village and you will need to take the necessary personal items and clothes for one night’s stay away from our base camp at Järvisydän.

After breakfast we head back to the safari house to start our two-day journey around the most scenic and versatile views. We will have your equipment dried out and watercrafts filled up ready for the day ahead. Our journey starts through a small summer village called Oravi. From there we take our heading to east towards the Russian border. Lunch is served on an island cooked on open fire by our guides.

After lunch we ride through narrow canals and open waters just before we reach one of the most magical points of the route, Raikuu Canal. Raikuu Canal was built by locals in 1750 and its reachable only by small watercrafts. The small canal has a narrow path through the lake grass. The canal ends on Puruvesi Lake which is one of the cleanest and clearest lakes in Finland.

From Puruvesi we head towards our final destination of the day, a village called Punkaharju. There we will be spending the night at Hotel Punkaharju. The hotel has a unique history. Traveling in Punkaharju began in earnest in the mid-1840s, when the forester’s house in the northern part of the Crown Park was built. The house had three rooms for travelers. After several extensions were built it became known as “Valtionhotelli” (the State Hotel) — and now, the present day Hotel Punkaharju.

At the Hotel, we have a private sauna and jacuzzi reserved for the night, and after freshening up, we head to the restaurant for another delicious dinner. Chef Ilkka Arvola and his talented kitchen team have created delicious and imaginative dishes using all-natural ingredients sourced from local producers. The dinner is served as a 4-course menu.

After the dinner it’s time to relax, enjoy the light Finnish summer night, and rest for the next day’s journey.