Quick facts:
Six days journey to the wonderland of Lake Saimaa. We do relaxed sightseeing, hiking and optional kayaking or bicycling.
Available departure dates in 2023:
4 June, 11, June, 18 June, 25 June, 2 July, 9 July, 16 July, 23 July, 30 July, 6 August, 13 August, 20 August
Country/region visited: Finland, Lake Saimaa region
Type: Guided Tour
Start/end: Helsinki (city centre or Helsinki international airport)
Duration: 6 days/5 nights
Suitability: The itinerary includes a lot of hiking, cycling, and/or kayaking, but can easily be adjusted for people with a preference to relax at the beach and to enjoy leisurely sightseeing. Equally, it can be adjusted to the needs of smaller children. Also, it is possible to spend all days just kayaking or hiking, if you want. You do not have to be an experienced kayaker, but this trip certainly can be adjusted to satisfy the highest demands of keen sea kayakers.
Payment Options:
Place your order and receive an invoice
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- 10 % deposit invoiced immediately
- The balance, 90 % of total price invoiced 7 days prior to departure
What’s included in the base price:
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All travel by a private minibus from Helsinki to Helsinki
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Accommodation in comfortable cottages and hotels in a twin-room or double-room. The initial itinerary may change due to various reasons, hence the accommodation may change as well, but the cottages or hotels used are always of good quality.
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Breakfast and one meal per day.
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Guide and driver on every day of travel.
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Optional extras:
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Accommodation in a single-room, 330 EUR/5 nights
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Rent of kayak, boat or bicycle, 80 EUR/day
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Meals and snacks on request
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How to prepare and what to bring:
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Normal summer outdoors clothing including rain coat, warm clothes for evening, light trekking boots, kayaking clothes for those, who choose to go kayaking, and cycling clothes for those, who choose to go cycling
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Sunscreen, sun hat, sunglasses, and mosquito repellent
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Itinerary in short:
Day 1 (Sunday): Helsinki – Puumala, Lake Saimaa, travel by private minibus
Day 2 (Monday): Hiking, bicycling, or kayaking in Puumala, Lake Saimaa
Day 3 (Tuesday): Hiking, bicycling, or kayaking in Puumala, Lake Saimaa
Day 4 (Wednesday): Puumala – Savonlinna, travel by private minibus
Day 5 (Thursday): Savonlinna – Linnansaari national park – Savonlinna, travel by private minibus
Day 6 (Friday): Savonlinna – Punkaharju – Imatra – Porvoo – Helsinki, travel by private minibus
Detailed itinerary:
Day 1 (Sunday): Helsinki – Puumala, Lake Saimaa, travel by private minibus
Meet your host and driver, and join the group in central Helsinki at 10:30 a.m. or at Helsinki International Airport at 11:30 a.m. Sit back and enjoy the scenic drive from Helsinki to Lake Saimaa region. We make several stops en route and have a good lunch in Mikkeli, the provincial capital. We’ll arrive in Puumala, one of the absolutely most beautiful municipalities in Finland at 18:00 allowing you good time to settle down and prepare for tomorrow’s activities. Of course, you can go swimming, kayaking, fishing, or rowing; there will be sunlight until very late. Dinner is served at your lodge.
Day 2 (Monday): Hiking, bicycling, or kayaking in Puumala, Lake Saimaa
We start the nature activities with a day-hike in one of best day-hiking trails in Southern Finland, Seal Trail of Puumala. It is a 15 kilometres’ walk with stunning views. Lake Saimaa will be surrounding us all the time and the scenery varies from rocky hills to sandy beaches. Lunch is a picnic lunch at the beach. In the afternoon we’ll return to the village of Puumala and then onwards to the resort allowing good time to relax or go kayaking, rowing, fishing, or swimming. Later in the evening we gather for a barbeque at the beach.
Day 3 (Tuesday): Hiking, bicycling, or kayaking in Puumala, Lake Saimaa
Today, we’ll take a minibus drive to Ristiina (50 km South-West from Puumala) to visit a site of ancient rock paintings. It is a nice drive with excellent scenery. There are about 70 pictures that date back to 2 500 – 3 000 BC. The site itself is incredibly beautiful and would make a perfect day trip destination even with no rock paintings at all; you’ll see what we mean, when you see the place! There are several ways to visit the site; by foot, by kayak, or by boat. All of them are possible with Adverento Travel. A very good option is to paddle from Kallioniemi, 5 km away, since there are many other attractions around, easiest visited by a kayak. On our way back to Puumala, we can make a short detour for a late afternoon hike to visit Neitvuori, one of the highest points in South-East Finland; again, the views from the hilltop are wonderful. In the evening, we all are probably a little bit tired, so it is a good time to relax and have a nice dinner together. Also, a genuine Finnish sauna is available – like on any other night in Puumala. You will enjoy it for sure!
Day 4 (Wednesday): Puumala – Savonlinna – Oravi, travel by private minibus
You can choose to spend the next two days either by kayaking in Puumala, Southern Lake Saimaa, or by joining the group to visit the town of Savonlinna and Linnansaari national park in Northern Lake Saimaa. Savonlinna is a historic archipelago town famous for its medieval castle. We visit the castle, take a walking tour in the town, have a lunch, and continue by minibus to Oravi, 40 km North from Savonlinna. Located between two national parks, Linnansaari and Kolovesi, Oravi is a perfect basecamp for kayaking or exploring the two national parks. We arrive in Oravi at late afternoon, so there is still time for seal watching cruise by a boat and then have a good fish dinner at a restaurant by the lake Saimaa.
Day 5 (Thursday): Oravi – Linnansaari national park – Savonlinna, travel by private minibus and boat
We start off the day in Oravi and take a kayaking tour or boat tour 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 wherever you go. With a bit of luck, it is also possible to see the endangered Saimaa ringed seal or an osprey. The lunch is a picnic lunch in Linnansaari. In the late afternoon, we return to Oravi and drive back to the town of Savonlinna. The accommodation is in a hotel in central Savonlinna, so it is convenient to go to local bars and restaurants for a nice evening out.
Day 6 (Friday): Savonlinna – Punkaharju – Imatra – Porvoo -Helsinki, travel by private minibus
This is our last day together. Of course, we are more than happy to provide you with an opportunity to extend your stay by a few days, if you want. This will be a busy day, so we’ll better start early in the morning. We’ll take a minibus drive to Punkaharju, an amazing esker ridge, where the Finnish nature tourism began nearly 200 years ago. After some hiking and sightseeing we continue to Imatra for a short walk along Vuoksi river. Right before arriving in Helsinki, we see one of the oldest and most beautiful small towns in Finland, that is Porvoo. We take a short tour of the old town and have some snacks in one of the many atmospheric restaurants and cafés, of which Porvoo is so famous for. In the evening, it is time to say goodbye. We take all travellers to their hotels or, alternatively, directly to the airport or to the cruise harbour. If you wish, we can easily arrange sightseeing or activities for you in Helsinki, the home city of Adverento Travel. We hope to see you soon again!
