Canoeing in Kolovesi
Recently I had the great fortune to be asked to help guide a group of visitors on a week-long canoe trip around Kolovesi National Park with Karu Survival, in collaboration with Bushpappa in the Netherlands.
Now, I have been to Kolovesi three times previously. Twice for work and once with my girlfriend and every single time it has not disappointed me. It is a beautiful place to paddle. The water is cool and clear and you are flanked on all sides by towering pine trees and sheer granite cliff faces as you guide your craft in between the islands, keeping an eye out for wildlife and prehistoric rock paintings. While the park itself is relatively new, it holds a special classification as the first park in Finland made specifically for paddling. In order to fully experience this place, you have to do it by canoe or kayak as even motorboats are not allowed in order to preserve the ecology. This combination of a pristine environment, the effort required getting to it and the unique topography makes for an incredible place to paddle. Naturally, I was excited to get the chance to return
On the first day, we picked our folks up at their hotel and drove them to Kolovesi, where we hopped out and had them empty their well packed bags. This initially seemed to cause a bit of confusion, but upon realizing they were to be given waterproof barrels in place of backpacks, they began the process of sorting their things as to what was truly needed, with everyone leaving behind a fair bit. While the barrels are quite ample, it’s a wonderful lesson in wilderness necessity and what you can do without in the bush. Once we were sorted, we got everything into the boats and had a brief introduction to canoeing as none of our participants had ever canoed before! In just a short time, they were easily guiding the canoes with an honestly surprisingly amount of ease and grace. When we felt they had the hang of things, we headed south to a campsite just a few kilometers away. This day was meant to ease them into life on the water and we didn’t want to over exert anyone.
Once on land, we set up camp and I prepared what I can only describe as an increasingly famous stew of chorizo, kale and chickpeas for dinner, while our guests appeared to devolve into what can only be described as a frenzy of berry picking. July is the peak season to pick blueberries in Finland and they blanket the forest floor as a wild buffet. They grow so thick among the camp that you can swing in your hammock and pick them at the same time. Throughout this trip we gathered them in sufficient quantity as to enjoy them every morning with our porridge. They are simply one of the best things about the Finnish summer. Once everyone had eaten their fill and folks started to relax, we asked everyone to take out the knives they had brought with them and went over a quick tutorial on basic fire making through battoning wood and making feathersticks for kindling. We want to encourage guests to take an active role in the camp life and making fires is a great way to do that!
The good thing about these longer trips is that they allow you the luxury to settle into life in the wilderness. Your mind and body start to properly relax and you can forget about life back home. The wind in the trees, the bow of a canoe cutting the water, the flick of a paddle and the sun on your face are your deepest concerns. You simply don’t get the same experience from a day or even an overnight trip. Your body regulates itself to a natural clock, you sleep when you are tired and you wake up when the birds sing.
“The good thing about these longer trips is that they allow you the luxury to settle into life in the wilderness. Your mind and body start to properly relax and you can forget about life back home”
When we are out here, we try to keep the schedule as loose as possible, making up the route on the fly and keeping the camp life unregimented, it is everyone’s vacation after all and people should enjoy themselves. We get up at a reasonable hour, get the fire going and make a pot of “cowboy coffee” before getting breakfast going. Folks swim for a wash-up and pick more berries for their porridge. We brought fishing rods so guests can try their luck and evening and morning has people throwing a line in the water for pike, perch and zander. One gent even managed to bring in a fairly large perch.
Our days paddling are mellow, we average around 10km of paddling a day with the longest day being a manageable 18km. Skills with a paddle develop rapidly and you can see people feeling more confident as we go. Our route took us through two separate portages, which in itself is an experience as we empty the canoes before carrying them over a short distance to water on the other side. One such portage turned out to be a fantastic idea, as it brought us briefly outside of the national park and almost instantly next to a ringed seal! These seals are critically endangered, with only around 400 in existence. This park presents one of the best chances at spotting them and even still, this was my first time seeing one. He lay on a rock, 20m away, sunning himself and watching our progress, the sun playing on his dark fur and over his rings. To be honest, we went past him before I noticed him move his head. Their camouflage is incredible and I can imagine that I have paddled past them before and never noticed. It is without a doubt one of the coolest experiences I have had in the wilderness of Finland and I believe the other members of our party felt the same. Everyone managed to get a great look at this incredible animal before we continued on our way to our next camp.
We stay at different campsites, each with their own character and vibe and we even take guests to a wilderness sauna that isn’t marked on any of the maps, a location I would be loath to share even here for fear of a good secret becoming public knowledge. A sauna makes for a wonderful break mid trip, it gives everyone a chance to get properly clean with hot water and we instruct guests on sauna traditions and etiquette. Having a cool-down swim after a sauna while the loons cast their haunting cry across the lake is about as real of a Finnish experience as you can get.
On one island, we make sure we have a rest day. The day is filled with instruction in campfire cooking, teaching how to fry fish over an open fire and bake simple bread, which evolved into our guests actually figuring out a way to make some blueberry cookies over the fire, which I found surprisingly delicious actually. We bring out maps and teach basic land navigation, how to take a bearing, how to estimate distance and how to apply the map to the world around us. We also instruct basic wilderness first aid, going over what belongs in a first aid kit, how to administer basic aid and how to signal for help. While the day contains some instruction, folks are free to read, go fish and just allow their muscles to relax. The next day is our longest paddle and takes us through the length of the park and to some cave paintings. We spend one last night reflecting on the trip before making the short paddle back to the cars. If you like to paddle, be it canoe or kayak, this park should be at the top of your travel list. .
