FINLAND – An extraordinary rich wildlife, a safe and clean country with unique nature

Situated in the boreal coniferous forest zone, Finland is surrounded by the Baltic Sea, Sweden, Norway and Russia. The northernmost part of the country lies above the Arctic Circle, whereas the southern area of the landscape is dominated by an archipelago of 179,000 islands, which is the largest archipelago in the world. Between those extremes, Finland is characterized by vast forests and 188,000 lakes, which give the country the yet underestimating name of “the land of the thousand lakes”.

Finland hosts approximately 45,000 species of animals and plants, representing 29% of the total species described for Europe and possibly 3% of the species in the world. Finland is the most forested land in Europe and 86 percent of land area is forestry land. For every Finn, there is around 4,2 hectares of forest.

Finland is a land of strong contrasts. In the summer months, the sun doesn’t set at all and in the winter it is more or less dark or “darkish” the whole day long. This is called “kaamos” and the best time to experience this is between November-January specifically in Lapland where the sun doesn´t rise at all during these darkest winter months.

There are 40 different national parks scattered around the country´s archipelago, lakes, forests and fjalls. You can explore national parks as long you do not make any disturbance and clean after yourself.

You will find 7 Unesco World Heritage sites which include six cultural old fortresses and wooden towns and one natural, which is found in the Kvarken archipelago. The Kvarken Archipelago is a natural heritage site known for the phenomenon of the rising land.

The sauna is invented in Finland and you’ll find a sauna more or less in every household. It is not uncommon either for Finnish people to make a hole in the ice and take a refreshing dip, or just simply roll in the snow after or between enjoying the sauna.

The main reason why humans initially arrived to Finland were the endless hunting and fishing opportunities. The sea, all the lakes and rivers provided seals, birds and fish while forested areas hosted moose, forest reindeer and grouses.

Finland is nowadays named the world´s safest country. Finland is also one of the least corrupted countries in the world. It is very unlikely to run into problems of any kind. Finland is one of the least populated countries in Europe and 85% of the total 5,5 million population live in urban areas.

Finland is a country where you can experience snow or ice. Northern Finland gets the first snow usually in October-November, Central Finland in November-December and Southern Finland in December-January.

If you time your trip well you can expect to experience the “Ruska” which is commonly translated as the autumn colors. This natural phenomenon lasts in general two weeks and best time and place to experience it is in middle of September and in Northern Finland. If you’re lucky you may also see the northern lights aka Aurora borealis. Occasionally Aurora borealis is seen in Southern Finland as well.

Except arriving to Helsinki international airport you can also arrive to Finland with cruise ships from Travemünde, Germany, Stockholm, Sweden or Tallinn, Estonia. All cruise ships transport vehicles too. You can also travel to Finland by train through Russia.

The main currency is EURO. Normal payment methods are bank transfers or wires, cash, and credit or debit cards. Travel and personal checks are not common in Finland and we do not accept them. Value added tax is in general 24%.

The emergency number in Finland is 112 and assistance is provided by police, rescue services, and emergency medical services. Service is provided in Finnish, Swedish and English.