MEK: Wildlife Watching Gains Momentum in Finland
Relatively new for the ordinary tourist, but exciting and interesting, wildlife watching is fast becoming a popular pastime for visitors to Northern Finland.
From humble beginnings just a few years ago this unique opportunity is now available in many places, especially in the North–Eastern region of Kainuu. So much so that Wild Taiga, offering a combination of wildlife watching and other outdoor activities supported by an insight into local heritage and traditions plus a world–class chamber music festival, recently won the title of Finland´s emerging tourist destination of excellence in the European Commission project Destinations of Excellence.
Bear watching is perhaps the most popular, and thrilling, of the wildlife themes, but the range is much wider, from bird–watching, often with species uncommon in Western or Southern Europe, to rare mammals like flying squirrel or carnivores like wolverines. Wild Taiga offers the opportunity to observe and photograph them in their natural habitat, safely in the presence of a trained guide.
The season for wildlife watching begins in late April as the bears leave their dens after a winter of hibernation. In late autumn the opposite takes place and the season comes to an end for the year, to be replaced with other activities like cross–country skiing, ski trekking or dog–sledding, all very popular in the snow–white winter wonderland.
In the summer the wilderness nature of evergreen forests and crystal–clear lakes and rivers, light summer nights and misty, blue hills offers abundant opportunities for hiking, fishing, camping and canoeing.
Wild Taiga, a group of 45 small tourism enterprises, offers refreshment and recreation for body and soul. Well–being the Finnish way is seen as a comprehensive experience, fresh air and out–door activities combined with good and healthy food, based on local ingredients from the farms and forests. The cuisine in this part of the world bears elements from both western and eastern cultural spheres.
And so do traditions and heritage, also an important part of the total experience and well–being. Many of the traditional runes forming Finland´s national epic Kalevala were collected here a century and half ago. Today these traditions live on in the friendly people and their way of life. More recently, yet several decades ago, one of the World´s most charming top class chamber music festivals was started here in the town of Kuhmo where it continues to fill the halls with music lovers from all over the world for two weeks every July.
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