blue News put it to the test You can experience many adventures in Finland - two are particularly crazy
The snow-covered winter landscape in Ruka-Kuusamo is a dream. This picture was taken on the grounds of the Lumo Resort.
Image: blue News/ Lea Oetiker
Cooking is often done over the fire. Here Tomasz from "Wild Out" is baking traditional Finnish bread.
Image: blue News/ Lea Oetiker
The bread is served with black garlic butter. Served with a pickled carrot.
Image: blue News/ Lea Oetiker
The landscape on Kuntivaara mountain.
Image: blue News/ Lea Oetiker
Warm juice is served on the mountain. This cup is also called "kuksa". The kuksa is a cup traditionally carved from a burl by the Sami people - the indigenous population - in northern Scandinavia.
Image: blue News/ Lea Oetiker
At Hotel Isokenkäisten Klubi you can also spend the night in glass domes. Here you can watch the Northern Lights or the stars all night long.
Image: blue News/ Lea Oetiker
This is what the domes look like from the inside. Small but nice.
Image: blue News/ Lea Oetiker
There is also a ski resort in Ruka-Kuusamo.
Image: blue News/ Lea Oetiker
The sauna is a deeply rooted tradition in Finland. This picture shows a classic sauna in the "Base" in Ruka-Kuusamo - high up on a mountain, accessible only by gondola.
Image: blue News/ Lea Oetiker
A somewhat atypical sauna: the ice sauna.
Image: blue News/ Lea Oetiker
After a sauna session, you can roll around in the snow or jump into the icy water of the frozen lake.
Image: blue News/ Lea Oetiker
A reindeer enclosure at the Palosaari reindeer farm. You can ride reindeer sledges here.
Image: blue News/ Lea Oetiker
On the farm, you have the opportunity to spend the night in this small wagon.
Image: blue News/ Lea Oetiker
This is what the wagon looks like inside.
Image: blue News/ Lea Oetiker
If you're lucky, Ruka-Kuusamo is also the perfect place to see the Northern Lights.
Image: blue News/ Lea Oetiker
The snow-covered winter landscape in Ruka-Kuusamo is a dream. This picture was taken on the grounds of the Lumo Resort.
Image: blue News/ Lea Oetiker
Cooking is often done over the fire. Here Tomasz from "Wild Out" is baking traditional Finnish bread.
Image: blue News/ Lea Oetiker
The bread is served with black garlic butter. Served with a pickled carrot.
Image: blue News/ Lea Oetiker
The landscape on Kuntivaara mountain.
Image: blue News/ Lea Oetiker
Warm juice is served on the mountain. This cup is also called "kuksa". The kuksa is a cup traditionally carved from a burl by the Sami people - the indigenous population - in northern Scandinavia.
Image: blue News/ Lea Oetiker
At Hotel Isokenkäisten Klubi you can also spend the night in glass domes. Here you can watch the Northern Lights or the stars all night long.
Image: blue News/ Lea Oetiker
This is what the domes look like from the inside. Small but nice.
Image: blue News/ Lea Oetiker
There is also a ski resort in Ruka-Kuusamo.
Image: blue News/ Lea Oetiker
The sauna is a deeply rooted tradition in Finland. This picture shows a classic sauna in the "Base" in Ruka-Kuusamo - high up on a mountain, accessible only by gondola.
Image: blue News/ Lea Oetiker
A somewhat atypical sauna: the ice sauna.
Image: blue News/ Lea Oetiker
After a sauna session, you can roll around in the snow or jump into the icy water of the frozen lake.
Image: blue News/ Lea Oetiker
A reindeer enclosure at the Palosaari reindeer farm. You can ride reindeer sledges here.
Image: blue News/ Lea Oetiker
On the farm, you have the opportunity to spend the night in this small wagon.
Image: blue News/ Lea Oetiker
This is what the wagon looks like inside.
Image: blue News/ Lea Oetiker
If you're lucky, Ruka-Kuusamo is also the perfect place to see the Northern Lights.
Image: blue News/ Lea Oetiker
The Finnish village of Ruka-Kuusamo is pure postcard idyll. But there is much more to the snow-covered landscape than just beauty. blue News was there.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Anyone booking a winter vacation is probably looking for relaxation and adventure.
- In Ruka-Kuusamo, in the north of Finland, both are possible: from river floating in ice-cold water to a relaxing sauna in the evening.
- blue News was on site and tested them all.
Kilometers of roads stretch through the endless winter landscape of Ruka-Kuusamo. Past frozen lakes and forests whose branches bend under the weight of the snow. As if someone had sprinkled too much powdered sugar over the landscape.
Only around 30 kilometers separate this place from the Russian border. A week ago it was minus thirty degrees here, now the thermometer reads minus five.
But there is more to this winter idyll than just postcard romance. Anyone traveling to Ruka-Kuusamo is not only looking for peace and nature, but also adventure - and that's exactly what blue News found and tested here:
Wrapped up thick, floating down the river
It's a summer tradition in Switzerland: swimming the Limmat or Aare. After work, we pack our things into the wet bag, slip on our swimming trunks and drift leisurely downstream home.
You can do the same in Finland, but in winter. Sounds crazy, but it's really relaxing. Instead of wearing swimwear, you lie on your back wrapped up thickly and glide through the ice-cold water. Around 500 meters of the river is ice-free at this point and the temperature is around two degrees, making the water even warmer than the air.
Nevertheless, nobody has to freeze: several layers are worn over your own thermal underwear. First a thick ski suit, then a waterproof over-suit with sewn-in rubber boots, plus a helmet, gloves, hat and life jacket. You can hardly move, but that's not necessary.
You wade to the middle of the river, let go - and drift. If you're lucky, you'll spot animals along the way, if not, you can simply watch the quiet nature pass by. Surprisingly, it's not cold, rather pleasantly warm. And the feeling? Unforgettable.
A different kind of lunch
Finland is a country full of traditions. This is particularly evident in the food. Meat, fish and potatoes dominate the plates. The food is cooked over the fire, seasoned mainly with salt and pepper. There is history behind this: other spices were once priceless.
Tomasz and Tessa are a Finnish-Polish couple. Tomasz comes from Poland, is a trained chef, and at some point he had enough of the hectic day-to-day running of a restaurant. Too much stress, too little heart. So he moved to Finland around six years ago, where he met Tessa. Together they founded a small business - "Wild Out" - which offers wild food tours.
A year ago, Tomasz rediscovered his passion for cooking. Together, they decided to share this passion and make their dishes available to others. Since then, they have been hosting lunches and dinners over an open fire, where Finnish and Polish specialties come together.
Four courses are cooked in a small wooden hut. These huts are called "kotta". They are hexagonal or octagonal and were originally used as dwellings by the indigenous Sámi. Today they are rebuilt and used as barbecue huts. There is a chimney above the fire, which directs the smoke outside.
The food served includes traditional Finnish bread with black garlic butter, tofu patties with vegetables and a delicious sauce and a sweet pastry for dessert at the end. Of course, you will not only be cooked for, from time to time you can also lend a hand yourself.
The food is picked, made or otherwise bought from local traders. They can answer all your questions about the ingredients and herbs. Homemade drinks such as kombucha - a fermented, slightly sparkling tea drink - are served with the meal.
And if you're lucky, you'll be sitting around the fire with four other Finns who will tell you stories and myths about the country.
Yoga with reindeer
Reindeer have a calming effect on people. At least that's what Finns who work with reindeer say. So why not combine this natural calmness with yoga - a sport that is perfect for relieving stress? At the Kujala reindeer farm in Ruka-Kuusamo, visitors can try out reindeer yoga. Yes, you read that right.
Participants form a circle in the middle of the reindeer enclosure. Instead of yoga mats, the exercises are done on reindeer skins in the snow. The fur is one of the warmest in the world, second only to that of polar bears. The session lasts around an hour and is also suitable for beginners. However, the thick winter clothing can make some of the movements a little unfamiliar.
The lesson is not just about exercise, you also learn a lot about reindeer and their life in the north. While they roam freely through the vast forests and tundra landscapes in summer, they return to their owners in winter to spend the winter there.
The Palosaari Reindeer Farm offers a particularly authentic insight into the world of reindeer. A family business that has existed since 1929. Mika and Sato, the current hosts, know their animals inside out and are passionate about telling the story of their family and their work.
There is no reindeer yoga here, but there are sleigh rides through snow-covered landscapes, overnight stays in cozy wooden carriages and the opportunity to join in the early morning feeding. An experience that has a fairytale feel, almost like something out of a Disney movie.
Sleigh ride to the Russian border
Ruka-Kuusamo is just a few kilometers from the Russian border. If you want to feel this proximity even more intensely, you can stay in accommodation located right on the border area. For example, at Hotel Isokenkäisten Klubi, which is run by sisters Katja and Sirpa.
The house has a special history: it was once built by their father using wood from their aunt's old house. Katja and Sirpa took over the family business over twenty years ago and have been running it with great passion ever since. A stay could hardly be more personal and familiar. You are also surrounded by breathtaking nature.
The couple love to talk about their childhood in this remote region, about old customs, festivals and the country's traditional cuisine.
The hotel offers a variety of outdoor activities - but the sledge ride up the 460-metre-high Kuntivaara mountain is particularly impressive. The route leads through snow-covered forests and over frozen lakes. The trees carry heavy snow loads, shrubs and mosses disappear under the white blanket.
The drive from the hotel to the summit takes around 30 minutes. At the top, the view stretches far into the Russian borderland, which is only about two kilometers away. If you are shivering in the clear mountain air, you can warm yourself by the fire that is lit there, accompanied by hot berry juice, as is traditional.
Visit to the smoke and ice sauna
A sauna may not sound particularly exciting, but in Finland it is much more than just a place to sweat. blue News has tried out three types: the classic sauna, the rustic smoke sauna and even an ice sauna.
The oldest form is the smoke sauna. Here, a stove without a chimney is fired for hours until the stones glow. The smoke is only let out before the sauna session begins, leaving behind a pleasant aroma and a gentle, dense warmth.
In Finland, no one dictates how long a sauna session lasts: you stay as long as it feels good. Afterwards, it's off to the snow or into the ice-cold water of a lake - in keeping with tradition.
Probably the most unusual variant is the ice sauna: you actually sit in a room made of ice, heated by a small stove. The temperature is only around 50 degrees, but the humidity is almost 80 percent.
The sauna belongs to Finland like snow belongs to winter. Its history goes back a long way: over 2000 years ago, people used simple earth saunas for body cleansing, healing and as a spiritual place. Smoke saunas came later.
For a long time, the sauna was the cleanest room in the house. It was where people gave birth, nursed the sick and even washed the dead. With modernization, wooden and electric saunas became more widespread from the 20th century onwards, but the social and cultural significance remained: To this day, the sauna in Finland is considered a place of tranquillity, equality and community.
This article was written as part of a press trip organized by Edelweiss and Ruka-Kuusamo.
Further information in brief
- How to get there: Edelweiss Air offers flights from Zurich on Thursdays or Fridays from December to March. There are also daily connections with Finnair from Helsinki all year round.
- Accommodation: There are numerous accommodation options in Ruka-Kuusamo itself or in the surrounding area. From hotel rooms to small chalets or glass domes for overnight stays. Recommendations: Artic Lumo Resort, Isokenkäisten Klubi, Palosaaren Farm and Hotel Ruka Valley.
- Getting around: Ruka-Kuusamo can be discovered by rental car or cab. However, the latter can quickly become very expensive. The roads can be somewhat challenging in winter.
- Further information: You can find it under Ruka-Kuusamo.
