Credits: Arctic Lake Experience
Starting point: Kajaani
Getting there: Train, car or flight from Helsinki (HEL) to Kajaani (KAJ)
Endpoint: Joensuu, with rail, plane and road connection back to Helsinki
Length: Seven days, with room to linger
Distance: Approximately 420 km by car
Suggested transportation: Rental car
Best time to go: June to late August
This road trip starts from Kajaani, on the shores of Lake Oulujärvi – a lake sometimes called Finland’s inland sea. It is the fifth-largest lake in the country and the largest in Northern Finland.
The island worth a visit is Ärjänsaari, a five-kilometre sliver of beautiful pine forest and smooth sand. The boat to the island leaves from Ruunaniemi, about twenty minutes’ drive west of Kajaani. This route is operated by Luonnollisesti Oulujärvi, a Sustainable Travel Finland (STF) labeled operator, on a scheduled summer service. The crossing takes roughly fifteen minutes. On the island, the café rents kayaks, paddleboards, bicycles and rowing boats. There are multiple marked fireplaces for barbequing around the shoreline. They’re closed when a wildfire warning is in force; check the day’s status at ilmatieteenlaitos.fi.
Metsähallitus’ campfire guidance is also worth reading before any outdoor trip in Finland.
Plan a half-day on Ärjänsaari and spend the afternoon and evening back in Kajaani, a town of 36,000 people and the regional capital of Kainuu. Arcticlakeland.com has the best tips on places eat, as well as what to look for in a region that carries a lot of Finnish history and culture from poetry to music.
For an unforgettable night under the Midnight Sun, book an overnight stay at a glass cabin at Arctic Lake Experience located nearby the Ruunaniemi harbour. There's nothing like a floating glass cabin on a calm Finnish lake to help you unwind. The accommodation includes a fresh, local breakfast served to the cabin, minibar, coffee and tea, and a cooler.
The second option is Arctic Giant Birdhouse Hotel, a small family-run retreat tucked into the Kivesvaara hillside in Paltamo, around half an hour's drive north-west of Kajaani. This place runs on a single, unique idea: that you should get to see Kainuu through a giant's eyes. The cabins are built as oversized birdhouses on stilts, perched up among the treetops, so you wake level with the branches rather than below them. It's a fitting concept for this corner of Finland, where stories of giants and strongmen have been told for generations.
The on-site Makuhelmi restaurant serves local Kainuu cuisine with views over the wooded fells towards Oulujärvi. The cooking draws on the region’s own features: wild mushrooms, freshwater fish from the lake, slow-cooked meat, berries from the ancient forests, and root vegetables grown under the Midnight Sun.
Arctic Giant sits at the foot of Kivesvaara, a wooded fell that rises about 280 metres above the surrounding country. Marked trails lead up to a viewpoint tower at the top, with the views opening out over Oulujärvi and the forests stretching as far east as the eye can see. A separate trail leads through Kainuu Stone Park, where the park's rock samples present the history and composition of the bedrock of Finland. The walking is easy, the air is typically cool even in July, and the pace is yours. To cover more ground, you can also rent an e-fatbike.
Save the late afternoon for the Forest Sauna & Experience. It’s a two-hour sauna shift in a modern glass-walled sauna a short walk from the main building, with a cold plunge and a summer forest shower. You will leave relaxed like never before.
After spending a second night at Arctic Giant, the road trip takes you east to Kuhmo. The drive takes around an hour and a half. Kuhmo itself is a small town of 8,000 people that punches well above its weight: it hosts the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival every July, one of the most respected chamber music events in Europe, and was named a UNESCO City of Literature in 2019.
Two experiences here are worth structuring the day around.
The first is river floating at Pajakkakoski, the rapid that runs through the centre of Kuhmo. The activity is not only adventurous but a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many who try it. The organiser, Kuhmon Santavillage, will kit you out in thermal underwear and a sealed rescue suit, brief you thoroughly, then walk you through a quiet stretch of river to find your floating position before guiding you down the rapid as a group with rescuers nearby. The whole thing finishes around a cosy fire in a large tent with warm hot chocolate and coffee.
Before heading to the day's second adventure, we recommend grabbing lunch in town. Café Torilla in Pohjolan Talo makes its delicious burgers from scratch. The menu rotates between meat and lake fish, and the local speciality to look for is the haukiburger, a pike burger that draws on Finland’s long tradition of cooking with this freshwater fish.
The afternoon belongs to bear watching. Forty minutes east of Kuhmo, in the village of Vartius, Bear Centre operates a network of purpose-built hides scattered across the boreal forest. The company specialises in brown bear, wolverine and wolf observation and photography. The Kainuu border forest is one of the few places in Europe where all three species are still routinely seen, sometimes from the same hide on the same evening; international wildlife documentary makers have been filming here for decades.
After spotting extraordinary wildlife, choose between two overnight options. Stay at Bear Centre’s own accommodation, or return to Kuhmo and stay at STF-labeled Hotel Kalevala, a family-run lakeside hotel on Lake Lammasjärvi about three kilometres from the town centre named after the famous finnish epic. In addition to accommodation, Hotel Kalevala offers saunas, outdoor activities and an onsite restaurant, Kanteletar, with tasty local dishes.
Day four of this road trip takes you to Karelia. The drive south from Kuhmo to Nurmes is about 110 kilometres and takes a little over two hours. It crosses the regional border from Arctic Lakeland to North Karelia along the way. You’re moving from Kainuu, with its taiga and tar-burning history, into the heartland of Karelian culture with its own food, dialect, folk music, and famously warm hospitality.
In Nurmes, the destination is Bomba, a resort area on the shore of Lake Pielinen, Finland’s fourth-largest lake. The cultural anchor is Bomba House, an authentic replica of a 19th-century Karelian farmhouse. The building is full-scale: low ceilings, painted beams, and large open rooms. It houses Restaurant Bomba, awarded the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs plaque for its Karelian cooking. The menu rotates with the season, but local traditions stay constant.
The new highlight for 2026 is the Kalevala Film Village. Antti J. Jokinen’s film Kalevala: The Story of Kullervo was shot at Bomba and across Upper Karelia, and the production left its original sets and selected props standing.
If cooking is more your cup of tea, try a Karelian Pie Workshop provided by the STF labeled Break Sokos Hotel Bomba or go outdoors with Bomba Safaris that arranges many outdoor activities from e-fatbike tours to guided canoe trips.
From Bomba, the route continues to the iconic hills of Koli. The drive from Bomba to Koli harbour takes a little over an hour, running south along the western shore of Lake Pielinen through fields, villages and old-growth woods. From the harbour, a boat takes you across the lake to Kelvänsaari Island, and to spend the night at Tarina-Aho. The transfer is included for overnight guests.
For day five, it's time to relax and spend the day at Tarina-Aho. Kelvänsaari Island is a long, narrow island, around six and a half kilometres end to end, with a single well-maintained gravel road running its length. The island has been farmed since the late 1800s, and Tarina-Aho is built on one of the original farmsteads. The cosy and rustic guest rooms are in restored log buildings. Tarina-Aho's bistro uses produce from the island and the surrounding North Karelian countryside and the traditional wood-fired smoke sauna (savusauna) on the shore is a must-try.
Tarina-Aho is open from early June to the end of August and houses many wellbeing and yoga retreats during the summer months.
The next day, the boat takes you back to Koli with one of Finland's most photographed landscapes: the quartzite peaks of Ukko-Koli, Akka-Koli and Paha-Koli, rising above the islands of Lake Pielinen. The view from Ukko-Koli is one that international travellers may recognise from many photos.
Park at Koli Nature Centre Ukko, the centre that serves as the gateway to Koli National Park, which protects roughly thirty square kilometres of forest, peaks, and lakeshore. Marked trails lead up to the three peaks; the walk from Luontokeskus Ukko to Ukko-Koli takes about fifteen minutes and is well surfaced. The summer crowds can be considerable in July as Finns themselves love to visit this area. Arrive before mid-morning if you want the view to yourself. If you’d rather walk with a guide, Feel Koli provides unhurried, authentic, and unique nature experiences with over 20 years of experience in the region. The company holds the Sustainable Travel Finland label.
End your tour of Koli with a delicious lunch at the Break Sokos Hotel Koli (STF) restaurant near the summit.
After taking in the sights at Koli, drive south about 90 minutes to the city of Joensuu, the capital of North Karelia. Joensuu is a university town of around 78,000 people with a walkable centre, a strong design and craft tradition, and a lively summer town feel. The artisan quarter Taitokortteli is the place to head: a cluster of restored 19th-century wooden buildings now occupied by ceramicists, weavers, woodworkers, jewellers and small craft shops, plus a courtyard cafe. The Joensuu market square and the market hall (kauppahalli) are other great places to visit, especially for trying local Karelian pies and smoked fish, or taking home a jar of local berry jam and pine syrup.
After a busy day in Koli and sightseeing in Joensuu, we recommend staying overnight in the city.
Spend the last day of your road trip exploring more of what Joensuu has to offer from North Karelia Museum Eliel to Botania Art Garden. If you are a music lover and happen to be in town in mid-July, check out Ilosaarirock, one of the oldest and most iconic rock festivals in Finland.
Once you've ended your trip, drop the rental car at Joensuu train station or airport unless you wish to drive back to Helsinki. The direct train to the capital takes about 4.5 hours through beautiful countryside scenery of Eastern Finland. Check timetables and buy ticket at VR.fi. There are also direct flights available from Joensuu (JOE) to Helsinki (HEL).