This exclusive wildlife tour takes you to photograph and learn about wildlife and natural phenomena in the most remote areas in Europe. Tour includes a lot of new experiences, long day tours on the tracks of wolves and wolverines, and photographing in the wildlife hide; your wildlife vacation is full of exciting moments! You will have also a good time enjoying the silence and rest during your wilderness holiday.
Programme description
Learning about photographing nordic wildlife, wolves, wolverines, and natural phenomena is always interesting. Also, skills and managing in the wilderness are included in this winter photographing tour. A bit of luck is needed to see the magnificent Northern Lights and these timid wild animals. Sea eagles and golden eagles are living here, so it is quite sure possible that you see these big birds gliding silently above the untouched white snowfields.
You travel with a local photography guide to different destinations by foot and by car. The guide is a local professional and knows the best spots for beautiful shooting in the area. Daily distances are about 1-5 km on some days. Few days will be spent in the gas-heated photography hides. You also have to carry your own photography equipment, your daily drinks, and other equipment in your rucksack.
The guide takes care of meals, so you only have enough drinks and snacks in your backpack for the day trips.
We talk a lot, for example about the light, photographers’ position, equipment, and technical issues. We talk about the artistic perspective and your way of thinking about photography in general.
One of the most important parts of the schedule is the showtime for you at the end of the week. In this part, you can introduce your best shots of the workshop with a projector on the big screen and tell your stories from your perspective.
One of our unique skills is to make beautiful meals in nature. So, welcome and enjoy. Feel free to make contact us and tell us about your expectations and needs. We will make your wilderness holiday dreams come true!
Programme information
Place:Kukka Camp, Wild Taiga, Kuhmo
Availability:1.1.-31.3.
Guaranteed departures:4.3.-10.3.2023
Duration:7 days, 6 nights
Price:2290 €/person when 4-8 persons, 2200 €/person when 9-14 persons
Price includes:Return transport from Oulu Airport to Kuhmo, activities due to the program, guidance, meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner), accommodation in double rooms, sauna, and showers every day. (Optional accommodation for two nights in wildlife hide) The price doesn’t include flights.
Equipment:Participants have their own boots, winter clothing, warm underwear, etc. according to the cold weather. Please ask for the whole list of equipment after booking.
Equipment included in the price:Snowshoes, skis, sticks and skiing boots, sleeping bag and all other special equipment needed in the program.
By additional cost:Winter clothing, mittens, headwear, boots 90 €/set/person/week. Supplement for an extra night at a hotel in Oulu. Oulu is one of the biggest cities in Northern Europe and there is the second busiest airport in Finland and comprehensive connections from around Europe, for example, Norwegian Carrier's flights.
Tour level:Intermediate. Previous skiing and trekking experience is not required. Moderate physical condition is desirable.
Languages:Finnish, English, Swedish. Other languages and guidance in German, Italian or Spanish languages by additional cost.
Detailed programme
1st day:
Arrive at Oulu Airport, where you meet your guide. Transport to Kuhmo town and Kuikka Base Camp by car with low emissions. Transporting time with two coffee breaks is approximately 4,5 hours.
Kuikka Base Camp is a cozy old log house in the East of Finland, and the house works for us as a base for this unforgettable wildlife adventure. There is homemade dinner waiting for us on the table with different local delicacies!
Program briefing. To have a great and safe experience, we’ll have basic info about clothing, accommodation, and safety instructions for the week. Evening meal in the dining room and accommodation in double rooms in bunk beds. Northern lights photographing trip to the lake ice. Sauna, fantastic dip to the ice hole, and hot tub on the shore of the ice-covered lake are available! Welcome to your Arctic holiday!
2nd day:
Breakfast in the dining room, the introduction to the area. Campfire to the shore and ice fishing trip with snowshoes to the lake ice. The trip will take us to a remote wilderness lake which gives much small fish to silent and calm ice-fishers. Enjoy the sound of silence. A peaceful hiking trip with snowshoes after ice fishing takes us to the campfire. Landscape and wilderness photographing during the trip. Picnic lunch by the open fire. Hiking back to Base Camp. After relaxing and hot drink, you will hear the unique stories of the famous nature photographer and author Lassi Rautiainen. Photo exhibition and the possibility to buy some books with pioneer and professional wildlife photographer Lassi Rautiainen’s autograph. Aurora borealis photography. Sauna, dinner, and accommodation in double rooms in bunk beds. Optional hide night for the wolf photographing on the morning light is available for the additional fee.
3rd day:
After breakfast, we take wide backcountry skis and start the excursion to the Elimyssalo Nature Reserve area. Elimyssalo is the biggest, most remote, and most wildlife area in Wild Taiga. It is the home of the four biggest predators in Finland. We probably find the tracks of wolves, wild reindeers, elks, and wolverines and might see the rare lynx tracks also. Skiing in the old forests and on frozen bogs is really amazing experience. Here you can feel the real wilderness and quiet nature. Lunch at the shelter, laavu, by an open fire. Transport back to Kuikka Base Camp. Northern lights photographing trip to the lake ice. Dinner and sauna.
4th and 5th day:
Breakfast at the Base Camp. Making a picnic lunch and transport to the wildlife hide. Photographing and wildlife watching. Opportunities to see wild wolves, wolverines, and eagles. Sauna, dinner, accommodation. Night in the gas-heated wildlife photographing hide in winter sleeping bag.
6th day: Processing and demonstration day
Breakfast. Showtime for your best shots of the week! At the end of the photographing week, we collect together all the wonderful memories, process them together on the computer and make a presentation of the images. After this, the Northern lights photographing tour to the lake ice. Lunch, celebration dinner, and sauna are available Accommodation in your room.
7th day:
Departure day. Breakfast and transfer to the airport.
We reserve all the rights to change the order of the activities or the content of the program if necessary due to the weather or other conditions.
