Programme description

Finnish cuisine is notable for generally combining traditional country fare and haute cuisine with contemporary continental style cooking. Fish and meat play a prominent role in traditional Finnish dishes from the western part of the country, while the dishes from the eastern part, for example Karelia, have traditionally included various vegetables and mushrooms.

Finnish food often use whole meal products (rye, barley, oats) and berries (such as blueberries, lingonberries, cloudberries, and sea buckthorn). Milk and its derivatives like buttermilk are commonly used as food, drink or in various recipes. Various turnips and potatoes are common in traditional cooking.

During this tour you get to know more about Finnish cuisine not to forget also get to know the Finnish culture and the locals.

The delicious food is local. We also use a lot of organic products!

Programme information

24.6.-1.7.2023, Wild herbs and Midnight Sun Cuisine Tour
22.-29.7.2023, July Tour
19.-26.8.2023, Berries and Mushrooms

Nurmes-Valtimo

8 days, 7 nights

4-10

1200 €/person

20 €/person/night

Group transfers from/to airport (on arrival day at about 18 hours, on departure day from Pihlajapuu at about 11 hours, the flight 14.30), accommodation in double rooms in guesthouses with shared facilities, full board (breakfast, picnic lunch, dinner), sauna every evening (once the smoke sauna), cuisine workshops, program, guide, bicycles; biking from guesthouse to guesthouse

Please note, that because we are saving nature, we take the bed linen with us from the first guesthouse to be used in all the other guesthouses, too. The bed linen bag will be carried by the luggage transfer. You will get clean towels in every guesthouse.

We bike from guesthouse to guesthouse. The daily distances by changing the guesthouse vary between 15 and 35 km. Even though the landscape here in North Karelia is quite hilly, we have the whole day time and you can bike at your own speed because the guide is taking care of everybody to bike smoothly to the next guesthouse. The bikes are Finnish Helkama Hybrid bikes with 24 gears, hand brakes and a little bit wider tyres than the normal city bikes.There are 8 lady model bikes and 4 man model bikes to use.

We also take time to make enough breaks and even swim in the numerous lakes of North Karelia. Please take your bathing suit with you!

Detailed programme

1. day
Arrival in the evening at Puukarin Pysäkki. About 1,5 hours driving time from the airport. Getting to know the surroundings and participants. Sauna and dinner. Accommodation at www.puukarinpysakki.fi

2. day
Cuisine workshop by Anni, the hostess of Puukari. Baking rye bread with Anni. Dark and fiber-rich ruisleipä, rye bread is a staple of the Finnish diet. Breads are made from grains like barley, oat, rye and wheat, or by mixing different grits and flours. For example, sihtileipä is made of a combination of rye and wheat. IIn the afternoon testing the bikes and a short bikingt tour. Accommodation at www.puukarinpysakki.fi

3. day
After breakfast biking tour to next guesthouse, Laitalan Lomat with guide, 22 km. Along biking route there is a very nice small souvenir boutique. In the afternoon you’ll make a Louhisaaren juoma -drink of black currant leaves with Henna. Sauna by the river! Accommodation at www.laitalanlomat.com

4. day
The hostess of Laitala, Henna bakes with you sweet buns called pulla, sweet, cardamom-flavored bread eaten with coffee or as dessert and cinnamon rolls (korvapuustit) – pulla made into a roll with cinnamon and sugar. In the afternoon a canoeing tour of 8 km with picnic lunch on the river.

In the evening sauna and dinner! Accommodation at www.laitalanlomat.com

5. day
After breakfast biking tour to Männikkölä, 35 km. We visit the small town of Nurmes. Also a possibility to do shopping. Accommodation, sauna and dinner at Männikkölän Pirtti. www.mannikkolanpirtti.com

6. day

In the morning we bake Karelian pies with Ritva. Karelian pasty (karjalanpiirakka) is a traditional Finnish dish made from a thin rye crust with a filling of rice. Butter, often mixed with boiled egg (eggbutter or munavoi), is spread over the hot pastries before eating.
In the afternoon we take the minibus and drive to Koli national park. In Koli we hike about 8 km and admire the Finnish national landscape from the top of the hill, 347 metres above sea level. Transfer by car, about one hour driving time to Koli. Accommodation at www.mannikkolanpirtti.com

7. day
After breakfast biking tour to Pihlajapuu with guide, 15 km. Cooking lessons in Pihlajapuu. In the evening sauna.. After the sauna, glow-fried salmon by the campfire. Accommodation at Pihlajapuu. See virtual presentation: 360°

8. day
Time to say hei, hei! Good-bye!

Good to know

Can also be organized other times.