North-east Lapland

The north-east Finnish Lapland offers a lot of what Lapland is known for: fells, deep forests, polar nights with northern lights, midnight sun, reindeer and Sami culture. Lake Inari (Inarinjärvi), Finland's third largest lake, and its archipelagos have a shoreline of 3,000 km.

Cities

• Inari – largest municipality, with three Sámi languages
  • 1 Inari — village with the Sámi parliament and the Sámi museum Siida, by Lake Inari with its labyrinthine archipelagos
  • 2 Ivalo — the biggest population centre in Inari
  • 3 Sevettijärvi and Näätämö – Skolt Sámi villages, wilderness tourism and border crossing to Norway
• 4 Savukoski – most sparsely populated municipality of Finland, with Korvatunturi fell, the real home of Father Christmas; far from everything
• 5 Sodankylä – The largest town (5,000 inhabitants), with the Midnight Sun Film Festival
• Utsjoki – the only municipality in Finland with Sámi majority, and the northernmost; large wilderness areas
  • 6 Utsjoki – the salmon river Teno, border crossing to Norway
  • 7 Karigasniemi – border village in south-western Utsjoki, border crossing to Norway
  • 8 Nuorgam – The northernmost village... and quite everything in the European Union. Located by river Teno – Europe's richest salmon river. Border crossing to Norway

Other destinations

• 1 Kevo Strict Nature Reserve – an impressive canyon with a 64-km hiking trail
• 2 Lemmenjoki National Park – river valley with gold digging grounds, some fells and vast surrounding wilderness
• 3 Luosto – ski and safari resort, home to the only open amethyst mine in Europe; by Pyhä-Luosto National Park
• 4 Muotkatunturit Wilderness Area, 5 Paistunturi Wilderness Area, and 6 Kaldoaivi Wilderness Area – vast wilderness areas, partly above the treeline, with few marked trails and few services
• 7 Saariselkä — famous holiday resort in southern Inari. Popular mostly for the older set; a gateway to one of the largest national parks in Europe
• 8 Tankavaara – a gold village with a gold museum
• 9 Urho Kekkonen National Park – national park by Saariselkä and all its services, with vast backcountry, including the home of Joulupukki, Santa Claus himself
• 10 Vätsäri Wilderness Area – rugged forested mosaic of hills, bogs and lakes, with a trail to Norway

Understand

The northernmost part of Finland, and indeed of the European Union, features Sámi culture and landscapes typical to many people's perception of Lapland. Much of the region is covered by national parks and wilderness areas, and here you can find Lake Inari with holy sites of the traditional Sámi religion and a shoreline of over 3,000 km.

Midwinter is cold. Records in Inari and Sodankylä are below −49 °C (−56 °F).

Talk

The local language is mostly Finnish. Three Sámi languages – Northern Sami, Inari Sami, and Skolt Sami – are spoken sparsely to commonly in the northernmost areas. The Sámi languages ​​have an official status in the region designated as the Sámi homeland. Swedish (though official in Finland) is rarely spoken in this area, but the closely related Norwegian is often heard in the border region, thanks to the lively shopping Norwegians.

As everywhere in Finland, you will survive very well with English, and it is the main option for those who don't speak Finnish. German and other languages up to Chinese or Japanese might be known at hotels and tourist attractions. Thanks to extensive international tourism, tourist materials are usually available in a wide variety of languages!

Get in

Typical road in northern Lapland. Connecting road 9695 in Sodankylä.

There are several border crossings from Norway and one from Russia. As Norway is part of the Schengen area (but not EU) crossings are smooth, and if you don't have anything to declare (or have handled that beforehand) you can cross the border to Norway wherever – except by the Russia tripoint. However, if you have a pet or some special goods, check the rules.

If you have fishing gear (or a canoe, or have been wading), take care of disinfection against the salmon parasite (thorough drying is enough). As nearly all water from here eventually end up in the Barents Sea, disinfection is important if you have been to contaminated rivers, including all streams south of the watershed. If crossing the border (such as often if fishing from a boat on Teno): have a certificate.

By plane

Flying is the fastest means of reaching Lapland, but for most destinations services are sparse and prices often steep. The airports in Ivalo and Rovaniemi are the most relevant, from Norway also e.g. Lakselv may be worth considering. The coaches along E75 mostly drive via the airports. In addition to the regular flights, mostly from Helsinki, there are seasonal flights and charter flights from abroad in season.

By train

Even if there is no train service to here, using the train for the first leg (to Rovaniemi or Kemijärvi) often makes sense. For some destinations you can buy a combined train/coach-ticket, also otherwise the transfer is usually smooth.

From Russia you can get to Murmansk and perhaps continue by bus to Ivalo or get off at Kandalaksha and perhaps continue by bus to Rovaniemi. The services might have been suspended in 2022.

By bus

There are coach connections from Helsinki via Rovaniemi along E75 through the region, to Karasjok or Tana (possibly with transfers, some connections only in summer). Also most connections from Sweden (and the coach from Troms) go via Rovaniemi. Savukoski is a bit off and you may have to go via Kemijärvi or Salla (or from Rovaniemi or Kemijärvi via Sodankylä). From Russia, there have been bus connections from Murmansk to Ivalo and from Kandalaksha to Rovaniemi (check!).

Matkahuolto has timetables for most connections, although you may have to try with different place names.

By car

There are good roads to Lapland, but instead of using a day on driving, you might want to get your car on an overnight train to Rovaniemi or Kemijärvi, and wake up fresh in the morning to enjoy the landscape while driving only the remaining distance – which may certainly be long enough.

Alternatively, you might want to use a few days to see the length of Finland on the E75 (national road 4), or the west coast on E8 (national road 8; switch over to E75 in Keminmaa).

From Sweden you will probably come via Tornio and Rovaniemi, although a route via Kolari and Kittilä is also possible.

From Norwegian Finnmark, there are border crossings at Näätämö, Utsjoki and Karigasniemi. From Troms, the primary route is via Muonio, and Sirkka of Kittilä.

On foot

From Norway, in addition to using the border crossings, fording the border river or trekking through wilderness along your own routes, you can take a shortcut through the woods: the Piilola trail.

Get around

September view towards the Paistunturi wilderness: mires, forest and fells

The main roads can be expected to be good, but minor roads are sometimes truly minor. Some of them allow meeting only at designated places, and driving may be at own risk. For winter driving at minor roads, make sure you know how to handle the conditions.

There are quite good coach connections (a few daily) along E75 between Rovaniemi and Ivalo. To Inari they get sparse and to Karigasniemi or Utsjoki, expect a daily service. For Angeli, Näätämö and similar, look for special arrangements (perhaps weekly) or take a taxi.

See and do

This is a prime destination for hiking and cross-country skiing in the wilderness. At the ski resorts you have prepared skiing tracks and all the programmes you could expect, but there are individual businesses in many places also elsewhere.

Probability of northern lights is high, and as the climate is reasonably dry and there is little light pollution, also the chance to actually see them is – in the dark season. The region is above the Arctic Circle, so you have midnight sun most of the summer and polar night in midwinter.

Inari is the main town for acquainting oneself to Sami culture, with the Sami parliament and the Sami museum Siida. For the Skolt Sami, head for Sevettijärvi and Näätämö, and perhaps Nellim.

Eat

Sautéed reindeer (poronkärsitys) and Arctic char (nieriä, rautu) are the classics. If you already tried those, there are also less known local options. You may also want to try cloudberries, preferably picked by yourself on some bog (yellow as ripe).

Drink

Most nightlife is at the ski resorts.

Good-looking water in the wild is usually potable, but as there is no guarantee, you might want to boil it for a few minutes – although Nordic hikers seldom bother to. For a week or a few after the reindeer round-up in June, water in the area and downstream from it may be unhealthy,

Stay safe

Away from highways and towns you are on your own. Don't count on mobile phone coverage or anybody finding you. In midwinter temperatures can reach −50 °C (−60 °F), and the spring floods can cut normal hiking routes. Heed the relevant advice

Go next

• Norway is close.
  • For Sami culture, Karasjok and Kautokeino are obvious destinations, reachable via Karigasniemi, and there is a relevant museum also in Neiden, near Näätämö.
  • For the Barents Sea, head to Lakselv (and Nordkapp?), Vardø or Båtsfjord.
  • If you want to go east, Kirkenes isn't too far away (via Utsjoki, Nuorgam or Sevettijärvi).