Autumn Colours & Dancing Auroras of Finland

In the beginning of September I had the chance to go and experience Finnish Lapland during autumn. I have to admit, I have never visited northern Finland in the autumn before, despite being a Finn.

I have always considered the Finnish nature, the lakes and the endless forests, as the country’s biggest asset and this trip only reinforced that thought.

After landing in Rovaniemi, we were met by our driver at the airport (which is tiny!) and whisked further up north to a town called Luosto. In the area there are 2 fells (Pyha and Luosto) that create the Pyha-Luosto National Park and the 2 towns established by the fells are (surprise surprise) called Pyha and Luosto. The two towns are about 20 minutes apart and both are easily reached from Rovaniemi by an airport bus or private transfer.

This is the place to go, if you are after a more low-key destination surrounded by nature. You can even encounter the local reindeers calmly strolling alongside the roads. Most of the accommodation is in traditional log cabins, with only a few hotels and some more modern cabins. Luosto also has some of the iconic Glass Igloos.

The area offers the best options for enjoying the peaceful nature with most of the accommodation just steps away from the national park area and many activities organised in the wilderness. There is also an amethyst mine that welcomes visitors to dig their own personal lucky gem.

In the autumn you can do light hiking in the national park along the trails and learn about the Finnish nature and even some survival tips while enjoying a traditional black coffee prepared over an open fire, ‘nokipannukahvi’, served in a traditional wooden sami mug called kuksa.

In the winter you can explore the nature skiing or snowshoeing, or for more exhilarating experiences you can join in a Reindeer, Husky or Snowmobile Safari.

One of the highlights of our visit was the trip to a Sami reindeer farm where we got to learn about the life as a reindeer herder, got to feed the reindeer and enjoyed a wonderful meal prepared with fresh, local ingredients in a traditional hut.

Our final night was spent in Rovaniemi. This evening we got to go to Sauna, which is the most important room for any Finnish person, by a lake and I even jumped into the cooling water! The water was freezing cold but the rush of adrenaline that comes with such extreme temperature change left me energised for days. That evening was crowned by the dancing Auroras in the sky that were reflected beautifully on the surface of the lake. Sorry no pictures, too busy looking to the sky, enjoying the show.

I know, the first thing that comes to mind, when someone says Finnish Lapland, is Santa Claus and winter, however I dare you to broaden your thinking  and challenge you to go in the Summer, Autumn or Spring. In the summer you can practically go without sleep due to the midnight sun, in the autumn you can enjoy the fiery autumn colours and double Auroras without the freezing cold and in the spring you will see nature waking up after the long darkness of winter. And you can visit Santa any time of the year, so there’s plenty of reasons to add a trip to Finland on your bucketlist.

Author: Baltic Travel Company.  All rights reserved.