Paddling in Kolovesi National Park
Kolovesi National Park was founded in 1990 as one of the first real parks to be established for paddlers. As part of the vast Saimaa Lake system, which is a labyrinth of smaller lakes and waterways in South Eastern Finland, the opportunities for paddling sports are practically limitless. Kolovesi is also a strictly protected area and no motor boats are allowed, which makes the wildlife particularly vibrant and safe for paddlers. There are also some examples of Neolithic cave paintings at several locations around the park, which I just find fascinating. It is one of my favorite parks in Finland and the park that Karu Survival runs the majority of our multi-day paddling expeditions.
Finland is fortunate to possess around 188,000 lakes and 647 rivers. This country is a paddling paradise for beginners as well as advanced paddlers. These waterways were once the trade routes that connected the country to the outside world, gold, timber and tar would be ferried from the interior of the country to the ports on the West and South coast, before being shipped on to other locations. Since the arrival of Kayaks and Canoes in Europe from the Americas, these waterways became even more accessible, as such; paddling sports in Finland remain very popular today. Whether you choose the freedom and speed of a kayak, or the comfort and capacity of a canoe, you are bound to enjoy yourself, for there are few things as special as sliding through the glassy lakes of Finland.
I love paddling. It is by far my favorite way of traveling in the wilderness. It allows you to travel through an area quietly and really see it from a different angle. When my girlfriend and I were looking at doing a paddling trip last summer, I knew Kolovesi would be the perfect location. It was fairly easy to get to, had endless possibilities for routes, some excellent campsites, interesting wildlife and absolutely stunning views of Finnish Lakeland. I am an experienced paddler, but my girlfriend wasn’t so I felt this would be a great opportunity to see what Kolovesi had to offer the both of us.
The first day, we picked up our kayaks and drove to park. We decided to have a quick lunch first and sorted all of our gear out on the shore; the great thing about paddling is you can usually bring some luxuries that you would not bring if you were just hiking. So aside from my usual kit, I brought a fishing rod, a cast iron pan, a decent amount of fresh food and obviously some wine that we could enjoy. We had a bit of a late start, but we packed up and paddled south, skirting along jagged cliff faces and meandering through narrow concourses. The park made an immediate impact on us, it was strikingly beautiful. I had been once before and I was enchanted all over again, my girlfriend was equally blown away. We glided into our first camp, just before dinner. There are numerous designated campsites around the park, on various islands and shorelines, all of them are fantastic. We choose one on the South East portion of the park, cooked steaks swimming in garlic and butter on a cast iron pan and washing it down with some wine while the Arctic Loons echoed across the water. If you have never heard a loon sing, it is an incredible bird. Their voices carry a long way across the wilderness and it is equally haunting and beautiful. Kolovesi is home to many of these birds and they were our constant companions at the end of the day.
The next day, we woke, broke camp and headed around the Southern tip of the park, we had heard there were sightings of Saimaa Ringed Seal in the area. The Saimaa Ringed Seal is one of the rarest seals on the planet with a total population of around 400 and thanks to Kolovesi being a protected area with no motor boats; this is as good a place as any to see them in the wild. Unfortunately, we had no such luck that day. Instead, we paddled smoothly up the Western side of the park, winding our way around islands and inlets, navigating with map and compass. We spotted different water birds, woodpeckers and even an osprey, hunting for fish below the surface from the air. At around lunchtime, we took a break on a small island that has several campsites and fireplaces. Despite paddling for hours, we had not seen a single person other than ourselves. After lunch, we decided to keep paddling North, one map I had showed a possible sauna out in the woods and we were hoping we would get the chance to clean ourselves up a bit. We managed to make it to the shore, which we had considered a potential campsite. Instead of staying, we hiked inland a bit along a trail which took us to a public hunting cabin, where we managed to find our sauna! That’s the good thing about Finland, you can almost always find a sauna if you try hard enough! So, we decided to camp here for the night and have a sauna.
On our third day, we actually opted to stay another night. However we hiked back to the shore and set up camp among the birch trees. We spent the day wandering in the forest, picking berries and mushrooms and letting our muscles relax. After all, there was no rush. We had come to Kolovesi to relax and that’s just what we did. We went fishing, ate well, drank wine and just soaked in our surroundings. The next day, after feeling rejuvenated, we took off paddling again.
We continued north, leaving the protected area of Kolovesi and entering an area where boats were actually allowed. We kept our eyes out for motorboats, but never saw one. We took a break on another island for a quick lunch before rounding the Northern side of the park and heading back South along the Eastern shoreline. I knew a particularly beautiful campsite that I wanted to take my girlfriend to, called Lapinniemi. Now this campsite has no real place for a fire, which is of course a bummer. However, it sits in a secluded bay that faces due west, which makes for an insane sunset. We had saved the last of our wine for this and after we had made camp, we walked down to the dock and just watched the sun slip down behind the horizon as we sipped our red wine and casted our fishing lines out into the lake. Towards the evening, a large flock of loons joined us and we watched them sing and dive beneath the surface chasing fish.
The next morning, we unfortunately had to head back to civilization. We started paddling south along the shoreline, trying to absorb as much of the positive energy that we were feeling before we had to jump back into society again. This was one of the nicest paddling trips I had taken in Finland and my girlfriend really enjoyed it too. Everything about the trip went perfect, except not seeing any seals. Thankfully, I will be leading more trips to Kolovesi in the future with Karu Survival and I am sure I will see one sooner or later. As I write this, there is still deep snow on the ground and I am fantasizing about dipping my paddle into the cool, clear waters of Kolovesi again. Summer can’t come soon enough.
Written by Justin Lehmann (IG lehmann_outdoors)