1000 km Biking trip through SE Finland

The world has become a crazy place these days with borders shut down so with a 2 month vacation between Finnish Language classes I was decided it was a good opertunity to explore Finland. My friend Ilkka has been doing bike trips for well over a decade and he persuaded me that it was a great idea to just go out and do it.

I was hesitant as I had never done an over night biking trip let alone a week or two but it sounded interesting. After a few days of looking over maps I decided that I wanted to check out the SE corner of Finland to explore the Karelia region as it has a long history within both Finland and Russia and was an area I had been interested in for years.

When I came up with the trip I came up with 3 rules.
1. I could only Speak in Finnish
2. I could only eat Finnish Food
3. I would make sure to eat the specific foods from Specific towns

Day 1: Nurmes to outside of Juuka

My friends Ilkka and Tuija Kauppinen were driving to Joensuu from Rovaniemi so they were kind enough to give me a ride down to Nurmes. The journey started at 10p.m as clouds and darkness were setting in.

Within a few minutes of being dropped off I was alone and wondering what I had got myself into. I had set my bike up with 3 bags attached to it and a backpack filled with food. As we were driving down I had spotted a Laavu (which is an open shelter) on the map and around 50 km’s away so I biked as fast as I could to get to my first nights shelter.

Once I had made it to the Laavu I could see and here lightning in the distance while setting up my tent. The moment my Tent was put up it started raining hard, I had dodged a bullet and while I was a bit nervous about the rest of the trip the first night and gone smooth.

Day 2: Outside of Juuka to Koli National Park

I woke up to clear skies with plans to bike out to Koli National Park. as I had heard it was one of the most beautiful places in Finland. After eating some porridge I packed up my gear and I was ready to get back on the road.

The thing that makes biking so different than driving is that every town is a blessing and an opportunity to resupply. It’s not about the final destination of the day but more focused on the 20 km’s to the nearest town. When I made it to the town just outside Koli I loaded up on food and a bit of candy before biking uphill to the top of Koli National Park.

Once I made it to the top of Koli I ditched my bike in the woods and made it up to the summit rocks. Once there I quickly noticed there was people everywhere, I had wanted to camp up there but with so many people it just wasn’t going to happen so I came up with a plan. I decided to walk on a few of the trails over to the top of the ski hill and if it was nice I would camp there.

When I was on top of the ski hill it was covered in waist deep grass, bugs and no view. The top of the ski hill was not nearly as nice as I had hoped so I decided to hang out there until late at night then return to to the Koli summit.

At around 10 p.m. I walked back to my bike and stashed all my gear other then my sleeping pad and bag then returned to the summit and found a flat rock to camp on which allowed for great views in every direction.

Day 3: Koli National Park to Joensuu

Early in the morning I could here people talking in the distance so I quickly deflated my pad, packed up and made my way back to my bike. I decided to take a scenic route to Joensuu where I would be next to the water on a gravel road. While biking I stopped by a fire pit and grilled some Makkara (Finnish Hot dogs) before taking a quick swim before getting back on the road.

When biking on the road I saw a sign with a few cars parked at a trail head. I saw a sign that said something followed by Kirkko which means church in Finnished. I was confused as I was in the forest so I decided to go check it out. It turned out it was a cave and the first word meant devil so here I was inside the Devils church.

I would break my days down to visiting small towns and swimming spots so I made my way to the town Uimaharju. During the summer they put up this small cafes called Kesa Kioski AKA Summer Kiosk so I stopped by one on the lake shore and ordered a Munkki (Finnish Dounut) coffee, Ice cream and a coke before finding a spot to go for a swim.

Being in a town called Uimaharju (Uima means swim) I had to find a nice beach to swim. After a quick inspection of the map I found a lonely stretch of beach before the long stretch to Joensuu.

That night I had made it Joensuu and stayed with Ilkka and Tuijas family reunion where I hung out with there family barely surviving off my small Finnish vocabulary and enjoyed local food, meeting there family and eating local food.

Day 4: Joensuu to Punkaharju

The next morning I went out with Tuijas family to the local Tori (Finnish for Market) where I loaded up on Munkki and Karelian Pies before heading out on the road.

One of my favorite foods in all of Finland are Karelian Pies so I had made the joke that I wanted to go to the source of my favorite food,

As I biked I was surrounded by water in every direction. I was on the outskirts of Lake Saimaa the biggest lake in a country filled with lakes.

I had noticed a town called Savonranta which Ranta means beach so it became obvious, I was going to have to go for a swim.

This was my longest day of the trip and I was told I had to go check out the church in Kerimaki as it is the biggest wooden church in the world. It was late in the day so the church was closed but I took the opertunity to get a meal and take in the view of the church.

The forecast for the next day was calling for rain so I decided to make a long push to a Laavu outside of Punkaharju.

I made my way to the Laavu at Laukansaari just outside of Punkaharju and was had no idea how nice it turned out to be.

Within a minute walk I was right on the shores of Saimaa and enjoying the scenery.

There was another couple camping in the one spot in the forest so I had to settle on spending the night right next to a picnic table.

While I wasn’t happy about camping next to the table I was happy with the view it provided.

Day 5: Biking around Punkaharju

The moment I woke up I packed up all my gear in case somebody showed up and wanted to use the table and hung out in the Laavu for a little bit. While hanging out the couple that had used the camping spot came up and we started chatting for a bit before they left.

Once the couple left I set up my camp at the spot they were using and stashed most of my gear into the tent so I could have a day biking around Punkaharju.

The weather for the day was calling for a huge storm but at the moment it wasn’t raining so I decided to head into town, reload on food at the local store then come back hopefully before the worst of the storm came.

The scenery around Punkaharju was stunning as it was a long strip of land with water on both sides for many kilometers.

Once in town I bought some grilling food and enjoyed some kebabs and a few different types of beers.

I was later told that the storm had taken out the power grid in multiple areas but here I was drinking a Karhu and having the time of my life on the shores of Saimaa.

That night the clouds were dramatic but it seemed the storm wasn’t nearly as bad as I had planned for.

Day 6: Punkaharju to Savonlinna

When I woke up I checked the hourly forecast and realized I had a small weather window in the morning before the weather was going to turn bad. I made my way to Savonlinna in clear weather as I wanted to spend a full day exploring one of the most beautiful cities in Finland.

I biked to a small island a few km’s from the town and stashed my gear in the woods before heading towards town.

Before going to town I loaded up on my morning Munkki and I was off.

Out of all the crazy things Savonlinna has a medieval castle as it used to be the border between Sweden and Russia so Sweden built this castle to protect there border.

The moment I went into the castle it started raining hard outside. I had showed up at noon and signed up for a tour in English at 2 so I decided to visit the cafe and enjoy a local pastry and coffee.

The castle was stunning and on its on island so I spent a few hours walking around.

After exploring the castle I went to the local market and tried a local food called Lortsy before heading back to camp.

I made it back to my camping spot as the weather started clearing and went for a swim and took in the view for the next few hours.

Before heading back to camp I stopped by Heseburger and put it in my backpack so I could eat it for dinner at camp.

Day 7: Savonlinna to Ihantsalo

I woke up early in the morning and took down my camp as it was going to be another long day of biking.

I biked back to Savonlinna and enjoyed a morning coffee before loading my backpack up with Lortsy and biking on the shores of Saimaa.

After biking a few hours I found a nice beach for my daily swim before getting back on the road.

Occasionally I would stop for a quick snack and with my backpack full of Lortsy of different flavors. In my opinion Vanilla was by far the best Lortsy.

I had taken a detour so I was able to experience the river boats as they were historical and there are only a few left as most have been replaced with bridges.

My route took me into a small town called Puumala where I stopped by the local market, refueling my food stash and enjoying some ice cream.

That afternoon I biked through a small area loaded with beautiful islands and decided I would camp on the shores of one of them.

I camped a few meters off of Lake Saimaa and enjoyed possibly my favorite camping spot of the whole trip.

Day 8: Ihantsalo to Suomenniemi

After a few minutes of packing up I was back on the road crossing a bridge to come and find there was a Kesakioski on the other side.

How could I resist a morning coffe, Munkki and local pastry.

A few hours later I enjoyed my daily swim before eating another Lortsy and getting back on the road

I had set up the route so I could go check out some prehistoric painting

That nigh I had intended on camping in the town called Suomenniemi which can be translated to Finnish Bay but I noticed a sign pointing towards a lookout tower. I couldn’t resist so I decided I was going to head up there for the night.

That night I slept up in the tower and enjoyed great views in all directions.

Day 9: Suomenniemi to Taipalsaari

I was told I have to visit Taipalsaari so that was my plan for the day as I ate my morning Munkki and drank coffee before getting moving.

After a few minutes I was in Finnish Bay which was a smaller town then I had expected.

I quickly found the local market and purchased some coffee and a small snack.

I purchased some of the local food and put it in my backpack for fuel for the upcoming days.

Halfway through the day I came across this dock and took my daily swim while taking in the beauty of Lake Saimaa.

I really hadn’t done any research of what to expect so I was surprised when I came across this old Russian Fortress.

While biking I noticed there was a laavu on the map so I decided to take a detour and grill up some Makkara before heading to Taipalsaari

I was excited as I had no idea what to expect and soon enough I had made it to the island.

As soon as I was in Taipalsaari it started raining hard. It was a much smaller town then I expected so I hung out in front of a store attempting to dry up before backtracking a few kilometers to a laavu just out of town.

It was raining hard as I made it back to the Laavu so I battled between sleeping in my tent or inside the laavu

I battled for an hour of whether I should use my tent or not.

In the end I decided to camp in the Laavu as I didn’t want to get all my stuff wet. As I hung out there two other random guys came up to use the fire pit as well and as is standard in Finland here were 3 random guys all grilling there one Makkara and drinking beer and Koskenkova.

Day 10: Taipalsaari to Lappeenranta

The weather had turned for the worse and my spare batteries had run out of energy so I decided to bike to Laappenranta early where I rented out a small cabin and explore the town.

The morning swim was a quick one as the weather was bad but it was a daily routine I couldn’t resist.

As I biked towards Lappeenranta I notice a small hiking trail so I ditched the bike and made my way up to a scenic spot.

Once I was near Lappeenranta I took a quick break for my daily Munnki before heading into town.

When in town I biked directly to my accommodations so I could stash my gear before biking around town.

This was my one at only accommodation for the trip.

I was surprised by the beauty of Lappeenranta sitting on the shores of Lake Saaima. There were biking trails everywhere and it felt super green.

I biked to the local market and tried the local food Vety

I had to laugh as I knew I was finally in a big town once I saw that there was a Taco Bell.

Day 11: Lappeenranta to Ihamaa

That morning I woke up early as I was supposed to leave my accommodations at 11 so I spent two hours in the morning biking back to town and filling my pack with food before heading out.

As I was biking I saw another Laavu a few kms off the main road so I decided to take a detour and check it out and take my daily swim.

As I was biking I saw a sign for a historical area so I decided to check it out. It turned out to be a cemetery with a big focus on WW2 as the area was ground zero for the Winter War.

As well as a huge historical church.

That night I biked out to what I thought was a laavu on the map but it turned out to be a winter warming hut. It was late in the day so I had to call it good as the next day I would be on the southern shores of Finland and camping spots could be hard to find.

Day 12: Ihamaa to Lovisa

Soon I was on the Southern shores of Finland and attempting to follow what is called the Kings Road. It felt weird to be biking and seeing a road heading towards Saint Petersburg.

The coast was a blur as now I was in civilization so I spent most of my time riding between towns and checking out the local markets.

While in Kotka I decided to check out a scenic view spot just in time for the rain to come.

I attempted to follow the Kings Road and I may have been on it most the time but the signs were few and far between. Soon I was in the town of Lovisa and I had the craving for Makkara Peruna in one of the small local shops before biking into the woods and camping for the night.

Day 13: Lovisa to Helsinki

I was now within distance of Helsinki and moving fast as the scenery was just forests. I finally made my way to Porvoo where I stopped by the market, ate an ice cream and kept moving towards Helsinki.

Soon enough I arrived in Helsinki and my biking trip was over with. I had planned on meeting up with my wife’s sister Jaana who was in town so I could drop off my gear with her. We decided to meet up at Starbucks in the center of town where I could enjoy sitting at a table outside while staying in view of my bike.

After meeting up with Jaana and having dinner with her and Juuka I dropped off my stuff and waited for another friend Jaako who was kind enough to offer me shelter for the night. I had planned on staying in town for a few days but Jaako was driving North to Norway the next morning and had offered me a ride back home to Rovaniemi. I debated with myself whether or not to stay longer but I had received a text from my wife that the berry season had started at home so it was time to head back. I had biked for 2 weeks to make it to Helsinki and I spent around 12 hours there before heading back home.

In Conclusion

I had survived my trip speaking Finnish the whole time and had seen so many cool spots along the way. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to bike day after day but it turned out to be fine. I had created a routine of biking, swimming and enjoying all the small markets along the way. It is a great way to travel and I highly recommend it.

Karelia and Lake Saaima is a stunning corner of Finland and I hope to return soon.