Finland Lakeland Canoe Route

Savonlinna · Finland

Moderate21 daysEurope~£800 est.

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Overview

Lake Saimaa is Europe's fourth-largest lake and its most intricate: a 4,400 km² labyrinth of islands, sounds and open reaches in Finland's south-east, and the finest flat-water canoe touring on the continent. The premium circuits paddle out of Oravi or Savonlinna around Linnansaari National Park and into Kolovesi, where motorboats are banned and the silence is total but for your bow wave. Both parks are the home water of the Saimaa ringed seal — one of the world's rarest seals, around 400 animals — and a whiskered head periscoping beside the canoe is the trip's jackpot moment. Ospreys and black-throated divers are daily company. Everyman's Right lets you camp on almost any wild shore, and the parks add laavu lean-to shelters with fire rings and stacked wood. June brings near-24-hour light; late August adds warm water and no midges. The variable to respect is open-water wind: crossings that look short on the map build real waves by afternoon, so plan island-hopping lines and paddle early. Outfitters in Oravi rent canoes, dry barrels and route maps and will shuttle between trailheads. Finish in Savonlinna beneath Olavinlinna castle, sauna included. Three weeks of paddling, hire and food runs about £800; a one-week loop is the popular version.