Day 7: Imatra – Lappeenranta – Koli – Ristijärvi 460 km / 5 hours and half
After spending a relaxing night in Imatra, we set out to explore the charming city of Lappeenranta. To our surprise, we discovered that the city has a lot to offer, with its beautiful lakes, nature, old town (known as the Fortress), and the popular Bordertown series. Yes, we are fans and the series was the inspiration for this visit. As Lappeenranta is located only 30 km away from the Russian border, it is indeed a border town.
Our next stop was the Koli National Park, where we went for a bit of hiking. The trails were easy and suitable for families with children, including really young children. All the trails were clearly marked, so we didn’t need to plan in advance. We spent approximately two hours in the park, and most of it was spent simply enjoying the breathtaking views.
On our way to our next accommodation, we made a stop at a supermarket and picked up some beers and dinner. We then checked into the charming Ristijärv Pirtti Cottage Village, where we were blown away by the stunning view of the lake from our cottage. We also had the luxury of a private Finnish sauna, which we enjoyed for the rest of the afternoon, thinking we could easily spend one week, only enjoying ourselves staying in the cottage.
Day 8: Ristijärvi – Rovaniemi – Saariselka 550 km / 6 hours and half
After enjoying a lazy morning with coffee and breakfast on our beautiful terrace, we set off towards Rovaniemi. Unfortunately, we came across a blog recommending a stop at the Auttiköngäs waterfall, which they described as ‘magnificent’. However, we found that while the walking path was nice and suitable for dog walks, it wasn’t worth going off our path just to visit the waterfall. It was a good option for a quick stop, but not worth going out of your way for.
After our quick hike, we checked off the first goal by crossing the Arctic Circle. The road then took us to the famous Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi, but unfortunately, Santa Claus was not at home. We walked through the almost empty village, bought some postcards, and left them in the yellow box next to the Santa Claus Main Post Office. All the recipients received a postcard with a special Arctic Circle postmark and they loved it.
We then went to a random restaurant in Rovaniemi and realized, that while temperatures were falling, the prices of the beer were rising. One draught beer, 0.4l, cost 8 EUR and a casual burger was 13 EUR.
Our day ended at the stunning Wilderness Hotel Muotka & Igloos. We had booked an igloo with a glass roof, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Aurora lights, but unfortunately, I could neither confirm nor deny their appearance that night because I slept like a baby. The igloo was gorgeous, with a private bathroom and sauna, which we immediately tried.
Wilderness Hotel Muotka has a beautiful restaurant on site, and the breakfast there was splendid. We regretted not having dinner there and I recommend planning accordingly to have enough time for the sauna and dinner.
Day 9: Saariselka – Luulampi – Base Camp North Cape 420 km/6 hours
Day 9 was the day we had been waiting for – our plan to reach the North Cape had finally arrived. It was going to be a challenging day, filled with a long drive, some hiking, and stunning views. After devouring a delicious breakfast that included smoked salmon, we drove for 20 minutes to Kiilopää, our starting point for the 11 km long Luulampi trail. We made sure to wear good shoes, bring a rain jacket, and a wind stopper because it was essential for the hike. The hike was moderate and took an average of 4 hours to complete. On the way, we stumbled upon a mountain biking competition, which was quite amusing to watch. We saw some competitors fall, but they persisted with their determination to finish the competition and cross the finish line.
At the Luulampi hut, which was next to a gorgeous lake, we found dry toilets and a firewood shed to prepare some simple snacks like cheese or sausage on a stick. We enjoyed a warm soup and coffee, which we brought with us.
After our hike, we stopped at the market to purchase some snacks and continued our six-hour drive to Nordkaap. The view from the road was breathtaking, and we stopped a few times to take some pictures and enjoy the scenery. Even though the route itself was only 420 km long, the road was very narrow in some areas, and reindeer were jumping onto the road. While they were cute to watch, they were dangerous for drivers. They felt superior to the cars and refused to move from the road. Sometimes there were dozens of them on the road. Also, the tunnels were not exactly what we were used to.
We arrived at our accommodation, BaseCamp NorthCape, in the late afternoon. It was still light outside because we were there in late August, and the sunset was around 8:30 pm, while the sunrise was at four in the morning. During this trip, we were early birds and went to bed around 10 pm usually. The cottage was adequate, nothing special, but it had everything we needed for our stay, including a private bathroom with a hot shower, comfortable beds, and a little kitchen where we could prepare our breakfast. The receptionist was friendly and funny, and he complained about the bad weather and not seeing the sun for the last ten days. I promised him sun the next day because we planned to hike the trail to the real Nordkaap, and we could not do it in the rain. He did not believe me, but the next day, to his surprise, the sun was shining over the camp
