Randonnée hivernale au pays des merveilles dans un parc national

What a fun outing end of February. Stopped each way about halfway to/from Helsinki for restroom and any snacks. Our guide was fun, lots of good info, yummy lunch, and well worth heading out of Helsinki on this guided forest tour. Even provided spikes to put over boots so less slippery on ice. Brought hiking poles but didn’t need them.

When you read guides about visiting Finland, one thing they frequently say is that to truly appreciate Finland you have to get out of the city and into nature. With that in mind, I booked a winter hike with Taiga Times. The trip was advertised by my hostel in Helsinki, so finding and booking the experience was quite easy. Taiga Times caps the number of participants in each excursion at eight, which is the number of seats in their van. In my group, there were three of us, plus our guide. Each person in the group was from a different country, so the experience was culturally interesting. The tour was conducted in English. Our guide, Mari, met us in front of the Kiasma Museum in Helsinki promptly at 9:00 am, and we traveled from there to Liesjärvi National Park, about a 1.5 hour drive from the city. Mari used this time to get to know each of us. She asked where we were from, what we did for a living, what brought us to Finland, and what our hiking experience was. By the time we got to the park, it felt as if we knew each other fairly well. I also understand that these questions helped Mari judge our physical abilities and limitations and helped her plan the hike accordingly. Speaking of Mari, she was incredible. She is a young woman studying to become a licensed nature guide. She exhibited thorough knowledge of the flora and fauna in the national park, but she was also friendly and quite good and facilitating conversations among the hikers. I hope that the owners of Taiga Times recognize what an asset they have in Mari! I went on my hike in early March, which is not exactly an ideal season. During that part of the year, the snow melts during the day and refreezes at night. The Liesjärvi hikes start out on a trail that is paved for accessibility. The company's reasoning is that this gives people of all different ability levels a chance to experience a nature hike. This is absolutely commendable, but travelers need to be aware that the melting/refreezing process makes a paved trail particularly icy in March. I am a fairly active person, but I was worn out and sore by the end of the hike, all from engage muscles differently than I usually do because I was navigating the ice. This is not a negative, but it is something you probably want to be aware of. Taiga Times advertises that they provide a traditional Finnish lunch in the forest as part of the experience. This was one of the best parts of the trip. Mari started a campfire in a shelter and heated up a lunch that had been homemade by the Taiga Times owners. I won't tell you what we had, because I got the sense that some elements were intended to be a bit of a surprise. But as I said, lunch was one of the best aspects of the experience! Mari dropped us off back in front of the Kiasma at 4:00 pm. I went back to my hostel and crashed for the evening, having had a pleasant and fulfilling experience in a Finnish forest.

Great location, informative guide, fun day to see off the beat and path, non crowded nature and beauty! Great tour!

Fantastic day, knowledgeable tour guide Marie and a lovely hike. Good lunch too. Warm boots and gloves provided. Would recommend.

One of the absolute highlights of our trip. A magical walk through the forest, delicious home made mushroom soup and cinnamon cake warmed on the fire washed down by traditional blueberry juice. Our guide was passionate and super friendly and we had the most memorable day. Thank you so much. Best wishes from Scotland,

What a fantastic tour. Had a wonderful day exploring Liesjärvi National Park with our guide Jeff. A perfect day trip from Helsinki. The small group size made it very personalised. Jeff was very knowledgeable, passionate and really in tune with the environment of the park and Finland in general. Jeff shared lots of treasures in the park that we would not otherwise have even noticed were there. We identified birds and examined tracks of other animals in the snow. The pace of the walk was great and the Finnish style lunch around the cosy campfire was generous and filling. All I can say is go ahead and do this tour - you won't regret it! Thanks Jeff!!

Really beautiful landscape. Mari, our guide, was brilliant. Lovely food and fire inside the wilderness hut

It was the nicest experience in Finland. It’s good to understand and see the nature of Finland and taste the best food. The guide Mari is very good. She is kind and knowledgeable. We have a nice time. Will come back in spring.

Despite a perceived temperature of -18 degrees, it was a super nice experience. Our Female Guide (forgotten name unfortunately) knew great about the fauna and the national park, was so nice and quiet. That you recover after this trip but and was a bit tired too equal. Can highly recommend this trip

Be patient. Depending on the time of year, the beauty and wonder will unfold differently for you. Our guide, Mari, was a gem. The random group drawn together that day- gracious. I can't believe my good fortune with the company I had along with weather that was absolutely breathtaking, not merely from the cold. This is not a fast-tourism experience. Being in nature is what you make of it. Come with curiosity and wonder. In this winter excursion, the snowy trail along with the bright and crisp air made us move slower, gave us time to be present and observe the gifts of the season. Do take this adventure, leave behind notions of being entertained and allow nature to bathe you in peace and wonder. A lovely activity.