Features

Finland - Escaping the Rat Race: the serenity of Oulanka National Park

by Andrew Young

rat race. noun Informal. A pressured urban working life spent trying to get ahead with little time left for leisure, contemplation, etc.

Finland. The purest way to do exactly the opposite of a rat race.

Bordering on Russian Karelia some 50 miles south of the Arctic Circle, north-eastern Finland’s Oulanka National Park provides a landscape that inspires complete release. Glacial gorges, rivers of crystal water, low ranging mountains, dense forests, wilderness, reindeer and the perfect sound of silence totally engulf you – it’s actually quite a shock to the system!

Just outside Ruka, Basecamp Oulanka offers a perfect location from which to explore this spectacular area. The main activities are divided into winter and summer, and no matter what time of year you come, as an outdoor enthusiast you will find yourself completely immersed in the region's culture of hiking, rafting, kayaking and climbing.

The summer programme, lead by highly skilled guides, includes rafting trips ranging from family trips (class 1 rapids only which will lightly dampen your face!) to whole Kitka River trips lasting 7 hours (and taking in Niskakoski, Myllykoski and Aallokkokoski rapids where you'll get a hair wash whether you like it or not!), kayaking (again from beginner to advanced), climbing on the climbing wall at Basecamp (there is also a fantastic Ice Wall in Winter) as well as climbing trips in the wilderness, and hiking on various trails.

In Winter, the area offers activities beyond what we could imagine in the UK, with ice climbing, snowshoe hiking, Husky sledding, Reindeer trips and opportunities to take snowmobile safaris through partner guides all part of the regular daily programme. The nearby Ruka Ski Resort is open to daily visitors as well, offering some of the best skiing in Finland (not long slopes, but some good Black runs and loads to do for kids).

To top it all, Basecamp offers its guests the option of three different authentic Finnish Saunas - with the most bizarre (but I am lead to believe exhilarating!) being the smoke sauna. Apparently (and I have yet to experience this first-hand), running from the smoke sauna to the frozen lake and jumping into a specially cut pool of ice is supposed to be unbelievable exhilarating. What I can attest to through personal experience, is that the regular wood-fired sauna took away all the pain in my legs from a two day hiking, fishing and rafting trip, and left me feeling a million dollars (although that may also have had something to do with the one or two shots of whiskey consumed). There is a huge outdoor Jacuzzi, a great restaurant and bar with terraces looking out over the lake and woods, and a bunch of staff that make the whole place feel more like a family home than a lodge.

Basecamp can provide all the necessary equipment to enjoy the area, from waterproofs and shoes to sleeping bags, and the rooms are super-comfortable, with a strict no television, no radio policy to enhance the sense of complete escapism. Basecamp operates a strict ecological policy, with heat production, electricity consumption and waste kept to a minimum, whilst maximising the use of local sustainable resources such as wood and water.

The objective at Basecamp is to exhilarate you through exercise, fresh air, good food, and relaxation treatments like the sauna. And let me tell you this, it works! I spent 5 days getting out and about during the day, relaxing in the evenings, and living in ignorant bliss as the world and its problems melted away. At Basecamp, for me, the climbing wall and high-line obstacle course (a first time experience for me!) were a revelation, with the ever-flexible local climbing instructor Ellu showing her mastery before unleashing me on the course looking like Spiderman with a hangover. But, up there, with the focus and concentration necessary to overcome the challenging course, all thoughts of laptops, Key Performance Indicators and grey-suited middle managers were relegated to complete obscurity.

My plan is to return in the winter to do more of the Arctic activities, and to experience a landscape that is, by all accounts, like nothing else on earth. I cannot recommend this part of the world more highly - it's a paradise for active travellers with a love for the outdoors - this place is made for you!

Still to come: a combined Fly Fishing/Rafting experience - get the best Oulanka has to offer, guided by a South African ex-paratrooper (with a strong penchant for whisky) and a Finnish fishing maestro (with a penchant for beer). And you're absolutely 100% guaranteed to catch something, trust me!

Get there:

Summer: Fly to Helsinki, connect to Kuusamo.

Winter: Fly direct to Kuusamo from various UK airports (ski charter flights open in October)

See more:

Basecamp website: www.basecampoulanka.fi.

Basecamp video: www.youtube.com/basecampoulanka

Oulanka National Park in National Geographic June 2009: www.nationalgeographic.com

NatGeo photo gallery: www.nationalgeographic.com