I happened to see a picture on Instagram taken from the top of Ruka fell. The picture featured a sign with some obscene place names. I mean, seriously, are there really places with these names in Finland?! Tussuvaara? Pyllykkä? Hevonperse? I have to admit, this got me intrigued! A trip to Pierumäki! Yes! So, I started looking into more of these place names in Kuusamo. And that's how I decided to make a trip to Kuusamo when I noticed that there are relatively good bus connections there! As soon as I could, I was booking accommodation in Kuusamo and bus tickets. Conveniently, Onnibus had one-euro tickets on sale again, and I got one-euro tickets from Helsinki to Oulu and back. On the way there, I stayed the night in Oulu and continued my journey in the morning. 1. Ruka: Holiday Home; Vuosselinhelmi c6. First, I stayed in Ruka. I found this accommodation on Booking.com. Booking was easy, and you don't have to pay the full amount at once. There's no reception at the accommodation; instead, you pick up the keys from a key box next to the front door. You'll receive the code about a day or two before your trip. The day before the trip, I started looking into how to get from Ruka village to my accommodation. I had previously checked that the distance was just over a kilometer, so I thought I could even walk with my luggage. Oh no. I didn't realize that there are SKI SLOPES between Ruka village and the accommodation. You can't walk that distance! I'm definitely not a fan of skiing, so I hadn't even thought about those slopes being right there!! Well, I took a taxi to the accommodation, and after spending some time there, I noticed that you can take the Ruka Scenic Gondola from the accommodation to the village and back. This became my means of transport for the next few days if I needed to go to the village. So, we went shopping by scenic gondola! While in Ruka, I went for walks, explored the village, and just enjoyed myself. I'll talk more about the walking routes in another blog post Pros and cons of Vuosselinhelmi, rating: 4.8/5 + Very well-equipped room; dishwasher, oven/microwave, baking paper, and other kitchen utensils + Liked the overall appearance of the room + Peaceful + Ideal for couples, skiers, and hikers. Also reasonably priced for solo travelers. – Difficult to get to without a car. If the scenic gondola hadn't been available, the location would have been too remote for me – You must bring your own bed sheets unless you're willing to pay for rental sheets Three nights cost 140 euros, booking is possible through Booking.com by searching for: Vuosselinhelmi You can directly access the Valtavaara trail and the Bear's Trail from near the accommodation. From Ruka village Day cabin at the summit of Valtavaara 2. Oulanka Camping My next accommodation was Oulanka Camping, located in Oulanka National Park. The campsite is located along the Bear's Trail, so I also saw hikers on this trail. When traveling by bus, the stop is at the Oulanka Visitor Centre, which is about a kilometer away from the campsite. The campsite is spacious and has its area for tent campers, those traveling with a motorhome or caravan, as well as four-person cabins and separate rooms. I stayed in a "Separate room" which cost 35 euros per night. The room had two beds, a refrigerator, stove, and table. So, I was able to store and cook some simple food like omelets. Also, in this accommodation, you were supposed to bring your own sheets. The campsite host, Ari, is a very nice and talkative guy. I took a few dips in the Oulanka River; the campsite also has a swimming area. The water was surprisingly warm! It's also possible to rent a sauna at the campsite for use. The sauna is located by the Oulanka River and is a very charming building!! (Like all the buildings at this campsite!) Beach sauna at Oulanka Camping Swimming area near the campsite The campsite also has plenty of outdoor toilets, water points, and a fireplace. Hikers have access to a communal kitchen with ample table space. Good shower facilities (separate shower rooms for women and men). The reception building at the campsite also has a small café/kiosk. They offered coffee, donuts, and groceries (sausage, drinks, snacks, etc). Reception building, café and kiosk Pros and cons of Oulanka Camping, rating: 4.8/5 + Wonderful location by the river + Spacious area + Well-maintained and clean toilets and other facilities + Great sauna + Suitable for hikers, families, motorhome and caravan travelers, and solo travelers – Also quite remote, but buses run along the road. – Rental sheets are 5 euros per bed per stay I stayed here for two nights in a separate room and paid a total of 75 euros. You can book accommodation at Oulanka Camping from their website. River Oulanka 3. Bear's Lodge Bear's Lodge is an accommodation located just off the main road. The room I stayed in was a cottage with four single beds, and it was clean and comfortable. There were no other guests during my stay, so I had the whole cottage to myself! The owner of the accommodation is a very friendly lady who gave me advice on things to do in the area. The atmosphere at Bear's Lodge was very cozy. The cottage also had a mini-kitchen, so it was possible to cook simple meals here as well. Pros and cons of Bear's Lodge, rating: 5/5 + Very peaceful location + Clean + Good cooking facilities + Reasonable price + Suitable for solo travelers, couples, and small groups – You need a car to get here – Rental sheets cost 5 euros per bed per stay I stayed here for two nights, and the total price was 80 euros. You can book Bear's Lodge through Booking.com by searching for the same name. 4. My final accommodation The final accommodation of my trip was in downtown Kuusamo. I'll write about it in another post. Was there anything else I would have wanted to know before the trip? The biggest thing would have been how to get from Ruka to my accommodation and the fact that there are ski slopes between the village and my accommodation. And you can't walk there! Next time, I will also bring my own sheets to avoid the additional sheet rental fee. For those traveling by public transport, it would be good to know that you can take the scenic gondola from Ruka village to the top of the Ruka fell, and from there, it's possible to hike to the accommodation. I could've gone swimming in the pool in Ruka village, but I didn't know about it then. So, it would have been good to know that. From Oulanka Camping, it would have been good to know that there's a café/kiosk at the reception building, as there aren't any restaurants nearby. And that you can take a bus to Kuusamo or Salla from the main road. At Bear's Lodge, it would have been good to know that you can't walk from the accommodation to the center of Kuusamo. And that there are no grocery stores nearby. But all in all, this trip was great, and I can highly recommend it to others as well!! Stay tuned for more blog posts about Kuusamo!! wp_oembed_add_provider( 'https://www.instagram.com/p/XXXX/', 'https://api.instagram.com/oembed', false ); [instagram url=https://www.instagram.com/p/XXXX/ hidecaption=1]
