Wildlife Tours to FINLAND & NORWAY
Photo: This Brown Bear was seen on the 2008 Papyrus Tour (© David Carroll)
*Single room supplement.
Tour Destinations :
- Ivalo
- Varanger Fjord
- Kuusamo
- Oulu
- Martinselkonen Wildlife Centre
Tour Summary
Finland and Norway
This tour has been devised primarily with birdwatchers in mind and will focus on three areas, the Varanger Peninsula in Arctic Norway, the taiga forest of Finnish Lapland and an opportunity to watch brown bears close to the Russian border. The tour will be accompanied throughout by the UK leader, and a local Finnature guide with specialised knowledge of the areas to be visited.
The tour begins on the Varanger Peninsula where we will encounter Arctic birds such as King, Common and Steller’s Eider and Long-tailed Duck on Varanger Fjord and the inshore waters whilst the tundra on the peninsula should yield crossbills and woodpeckers among the surprising variety of birds in this inhospitable area. However harsh the climate may seem, the beauty of the snow covered landscape is an inspiring one, and there is a strong possibility of glimpsing the Aurora Borealis in the spring night sky.
The forests around Oulu and Kuusmao will be the base for the majority of the Finnish section of the tour and we will be searching for owls, crossbills, woodpeckers, grouse and, as the harsh winter begins to give way to early spring weather, the first migrants may be arriving from the south to their breeding areas.
Our final destination will be the Martinselkonen Wildlife Centre where we will spend a night in the bear hide cabins in search of Brown Bears with the possibility of Wolves and Red Foxes in addition to a variety of birds such as Black and Great Spotted Woodpecker, White-tailed Eagle, Golden Eagle and Black Kite.
Itinerary
Day 1 : We depart from the UK for Ivalo in Finnish Lapland where we will spend our first night.
Day 2 : After some early morning bird watching at sites in the Ivalo area where we will be searching for species including Arctic Redpoll and Siberian Tit, we depart by road on the Arctic Highway for the journey to Varanger Fjord. We will be calling en route at a number of birdwatching sites hoping to see Siberian Jay, Pine Grosbeak, Snow Bunting, Parrot Crossbill and Willow Grouse as we leave the taiga forest landscape for the open tundra of the Varanger Peninsula. We will pause at Utsjoki on the Norwegian border for lunch before searching for Gyr Falcon and arriving at our hotel in Vardo for a two night stay.
Day 3 : A full day in the Varanger Fjord area where we anticipate encountering large numbers of Steller’s Eiders, Common Eider, King Eider and Long-tailed Duck along with other sea birds such as Glaucous Gulls, Velvet Scoters, Black Guillemots, seals and, if we are fortunate, the majestic White-tailed Eagles.
Day 4 : We re-trace our steps to Ivalo, again pausing at roadside birdwatching sites and returning to our Ivalo Hotel for overnight.
Day 5 : We head further south by road taking most of the day to reach for Kuusamo set in the taiga forests with frozen bogs and lakes for a two night stay.
Day 6 Kuusamo is our base for a visit to the nearby Oulanka National Park where the first signs of spring should be appearing. Owls will be high on the agenda here and we will also be searching for Golden Eagle, Waxwing, Common, Parrot and Two-barred Crossbills and Pine Grosbeak. We also hope to see mammals such as Elk and Red Squirrel in addition to the Reindeer which are commonly seen.
Day 7 : A road transfer of approximately three hours with a number of stops en route for bird watching will take us to Oulu for a two night stay.
Day 8 : We have a full day to explore the forests and coastal areas around Oulu. The forests are famous as the home of Great Grey, Ural, Pygmy and Hawk Owls. On the shores of the Gulf of Bothnia we will be looking for Bean Geese, Common Cranes and Whooper Swans, whilst a Snowy Owl may well be sighted.
Day 9 : Today another road transfer takes us the 150 kms to Martinselkonen Wildlife Centre for a night in the bear hide cabins searching for Brown Bears. Whilst the Brown Bear will be our main target on this part of the tour, other species are possibly although the presence of the bears tends to deter other mammals. Ravens are commonly seen around the hides whilst Black Woodpecker, Siberian Jay and White-tailed Eagle are possibilities. Nest boxes in the forest hope to attract Pygmy and Ural Owls.
Day 10 : Our flight departs early in the afternoon giving an early evening arrival in the UK.