Travelling to Kuusamo

You can travel to Kuusamo by air, car, train and bus or a combination of these. The fastest way is to fly.

Accommodation

Kuusamo offers a wide range of accommodation options. Kuusamo is one of the most popular holiday destinations in Finland. You will find top class hotels, large and small cottages, rental apartments, spa hotels, secluded cottages by the lake, cottage villages, etc. For more information on accommodation, please visit www.ruka.fi or contact us.

Weather conditions

Kuusamo and North Ostrobothnia have a cold continental climate. We have long Arctic winters, with snow on the ground for about 200 days a year from October to mid-May. In summer, it is usually reasonably warm, but some days in mid-summer can be very hot.

The midnight sun season starts in Kuusamo at 14. June and ends 29. June. but between 23. April and 21. August, the nights are bright. Even though the sun sets at night (except for the midnight sun season), it doesn’t get completely dark even at midnight. There may be enough light to photograph and observe all night long!

• March: temperatures are below zero, 0… -25 degrees Celsius. Day length is 13 hours.
• April: temperatures can be above 0 during the day, but -10…-20 at night, with a day length of 17 hours.
• May: the snow melts away in mid-May, with temperatures of -5… +5. The ground can be very wet. There are 21 hours of daylight.
• June: +Daylight is 24 hours.
• July: +21 degrees, 21 hours of daylight
• August: +16 hours of daylight
• September: +6 degrees, 13 hours of light, autumn colors season, nights are already dark, first northern lights for the autumn can be seen
• October: 0 degrees, 12 hours of light, first snow, chance of northern lights, day getting shorter fast

Guarantee for seeing animals

We work to ensure that our customers see as many different animals as possible. However, animals do not follow any schedules and we cannot guarantee that they will be seen or photographed every time. Nature and weather conditions can be very surprising and difficult to predict. However, in our experience there is a 99% chance of seeing a bear during your visit! If you don’t see any bears during your visit, you can come back another day free of charge!

IMPORTANT INFORMATION! Read before you visit!

• Watching and photographing bears is safe and easy from our hides!
• Children are welcome, but we do not recommend bear watching experience for children under 10 years old. Bears will not come if they hear noise or loud talking. It can be a good idea to have some entertainment for children, e.g. book or videos on your mobile or tablet + headphones.
• We recommend that all visitors have valid personal travel and/or leisure accident insurance.
• Taiga Bear Kuusamo Oy has liability insurance against accidents. Our liability insurance covers damages caused by any wrongful act of Taiga Bear Kuusamo Oy.
• You are allowed to move outside only with our guides. Our guides will take you to the hides and bring you back to the car parking area. You can go to the toilet during the event. In all situations, you must stay behind screens and fences!
• Follow all the instructions given by our guides.
• We are visiting a protected wilderness area. Be respectful for nature, do not litter!
• Feeding bears and other animals is strictly forbidden!
• Talk very silently, whispering is recommended. Bears and many other animals have very sensitive ears. Loud speech or noise scares animals away.
• Do not use flash light when taking photos.
• Please come unscented! It is important to avoid using strong perfumes or aftershave during your visit.
• We are located in a remote area, about 50 km from the nearest health centre. In case of emergency, it may take some time to get help. Please inform our guides in advance of any health issues that may affect your visit. For example. heart disease, severe allergy (especially to fish) or epilepsy. All our guides are first aid trained.
• Drinking alcohol and smoking on the premises is prohibited.
• Do not leave pets in the car park or take them with you to the viewing area.
• If you are coming by car, do not leave unpackaged or strong-smelling food in the car.

What to take with you

• The most important thing is to take a smiling face and a happy mind with you!
• Dress for the weather. The weather can change quickly. Summer days and especially nights can sometimes be chilly. An extra warm layer of clothing can be a good idea.
• Wildlife observation takes place inside the viewing buildings. We walk along an easy path for about 400 metres from the car park to the hidden hooks through the forest. The path can be wet in spring and rainy weather. Make sure you have suitable shoes for a short walk in the forest.
• Take your camera with you. You’ll get great photos of bears, birds and other animals, and your mobile phone is also great for taking pictures. There is a separate checklist for camera equipment.
• Fully charge your camera and phone batteries before your visit. There is no electricity on our site.
• If you wish, you can bring your own snacks, e.g. sandwiches and beverages. You can also buy a snack from us, e.g. small snacks, coffee, tea, chocolate bars and beverages.
• We accept the most common debit and credit cards at our stalls.
• If you’re staying overnight, it’s a good idea to pack a lunch. Coffee, tea, drinking water, sugar and coffee milk are freely available. There is also a gas stove to heat water.
• For overnight guests, beds are equipped with sheets, pillows and, if necessary, a sleeping bag can be borrowed.

Checklist for photographers

• Camera body or bodies. You can use more than one camera at no extra charge if there are slots available. Tip! Take a test shot before your trip to make sure the camera works, has power and a working memory card!
• A superzoom camera such as the Sony RX10, Nikon P900, P950 or P1000 is also ideal for shooting.
• You can get very good photos and great videos with your mobile phone.
• Take extra memory card and spare batteries with you!
• Camera head, e.g. a ball head, video head or gimbal head. We have video heads that you can borrow if you need.
• No tripod is needed, you can mount the camera head on a metal plate with a 3/8″ bolt or shoot from the top of a bean bag.
• The best lenses for photographing birds and bears are telephoto and super telephoto lenses. For example 120-300mm, 100-400mm, 200-500mm, 150-600mm, 300mm, 400mm, 500mm etc.
• Teleconverter can be useful if you have one, especially when shooting birds at a distance (1.4x, 2.0x, etc.)
• Lens cleaning cloth especially when the weather is cold or wet.
• Power bank and battery charger.
• Don’t take a drone with you. Drone flying is not allowed due to the no-fly zone (we are only 2 km from the Russian border). We also don’t want to disturb animals.

Watching & photo hides

• We have 2 buildings, one with 6 photographing slots and one with 8 photographing slots.
• The watching & photography hides are located about 380 metres from the parking lot.
• The path through the forest is easy and there are no significant differences in altitude.
• Our customers are inside and the mosquitoes are outside. You don’t need mosquito repellent!
• Two outhouses (dry toilets).
• Our viewing area has a free Wi-Fi network for our guests. You will get the Wifi password on the spot.
• We have two beds in each building (4 in total) and you can spend the whole night in the stalls if you wish (book an overnight stay). Beds come with sheets, pillows and, if necessary, a sleeping bag to borrow.
• A gas heater can be used to warm up the buildings in cold weather.
• Portable stove (gas).
• You can buy snacks, chocolate, candy, water, drinks, coffee and tea. Payment can be done by card.