Have you already experienced the natural wonders of Finland?
From the Northern Lights dancing across the skies to the hundreds of islands of Helsinki’s archipelago, Finland is rich in natural wonders. For those who are into the unique wonders of the natural world, there’s even more to explore and experience.
Midnight Sun in Finnish Lapland
The light summer nights, or nightless nights as Finns call them, display the magic of Lapland at its best. Midnight sun is a natural phenomenon where the sun does not set below the horizon – even at night! You can only encounter this magical phenomenon south of the southern polar circle and north of the northern polar circle. So welcome to Finnish Lapland!
You can enjoy beautiful nights in Kittilä, for example, where Finnair flies daily year round. In Kittilä, the nightless nights last for almost two months, from the end of May until around mid-July, when the night begins to lengthen again day by day.
The soft, golden light invites you to stay awake and enjoy nature in the magical midnight sun. At Levi Tourist Centre you can go hiking in the fells, mountain biking on marked trails or play golf among reindeer – in the middle of the night.
Majestic Northern Lights over Lake Inari
As the summer light fades, Finland becomes home to some of the finest Northern Lights or aurora borealis displays in the Arctic. You can experience Northern Lights even in Southern Finland, but the best place to see them is Lapland. On a clear, cold night, they look particularly spectacular from the banks of Lake Inari. This vast lake high above the Arctic Circle is part of Lapland and home to the Sámi people, where traditional ways of life hold firm.
Locals say the best months to see aurora borealis in all their glory are September and March, with strong solar storms creating amazing colours that dance across the dark night sky. The lack of light pollution in rural Lapland means that if the weather is clear, you have a great chance of seeing Finland’s most famous sight first-hand.
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Autumn colours in Urho Kekkonen National Park
Finland's four seasons, which are completely different from each other, each offer their own nature experiences. After the golden summer nights, the autumn winds begin to blow, and as night temperatures drop below zero for the first time, the leaves of the trees take on beautiful shades of yellow and red.
Autumn colours – or “ruska” in Finnish - last for a few weeks, with the natural reds and yellows deepening as the weather gets cooler, before the leaves finally fall and winter arrives.
Finns love to travel to spectacular Lapland in the autumn time, not only to admire nature, but also to breathe in the fresh air and enjoy the peace and quiet of Lapland.
You can experience this wonderfully colourful season in Ivalo, for example, where Finnair flies year round. From the tourist centres of Inari-Saariselkä or Kiilopää, you can make excursions to for example Urho Kekkonen National Park. You can choose a short day trip or a longer hike lasting several nights, a brisk mountain bike ride or a fun berry picking or mushroom picking trip. One lovely option is to admire the colours of autumn while paddling along one of the rivers of Lapland.
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Frozen snow trees in Riisitunturi National Park
The boreal forest, which covers much of northern Finland, is one of the richest habitats on our planet. In the darker, colder months, it becomes a magical winter wonderland, not least because its trees turn into spectacular ice sculptures.
These frozen forests are at their snowy best in Riisitunturi National Park, a remote part of Lapland. This area of Finland is surprisingly humid, with the wet, dense droplets in the air freezing to the trees when the temperatures begin to slide. In the depths of winter the temperature can get as low as –40°C. The result is a forest full of weird and wonderful ice sculptures, with no two looking the same. These are best enjoyed on one of the national park’s snow trails, with a good pair of snowshoes strapped on to make walking easier.
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Vallisaari’s rich and diverse wildlife
Just 20 minutes by boat from Helsinki’s Market Square, the island of Vallisaari has the richest biodiversity of any of the 330 islands that make up the archipelago surrounding Finland’s capital. Having been in military use for most of the 20th century, the island’s natural inhabitants benefited from having a very small permanent human population. Wildlife and plants thrive here. The fort ruins, helped by the rich soil, have helped to foster rare mosses, while old buildings also provide perfect homes for bats.
The wild meadows and ponds in Vallisaari provide winged creatures with ample food, and there are plenty of varieties to choose from: the island is home to a staggering 1,000 species of butterflies and moths, and you can also spot while eagle owls, if you are lucky. When exploring the island, it is important to remember that there are still explosives in the ground after a military accident in 1937, so visitors must stick to marked paths and cannot camp or light fires.
Finnair’s one-way fares make it easier and more flexible to book your trip and experience one, or all, of these natural phenomena for yourself. Check out Finnair.com and the Finnair mobile app for the very best prices from across Europe.