This exclusive and active wildlife photography tour takes you to the most remote areas in Europe, to the eastern part of Finland. The tour includes a lot of new experiences, day tours on the tracks of wolves and wolverines, other winter activities, and optional nights in the gas-heated photography hides. We also have an opportunity to make an exclusive stargazing trip, where you can learn how Northern Lights are formed.
You begin this half-day and half-night activity by observing the Sun through a solar telescope. This guided tour will take you on a fascinating journey from solar wind to Northern Lights and if conditions are right, you could capture your photos with their guidance on how to use your camera to achieve this.
Your Nordic wildlife vacation is full of exciting moments! You will also have a good time enjoying the new tips, world-class wildlife photos, silence, and rest during your wilderness holiday.
WINTER, WOLF AND AURORAS
WINTER, WOLF AND AURORAS
FACTS AND ITINERARY
Learning about photographing the nordic wildlife, wolves, wolverines, and natural phenomena is always interesting. Also, skills and managing in the wilderness are included in this winter photography tour.
A bit of luck is needed to see the magnificent Northern Lights and these timid wild animals. Sea eagles and golden eagles live here, so it is quite possible that you will see these big birds gliding silently above the untouched white snowfields.
You travel with a local photography guide to different destinations by foot and by car. The guide is a local professional and knows the best spots for beautiful shooting in the area. Daily distances are about 1-5 km on some days. A few days will be spent in the gas-heated photography hides. You also have to carry your own camera equipment, your daily drinks, and other equipment in your rucksack.
The guide takes care of meals, so you only have enough drinks and snacks in your backpack for the day trips.
We talk a lot, for example, about the light, photographers' position, equipment, and technical issues. We talk about the artistic perspective and your way of thinking about photography in general.
One of the most important parts of the schedule is the showtime for you at the end of the week. In this part, you can introduce your best shots of the week with a projector on the big screen and tell your stories from your own perspective.
One of our unique skills is making beautiful meals in nature. So, welcome and enjoy. Feel free to contact us and tell us about your expectations and needs. We will make your wilderness holiday dreams come true!
Place: Kuikka Base Camp in Kuhmo, Finland
Dates: 28.3.–4.4.2026, 21.-28.3., 28.3.-4.4.2027
Availability: 1.12.–31.3. Ask for availability and book now!
Duration: 8 days, 7 nights
Number of participants: Min 4 persons, max 14 persons
Price: 3890 €/person
Price includes: Return transport from Oulu Airport to Kuhmo, activities due to the program, guidance, meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner), accommodation in twin rooms, sauna, and shower every day. (Optional accommodation for two nights in the gas-heated wildlife hide)
The price doesn’t include flights.
Equipment: Participants have their own boots, winter clothing, warm underwear, etc. according to the cold weather. Please ask for the whole list of equipment after booking.
Equipment included in the price: Snowshoes, skis, sticks and skiing boots, sleeping bag and all other special equipment needed in the program.
By additional cost: Winter clothing, mittens, headwear, boots 90 €/set/person/week. Supplement for an extra night at a hotel in Oulu. Aurora hunting by car, 80 € / person. Camera equipment.
Supplement: Extra evening/night in the hide, 200€ / person
Payment: Invoice, cash, credit card
Tour level: Intermediate. Previous skiing and trekking experience is not required. A moderate physical condition is desirable.
Languages: Finnish, English
Insurance: We require participants to have their own insurance for outdoor activities in Finland and in arctic weather conditions.
Tour operator: Our tours are organized responsibly by Matexpro Oy, registered with the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority (KKV) under registration number 322/21/Mj.
ITINERARY
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Arrive at Oulu Airport, where you meet your guide. Transport to Lentiira village, near Kuhmo Town. Transporting time with coffee breaks is approximately 4 hours.
Jump into the fascinating astrology and Northern Lights
Rob Johnstone is a Scottish-born professional astronomer and recognized astronomy educator worldwide. During the past years, Rob has educated and enthralled many international tourists, VIPs, schools, educational institutions, companies and corporations, and the general public in Namibia and South Africa.
Flares of the sun are an amazing spectacle to observe and a great educational experience in understanding why the Northern Lights occur. This guided tour in Lentiira will take you on a fascinating journey from solar wind to Northern Lights and if conditions are right you could capture your photos with their guidance on how to use your camera to achieve this.
Dinner, transport to Kalevala Hotel in Kuhmo. Accommodation in twin rooms.
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Breakfast in Kalevala hotel . Program briefing. To have a great and safe experience, we’ll have basic info about clothing, accommodation, and safety instructions for the week. Hiking trip in Kuhmo Town and lake ice near hotel.
Transport to Kuhmo town for a short shopping and then to Kuikka Base Camp by car.
Kuikka Base Camp is a cozy old log house, and the house works for us as a base camp for this unforgettable wildlife adventure for the rest of the week.
Evening meal in the dining room and accommodation in tidy bunk bedrooms. Northern lights photography trip to the lake ice. Sauna, a fantastic dip to the ice hole, and hot tub on the shore of the ice-covered lake are available!
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Breakfast in the dining room, the introduction to the area. Campfire to the shore and ice fishing trip with snowshoes to the lake ice. The trip will take us to a remote wilderness lake which gives many small fish to silent and calm ice-fishers.
Enjoy the sound of silence. Winter activity photographing. A peaceful hiking trip with snowshoes after ice fishing takes us to the campfire. Landscape and wilderness photographing during the trip.
Picnic lunch by the open fire. Hiking back to Base Camp. After relaxing and hot drink, you will hear the unique stories of the famous nature photographer and author Lassi Rautiainen. Photo exhibition and the possibility to buy some books with pioneer and professional wildlife photographer Lassi Rautiainen's autograph. Aurora borealis photography in the evening.
Sauna, dinner, and accommodation in rooms at Base Camp. Optional hide night for the wolf & wolverine photography in the morning light is available for an additional fee. (Transport back to the cabin by car in the morning)
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After breakfast, we take wide backcountry skis and start the excursion to the Elimyssalo Nature Reserve area. Elimyssalo is the biggest, most remote, and most wildlife area in Wild Taiga. It is the home of the four biggest predators in Finland. We probably find the tracks of wolves, wild reindeers, elks, and wolverines and might see also the rare lynx tracks.
Skiing in the old forests and on frozen bogs is an amazing experience. Here you can feel the real wilderness and quiet nature. Lunch at the shelter, laavu, by an open fire. Transport back to Kuikka Base Camp. Northern Lights photography trip to the lake ice. Dinner and sauna.
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Breakfast at the Base Camp. Making a picnic lunch and transport to the wildlife hide. Photographing and wildlife watching. Opportunities to see wild wolves, wolverines, and eagles. Sauna, dinner, accommodation. Optional night in the gas-heated wildlife photography hide in winter sleeping bag. If you stay the night in the hide, you can enjoy wildlife in the great morning lights!
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Breakfast. Showtime for your best shots of the week! At the end of the photography week, we collect all the wonderful memories, process them together on the computer, and make a presentation of the images. Lunch during the day. A warm sauna and shower are available. Celebration dinner. Accommodation in your room.
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Departure day. Breakfast and transfer to the airport.