Lake Saimaa region is the jewel of the Finnish Lakeland and offers endless opportunities to enjoy a variety of nature and outdoor activities all year round. Join us to experience the Finnish connection to nature - one of the key factors contributing to our happiness.

During this tour you will stay at the new Pihlas Resort and Pistohiekka Resort, both ideal for immersing yourself in nature. Ground yourself in forest yoga, spend a day out on a boat on Lake Saimaa with an island lunch prepared over the fire by D.O. Saimaa chef Ilkka, and visit one of Northern Europe’s most significant rock art sites with the wilderness guide Asta. Guide Tiina will give you a kayak tour into the Saimaa archipelago in Puumala, and there’ll be an opportunity to spot the endangered Saimaa ringed seal on a guided ecoboat tour with wilderness guide Arto. He will also help you collect and sample wild herbs and learn about the local nature.

With the Midsummer just around the corner, you will get to experience a typical Lake Saimaa Midsummer’s night with a traditional smoke sauna at the Sahanlahti Resort with music, dancing and just a touch of midsummer magic – get ready to prepare your own flower wreath. Every step of the way you will be able to taste the delicious local produce the Lake Saimaa is known for. This year especially, as Lake Saimaa was awarded the title of European Region of Gastronomy 2024. Nature, good food and authentic hospitality are what makes Lake Saimaa so special.

Flights to Finland

16.00 Flight from Helsinki to Rovaniemi

17.15 Arrival in Rovaniemi
Meet your Visit Finland host Mira Immonen at the Rovaniemi airport

Transfer and check-in to your igloos

19.30 Dinner at your igloo village restaurant

Overnight

Breakfast

9.15  Check-out & Gathering together at hotel lobby. Take your luggage to the bus.
Rovaniemi Minitour groups will be revealed & everyone joins his/her tour

10.00 – 14.00 Experience Rovaniemi in Summer
Lunch included

14.30 Arrival & Check-in to Santa's Hotel Santa Claus

17.00 – 20.00 Get-together evening event at Korundi House of Culture for both suppliers and buyers hosted by Visit Finland, Finnair and Visit Rovaniemi 

Breakfast

Workshop at Lappia House - short walk to Lappia Hall
 
09.30-10.00 Morning coffee 

10.00-12.30 Workshop meetings 

12.30-13.30 Buffet lunch 
  
13.30-17.00 Workshop meetings 

19.30 Dinner à la Lapland at Valdemari (Dress code: Marimekko T-shirt) -  short walk to Valdemari

21.00 Party Like a Finn – midsummer celebration 

01.30 – Good nightless night! Short walk to your hotel

Breakfast

Check-out

7.40 Transfer to the airport

9.20 Flight to Helsinki
Meet your Savonlinna Travel Ltd host Tanja Lajunen at airport of Rovaniemi

10.35 Arrival to Helsinki-Vantaa airport
Meet your buss driver at the arrival hall of airport with Visit Lake Saimaa sign.

11.30 Transfer from Helsinki to Tertti Manor (ca 3h with a brief stop on the way – snack on the bus)
Tertti Manor is an authentic family manor and an old farm. These days, you can enjoy the finest culinary delights that the area has to offer in the manor’s atmospheric milieu. Clean locally sourced ingredients of the season, self-sufficiency and beautiful premises are the key elements of Tertti. Here, you can take a full-service culinary journey in a historical setting.

14.30 Lunch at Tertti Manor

16.30 Transfer to Pihlas Resort (ca. 40min)

17.15 Check-in at Pihlas Resort 
PihlasResort is a new 5-star eco-luxury resort situated in the beautiful Lakeland area of Saimaa region in eastern Finland.
Our secluded location guarantees our guests privacy during their stay. It is the perfect hideaway where you can enjoy all that our beautiful nature and intriguing region has to offer, accompanied with first class service and facilities to tailor your stay completely to your liking.

18.00 Lake Saimaa 2.0 -presentation and site inspection of Pihlas Resort

20.00 Dinner at Restaurant Siimes

Good night!

8.00 Forest relaxation, birch sap shots and preparing your own birch twig bunch

9.00 Breakfast at lakeside clubhouse Koto

10.00 Morning sauna by the lake

11.30 Check-out

12.00 Transfer to Uhkua (ca.1,5h)
Uhkua provides guided nature tours in Saimaa area, both on water and on land. With our open canoes and little fishing boat we can take you to explore Lake Saimaa from early spring to late autumn. Summer and autumn are also perfect seasons to forage berries and mushrooms during our forest walks. In wintertime we arrange snowshoeing trips to icy lake and frosty forests. 

13:30 Boat transfer on Juno to Kaposaari, snacks on the boat (ca. 1h)

14:30 Lunch at Kaposaari with Ilkka

16:00 Boat transfer to Astuva (ca. 20min)

16:30 Tour of Astuvansalmi Rock Painting Site with Asta
Astuvansalmi on the shore of Yövesi in Saimaa was our ancestors' favourite place thousands of years ago. After the ice age, the hunter-gatherers settled in the area, on the best shores of Lake Saimaa, caught fish and hunted in the surrounding forests. The neolithic settlements on the shores of Yövesi as well as the mythical rock paintings in Astuvansalmi and Uittamonsalmi are evidences of ancient habitation in the area.

17:30 Boat transfer to Kallioniemi (ca. 20 min)

18:00 Transfer to Pistohiekka Resort (ca. 45min)

19:00 Check in at Pistohiekka Resort
Pistohiekka is one of the finest beach resorts at the shores of Lake Saimaa. Come and enjoy magnificent nature and great architecture in the middle of Lake Saimaa labyrinth archipelago!
Pistohiekka is part of Saimaa UNESCO Global Geopark with many attractions nearby waiting for you to explore them. The surrounding nature is uniquely beautiful and there is a lot of things to do for days - or weeks! 

20:00 Dinner

Good night!

8.30 Breakfast

9.30 Presentation and site inspection of Pistohiekka Resort

10:00 Kayak tour with guide Tiina

11.30 Transfer to Okkola Holiday Cottages (ca. 45 min)
At the Okkola holiday cottages on Niinisaari island in Puumala, you can spend a holiday surrounded by the ruggedly beautiful nature of Lake Saimaa and the peace of the wilderness – with the convenience of city life nearby. 17 rental cottages and villas offer everything you need to enjoy the perfect holiday.

12.30 Lunch at Niinipuu + site inspection of Okkola 

14:00 Saimaa ringed seal safari on ecoboat with guide Arto
Stop at Norppalaavu -lean-to shelter, collecting herbs

17:00 Transfer to Sahanlahti resort (ca. 10min)
Sahanlahti, one of the oldest sawmills in the Saimaa region, was built around a water-driven sawmill founded in 1765, which has since disappeared. Sawmilling was practised in the Sahanlahti landscape for almost 200 years. Today, Sahanlahti is a renowned and traditional tourist resort in a stunning location on the shores of Lake Saimaa in Puumala, less than an hour’s drive from Savonlinna, Mikkeli, and Imatra. This culturally and historically unique sawmill environment and its modern facilities create a wonderful setting for holidays and celebrations. 

17.30 Presentation of Sahanlahti + site inspection

18.30 Saimaa Midsummer Party!
Barbeque dinner, accordion music, and dancing

20.00 Traditional smoke sauna and dip in the Lake Saimaa
Midsummer’s night magic

Good night!

8.15 Breakfast 

9.30 Check-out and transfer to Kenkävero

10.15 Visit to Kenkävero Vicarage, an opportunity to shop for Finnish design and handicrafts 
Kenkävero is a magnificent tourist attraction and prides itself on having the biggest and most beautiful vicarage in all Finland, in an impressive milieu. It has something to interest everyone at all times of the year: fine restored buildings, exciting exhibitions and events, exquisite handicrafts as gifts, souvenirs or simply to enjoy. In summer it is further enhanced by a garden and handicraft workshops, and delicious food  is served in the restaurant daily all year round.

D.O Saimaa lunch boxes to-go, provided by Kenkävero

11.00 Transfer to Helsinki (ca. 2 h 30 min + 30 min break)

14.00 Arrival to Helsinki-Vantaa airport

Flights departing from Helsinki