Kainuu is a region in Northern Finland. For practical purposes, the easternmost parts of Northern Ostrobothnia are also included in this article. Natural landscapes are omnipresent – this is the region where people go to see wildlife of the deep forests. But there are also historical and cultural attractions; the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival draws a big audience from all of Finland and from abroad.
Cities
- 1 Kajaani - by far the largest town around, castle ruins from the 1600s
- 2 Kuhmo - bears, wolfs and wolverines. This is where the nature documentaries are filmed
- 3 Kuusamo - town near the Ruka resort
- 4 Pudasjärvi
- transportation hub of some importance
Municipalities
- 5 Hyrynsalmi
- 6 Paltamo
- 7 Puolanka
- 8 Ristijärvi
- 9 Sotkamo
- 10 Suomussalmi
- 11 Taivalkoski
- 12 Utajärvi
- 13 Vaala
Other destinations
- 1 Ruka – the second most popular ski resort in Finland
- 2 Vuokatti – internationally renowned ski and sports resort, also popular spa
- 3 Oulanka National Park - one of the most popular national parks and home of the most popular trekking route, the Karhunkierros
- 4 Hiidenportti National Park - impressive gorge and untouched forests
- 5 Rokua National Park - compact collection of glacial formations
- 6 Syöte National Park - southernmost true fells in Finland
- 7 Hossa National Park - national park established in 2017 and famous for its prehistoric rock paintings
Understand
Kainuu and the Eastern Oulu region is a peaceful and natural place with little or no pollution problems. In fact, Kainuu was one of the first regions in Finland to start taking care of the environment and nature and stop consuming natural resources. Nature is omnipresent and outdoor activities in the wilderness are present in the daily life of most people. Even in the largest city Kajaani, you do not have to travel far from the city centre to the forest.
Climate
The winters can be harsh, with heavy snowfall and cold temperatures; in Kiutaköngäs −46 °C (−51 °F) has been recorded (typical winter temperatures are much more moderate, though). For wilderness adventures in winter, use a programme service or an appointed guide (check in advance whether you need any preparations yourself), or be sure you know what you are doing. Day trips along trails are often possible independently also in winter, in good weather (but check forecasts and what to expect from the trail itself).
Talk
Like in most of Finland, English is widely spoken. Since Kainuu region neighbours Russia, some places also offer service in Russian, at least near the Russian border.
Get in
There are flights from Helsinki-Vantaa to Kajaani and Kuusamo. The eastern north-south line of the Finnish train network connects Kajaani to southern Finland, and there are also trains from Oulu. Further north, intercity bus is the only mode of transportation if you aren't driving. The Finnish road network is dense and the roads are generally in good shape.
From Russian direction there are 1 Vartius border crossing from Kostomuksha and 2 Kuusamo border crossing (Kuusamo-Суоперя) from northernmost Russian Karelia. There are no passenger trains over the border at Vartius.
Get around
There are a couple of daily buses along the major highways. Most towns and municipalities have at least once per day bus connection from Oulu or Kajaani or both of them. During weekdays of school year bus connections are more frequent, but during weekends and summer time services are reduced. If you do not have your own car and need to get to a more remote place, you might need to take a taxi. Long taxi rides aren't uncommon in Northern Finland.
Trains of national operator VR are possible to use for traveling inside province. There are railway stations (or at least passenger platforms) at Kajaani, Kontiomäki, and Paltamo.
There is a dense bus network covering most of the province, see Matkahuolto. Onnibus offers discount bus service by a few routes.
Kajaanin seudun joukkoliikenne has public service obligation regional bus route timetable information.
Google Maps includes timetables of trains, long distance buses and local transport of many cities and towns. Other useful route planners are Matka.fi for trains and local buses and Matkahuolto Reittiopas for regional buses.
By taxi
- Smartphone apps: Valopilkku, 02 Taksi, Menevä
- Korpitaxi offers taxi service in Kainuu region
- Otaxi offers taxi service in Eastern Oulu region
See
You will see endless forests and bogs, and – if you're lucky – wildlife. Bears, wolves, wolverines, elk (moose), and wild forest reindeer (Finnish: peura, not poro which is domesticated) all have significant populations in the area. In fact, many nature documentaries have been filmed in the forests of Kuhmo, where population density of wild bears and wolves are high. For western bird watchers, these forests are home to some eastern species not easily spotted elsewhere outside Russia.
In winter the northern part of the area get the heaviest annual snowfall in Finland. Snow cover over one meter thick is just normal.
There are also cultural sights:
- 1 The castle ruins in Kajaani - castle built in the early 1600s
- 2 Hossa rock paintings - prehistoric paintings on rock
- 3 Paltamo museum of local history
- 4 Puolanka museum of local history
- 5 Ristijärvi White guard and Lotta sister exhibition
- 6 Raate frontier guard museum
- 7 Raate Gate - memorial and exhibition on the Battle of Raate Road during the Winter War
- 8 Suomussalmi museum of local history
- 9 Kallioniemi estate - childhood home and museum of novelist Kalle Päätalo
The 10 Kuivajärvi and Hietajärvi villages in Suomussalmi as well as the few buildings left in the 11 Rimpi village in Kuhmo are the only original Karelian villages located inside the borders of the modern-day Finland. All three villages are included to the Finnish list of nationally significant built culture environments.
Do
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- Skiing – three major ski resorts are located in the region; Vuokatti in Sotkamo, Ruka in Kuusamo and Iso-Syöte in Pudasjärvi. Around these there are also wide networks of cross country skiing tracks.
- Fishing
- Hiking. The 80 km Karhunkierros trail is legendary.
- Camping
- Berry picking and mushroom collecting
- Wildlife watching (Eläintenkatselu).
Festivals
- LankaFest: 5–6 July 2019. A music festival focusing on rock and heavy music (date needs updating)
- Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival (Kuhmon Kamarimusiikki): (Kuhmo). Leading chamber musicians transfix the town of Kuhmo every July with a skillfully designed festival programme, inimitable concerts, beautiful surroundings and sunlit nights that open the senses to new and sublime delight. The festival is the biggest chamber music festival in Finland (where most cities have their own), with some 70 concerts and 35.000 tickets sold. (date needs fixing)
Sleep
Eat
Drink
Stay safe
Kainuu is a very safe region. Outside cities you should be aware of the implications of long distances and possibly cold weather.
Go next
If you're coming from the south you'll probably continue all the way to Lapland. If you have a valid visa (or don't need one), Russian Karelia is located east of Kainuu.
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