Finland's Mammals

Tour Code: FIN04

An exciting 8-day holiday in search of Wolf, Wolverine and Brown Bear, as well as some of Finland's other special mammals including the endangered Saimaa Ringed Seal, Siberian Squirrel and Forest Reindeer.

8 days from
£3,395 (Inc flights)
Land only price from
£3,245
book now

Highlights

Summary

Summary

We start with a flight to Helsinki, from where we head into Linnansaari National Park. Here we will explore Lake Saimaa, the largest lake in Finland, in search of European Beaver, the endemic Saimaa Ringed Seal and birds such as Osprey and Black-throated Diver. Next we have a 2-night stay in a comfortable hide in Karelian taiga forest where Wolverines roam. Board walks of the nearby Patvinsuo National Park give access to ancient forests and endless open marshes hosting Siberian Flying Squirrels and typical Scandinavian bird species such as Common Crane, Whimbrel and beauties such as Hazel Hen and Red-flanked Bluetail. Our final destination is the Russian border, a truly remote region where we’ll stay in a hide in the middle of Brown Bear, Wolf and Wolverine territories. Our chances of seeing all three are good and we’ll spend time watching for these iconic mammals, as well as taking walks around the area.

  • Look for the endangered & endemic Saimaa Ringed Seal, Lake Saimaa
  • Watch Wolverines at close range in different hides situated within taiga forest
  • Search for Siberian Flying Squirrel, along with Common Crane & young, Patvinsuo NP
  • Stay in hide situated within Brown Bear, Wolf & Wolverine territories!
  • Up to 8 Brown Bears a night possible from hide on Russian border
  • Good chance of encountering a local Wolf member of Kuhmo border packs 
  • The rare Forest Reindeer, Elk and Beaver are possible
  • Led by expert naturalist guides

Grading

A/B. Easy walks, but some long nights in hides.

If you dream about seeing or photographing wild Brown Bears, Wolverines and even Grey Wolves then this is the tour for you; Finland is without doubt the place to be! Home to an estimated population of around 1500 bears, 130-200 wolverines and around 150 wolves, Finland offers exceptional opportunities to view these three large carnivores at close range. We will guide you to places where you can watch or photograph these predators from hides located near carefully positioned carrion. Regardless of whether you are a photographer or just happy watching the animals, the hides give you some fabulous views of what are usually particularly difficult mammals to see in the wild. Given the increasing reliability of sightings, we are confident that an unforgettable experience awaits for those taking part in this exciting tour!

DETAILED INFORMATION
Itinerary

Outline Itinerary

Day 1
Fly Helsinki and overnight
Day 2
Linnansaari National Park and Lake Saimaa
Day 8
Fly Kajaani, on to Helsinki and London
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What's Included

What's Included?

  • Flights
  • Accommodation:

    Comfortable hotels with private facilities, plus three nights in simple, but comfortable, hides with shared facilities.

  • Food:

    All included apart from lunch on day 8.

Reviews
Dates & Prices

Dates & Prices

2025

Departures Availability Cost
Mon 23rd Jun – Mon 30th Jun 3 £3,395
Book Tour Show Details
Flights:
Most Naturetrek tours include flight costs ex-UK. If flights are not included, we indicate that here.
Flights are included in the tour cost
Regional Departures:
On certain tours it is possible to depart from a regional airport (rather than London). If a regional departure is possible, we indicate that here.
Regional Departures are available. Call 01962733051
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£3,245
Room sharing options:
If a customer on this departure has already expressed an interest in sharing a room it will be flagged here. We will identify if there are sharing options for male, female or both.
Male sharing available
Single Room Supplement:
Single Room Supplement.
£595
Tue 1st Jul – Tue 8th Jul FULL £3,395
Flights:
Most Naturetrek tours include flight costs ex-UK. If flights are not included, we indicate that here.
Flights are included in the tour cost
Regional Departures:
On certain tours it is possible to depart from a regional airport (rather than London). If a regional departure is possible, we indicate that here.
Regional Departures are available. Call 01962733051
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£3,245
Room sharing options:
If a customer on this departure has already expressed an interest in sharing a room it will be flagged here. We will identify if there are sharing options for male, female or both.
Female sharing available
Single Room Supplement:
Single Room Supplement.
£595
Tour Leader:
Please note that, whilst we assign leaders to particular tours well in advance, we reserve the right to make changes if necessary
Jan Kelchtermans
Jan Kelchtermans

Tour Leader: Jan Kelchtermans

Jan Kelchtermans is a Belgian teacher and wildlife guide. After having seen nearly 600 species within the Western Palearctic, Jan expanded his horizons in 2002 into world birding. After his first visit to Costa Rica experiencing the phenomenon of mixed species feeding flocks, the Neotropics became his favourite birding destination. Jan subsequently visited Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru and Colombia, as well as Thailand, California, Australia, Uganda, Ghana, South-Africa, Botswana and Namibia. Besides birding, looking for Europe’s large carnivores and mammals worldwide is another favourite occupation of Jan's. Remote areas in Scandinavia, rural Spain and remote Poland are some of Jan's favourite areas in which to search for these magnificent mammals.

Most beautiful bird: Regent Honeyeater. Best mammal: Eurasian Lynx (his first of 10+ sightings was near Gävle. Central Sweden July 1999). Rarest bird: Junin Grebe, lake Junin - Central Peru July 2007. Best ever mammal sighting: finding his own Snow Leopard with two kittens in Hemis, Northern India in November 2012. Dreams to fulfil: observing Birds of Paradise in Papua New Guinea and seeing all the world’s Felidae species!

Wed 9th Jul – Wed 16th Jul FULL £3,395
Flights:
Most Naturetrek tours include flight costs ex-UK. If flights are not included, we indicate that here.
Flights are included in the tour cost
Regional Departures:
On certain tours it is possible to depart from a regional airport (rather than London). If a regional departure is possible, we indicate that here.
Regional Departures are available. Call 01962733051
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£3,245
Single Room Supplement:
Single Room Supplement.
£595
Tour Leader:
Please note that, whilst we assign leaders to particular tours well in advance, we reserve the right to make changes if necessary
Jan Kelchtermans
Jan Kelchtermans

Tour Leader: Jan Kelchtermans

Jan Kelchtermans is a Belgian teacher and wildlife guide. After having seen nearly 600 species within the Western Palearctic, Jan expanded his horizons in 2002 into world birding. After his first visit to Costa Rica experiencing the phenomenon of mixed species feeding flocks, the Neotropics became his favourite birding destination. Jan subsequently visited Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru and Colombia, as well as Thailand, California, Australia, Uganda, Ghana, South-Africa, Botswana and Namibia. Besides birding, looking for Europe’s large carnivores and mammals worldwide is another favourite occupation of Jan's. Remote areas in Scandinavia, rural Spain and remote Poland are some of Jan's favourite areas in which to search for these magnificent mammals.

Most beautiful bird: Regent Honeyeater. Best mammal: Eurasian Lynx (his first of 10+ sightings was near Gävle. Central Sweden July 1999). Rarest bird: Junin Grebe, lake Junin - Central Peru July 2007. Best ever mammal sighting: finding his own Snow Leopard with two kittens in Hemis, Northern India in November 2012. Dreams to fulfil: observing Birds of Paradise in Papua New Guinea and seeing all the world’s Felidae species!

2026

Departures Availability Cost
Sun 5th Jul – Sun 12th Jul SPACES £3,495
Book Tour Show Details
Flights:
Most Naturetrek tours include flight costs ex-UK. If flights are not included, we indicate that here.
Flights are included in the tour cost
Regional Departures:
On certain tours it is possible to depart from a regional airport (rather than London). If a regional departure is possible, we indicate that here.
Regional Departures are available. Call 01962733051
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£3,345
Single Room Supplement:
Single Room Supplement.
£595
Mon 13th Jul – Mon 20th Jul 6 £3,495
Book Tour Show Details
Flights:
Most Naturetrek tours include flight costs ex-UK. If flights are not included, we indicate that here.
Flights are included in the tour cost
Regional Departures:
On certain tours it is possible to depart from a regional airport (rather than London). If a regional departure is possible, we indicate that here.
Regional Departures are available. Call 01962733051
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£3,345
Single Room Supplement:
Single Room Supplement.
£595 
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Bear Watching Holidays – See Bears in their Wild Habitat


Bears are many people’s favourite mammal. They are immensely strong and have unpredictable temperaments, yet inspire great affection in most of us.


The Naturetrek programme includes a number of specially designed bear-watching holidays which employ local expertise to provide clients with wonderful opportunities to see their favourite mammals.


Naturetrek Bear-watching tours


Most species of bear are retiring in habit and rarely seen during the day. However, a prodigious appetite leads many species to gather seasonally in big numbers, which makes them far easier to watch!


Our bear tour groups are limited in size and accompanied by Naturetrek naturalist leaders, and also usually assisted by resident experts. Although focused on bear-watching, all Naturetrek bear tours offer many opportunities to observe the other wildlife of the area.


We also see bears on other Naturetrek tours such as Sloth Bears on Indian and Sri Lankan tours, and Brown Bears on many European tours.


Where can I see bears?



Is it possible to see bears on other Naturetrek tours?


Yes. While not specifically searching for bears, we regularly have sightings of Sloth Bears on Indian and Sri Lankan tours, and Brown Bears on our Kamchatka cruise and many European tours.




Our specialist recommends...







"In Europe one of the most reliable places to see the European Brown Bear is northern Finland, where it is possible to get very close views from hides. Watching Grizzly Bears catching Salmon in western Canada is undoubtedly one of the greatest of natural history thrills. But for the ultimate bear-watching experience, and my personal favourite, it has to be a trip to the Arctic to see Polar Bears." 

Paul Stanbury - Operations Manager




 


All Bear Watching Tours

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Mammal Watching Holidays


Many of the world’s mammals are instantly recognisable to us. Animals such as Lions, Tigers, elephants and bears capture our imaginations from an early age. At Naturetrek, we take great pleasure and pride in helping people to fulfil their lifelong dreams of seeing these iconic species in the wild. We also enjoy introducing our clients to some of the world’s more unusual mammals, many of which are just as fascinating.


Naturetrek Mammal Watching Tours


Many of our tours have a primary focus on mammals and we offer the widest choices of mammal-watching holidays across the globe, from the poles to the tropics. Our holidays are guided by at least one professional naturalist tour leader and usually benefit from additional guiding by expert local naturalist guides. We have holidays to see an incredible range of the world’s most sought-after mammals, such as orangutans, lemurs, bats, polar mammals, big cats, and mammals of the African savannah. A significant number of tours also targets some of the planet’s more unusual and elusive species, from pottos and pangolins to slender lorises and obscure cetaceans.


Here’s a selection of our mammal tours:



Bargain mammal selection


We offer a range of action-packed bargain holidays for the dedicated mammal enthusiast, which are exceptional value for money, from Belize to Zambia.




Our specialist recommends...







"Africa is perhaps the greatest continent for mammal-watching. I would recommend 'Botswana’s Desert & Delta (Mammals)' for combining stunning scenery and wildlife. We also offer a tour to Uganda which includes a chance to see Mountain Gorillas. And India, along with Tigers, has a superb variety of mammals. Closer to home, short breaks to Spain in search of Wolves and Iberian Lynx are hard to beat.”

Paul Stanbury - Operations Manager




  


All Mammal Watching Tours

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Prefer to Travel in a Private Group?

For any interested natural history club or society, we can arrange for a private departure of this tour.

Enquire
Why Naturetrek?

Why Naturetrek?

At Naturetrek we craft expertly-guided group and tailor-made wildlife holidays and cruises to all seven continents. On one of our holidays, you can be assured that our passionate team will enable you to experience and enjoy the best of the world's wildlife and natural spectacles in as comfortable and rewarding a manner as possible, caring as best we can for the environment in the process. We are proud to provide:

  • The widest choice of wildlife holidays worldwide
  • Tours managed and led by naturalists, for naturalists
  • Outstanding value and exceptional customer service

Furthermore, as a Naturetrek client, our office team are always to on hand to help you – so if you have any queries about your holiday, whether before or after you have booked, we will be delighted to answer them on the phone. Please just give our team a call!