Is the secret of Finnish happiness to be found in Syvänmaa?
Come and find out!
On a Syvänmaa journey you will feel, hear, taste and experience the treasures of Finnish nature with all your senses. The journey begins in a cosy old forestry cabin and culminates in an eye-catchingly beautiful old rectory. During the day, you will experience the authentic wild wilderness by walking in nature and sitting by the fire, listening to the silence and enjoying the peace of the countryside. In the evenings, you will feel the scent of birch wood, the warmth of the sauna and the coolness of the natural waters on your skin. At night, you’ll sleep comfortably in the soft beds of chalets. Both inns are steeped in history and their walls have been listening to stories for over 100 years. The journey is crowned by a feast of pure natural ingredients and a delicious banquet under the crystal chandeliers of the rectory.
Karkausmäki Guesthouse in Kinnula is a warm, cosy inn originally built as a lodge for forest workers. It has five spacious double rooms and a large kitchen-living room. Here you can enjoy the soft smell of birch wood and the scent of the traditional Finnish sauna and take a dip in the warm nordic bath under the cover of the pine forest.
Kinnula’s old rectory is a luxurious and beautiful accommodation, which has previously been used as the home of priests. The main building has five beautifully furnished double rooms. During the summer there is also the possibility to stay in the cosy granary in the courtyard. A unique barn sauna is located by the river, where you can swim in the cool, fresh river water all year round. Both guesthouses have shared toilet and shower facilities for guests.
Löytöläntytär
Each day of your holiday, Löytöläntytär guides you to the region’s special natural attractions, such as the magnificent Salamajärvi National Park and the magical surroundings of Lake Valkeisjärvi, which has up to 16 springs. Experience the special features of the deep land on Finland with all your senses, accompanied by stories and a sound journey along with an ancient drumming and singing.
Local delicacies from Pikku Peura Restaurant
The experience is complemented and enriched by delicious meals featuring the wild flavours of Syvänmaa, game and fish, as well as seasonal herbs and berries that you can pick yourself. Meals are served both at the Karkausmäki Guesthouse, in the Old Rectory, and at the magnificent Pikku Peura Game Restaurant. In addition, some of the meals will be enjoyed and prepared together in the open air by a campfire.
Karkausmäki Guesthouse | Paikka Pappilassa | Restaurant Pikku Peura | Löytöläntytär.
Programme
Day 1 | ARRIVAL AT KARKAUSMÄKI GUESTHOUSE
● Arrival at 15:00
● Welcome ceremony, accommodation in double rooms
● Dinner: fresh house salad with seasonal vegetables, game pie and smoked salmon rolls
● Karkausmäki Guesthouse’s traditional Finnish sauna heats up
Day 2 | TRIP TO NATIONAL PARK
● Breakfast at Karkausmäki Guesthouse: morning porridge with Korpela oatmeal, wild berries and jam, Kammari’s home-made rolls, rye bread and Karelian pies, egg butter, vegetables and local cold cuts, cheese, yoghurt and Kentala farm granola, eggs, fresh juice, coffee and tea.
● Excursion to Koirasalmi, Salamajärvi National Park
● SUMMER: Guided sensory hike around the ring trails of Salamajärvi National Park (2-6.2 km according to the group’s wishes) and learning about the local wilderness culture through folktales and sensory exercises.
●Winter: guided snowshoe hike, exploring the local wilderness culture through folktales and sensory exercises
● Lunch at Koirasalmi: smoked salmon soup with side dishes
● Free time in the afternoon.
● Guided peat sauna and relaxation in a hot tub
● Dinner at the Karkausmäki Guesthouse.
Game roast, pot roast, honeyed seasonal root vegetables, pike perch cakes, lingonberry jam and pickled cucumber, dessert coffee and blueberry pie with meadowsweet foam
Day 3 | DAY IN LAKE VALKEISJÄRVI AND ARRIVAL AT OLD RECTORY
● Breakfast at Karkausmäki Guesthouse
Fresh porridge with oatmeal from Korpela farm and berries from the local forest, Kammari’s home-made rolls, rye bread and Karelian pies, egg butter, vegetables and cold cuts from the local farm, cheese, berry butter from Pikku Peura, granola from Kentala farm, eggs, fresh juice, coffee and tea.
● Packing of goods, transport of goods to the Old Rectory
● Excursion to the surroundings of the clear-water Lake Valkeisjärvi
● SUMMER: 5,5 km walk around Lake Valkeisjärvi, experiencing the silence, smells, tastes and landscapes through sensory exercises (extra charge: soaking and possibility to fish)
● WINTER: depending on the weather, either a guided fishing trip or hiking and sensing nature on the shores of Lake Valkeisjärvi, experiencing the silence, smells, tastes and landscapes through sensory exercises.
● Lunch by the campfire:
Firepan coffee/tea, local campfire sausages, cheese sandwiches, Nordic bread cheese and campfire quinuski.
● Relaxing at the Pikku Peura Game Restaurant on the pitchforks, resting by the fireplace:
A sound journey guided by the Löytöläntytär accompanied by an ancient drumming and singing.
● Dinner at the restaurant Pikku Peura: A taste of Central Ostrobothnia – menu with local game, wild fish, forest mushrooms and wild berries
● Welcome to the parsonage and accommodation
● Sauna and swimming
● Evening meal in the rectory / sausage roast in the rectory lava
Day 4 | FISHING, PICKING BERRIES AND COOKING TOGETHER, A FESTIVE DINNER
● Breakfast in the Old Rectory:
Morning porridge with Korpela’s oatmeal, wild berry smoothie, homemade bread and granola in Priest’s style, rye bread and Karelian pies, egg butter, vegetables and local cold cuts, cheese, quark and local berries, eggs, fresh juice, coffee and tea
● SUMMER: In the morning we look for hookworms and go fishing together. Afterwards a short trip to forest to pick some blueberries, lingonberries, wild herbs or something else, depending on the season.
● WINTER: Skiing on the ice or ice fishing
● Food workshop in the rectory:
Together we will prepare blueberry pie and/or honeyberry ice cream to be enjoyed at lunch as a dessert.
If any fish catched in the morning, they are fryed in a pan and enjoy with local bread and herb spread.
● Lunch at the rectory: pan-fried pike perch from Lake Kivijärvi, traditional milkpotatoes from Kinnula.
● Coffee and a break afterwards. Possibility to explore the surrounding area on your own.
● Dinner in the rectory hall:
A menu of local ingredients, char-grilled pike perch, garden salad and buttermilk sauce, wild mushroom mousse and roast venison, local herb beef fillet with side dishes, seasonal vegetables, dessert: the parsonage’s own signature pastry.
Day 5 | HOME RETURN
⦁ Breakfast at the rectory (as before) and departure for home
Price: 790€/person | 4 night, 5 days
Price includes: accommodation at the destinations (incl. linen, use of saunas), programme services, equipment, meals 4 times a day.
Group size: 6-12 (12-20)
If the group size is 12-20 persons, the group can be divided in half, with one half staying in the Old Rectory for the first day, the other half in the Karkausmäki Chamber and after two days the accommodation will be changed.
Availability: by reservation from 15.2. to 15.6. and from 15.8. to 15.10.
Info
• The product is suitable for all ages.
• The trips are short, maximum 2 – 6,5 km per day.
• The terrain is easy, but not accessible.
• Wear suitable outdoor clothing (depending on the season).
