Four distinct seasons and an exotic location attract visitors to Finland, the most north-easterly country of the European Union and neighbored by Sweden, Norway and Russia. The location between East and West is an exciting one; St. Petersburg is only about 350 kilometers away from the Finnish capital of Helsinki, while Tallinn in Estonia can be reached in 90 minutes by fast ferry. The Baltic Sea provides a passage to Central and Eastern Europe.
Kuusamo town is located in the north-eastern part of the province of Oulu at the distance of about 800 km (only one hour's direct flight) from Helsinki. The area of Kuusamo town is 5805 square kilometers of which 799 square kilometers is water (14 %). One third of the land area is peat land and a good half is covered by forest. Neighboring municipalities are Posio, Salla, Taivalkoski, Suomussalmi and in the east Kuusamo borders on Russia.
North-Kuusamo is just below the Arctic Circle - the land of the midnight sun. Kuusamo has a spirit all of its own. Its history is long and its people are proud. There is much to choose from and much to experience. It is a story waiting to be told, full of myth and magic.
The horses are strong, fast and sure-footed Finnish horses. Experienced guides will take you or your group on an adventure ride into the wilderness of southern Lapland - the country of the Sami people.

"The Finn has a fresh, unspoiled, primitive side that exists in close harmony with nature. He feels stirring in his blood a special kinship with the wilder variety of nature - with virgin forests, unproductive fells, and the animal life that haunts them... Wherever his foot wanders in the city, however far fortune lets him ascend the wheel, his roots remain deep in the soil." Hudson Strode Finland Forever 1941

Core values: home, relationships and nature Finns joke about their dream home: a red house by the lake in the middle of a city. Still, most Finns truly appreciate living spaciously in a house of their own (preferably built by themselves as well) surrounded by beautiful, pure nature. Homes are traditionally built of wood, nowadays more of tiles or ready made elements.

Some people describe Finns as straight forward and easy to get to know. Others find them stubborn and hard to approach. Both of these are probably true: there is no typical Finn, but a variety of different individuals with variable skills of communication and characters. However, one thing is common for all Finns: they seem to appreciate honest relationships and preferably skip all the smalltalk and stick to the important topics. Equality between men and women as well as different cultures is highly appreciated, although it is not always put in action.

How about a Sauna? Wherever two or more Finns gather together for having a good time, a big part of the fun is always "having a sauna", as a matter of fact spending quite a lot of time there.

Our ride in Finland:
 Sami Wilderness Trails