“Experience nature, as you never have before”

Ruka-Kuusamo will give you a unique experience with four different seasons, close to the Arctic Circle. The Arctic Circle creates its own light, which varies in hue and intensity during every season of the year. In the winter, you can feel the magic of Lapland when the sun stays low and the sky dances with the Northern Lights. From the top of the fells, the landscape reflects thousands of shades of snow white in the winter light while thousands of brilliant stars twinkle down on you from the wide open sky.

Experience the winter adventure with snowmobiles, husky-drawn sled, visiting reindeer farms, skiing, ice fishing, snowshoe hikes, winter swimming, or visiting Santa Claus.

The Ruka Ski Resort, established in the 1960’s, has developed into an international winter resort offering various exotic activities and services in addition to downhill skiing.

As spring approaches, the frost is softer and the cross-country tracks and ski slope terraces soak up the sun’s warmth. The spring light is exceptionally bright – something unique to the Arctic region.

During the summer season our midnight sun 24-hour constant daylight, is a magic sight in itself. In the nature preservation areas you can experience the untouched wilderness: ancient trees, clear-water streams and lakes, rare plants and birds. The nature in Ruka-Kuusamo invites you to its own playground where you can do among other things hiking, fishing, river rafting, canoeing, biking, and horse riding.

Ruka-Kuusamo is a peaceful area with lots of space, sights, activity programmes, sportive and cultural events, excellent cuisine and accommodations, personal attention, a new cross border station to the East. But above all there is a lot of NATURE! The last wilderness of Europe. In all seasons worth visiting. A paradise for hikers, skiers and nature lovers.

Even late into the autumn, when the night frost has bitten the earth and nature’s colours are in their full brilliance, you can continue to enjoy trekking, white water rafting, canoeing and fishing. The vibrant colours are usually at their best from the start of autumn through to October, which is one of the most popular times of the year to explore the Kuusamo region.

The area’s oldest traces of civilisation date back to the Ice Age. At the end of the 1500s, Laplanders became the target of different groups, such as tax authorities and religious missionaries. The original Lapp culture began to disappear around the 1760s and farming took over as the most important way of earning a living along with reindeer farming and tar burning. The development of the Kuusamo community, established in 1868, accelerated when it became the crossroads for trade between the White Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia. At the same time, the area’s reputation began to spread as an ideal location for tourism. The modern Kuusamo Lapland region is one of Finland’s most popular tourist areas, which offers world-renowned, high-class services in the midst of untouched nature.

More about Kuusamo Summer:
http://www.ruka.fi/kesa

More about Kuusamo Winter:
http://www.ruka.fi/winter