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Wild Bears in Finland

GDB

100+ Posts
Can you remember when mum and dad took us into the garden, or local forest if we were lucky enough, to have a picnic with our favourite teddy bears ?.....We can re-live those wonderful days with bears……with a bit of travelling....... and imagination.

Most bears that you see in travel brochures are either grizzlies from North America or polar bears mainly from the Arctic, although Canada is an alternative. Polar Bears are awesome creatures and you have to be quite fortunate to see them close up in the wild. The big Grizzlies or Kodak Bears, which are quite close to our teddy bears of old, are regularly seen at certain times of the year scoffing salmon. What both of these adventures have in common is the relatively high cost of such a holiday, and thus eliminating most of us, particularly the retired on limited incomes.

The European Brown Bear however, about 3/4 size Grizzly but still with that hump in the back, can be seen a little nearer to home and for a sensible cost. Apart from Slovenia, which is now up and coming bear-wise, the wild Taiga Forest in Finland, about halfway up on the right hand side bordering Russia, is the place to go. There are a number of wildlife travel companies who will organise a trip for you, but it is quite straightforward to organise this directly with one of about 3 centres, and simply book your international /internal air flights yourself. It is either Finnair or Finnair, so not complicated.

Basically, you fly from a UK airport to Helsinki and take an internal flight to Kajaani. From there, all of these wildlife centres will organise the transit to/from the centre, accommodation, food, guides, etc. You normally stay 2/4 nights, with one of these actually at the wildlife centre overnight after the first day’s travelling…. it depends what time you arrive. From our experience, the accommodation is quite comfortable, normally with private ensuite shower etc., but it is used mainly during the day for resting, as you will be spending the early evening / overnight in the forest for 2/3 nights……that is up to you.
The Taiga Forest is a vast area on the east of Finland and overlaps in to Russia. One of these centres is within just a few miles of the Russian border….. don’t cross it!
The normal daily itinerary is to relax, do some local walks, photography, have a late lunch and then, depending on which centre you are at, start off on a short trek to your hide. For birders and regular wildlife enthusiasts, they will find these hides quite familiar, except that the larger ones are furnished with bunk beds and toilets. The smaller ones have minimal facilities for 1/2 persons, normally mad photographers like us. If you look at the websites , you will see them located to give various views and vantage points, and some better at different times of the year. They may be in the woods, next to a lake or a swamp, or any combination…. you will have the opportunity to choose if you book directly. The hides are all fitted out with seats, windows and viewing slots for photographers at just the right heights and locations. The larger ‘group’ hides for up to 6/8 people will have a guide / minder with you, and a supply of hot drinks and snacks to tide you over.
Taking the one centre that we are most familiar with, you would start out at say 4 – 5.00pm, short trek to the hide, stay there overnight till say 7 – 7-30 am, go back for breakfast, rest in your room at the lodge, relax, have a late lunch, maybe a sauna, and start again……. you really do get your money’s worth.

Now the animals….. as with all such places, the bears are attracted with food, but it is strictly controlled as to how much ‘bait’ can be used, so as not to habituate the bears too much so they are reliant on artificial food. They are truly wild, free to come and go, and as they do hunt themselves, there is no guarantee of any bears or indeed fixed numbers. However, the bears, like all wild animals that are regularly viewed by us humans, e.g African / Indian safaris, do like to return not only for the free food, but because they are inquisitive. If this was not done, you would never see them. We asked one of the locals, a backwoodsman /guide for 20 years, and he said he had seen only one bear in the wild forest.
Bear numbers….. you would be unlucky not to see at least 2 -3, and on a good night maybe 10 – 15 different ones. Depending where you are, they could be at a distance of 30 – 40 yards away on the far side of a lake, or even 5 -10 yards outside your hide.
The weather….. similar to ours. A good time is September /October, when there is good colour and light for photography, or April /May when there could be snow. You may think that staying all night is a long time, or a waste of time….. it is neither. It never gets completely dark in Finland, except for the middle few hours of the night. Up until 10 – 11pm you can still get good sightings and photographs, and this will start again from 3 – 3.30 am onwards. Bears will come and go at different times, but you can always take a nap if you get really tired….. or bored with bear photos!
At one or two of the places, there is always the chance of Wolverine and Wolves, but no one will guarantee these very special visitors. Eagles, Owls and some other birds are often seen, and during the day you may see some of Santa’s friends…. yes this is the home of Reindeer as well.
Whether you are a photographer, a general wildlifer, or just want a new experience, this 4/5 days overall will definitely give you excellent value for money and ….. dare I say it… guarantee of getting up close to those big cuddly furry things reminiscent of your childhood….. unfortunately you cannot join in the picnic!

Try the following websites for dates and costs:
Boreal Wildlife Centre – Kuhmo – for bears and wolverines
https://www.viiksimo.fi/index.php/home
Martinselkosen – Pirttvaana – for bears, but probably the biggest number
http://www.martinselkonen.fi/index.php?id=1&la=en
Wild Brown Bears – Vartius – for bears, wolverines and wolves
http://www.wildbrownbear.fi/
Finnair – international /internal flights
https://www.finnair.com/gb/gb/

{3FA75BDB-0ED8-4258-A8BC-7B1B229C4ED2}-FINLAND 2014 770.JPGFINLAND 2014 677 (3).jpgBrown Bear.JPGFINLAND 2014 757.JPG{4D9F7947-7E38-47C4-AE1A-4378771240C1}-FINLAND 2014 616.JPG
 
As you are in a hide generally, there is no problem. Depending on which site you go to, there can be a 5 - 20 minute walk through the forest, but I don't remember any little beasties in May/June period.
 
Thought you might be interested in another bear photo...... this one is a rather pretty young lady who did seem to pose for us. Isn't she gorgeous....
FINLAND 2014 102 (2).jpg
 
At least you can just see his head. It always surprises me that bears can climb trees so well. How high up is he?
 
Yes Eleanor... it is amazing and they can do it very quickly as well. Occasionally a big male will chase the youngsters and a tree is a safe refuge.... for a while. From memory, this one was about 30' above ground level.
FINLAND 2014 376.JPG
 
This was a young bear who seemed to have spotted us looking at him...... he came quite close.
FINLAND 2014 068.JPG
 
I'm not too sure that I like the look in the eye of the bear in #8 - he has a mean look to him....
 

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