Parks
Finnish National Park
National Parks are dotted all around Finland, with 37 of them. There are many different activities to do in Winter and Summer. A lot of parks also have cabins you can rent out, as well as nature trails, snowmobiles, canoeing, hiking and climbing. There are so many national parks because Finland cares about the preservation of their forests and heritage.
Even though it is located in the country's capital Helsinki, you can still be surrounded by forests and lakes. You can go cycling, climbing, riding and berry picking.
The Finnish people love forests, and it's a good job seen as 86% of Finland is forestation. This is a Finnish view of the forests:
There is something magical about the forest. The Finnish soul has always been linked with the forest. The green colour is calming; the gentle rustling of the leaves and pine needles is like music. Finns feel good in the forest. Not alone, not lost – the forest provides protection and peace.
The colours in Autumn are called ruska, and as there are so many forests in Finland, the trees are very colourful and create great photo opportunities in the landscapes.
Leaf peeping is something Finns do to see all of the leaves, and it is a very short phenomenon, only lasting two weeks. The further North you go, the more colourful they are. The views are very relaxing and therapeutic, and it is usually in September.
There are over 80,000 moose in Finland, and they live all over the country in the forests. Unlike reindeers, you won't see these as much because they don't like to interact with humans, and stay hidden in the forests.
However, they have been to know to be a nuisance on roads and a collision with one of these can be fatal. When a car hits a moose, the body usually goes through the windscreen crushing the front passengers.
They eat many different plants that can be found in the forests of Finland, and prefer cooler climates which makes Finland the perfect habitat for them. They are herbivores, and need nearly 10,000 calories per day.
They are known to be quite aggressive creatures, especially during mating season or when they feel threatened. Although they don't usually attack humans, they have injured more humans than bears and wolves put together. There only animal predators are wolves and bears, but they are capable of killing these.
Bears
This is the national animal in Finland, and has traditionally been a sacred animal. There are over 200 different names for the bear in the Finnish language, showing its significance. Although they are found in all areas of Finland, they are most common in the East and Lapland.
Sulo Karjalainen lives in Lapland, and since he was a child has been close to animals. Now, his home is an orphanage for bears whose parents have been killed.
Sulo Karjalainen - The bear man by finnywing
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