The Ultimate Odyssey: two national parks and Joutenvesi nature reserves on the same voyage
Experience the top lake destinations, the Kolovesi and Linnansaari National Parks on the same tour. Lakeland Seal Trail®
has been one of the most popular canoeing routes since 1996 already. The
route flows almost all the time in the habitat of Saimaa ringed seal
and that’s why your chances to see this rare animal in its own
surroundings are very good.
Protected nature reserves and national parks can be visited on the same trip: Joutenvesi Nature Reserve, Linnansaari National Park and Kolovesi National Park. With route extencion you can also visit the Kermajärvi Nature Reserve.
This 10-14 day trip needs to be planned well in advance and
you should be prepared for weather variations. A true challenge for
experienced paddlers, sea-kayakers and canoeists alike.
The route is best to be paddled as a round trip starting from Kirkkoranta in Kolovesi or from Oravi village. This way
it’s easy to visit both National Parks and Joutenvesi.
With route extencion to the Kermajärvi nature reserve you can make the tour even longer. You can also start your tour from Heinävesi marina, paddle round Kolovesi, joutenvesi and Linnansaari ending the tour in Oravi. Watch a
video about the trip: www.youtube.com/watch
- Trip duration: 10-14 days/130 km (no extencion)
- Degree of difficulty: Demanding or intermediate
depending on route and chosen type of vessel. High winds on the Lake
Haukivesi may be too much for those using open canoes. For experienced sea-kayaker this is an easy trip. Good map reading skills are essential!
- Trip type: Independent/self-guided
- Entry and exit points: Kolovesi (Kirkkorannantie 200, 58180 Enonkoski) or Oravi (Kiramontie 27, 58130 Oravi). Other possible entry and exit points: Start in Heinävesi, Kermanranta marina and end in Savonlinna.
- How to reach: For those without a car, first fly to Helsinki and then take a train/bus/rental car to
Savonlinna/ Kolovesi/ Oravi/Heinävesi depending on the starting point. We also have a safari bus from Savonlinna to Oravi. On depart take a transport to Savonlinna and train/bus/rental car from Savonlinna back to
the next airport. If you start your trip in Heinävesi and end in
Savonlinna only equipment transports are required from our base in
Kolovesi (150€ to Heinävesi and 110€ from Savonlinna).
- Accommodation: During the tour only canoe camping is
possible using good all-weather tents. In Kolovesi and Linnansaari
camping is only permitted on the designated tent sites. On other places follow everyman's right. ALWAYS have a
camping cooker with you and enough fuel for the trip. Hostels and hotels are available in Enonkoski, Oravi, Linnansaari, Heinävesi and Savonlinna.
- Crocery stores and shops: Oravi, Enonkoski, Heinävesi and Savonlinna.
- Route description - an overview: 1. Day: This is a demanding route mostly canoed by experienced
paddlers. If the customer has no previous experience of canoeing
/kayaking on larger lake areas, a very important part of the service
package must be assistance to trip planning in advance considering
safety as well (available in Oravi -daily). When the customer arrives at
the chosen starting point he will have the equipment he has booked
beforehand and there will be the final route planning session, if
necessary. The estimated returning point and time will be written down.
Then the trip is ready to begin. 2.-14. Day: Canoeing
trip is carried out according to the former plan. Equipment and
customers will return to the planned ending point and possible transfer will wait for you at the fixed time.