Wildfoods & Wellbeing

Day 1: Enter serenity
Upon arrival you are welcomed by your host with a refreshing drink. After check-in you will take part in a relaxing Sound Journey that will help you leave the busyness of  your life and mind behind allowing you to deepen your presence and to enjoy this restoring getaway. 

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Enjoy a communal dinner at the main dining room with the other guests before heading to the near-by sauna for your first Finnish sauna experience. Sit on the wooden benches, pour water on the stones and relax in the gentle steam. Cool down outside with a drink before heading back in. Repeat as many times as you wish - sauna is soothing for your body, mind and soul.

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Afterwards fall a sleep in your cosy bedroom while listening to nature's comforting night sounds.

Day 2: Experience nature's abundance
After a leisurely breakfast your guide will take you on a private foraging experience.  Connect with the abundance of nature while learning about local wild foods and the plants and animals that call the surrounding forests  home.  Depending on the season you will gather ingredients from the guesthouse garden, surrounding meadows and forests and  prepare a meal together with your guide on an open fire. Depending on the season you might be preparing wild food salads or pancakes, smoothies and/or sweet or savoury pies.(duration about 3 hours).

 

Later on relax in the garden with a book. Alternatively take a walk along a forest path to a near-by lake where you can enjoy a refreshing dip or just sit on the grass relaxing and listening to the gentle sound of the lapping waves. 'Blue therapy' - or spending time in a natural environment featuring a body of water - has been proven to have many benefits for our health and well-being.  

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If you are feeling a bit more energetic you could book another guided activity - ask us for options!

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After a communal dinner, it's time to relax in the sauna before retreating to your comfortable room for the night.

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Day 3: Kayaking tour in a national park
Enjoy breakfast before embarking on another private outing with your local wilderness guide. Your expert guide will provide you with a basic introduction to paddling, gear and essential techniques, making sure even beginner paddlers feel comfortable on this tour. You will be paddling on sheltered waters amongst a labyrinth of islands on Lake Saimaa. 

 

Kolovesi National Park - with old-growth forests over a hundred years old - is a paddler's paradise, where rocky cliffs rise above the narrow lake channels. Ancient rock paintings give insights into how Finland's early settlers lived in harmony with nature thousands of years ago  With luck you might also encounter a curious Saimaa ringed seal. This is one of the best places to spot these unique endangered lake seals.  

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The rock paintings in the surroundings of Kolovesi have been dated according to the surface level of Lake Saimaa. The paintings may have been done while standing on the ice or in a boat and this would date the rock paintings  back to the comb ceramic period or early Metal Ages. All of the rock paintings are located in the vicinity of key junctions in the waterways. The location of the paintings has most certainly been significant; perhaps the painters wanted to inform passers-by about hunting areas, boundaries and rights of ownership. Most likely only a fraction of the rock paintings have been preserved to this day.  Many have disappeared over the millennia, and many are surely yet to be found.

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During the tour you will stop on one of the islands for lunch prepared by your guide. Duration of the tour 3-5 hours.

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Enjoy a relaxing sauna after your paddling tour before joining the others for a communal dinner.  Fall asleep in your comfy bed  while dreaming about the life in the ancient times along these lake shores.

Day 4: Time to say 'good bye'
After breakfast it's time to return to the hustle & bustle of life outside this little haven on earth.

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