End of August I spent a few days in northern Finland. It was my first vacation in the Summer, so I decided to go and hit Kilpisjärvi. The first day gone with traveling, I went by plane to Rovaniemi and then by the Eskelisen Lapin linjat company. The accommodation was in Kilpisjärven Retkeilykeskus located at a beautiful place around mountains.
Next day the plan was to conquer Saanan tunturi, 4 kilometers hike upwards. The path started from Kilpisjärven Retkeilykeskus and already after a few hundred meters brilliant view became visible. If you are in a good shape, the tour takes about 3-4 hours. I spent there almost 6 hours by taking many stops because of photography.
At the top, the view was incredibly beautiful, mountains everywhere, lakes and “hanging clouds”. I realized I missed so much the mountains and the hiking not just because of the sight, but also because of the physical and mental renew.
The third day started with a short trip to the neighbor town, Skibotn in Northern Norway. It was very different from Kilpisjärvi due to those gigantic rocks and mountains. I have no words to describe them.
That day I had a strong muscle stiffness (do not despise Saana!), and my shoes went bad, so instead of going to Kitsiputous, I took a 5 km walk to my other accommodation (Majatalo Haltinmaa) to relax. It was a surprise, how many reindeers are there free, they are very tame and friendly.
At the fourth day it was about to leave. After 19 hours of traveling with Eskelisen and Onnibus, I went to sleep and started working with renewed strength. It was a short, but amazing visit with different atmosphere and wonderful landscapes.
And I realized again – the world is full of magical things.
We will come back, that is for sure.
Here are my personal favs of Kilpisjärvi and Skibotn:
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