Eat Wild

Finland is known for its wildlife, wilderness forests and crystal clear rivers and lakes. Game, berries, mushrooms and wild herbs have a special taste because they grow in the Nordic Taiga forest under the midnight sun. On this trip, you will explore traditional Finnish cuisine and cook fantastic meals with chefs using fresh ingredients foraged from the wild. Every day there are different themes for cooking - fish, forest fruits, game animals and game birds. During the daytime, you’ll go on guided trips to forage for fruit in the forests, see game animals and catch fish. In the evenings, you’ll learn how to prepare these ingredients through a series of cookery classes. Your stay will be spent in a fascinating, historic area that was originally known for its ironwork industry and where you can see architecture designed by Alvar Aalto, the world famous Finnish architect.

The Noormarkku region is one of the best preserved examples of Finland’s traditional ironwork industry areas. There’s plenty of great Finnish architecture and beautiful old buildings to see, including a church, villas, mansions, workers’ houses and old industrial buildings. There are also large garden areas created to commemorate the area’s rich history.

Fishing in the peaceful wilderness lake is a unique chance to experience nature. Our professional fishing guide will help you to start fishing and choose the right lures. You could fish from the shore or in a small rowing boat.

The cooking class will take place in a tipi-like hut called a ‘kota’, which is located on the beautiful lakeside. These traditional huts are part of the ancient, Nordic way of life; Sami people have used them for centuries as a portable home for use when herding reindeer.

In Finland, we use the term ‘Freedom to roam’, which ensures that everyone is free to walk in the forests and pick up wild berries, herbs and mushrooms. Finland is mostly covered in forest and these Nordic taiga areas offer visitors a unique opportunity to relax mind and body, as well as enjoying the fruits of the forest. The berries and mushrooms grow under the midnight sun and the unique weather conditions ensure that they’re full of healthy antioxidants and flavonoids.

Microbreweries are growing in popularity in Finland and take their raw ingredients straight from nature. These enterprises tend to be quite small but, at the same time, the products are mostly handmade using high quality, natural ingredients.

Watching wild animals from the safety of our purpose-built observation cabins is a great way to get to see them in their natural habitat without disturbing them. If you are lucky, you can see moose, deer, foxes and many different species of birds from the cabin. Take a good camera with you as you’ll be able to get some spectacular photographs of the wild animals.

Saunas are a tradition in Finland. Peoples of all the ages go to the sauna to relax and spend hours there. As well as boosting blood circulation, saunas help to relax tired muscles. Why not try out the Finnish habit of going to the sauna and then going for a swim before repeating the process over and over again?

Bothian Sea National Park is rich in animal and birdlife. You can bird watch from a purpose-built tower, which is a speciality in Finland. One of the biggest migration routes for artic birds passes through the area, so, if you’re lucky, you can see thousands of birds and tens of different species at the same time.

You will also see many species of waterfowl and wading birds. Our professional guide can help you to spot and identify the birds.

This evening, we’ll enjoy, for main course, there’s delicious game bird.