In the border area between Finland and Russia, numerous brown bears are said to live in the wild. Ralf Schröder (text & photos) and Birgit Bock-Schröder (photos) set out to get one of them in front of the camera lens in the lonely Finnish part of Karelia.
Travel information
Accommodations
Hotels in Finland are affordable in the summer compared to Sweden and especially Norway, except for tourist hotspots like Koli. A double room is available between 90 and 130 euros. At campsites you can often rent a hut (50 to 120 euros per night, usually good infrastructure).
Maps
Road map Finland, scale: 1:650,000, Hallwag Kümmerly+Frey, 2018, ISBN: 978-3-259-01160-7, 11.95 euros.
Cartridge kiss of GT Tiekartta / road maps, Pohjois-Suomi (Northern Finland), scale: 1:400,000, 2018, ISBN: 978-952-266-385-6, approx. 17 euros.
Cartridge kiss of GT Tiekartta / road maps, Itä-Suomi (East Finland), scale: 1,250,000, 2020, ISBN: 978-952-266-670-3, approx. 17 euros.
Cartridge kiss of GT Tiekartta / road maps, Etelä-Suomi (southern Finland), scale: 1:250,000, 2020, ISBN: 978-952-266-669-7, approx. 17 euros.
Cartridge kiss of GT Tiekartta / road maps, Länsi Suomi (West Finland), scale: 1,250,000, 2018, ISBN: 978-952-266-554-6, approx. 17 euros.
Riding a motorcycle
In a country that is at best slightly hilly, the overland roads for long-distance traffic are broadly developed, so boring to ride a motorcycle. As a rule of thumb, roads with a low number of thumb can be large and rather wide. Three-digit road numbers are country roads that are often nice to drive and usually asphalted. If the road number becomes four digits, they are small small roads, some of which are not asphalted. Such natural roads can usually also be driven with road tires, but can be greasy in the rain. One should pay attention to the tank size and the range of the motorcycle. Finland was one of the pioneers in Europe in unmanned tank vending machines. Payment can often only be made with a credit card and PIN.
Watching bears
There are several providers who offer bear observation in the wild in Karelia. Usually they are so-called "hiddens": small huts, usually without electricity, without heating and without running water. A bunk bed and a dry toilet are all you can expect in terms of comfort. The advantage: The hides have no windows, but hatches through which you can photograph without a window in between. Price per night from approx. 130 euros. The described comfort hut with double bed, panoramic windows, air conditioning and fully equipped bathroom is much more expensive, it costs 890 euros per night online.