A wild adventure in rural Finland proved to be a great escape

“Talk only in whispers, don’t move around and make no noise; even the scraping of a chair or any loud click of a camera will frighten away our visitors”.

Wildlife guide Janne Auteree who shepherds us into a small camouflaged timber hide, where we stay for the next five hours, glances pointedly at me, having clocked a chatterbox.

He need not have worried, though. So immersed in this real life David Attenborough adventure I even forget the dry toilet at the back of the hut.

Enjoying hot drinks

Wild Taiga, where Arctic Lakeland stretches below Lapland on the western fringes of the great Siberian Boreal forests, is one of Europe’s best wildlife watching destinations and the only place where wolf, wolverine and bear are found together.

Other iconic creatures here include the elusive lynx, wild forest reindeer, moose and birds seldom found elsewhere in Europe, such as Siberian jays, ten species of owls and some of the largest native birds of prey among them.

Little wonder adventurous wildlife enthusiasts and nature photography professionals and amateurs from all over the world descend to this area to experience the animals and birdlife in their natural habitats.

“We call ourselves the wild corner of Finland,” Janne, founder of Hikes N’Trails and a member of Wild Taiga (wildtaiga.fi/en/) an association of wildlife sustainable small tourism operators and accommodations, explains. His backyard is the size of Belgium with a population of 70,000 of which at least half live in the small city of Kajaani. So you will sooner have an encounter with rare wildlife before meeting another human being in these parts.

Taking a dip in the lake

Cameras are to the ready, little expecting one of Finland’s majestic large carnivores would make a star appearance so soon. A large brown bear lumbering into view has been lured by salmon heads scattered to draw him closer to the long lenses poking through a curtained hole in our hide.

He is an awesome sight, at least two metres long, weighing up to 300 kilos, his brown-black fur glossy, powerful paws hardly making a sound whilst he moves. Around 80 per cent of a bear’s daily intake of food is berries and other forest fare so the presence of meat and fish heads is pure temptation.

As he savours these snacks, wolves slink into the picture, camouflaged and blending with the undergrowth. Patiently, they wait at a distance until the ‘King of the Forest’ has eaten his fill and moves off. A show worthy of Attenborough sees seven young wolves — still cubs — for all the world similar to large family dogs, playing, squabbling and chasing around.

Delicious food at Hotel Kalevala

The hours fly by, watching these wild creatures interact with each other. A second bear arrives, feeds and departs, and the beautiful wolf cubs (watched, though we don’t see them, by their parents in the pack) continue to nose around and dig for stray dog pellets in the bog.

Finland has more than 188,000 lakes, around 200,000 islands and there is no better way of glimpsing the landscape than from the air.

Finland’s flag carrier Finnair, is the only airline to offer a gateway into Arctic Lakeland with flights from Helsinki to Kajaani an hour’s flight north 11 times weekly.

After connecting from my direct Finnair morning flight from Dublin to Helsinki I had a spectacular aerial bird’s eye view of Finland’s unique lakes as twilight approached.

Named the happiest place in the world for the sixth year running, now is my chance to delve into the secrets of highly contented Finns. “We are at one with nature and that makes us happy, we live in the moment, Finns leave the cities when the snows have melted and the sun is out; we’re cave men, picking berries in the forest and fishing in our lakes,” says Hannu, who helps run a canoe business.

Isabel taking in the area’s natural beauty

My first morning has a perfect Zen soundtrack of whispering fir trees, paddling gently away from the beach, three to a canoe from lakeside Hotel Kalevala (hotellikalevala.fi/en/) This cosy traditional hotel, surrounded by ancient forests and crystal clear lakes, a few kilometres from Kuhmo, is our base for wilderness activities. A midnight soak in the outdoor hot tub is another Zen moment but like the elusive wolverine, the Aurora is also having an evening off.

Coffee brewed in blackened kettles on an island in the middle of Kalevala lake and sausages grilled over a camp fire fortifies us for the breezy return journey. Although we haven’t fished for one ourselves, pike-perch from this same lake, baked in a parchment parcel served for dinner is food for the gods, followed by delicious foraged forest bilberries in cake.

Mention happiness to a Finn and sauna — the only Finnish word that has made it into every language — is an important ingredient in the mix of pure contentment. There are up to two and a half million saunas to five and a half million inhabitants. In the countryside, the sauna is built first and people sometimes live in them while their house is under construction, I’m told.

Invented to wash the dirt and dust off farmers and lumberjacks and provide warmth in freezing temperatures, Finns can’t get enough of their saunas. They do business in them, socialise and chill out, celebrate and they also served for childbirth in the past and for the laying out the deceased. A visit to the sauna is usually a weekly ritual — finishing off with a dip in an ice cold nearby lake, or in winter if the ice isn’t broken for the immersion, a roll in the snow.

We enjoy this Finnish institution at their idyllic lakeside Lentiira holiday village after a walk in the forest to forage for berries with owner Elise Heikkinen-Johnstone, whose husband Rob is a Scottish born professional astronomer.

My final stop is Helsinki, a contrast from the pristine wilderness but laid back, watery and green, boasting 200 islands beyond the city centre into the archipelago.

Isabel joins her flight

The 5- star luxury of one of Helsinki’s most historic buildings, now the NH Hotel Grand Hansa, welcomes stylish foragers for cocktails in a dome shaped fashionable bar with 360 degree views across this sustainable, uncrowded city.

More nature spotting takes us to a tiny forested island after a wild rib ride into Helsinki archipelago searching for seals. Afterwards in a Helsinki suburb, I find a traditional wood smoke sauna on the edge of the Baltic sea filled with happy beer swilling Finns and foreigners chasing their happiness bug.

FACTFILE: FINLAND

■ Isabel was a guest of Finnair (finnair.com) who fly direct Dublin-Helsinki year round with up to 10 flights weekly. Return flights connecting north to Kajaani from €298. ■ See also Visit Finland (visitfinland.com) and Wild Taiga (wildtaiga.fi) ■ She stayed at Hotel Kalevala, doubles with breakfast from €101, and in Helsinki at NH Collection Helsinki Grand Hansa (nh-hotels.com), doubles from €121.