Kuusamo

Kuusamo is a town and a municipality of same name in Northern Finland. The high season for tourism is the winter when people head to the 20 km north of the town. However, the 20 km farther to the north is also very popular and can be visited around the year.

Together with its neighbouring municipality Taivalkoski, Kuusamo forms the Koillismaa sub-region. Traditionally Koillismaa ("the north-east") refers to a bigger area, from Pudasjärvi to south-eastern Lapland.

Understand


Kuusamo is located in the Koillismaa highlands. It is a watershed, as rivers in the northern part flow north-east to the Arctic Ocean and those in the southern part flow westward to the Baltic Sea. The views consist of steep forested hills (Finnish: vaara) and large, pristine lakes. Bogs and mires are common especially in southern Kuusamo. The river Oulankajoki belongs to the official list of national landscapes of Finland.

Even though Ruka often is referred to as a fell, there are no true fells in the Kuusamo area, as none of the hills reach the tree limit. The area has almost continental climate. Mean temperatures vary between in January and  in July. The coldest temperature,, was measured in January 1985. Annual snowfall is among the highest in Finland and ground is covered by snow up to 200 days a year!

According to archaeological evidence, the Kuusamo area has been inhabited at least for 4,000 years. Finnish-speaking settlers arrived here during the 1670s, mostly from the south by following the labyrinth of lakes from the Finnish Lakeland. Therefore the local spoken dialect belongs to the Finnish Eastern dialect group, in contrast to Lapland, where people speak western dialects. As the lands weren't part of the Kingdom of Sweden, the Sami tried to sue the settlers for illegal hunting and fishing, but as the number of Finnish settlers had grown to over 200 people by 1687, there was little what the court could do. The last Sami left the area before the 1760s. Kuusamo was separated into an independent parish in 1675, and got its own church in 1680.

The population grew quickly, but subarctic agriculture is dodgy. During bad years in 1800–1802 up to 40 per cent of Kuusamo population died in famine. In the peace treaty between Finland and the Soviet Union of 1940, Finland lost 1,700 km² of land from eastern Kuusamo. In September 1944 the area suffered heavily from the scorched-earth policy of retreating Nazi German troops. In the next year, Soviet troops briefly occupied Kuusamo, demolishing the little infrastructure left. This is why you'll find very few old buildings in the area.

Today Kuusamo lives mostly from tourism. The number of summer cottages is the 5th largest in Finland. Finns coming from cities to spend their holidays at their private cottages are a significant source of income. So far there isn't any mining industry, but international mining companies are interested in the area. There is especially uranium ore and copper. The municipality has slightly over 15,000 inhabitants out of which 8,400 live in the town. The population trend is declining.



By car
Most people travel to Kuusamo by car. Expect about a 10-hr drive from the southern part Finland, more in the winter when there is snow, ice, and lowered speed limits. The town of Kuusamo is at the intersection of highways 5 and 20. The Ruka resort and the road to Oulanka National Park are also by the highway 5, north from the town.

(Kuusamo-Суоперя) is open daily 09:00–20:00. In 2021, it served cargo traffic, and Finnish and Russian citizens returning home. The nearest town in Russia is Kestenga (Кестеньга, Finnish: Kiestinki) in Russian Karelia. As of March 2024, the border is closed.

By train
The nearest train stations are in Kemijärvi (135 km) and Rovaniemi (180 km). Often Oulu (205 km) is more convenient, with connecting buses timed to train arrivals.

By bus
It takes 3 hr by coach from Oulu to Kuusamo and about ½ hr more to Ruka. The one-way ticket costs €30–40/adult and there are 2–3 departures daily. If you are heading to Ruka, for most departures you need to change bus in Kuusamo centre. This may require some waiting at the.

There are regular connections from Rovaniemi (3–3½ hours, €30–40), Kajaani (3½ hours, €26) and Kemijärvi (2½ hours, €21). From Rovaniemi airport (via the coach station) there is a connection to Ruka every morning on weekdays. The trip takes 6½ hours and requires changes at Pudasjärvi and Kuusamo centre. Price ca €60/adult.

See Matkahuolto for details.

Get around


Having your own car is the most practical way of getting around in Kuusamo. Aside from a few intercity buses and school buses a day, public transport is non-existent. You can also get around by taxi, but given the distances, it is pretty expensive.

Local bus traffic consists of two lines serviced a few times per weekday during the school year, but not in weekends or summer. Information about local and regional buses can be had from the municipal office. Matkahuolto route planner includes the local and regional routes.

You can also use coach lines for travelling in Kuusamo: coaches towards Oulu for the south-west, towards Kajaani and towards the Kuusamo border crossing ("raja-asema") for the south, towards Rovaniemi, Salla and Kemijärvi for the north. Timetables from Matkahuolto.

There is also a dial-a-ride service available, which services mainly as a connection between Kuusamo and Ruka, but which can be used also for rides within Kuusamo. It can be ordered using Matkahuolto Trip Planner and Tickets mobile app. The passenger can pick up the ride up to five days and can check availability at any time, and secure the ride as well as the seat only by ordering transportation. The app always shows the final binding price before confirming the order.

Driving around during weekend is popular among the youth. Snowmobiling is very popular in Kuusamo and there are hundreds of kilometres of snowmobiling routes. The Ruka village and Kuusamo centre are compact enough for betting around on foot.

By taxi

 * Smartphone apps: Valopilkku, 02 Taksi, Taksini

See


Although Kuusamo is slightly south of the Arctic Circle, there is two weeks of midnight sun. Choose from were to watch, to avoid having the sun go hiding behind a hill at some point (and don't look at the sun!).

At the winter solstice daylight lasts about three hours, and the auroras can be seen all winter, although they aren't as common a sight as a few hundred more kilometres to the north.



Out of town


The Sukerijärvi Strict Nature Reserve is closed for public and any visits to the area require written permission from the Finnish Forest Administration. Such permits are given for scientific reasons only. You'll find quite similar mire ecosystem in the northernmost parts of Oulanka National Park.

Buy


There are many handicraft stores at the Ruka resort and in central Kuusamo.



Local specialties

 * Leipäjuusto, a regional fresh cheese. Also known as Finnish squeaky cheese because the cheese is "squeaking" when one's chewing it. Served often as a dessert slightly heated with cream and clodberry jam.
 * Poronkäristys, sautéed reindeer. A speciality of Lapland, but also available in the northern part of the Oulu province.
 * Kitkan Viisas, local form of vendace (a fish) living in the lakes at Koillismaa highlands. This true local speciality has a PDO product status in the European Union.

Drink
There are many bars and pubs in Ruka and Kuusamo, Ruka is famous for its dance and karaoke bar zone.

Respect
Locals don't like arrogant tourists, especially when they are intoxicated, so be polite to them and they are polite to you.

Go next

 * – Many trails, ranging from easy ones accessible by wheelchair and pram to the famous Karhunkierros. Also canoeing routes. Borders Paanajärvi National Park in Russia (border passing for wildlife only).
 * – One of the biggest ski centres in Finland.
 * Finnish Lapland