Utsjoki

Utsjoki (North Sami: Ohcejohka) is the main village of the municipality with the same name, in northernmost Finnish Lapland. It is located on the right bank of the Teno river (Norwegian: Tana, Sámi: Deatnu) and thus by the border to Norway. Tourism in Utsjoki is clearly concentrated on salmon fishing. The municipality is a summer destination with few activities in winter.

Understand


The municipality is very sparsely populated, with large wilderness areas. Virtually all the population have their homes in the valleys of river Teno and river Utsjoki and therefore most of the municipality is uninhabited, used as reindeer pasture and foraging and hunting grounds. Actually the population is concentrated into three villages: Utsjoki, and. The rest of the villages you see on the map are just groups of a few houses, perhaps home to a few families.

About half of the population is Sámi; Utsjoki is the only municipality in Finland having Sámi speaking majority! Reindeer husbandry is important culturally and economically, but more traditionally people have lived from fishing salmon. Nowadays the border trade with Norway is the most important source of income, as most things are cheaper in Finland than in Norway. Social ties across the border are common and many families have close relatives in Norway.



By road
The normal way to get to Utsjoki is using the roads; either driving or travelling with the bus. Snowmobile routes and hiking trails provide alternatives for the more adventurous. Remember that distances are huge.

The European routes E6 and E75 meet across the border in Norway. The former travels through Norway all the way from Halden in the south to Kirkenes in the east, the latter runs through Finland via Rovaniemi, Ivalo and Inari to Utsjoki and across the bridge to Norway.

There are daily coaches from Rovaniemi via Ivalo, Kaamanen, Utsjoki and Nuorgam to Tana Bru (and Vadsø in summer). A one-way bus ticket to Utsjoki village costs about €30 from Ivalo and €83 from Rovaniemi. See timetables by Matkahuolto. There are also daily minibuses from Karasjok and Varangerbotn to Roavvegieddi, on the Norwegian side (must be prebooked, timetables by Snelandia).

By plane
The nearest airports are Ivalo (170 km), Kittilä (320 km) and Rovaniemi (450 km) in Finland, and Lakselv (190 km) and Kirkenes (190 km) in Norway. Ivalo has daily connections to Helsinki.

Get around
The village itself is small, but it is stretched out along the rivers, such that you have to like walking and have some time to manage without vehicles (6 km from the tourist information to the church).

You can use daily long distance coach services from Rovaniemi for destinations along E75 and possibly school buses along the other roads. Taxis are probably the most practical solution for anything farther than you want to walk. A bike is usable in summer if you have or can rent one.


 * Taxi Utsjoki/Sujala Antti

The national roads are in good shape, built as straight lines through the wilderness. Minor roads may be in less good condition, especially in winter, spring and early summer.

In the winter there are snowmobile routes, which can be used also for longer journeys. Driving outside routes is forbidden, with some exceptions.

See

 * The panorama of the Teno River.
 * Northern Lights – Except in summer, when nights are light in Lapland, chances are good you'll be amazed by colourful curtains of Aurora borealis silently dancing high above you. The polar night starts in November and ends in January. During the polar night dawn turns to dusk without the sun rising at all.
 * Northern Lights – Except in summer, when nights are light in Lapland, chances are good you'll be amazed by colourful curtains of Aurora borealis silently dancing high above you. The polar night starts in November and ends in January. During the polar night dawn turns to dusk without the sun rising at all.

Do



 * Salmon fishing in the Teno river, the most important salmon river in Europe. As in salmon rivers elsewhere, this requires an easy to buy special permit in addition to the national fishing management fee. Check the procedures for disinfecting your fishing equipment. Note Norwegian requirements if crossing the border, even if not landing.
 * Hiking in the surroundings, the Kevo Strict Nature Reserve or the Paistunturit or Kaldoaivi Wilderness Area. Information from Siida in Inari. Several trails start from the school centre. A map is recommended. It shows also the trails starting from the Utsjoki village. The Kaldoaivi area is shown on a map "Kaldoaivi Sevettijärvi Nuorgam ".
 * Utsjoki geological trail (3.5 km)
 * Kalkujoenlampi Trail (5.9 km circle trail)
 * Utsjoki Hiking Trail (35 km as circle trail), mostly above the tree line in open fell areas, via Mantojärvi Church. Fairly popular. The highest point along the trail, Roavveoaivi (466 m), offers wide views, e.g. to the snow-capped Rastigaissa fell in Norway (centrepiece of the Sampo Lapplill tale by Topelius). For sleeping there is one open wilderness hut at Goahppelasjávri. On the trail you need to ford the river Badjeseavttet.
 * Kevo Hiking Trail (64 km) through the Kevo canyon in the Kevo Strict Nature Reserve to Sulaoja near Karigasniemi.
 * Elli Trail (3.8 km), starts from the intersection at Lomatärppi holiday village
 * Cross-country skiing in the wilderness areas in winter, challenging even for experienced skiers because of the sometimes very harsh conditions.

There is a swimming pool, a movie theater and even a disc golf park in the village.

If you happen to be here when the sun returns after the polar night, try to join the celebration.

Buy
People coming from the Norwegian side of the border usually head for the Alko store in Nuorgam to buy liquor, because it's far cheaper than in Norway. Tourists from elsewhere will most probably find some souvenirs more interesting.



Open wilderness cottages
There are open wilderness huts in the nearby wilderness areas, but only one reasonably close to Utsjoki:

Backcountry
The right to access allows you to camp in a tent more or less anywhere away from people, except in places with special rules, such as in the Kevo Strict Nature Reserve. In the wilderness areas the right applies, with an additional right to make campfires under certain rules.

Connect
Postal code: 99980 Utsjoki

Mobile phones probably work well in the village and along the main roads, while there is no guarantee elsewhere. Be prepared to climb a fell if you need to make a call. For Teno, trails, cottages etc., check with your host or other locals.

Go next

 * Other villages in the municipality:
 * Nuorgam (Sami: Njuorggán), some 50 km north-east from Utsjoki, the very northernmost point of Finland – and of the European Union.
 * Karigasniemi (Sami: Gáregasnjárga) in the south-west, 100 km on the way to Karasjok (and Kautokeino and Alta). Road 970 along Teno to Karigasniemi provides for a scenic ride, while most buses use E75 to Kaamanen and road 92 onward.
 * Norway is just across the bridge over Teno. The municipality Tana has its centre downstream at Tana bru or "Tana bridge", which got its bridge already in 1948. The Arctic Sea opens in Varangerbotn about 80 km north-east from Utsjoki.