Most Inspirational Moment
Dog sledding
Thoughts on Group Leader
Very good leadership
Advice for Potential Travellers
All outdoor clothing provided and kept you warm
Reviews
Your Words – We tell it like it is! Holiday Reviews by previous Exodus travellers
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Reviews
What an amazing week!
I recently embarked on the Finnish Wilderness Week with Exodus, and it was an experience of a lifetime! Basecamp Oulanka is a charming retreat surrounded by forests and Juuma Lake. The week was filled with many winter activities, including snowshoeing in the snow-covered forests, cross-country skiing by the lake, and an unforgettable dogsledding adventure, despite being new to winter sports the guides were incredibly helpful and patient with us. The accommodation at Basecamp Oulanka was superb, offering warm rooms, and the provision of all necessary Arctic equipment made the adventure comfortable and enjoyable.
Wilderness week
Excellent trip definitely recommend it
Northern lights
A fantastic week in Finland with a great group lead by a super leader.
Most Inspirational Moment
There were many inspirational moments but the mushing was probably the most inspirational.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Martti was fantastic. Very knowledgeable. Very patient. Looked after everyone’s needs.
Advice for Potential Travellers
In previous reviews a lot has been said about the gear provided. It is perfectly adequate but you may wish to bring some of your own stuff e.g. a good down jacket, some snow shoes for getting around the base camp and maybe a ski jacket and trousers if you are intending to spend a day (downhill)skiing in Ruka.
A spectacular Wilderness Week in Kuusamo
Based at Oulanka Base Camp within Oulanka National Park we were able to participate in a number of Finnish wilderness activities from Snow shoe hikes, cross-country skiing, dog sledding, driving a skidoo on a snowmobile safari and building a Quinzee(igloo) and being amazed on two evenings watching the spectacular northern lights. Our lodge was very comfortable and warm with a balcony offering fantastic views of snow covered spruce trees and the frozen Juuma lake. The food in the restaurant was delicious and plentiful all sourced locally and prepared by a chef.
Most Inspirational Moment
For me, the most inspirational moment of the trip was the 5km snow shoe hike in the Rissintunturi National Park. Trekking through the spruce forest and seeing the strange formations formed by the snow build up was out of this world and offered me a magical snow walking experience. A close second was the visit to the Husky farm and stroking the friendly dogs and doing the dog sledding on a 10km mushing adventure.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Anton was our group leader. His skills were exceptional and he was very knowledgeable about anything nature wise. He also spoke good English, was very patient and had a brilliant sense of humour. Martii and the rest of base camp staff were always accommodating and friendly.
Superb adventure from start to finish
I had high expectations for this holiday but it was even more amazing than I could’ve imagined! Every day was packed with new experiences and challenges, all overseen by expert guides who were a joy to spend our week with. Base camp is warm and welcoming with great food and hot drinks and blazing fire on tap.
Most Inspirational Moment
The stunning surrounds of the National Parks, knee deep in snow with a great group of fellow travellers.
Thoughts on Group Leader
The group leader was exceptional - a passionate advocate for the nature he helped us discover, gave expert tuition for the new skills we needed - all delivered with great humour and sense of fun.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Don’t think twice about this trip - if you love nature, discovering the great outdoors, and want to feel safe learning new skills - it’s a must!
Absolutely amazing week
The week was absolutely amazing and perfect from start to finish. We had a great group that mixed well and inspired and supported each other. The accommodation – Basecamp Oulanka – was comfortable, warm and perfectly situated and the staff professional, helpful and kind. Our guide, Martti, was absoutely great, as was his ‘side-kick’ Anton. Martti was inspiring, flexible, helpful and a good laugh. Both Martti and Anton clearly enjoyed their job and ensured that we had a great time with all the activities. Nothing was too much trouble for them. Having hot tea and coffee available throughout the day was great, as was the daily usage of the sauna and hot tub. The meals at Basecamp were plentiful, tasty and well-thought out and encouraged me to try things I’d never eaten before.
Most Inspirational Moment
Everything - I couldn't just pick one thing. The excursions were outstanding, especially the Husky Dog Sledging which was definitely a highlight. The scenery was unbelievable and picture-postcard perfect. The guidance from Martti and Anton for the snowshoeing and cross-country skiing was professional and encouraging and full of fun and interesting facts. A session of Sauna Yoga with Nina was the perfect end to a physical day - and she was patient, bubbly and encouraging and obviously loved what she was teaching us and eager for us to enjoy it too.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Martti was brilliant, a real coup for Exodus! He had a great sense of humour, was knowledgeable and you can tell he loves his job. He was consistently patient with everyone when he was teaching us how to ski, snowshoe, etc. He always had little interesting and fun facts to impart to us, whether about the history of Finland, the nature and scenery we were passing or the food we were eating. He also encouraged us to use the equipment in our free time and freely offered advice and maps on placing for us to visit in the surrounding area. Without a doubt, one of the best group leaders I have ever had the pleasure to meet on adventure trips with both Exodus and other companies. We were also fortunate enough to have Anton working with Martti, who was also excellent and very personable. He was jolly and also had a good sense of humour and was very helpful.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Relax, have fun and embrace the experience and everything contained within and around it. Pack lightly - the equipment that Basecamp provided for us worked excellently and kept us very warm and dry. The footwear was so effective at keeping my feet warm and dry that I am now looking to purchase similar for my own personal use back in the UK (I generally suffer from very cold toes when I am out hiking in the UK, but the Solomon boots they provided keep my feet warm and comfortable throughout the trip.
Trip of a lifetime
It was an amazing trip of a lifetime. The location and activities were fantastic, the Basecamp was very homely, and the team that work there were great. I would recommend this trip.
Most Inspirational Moment
The last four days of the trip were my favorite- the quinzee building, snow showing walk/hike, huskies and ice climbing.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Martty was great, very knowledgeable and friendly and was around practically 24/7.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Basecamp will give you a thermos, but will ask that you don't put tea or coffee in it only water or squash. It would be useful to know that you should take your own thermos if you don't want hot water or squash. There is no kettle for tea/coffee in the rooms, although there is also tea/coffee available all day in the communal area. The outer wear that is given to the group was worn and old. If you have your own better quality clothing then take that, there is no standard or anything specific about their clothes for the cold temperatures. The bar closes at 10pm, and there is no drinking up time and you can't take drinks back to your room, or bring your own.
Life in the freezer
This was a great week of learning skills – cross country skiing, snowshoeing, igloo building – and enjoying the quietness of the Finnish wilderness. The food and social side were great too!
Most Inspirational Moment
There were several highlights, but I spent the last day completing a local hiking trail alone in the forest and snow. It was stunningly pretty, and an achievement to complete.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Marti was great. Hard working, trying his best to accommodate various requests for activities, and a good combination of looking after us and getting us to explore independently.
Advice for Potential Travellers
The trip notes say that Basecamp supply all outdoor clothing, and you only need evening clothes. This is true, but you might well be more comfortable in your own outdoor or ski clothing that you are familiar with. For our trip, the average temperature was - 15 to - 20 deg C (the same as your freezer!), and a balaclava or covering for chin and cheeks is recommended.
What a week!
This was my first Exodus Trip, Joining my sister who has been on numerous Exodus trips before – I knew this was going to be a worthwhile trip. It was my first time to Finland and I was on the hunt for the Northern Lights. Having been to Iceland a few years back and not seeing them there I was determined to find the Lights…. And i did….twice!!
Basecamp is warm and cosy and in the perfect location. With a frozen lake and the woods to wander around you are not short of things to do. The staff are all really friendly and more than accommodating. They all have a brilliant but wicked sense of humour and definitely kept us laughing throughout the week.
I enjoyed every single activity that was planned and during our own time we got to explore, practice cross country skiing, sit in the hot tub and play in the snow!
Most Inspirational Moment
At the start of the week we were losing hope of seeing the Northern Lights as our leader expressed he hadn't seen them for about 3 weeks. On our 'Oulanka by night' we snowshoed through the woods and onto the frozen lake where, in other times the Northern Lights would be shining bright above us.... But this was not the case. As we were heading back to Basecamp we spotting what looked to be the start of the Lights ... so we all stayed for 15 minutes longer but they did not really develop. We all decided we would go back to Basecamp and then head back down to the Lake in about an hours time and hopefully they would be brighter. As soon as we were back in the cabins and starting to take off our gear, we got THE KNOCK. The staff offer to knock on your cabin door if the Lights appear so we all opted in for this. This was definitely the most exciting part of the trip for me as it has been one of my bucket list dreams to see the Northern Lights. It was really funny because everyone - including myself, was so excited and rushing around trying to get their kit back on so we could go down to the lake as quickly as possible. Luckily our leader told me to change the settings on my phone so that the camera would pick up the night sky and i managed to get some amazing photos that I will treasure forever.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Oh Martii! Martii was our leader for the week and he was awesome. He was full of knowledge and had numerous stories to tell. He knew how to persuade us to do things we didn't even know we wanted to do. He was relaxed, friendly and worked every single day of our trip. All of the staff were really lovely, Bar Staff, Kitchen Staff and anyone else who was helping out.
Advice for Potential Travellers
I took too many clothes!! You really do only need a couple of warm base layers and everything else is provided. I ended up wearing the same few items of clothing pretty much all week. I did take my own snow boots and coat which came in handy for when we handed back our equipment but still wanted to stand out in -11°C watching the Northern Lights on the last night. We didn't need too much cash as you can pay the room bill via card. We took cash mainly to tip the staff at the end of the trip - If i had more cash on me I would've definitely tipped more as they all deserved it!
It's a must do!
This was an amazing week filled with first time experiences. Finland is such a beautiful place. We were lucky enough to see the Northern Lights on 2 nights- which was my main reason for going on this trip as well as the husky sledding. The day trip to Ruka was a great day, where I went snowmobiling which was great fun and watched people on the ski slopes. We visited a reindeer farm, where we got to feed the young reindeer.
An added bonus was crossing the Arctic Circle on the way to the airport at the end of the week. This was unexpected and ended the holiday wonderfully!
Most Inspirational Moment
I have never skied of any type before but I gave it a go after Martti (our group leader) showed us how it was done. I was going down little hills without falling over by the end of the week. Watching the Northern Lights appear and move in the sky was fascinating.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Martti was a brilliant group leader. He was always around when we needed him. He has a great sense of humour and made us laugh throughout the week. Nothing is too much trouble.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Give everything a go. The quinzee building was great fun and people on our tour stayed in them all night- I wish I had now. You don't need much cash, as everywhere takes card. Take your own flash so you can fill up with tea or coffee to take on your outings.