The Nordics (Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark) offer astounding travel alternatives to friends of the Great Outdoors. Glacier hiking in Iceland, camping in Thy National Park in Denmark, whale watching in Norway…we’re simply spoiled for choice. So who won the Scandinavian Outdoor Award 2023? The winner might surprise you, because most people outside of Finland have probably never even heard of it.
To cut to the chase, the winner of the Scandinavian Outdoor Award: Travel Destination 2023 is Koli Lieksa, Finland. The jury consisted of German tour operators and travel trade operators and the award presented in March 2023 at the renowned ITB Berlin trade show for tourism.
Why did the jury choose Koli Lieksa? According to the official website of Scandinavian Outdoor Award, “the jury was convinced by the holistic four-season concept for several target groups. The region combines different types of accommodation, responsible nature tourism and a focus on integrating locals with growth that meets the needs of the region.”
To be fair, not all incredible Nordic outdoor destinations participate in this contest so winning this award is not an impossible feat nor a sign of popularity. But having been in Koli in 2019, we can attest that the nature and views are truly astounding and highly recommend the area! When you sit on Ukko-Koli watching over Lake Pielinen you can truly feel how your “sielu lepää” (in English: “soul rests”, as in that you can feel that your soul is at peace).
Koli National Park
Want to know a little more about Koli? Let’s start with some facts. The place called Koli is not a city nor a municipality; strictly speaking it is just a small village in Lieksa. So typically, people who say that they went to “Koli” mean that they where somewhere in the 29 km² Koli National Park area, established in 1991. As a travel destination Koli is seen as its own area, situated between Lieksa (city) and Juuka (municipality) with a small part of the Koli area being in the neighboring Kontiolahti.
Koli Offers a Breathtakingly Finnish View
Koli National Park is a vast national park, but if there is one place in Koli that everybody tends to visit, it’s the Ukko-Koli peak (354 metres above sea level, 253 metres above the surface of Lake Pielinen that it overlooks). You can park your car nearby (a bit further down) — even national parks tend to be very accessible in Finland.
The view from Ukko-Koli is breathtaking and most people simply sit down and feast their eyes on the spellbinding landscape of serene water and untouched forests that stretches out before them.
Hiking, Biking, Skiing, Trekking Routes
What should one do in Koli? Well, the Koli area is the perfect place for an active holiday and offers a wide range of trails and routes to beginners and experienced adventurers alike.
On this page you can find a whopping 31 routes and trails in Koli region. Using the filter, you can easily see the trails and routes available for the following activities: hiking, long-distance hiking, mountain biking, cross-country skiing, snowshoes, long-distance cycling or e-bike. You can also filter by thematic trail or scenic route.
Pikkukili Zoo
Less than an hour’s drive from “central” Koli, the Pikkukili Zoo is home to over 200 animals in the summer (see the map of the area in English here). The spacious 11-hectare area lets visitors calmly explore the surroundings and watch the animals without distractions. If you want, you can even rent a cottage there for a very reasonable price (the website is only in Finnish, unfortunately).
Art and Museums in Koli Region
If you are in the Koli region, there are several fascinating museums and exhibitions you can visit.
Koli Nature Center Ukko
Located next to Break Sokos Hotel Koli, almost next to Ukko-Koli, is the modern Koli Nature Center Ukko. There, visitors can learn about the history, geology, nature and culture of Koli by exploring the exhibitions or watch videos about Koli in the auditorium.
Paateri
In the summer, you can visit Paateri, the home of the late Eva Ryynänen whose wooden sculptures were inspired partially from Finnish mythology. The wooden Paateri Chapel with its window panes of glass is especially spectacular both from the outside and the inside. There’s also something very Finnish about her beautifully carved wooden sculptures and the natural-looking wooden furniture inside the chapel.
Pielisen Museum (Pielisen museo)
If you want to truly understand Finnish culture, you have to go back and see how Finns used to live and work over a hundred years ago. In Pielisen Museum, an hour’s drive away from Koli, you can explore buildings from different centuries and find out how people in the area got their livelihood, how prisoners were treated and much more.
Unfortunately, the museum is currently (late 2023) undergoing construction work and is temporarily closed.
Our Trip to Koli
In 2015, Life in Finland went to Koli for a weekend, having seen beautiful images taken from Ukko-Koli and seeing that there is a nice spa hotel, Break Sokos Hotel Koli located right next to it. The hotel offers rather beautiful views itself and we thought the spa was great – especially the outdoor pools from where you could see the ski slope (yes, you can go skiing basically right from the hotel). The location of the hotel is great and it blends very well with its surrounding forests and rocks. Based on our experience we can highly recommend the hotel.
Have you been to Koli? Leave us a comment and tell us what you thought about Koli as a travel destination.