Wild Taiga Finland

Wild Taiga is a registered trademark owned by the City of Kuhmo, located in the eastern Kainuu region of Finland. Members of the Idän Taiga Travel Association ( founded in 2004 ) have user rights to the trademark, as do the City of Kuhmo and the Suomussalmi municipality.
Our history and the present
The Travel Association’s tasks are developing tourism products and marketing them collectively under the Wild Taiga umbrella. There are 62 privately owned companies offering a wealth of outdoor activities supported by an insight into local traditions along the Finnish - Russian border. The local everyday culture and way of life lie at the core of the destination with a close relationship with nature.
Wild Taiga has been awarded as the European Destinations of Excellence in Finland in 2008 by the EC as well as a media favourite destination by The Finnish Guild of Travel Journalists. The EC jury’s comments on Wild Taiga include the following: “The local everyday culture and way of life lie at the core of the destination, with the close relationship with nature constituting a strong dimension. This destination exploits local cultural knowledge, involving strong cultural and arts events alongside other cultural factors. It represents an innovative, networked operating mode, being clearly organised and striving systematically towards jointly established targets, the achievement of which is monitored. The destination works in a sustainable mode in relation to the environment, taking account of practices promoting ecological sustainability.”
Wild Taiga is also the Finnish Champion 2011 in travel marketing- awarded by The Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities.
Products and services
The main themes of the Wild Taiga product lines are founded on the inherent strengths of the area, namely its matchless nature and culture. Local inhabitants live in close contact with their natural surroundings and this familiarity and competence is made evident in the wide variety of tourism products available. These native skills are then passed to the next generation and preserved, giving travellers to the region the opportunity to observe local tradition in a family-run business during their stay.
The most important draws of the area are its pristine nature rich with indigenous fauna, its colourful Winter War history, an ancient cultural tradition inspired by the national folk poem epic Kalevala, a local cuisine influenced by both the West and the East, and music events like the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival.
One of the things exclusive to the area in Finland, and in greater Europe for that matter, is its guided animal observation and wildlife photography tours. Here visitors are given the opportunity to see wild animals like bear, wolf, wolverine, the rare Wild Finnish Forest Reindeer, moose and local birds like owls up close in their natural habitat. The product selection that includes animal observation tours is rooted in the long-standing indigenous culture of outdoor leisure pursuits like fishing, hunting and berry picking. It is also strengthened by local expertise in nature photography and its requisite conditions.
A significant attraction of the region is also its historic location on the Russian border, dating back to 1595. Cultural tourism trips pass through the region’s international border crossing station Vartius to visit primeval folklore villages; trips are organised by The Information Center for the Kalevala and Karelian Culture Juminkeko. The Finnish-Russian Friendship Nature Reserve, a joint nature park on both sides of the border, is an excellent nature tourism destination.
Links
*WildTaiga.fi
*LinkedIn
*Responsible Travel
*Wild Wonders of Europe

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