Finland Small Group Trips

A very enjoyable trip, good mix of city and country walking. Walks were already to moderate, only 1 involved a bit of scrambling. Our guide, Toni, made the trip with his knowledge of the countries, their history and culture. Should have booked an extra day in Stockholm as so much to see. Also a bit more time in Torku would have been good. a All stops were well selected.

A wonderful holiday, and an excellent introduction to the beauty and charm of Finland and Sweden. The guide was terrific, and I enjoyed all the walks. The first one was a bit more challenging than expected, but I understand Explore has taken that on board. It is a new holiday, and there are bound to be things that are tweaked for future trips; that said before booking I would recommend checking whether the hotels in the cities are too far out of town for you. The trip notes warn that eating out will be expensive, and it was, particularly alcohol; I would recommend being prepared for this. Would definitely recommend.

This is a new trip and so wasn’t perfect, but still it was very interesting and good fun. Highlights for me were, the Vasa Museum visit and the Aland Islands. The walks were great, including the optional walk at Mariehamn, maybe that could go into the itinerary. Least favourite parts - the guided tours through various cities, especially the Helsinki tour. The visit to Raumu also felt a long way to travel (3 hours round trip) for a short walk and rushed tour of the town. In fact there were 2 guided tours on that day and we had no time to look at either place (Turku or Raumu) in more detail. I would drop Raumu, allow time for individual exploration of Turku and a longer walk in the afternoon. This tour has lots of potential and is well worth taking.

What an amazing trip! A good balance between winter activities and down time. Managed to use the hotel sauna every afternoon which was great and super relaxing. The weather was perfect and we saw the spectacular Northern Lights 3 nights out of 5. When we didn’t see them, we just didn’t go out to look for them :) The food in Finland is delicious and the local guides, restaurant and hotel staff are very helpful, kind and caring. Highly recommend this trip! Thank you, Explore, for organizing such a fab adventure!

A very enjoyable short trip. The hotel was warm and comfortable with friendly helpful staff. The activities were fun and informative. I particularly enjoyed spending time with the Reindeer Herders and the Husky Experience was great fun. You don't get to drive a dog team everyday! The tour was well run and organised.

First time snowshoeing and I’m already hooked! ❄️ Huge thanks to our guide Joonas for giving us the confidence to explore the Finnish wilderness – crossing frozen lakes, trekking through snow-laden forests, navigating tiny bridges over fast-flowing rapids, and sinking into snow up to our knees! What an unforgettable adventure! Basecamp Oulanka itself is a true highlight of this trip – a magical setting where you can step right out of your cabin and into an adventure, with hiking, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing at your doorstep! The camp itself is so well-equipped and has every comfort. The cabins are cosy and warm. The main lodge has lots of comfy corners to sit and enjoy a hot drink from the complimentary tea and coffee station after a hike or sit by the fire in the evenings. The sauna and hot tub became part of our daily routine after active days out. I was also impressed by the kit that Basecamp provide, you literally could come with the basics and they will give you everything you need for the whole week. I found the snow boots and snowshoes themselves very comfortable!