A guide to Finnish outdoors and self-irony
Overview
“Wild wild Finland” is a detailed but easy-to-read guide to the Finnish outdoors and self-irony. These are two main things about this country and not its first place in the World Happiness Report. Rather, the opposite, love and care for nature and a great sense of humor are the keys to happiness in the Finnish way. It literally helps them survive in the harsh conditions of the north.
The author will take you all over the country, from his native Finnish Karelia and the Lakeland to the world’s largest archipelago in the Baltic Sea, from the only major city of Helsinki to the vast tundra of Lapland. The latter is often called “Europe’s last wilderness area,” but this statement is true for the whole country. You’ll visit all nine landscape zones, get an overview of the major national parks, follow the longest hiking trails, try sauna and other outdoor activities, learn some hard-to-pronounce Finnish words, and much more. In total, the guide covers 20 nature topics from geography to traveling with kids and workcation. These “serious” chapters with navigation and advice are interspersed with stories from 20 locals about self-irony.
This book will be useful for those who want to learn from Finns their simple art of living. Whether real or a virtual, a trip to this country is like taking a course in an open-air philosophical school, not a vacation. Everyone should visit Finland. It will turn your life upside down just as it once did for the author.
You can practice “the Finnish way” wherever you are.
— Ivan Kuznetsov, author, Finnish Karelia
Author
Ivan Kuznetsov — outdoor journalist, editor and writer, co-founder of Panoramica creative studio in the Italian Alps.
He was born and raised in Finnish Karelia in the south-east of the country, part of which is located in Russia today. In any case, it is a distinctive and vast region between the two countries. Since early childhood his main and still favorite outdoor activities have been picking berries and mushrooms, gathering firewood, looking at the reflections in the mirror of the lakes, and of course sauna. In addition to exploring territories in Russia Karelia, he has traveled more than a dozen times to different regions of Finland in very different roles, from hostels and couchsurfing to backpacking in national parks and writer’s residence.
As a writer, he has written and published more than 70 outdoor guides to absolutely all regions of the country, as well as all major natural areas, and publications in other formats — articles, interviews, posts — for leading media and blogs. There were also several public talks at major venues. He boldly calls himself an ambassador for Finland and the Finnish way of living.
All formats
Highlights
• Best national parks to go
• 20 stories on self-irony from locals
• Family chapter
Contents
Author
Map
Foreword by expert
Introduction
1. Geography
2. Geology
3. Landscapes
4. Activities
5. Parks
6. Routes
7. Navigation
8. Seasons
9. Equipment
10. Transportation
11. Villages
12. Language
13. Accommodation
14. Meals
15. Wildlife
16. Regulations
17. Safety
18. Accessibility
19. Children
20. Workcation
Conclusion
Answers to FAQs
Sources
Acknowledgements
Catalog
All book data
• Title: Wild wild Finland: A guide to Finnish outdoors and self-irony
• Author and interviewer: Ivan Kuznetsov
• Publisher: Panoramica
• Date of first publication: summer 2025
• Language: English
• Translation from Russian to English: Ivan Kuznetsov
• Editor: Ivan Kuznetsov
• Cover and layout design: Ivan Kuznetsov
• E-book: mobi, epub
• Paper book: 12.7 x 20.32 cm (5 x 8 in), soft matter cover, b&w print with illustrations
• Print run: print-on-demand
• Foreign rights: available for purchase for all languages, countries and formats
This book is also available in Russian.
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Go to Ivan’s Profile page or to the all Books page.