How about a trip to the EEC?

Do you miss it - or have you never been there?

Only 15-20 minutes away from Teigmo Helsegård is Finland (by car). We can arrange a trip for you if you like to cross the border, go shopping for souvenirs or if you just want to enjoy a really good meal.

We would especially recommend our themesafari to Suolaja: Keep on reading.

Karigasniemi

Karigasniemi is an old boarder crossing point between Norway and Finland. It is a junction where the traveller can choose the road to the North Cap or other shore areas of the Arctic Ocean; the riverside roads of the River Teno, again, will lead to Angeli in the south and the villages of Utsjoki, Nuorgam and Tana in the north.

Karasjok, the Sami center 20 km off the border on the Norwegian side also gives special colour to the life in Karigasniemi.

There has always been active trade accross the border here. Today, the village offers ample trade, catering and accommodation services and takes a pride in many buildings, maintenance and repair firms in the area. There is, of course, a post office, a school and a small health center in the village. Karigasniemi has ca 300 inhabitants of which more than half are Sami.

HIKING AND FISHING

Karigasniemi offers the visitors great hiking surroundings. The starting point of the trail through the Kevo Nature Preserve is situated approximately 10 km off the village by the road to Kaamanen. In this area, we find Finland´s largest spring, the "Sulaoja Grove", and the marked, 2-kilometer-long nature trail. On the road side, there is a parking place and toilets.
On the other side of the road, there are the River Karigasjoki and the Muotkatunturi fell area with its spectacular ravine Stuorraäytsi. There are also old hiking trails and unlocked wilderness cabins in the wilds, and experienced hikers may here take their own course. In the Kevo Nature Preserve, the visitor is only allowed to move on the marked trails and campingplaces.

INFORMATION

The bus station Matkahuolto and the tourist firms of Karigasniemi will provide the traveller with information on the fishing regulations of the area as well of the River Teno. The information hut of Metsähallitus at Utsjoki, will give the visitor information on the tourist services in the area.

Ekspedisjon: Sulaoja Nature trail

What You will see

1. Smooth Waters and other Sections of the River
Cultures living as one with nature develop a diverse and accurate vocabulary to describe main types of natural habitats. Nordic languages include many words which express, for instance, the shapes and detalis of rivers, lakes and forests.
The widening of the river ahead is called lompolo - smooth waters, "luoppal" in the Sami language. The place where the rapids meet the smooth waters of the river is "guoikkavuolli"(end of the rapids) or "joganjalbmi" (= mouth of the river). "Oaivvus" means the end of the smooth waters just before rapids. The upstream in a river is "jorregoatnil" in Sami.

2. Birch Forest
The municipality of Utsjoki an Karasjok is situated almost completely north of the coniferous forest zone. Only in some river valleys the air is warm enough for the Scots pine. The feIl birch forest represents the typical forest in Utsjoki and is in the same time the zone where there is life. It provides food and shelter for animals and humans alike. In the autumn the birch forest is host to the greatest berry and mushroom bounties. In the winter the thick snow proteds the animals from the sub-zero temperatures and from drying. In the early spring the flocks of willow grouse attract trappers into the birch forest. The young birch leaves in early summer are the reindeers' ideal nutrition. Simultaneously the bluethroat and other insectivores return to nest in the fell birch forest.
The mass appearance of geometre moth larvae in the 1960's caused a great environmental catastrophy to northern nature. The moth larvae destroyed over 1000 km2, roughly half of Utsjoki's birch forests. The process of recovering has been slow and large areas are still deserted, skeletal forests.

3. Ailigas
"Ailigas" means a sacred place in Sami. There are three high Ailigas fells in different parts of the Utsjoki area and people are always under the influence of one of the sacred fells. The Ailigas fell of Karigasniemi towers ahead, the Nuvvus- Alligas is further south near the River Tenojoki, and the third Ailigas fell is situated to the east of the village of Utsjoki. Fells of the same name can also be found in Norway.
When approaching the fell the first area encounted is called "entrance". - It may be for example a low hill, a fell stream or a gorge. A few kilometres to the south of the Ailigas fell in Karigasniemi is Feaskkervarri (= entrance hill).

4. Pit Traps for Deer
The wild reindeer was the most important game animal until the 19th century. Wild deer were hunted especially during their autumn migrations using different kinds of pit snare systems, which were connected by fences made in a traditional Sami (Lappish) way as nalis were not used. The largest network of pit snares is found near Lake Pulmankijarvi consisting of over 500 pits in the range of a couple of kilometres. This pit snare is part of a short series of a pits.
Reindeer husbandry developed first along with wild deer hunting. Tame deer were used as decoys in hunting, carrying gear as well as for transportation. It was later that reindeer were used for their nutritional value and fur.

5. Protected and wilderness areas
There are different nature protection areas in this region. They differ greatly in nature, size and regulations. The common factor shared by these areas is that they have been established in order to protect landscapes, natural land formations or wildlife from the influence of man.
Wilderness areas are the last roadless and nearly uninhabited vast spaces in Finland and Norway. In them man's influence upon nature has been minimal. The wildernesses are of substantial importance to reindeer husbandry and other traditional means of livelihood.

6. Sacred Spring

In the ancient religion of the Sami people, "saivo" or "saiva" meant a sacred, clear and deep lake, which often had a double bottom. This was the gate to the home or "saivomaa" of the underground spirits. A "seita"/"Seidi" was a rock, boulder or wooden sculpture, through which one communicated with gods providing fishing luck. A shaman was a person who communicated with the spiritual beings by drum. Different invisible beings either helped or harmed people. The earth spirits were small-sized and good spirits, although they should not be provoked. The humanlike "Staalo (Stallu)", on the other hand, was large and hostile.
This spring was a popular campfire place in the winter, when it was difficult to find water. Even as late as the early 1900's the fisherman and hunter Ovllas-Oullan (Uula N.p. Niittyvuopio) lived here in a small teepee.

7. The largest spring in Finland
The Luomusjoki River nearby see ps an abundance of water through the soil. The groundwater flows along an impervious surface, such as moraine. As the water approaches the surface of the ground it is released as a spring.
The Sula ojaspringhead releases water at a rate of 32 000m3(day (=400 litres(second). It is the largest known spring in Finland.

8. Angelica

The angelica appears wild in nature near the Arctic regions from Greenland through Siberia. It has been used by the Sami people since ancient times. The great importance of the angelica is verified by all the different names it comes by in the Sami language, The one-year plant ("fadnu") is used as food for livestock and reindeer either dried or mixed with lichen. The two-year plant is called "olbmoborranrassi", in the western dialects "boska". It has been used as a salad and spice.
Sometimes boys brought the stems of the angelica to the girls to chew on when they retumed from herding the reindeer on the fells. In the Nuorgam region stems soaked in fish liver oil were considered a delicacy.
The angelica along this stream are proteded.