The preparation of Finland’s newest national park has started in Salla
At present, there are 40 national parks in Finland. A week ago the Finnish Ministry of the Environment announced that it will begin preparations for two new national parks. One of the new national parks will be located in Lapland, in the Municipality of Salla. According to the fastest schedule, the new national park of Salla could already be established in year 2021.
Salla is located in Finnish Lapland, north of the Arctic Circle and close to the Russian border. The area of Salla covers over 5,800 sq km, with only 3,400 residents. Salla, with a population density of 0.6 inhabitants per square kilometre, is one of the most sparsely populated areas in Europe. By way of contrast, there are at least 10,000 reindeer in Salla.
The surface area of the new Salla national park will cover over 10,000 hectares, and it will be located in the existing Sallatunturi Nature Reserve, which is situated between the Salla Ski Resort and the Russian border. There are numerous rare and wilderness-specific species, fells, old forests and swamps. The national park would also provide an ecological connection to the nature reserves on the Russian side of the border.
Right next to the future national park stands the Salla tourism destination, which provides various types of accommodation, restaurants and outdoor activities. You can explore the national park on marked skiing, hiking, winter walking and mountain bike trails. There are over 300 km of marked hiking and trekking trails in Salla. The local companies organise guided reindeer, husky, snowshoe, canoeing, hiking, snowmobile and fatbike trips to the national park and its surrounding areas. In Salla Reindeer Park, you can also find an exhibition of Salla’s nature.
Salla has invested in developing sustainable tourism for several years and has been one of the pilot areas in the Visit Finland’s Sustainable Travel Finland programme. Several tourism companies in Salla have already received environmental certification for responsible operations. Setting up the national park will continue the work on behalf of sustainable tourism.
The new national park can be reached easily by public bus from the nearest railway station and from the airport. Kuusamo airport is located approximately 90 minutes away by bus. For those who prefer a more ecological way of travel, it is easy to take a night train from Helsinki to Kemijärvi, and from there a bus to Salla.
“The atmosphere in Salla is fantastic, and the national park project provides hope for the future—something we desperately need in the middle of the coronavirus epidemic,” says the mayor of Salla municipality, Mr. Erkki Parkkinen.
Further information on tourism in Salla https://www.visitsalla.fi/en/
Additional information:
Paula Aspholm
Tourism manager, Salla- in the middle of nowhere
paula.aspholm@salla.fi
House of Lapland is a marketing and communications house for the Finnish Lapland. We promote Lapland as a travel and business destination as well as a filming location and a place to live. Most importantly, we share stories of the life above ordinary.
