Winter Activities

You are most likely to catch perches and other small yet delicious fish. After taking a fish carefully up you may want to put it back in the hole, to live in the waterworld happily ever after.

Many small and national ice fishing competitions are held in Finland every winter. Read more about fishing in Finland. Will you want to challenge national champions and be a celebrity? It is within your reach, if you take warm clothing, lots and lots of good luck, and our expert guide. We wish you tight lines!

Lucky scouting is often needed first. Take a closer look at these magnificent wild animals from our vehicles, as they trust cars more than humans. Sometimes we may return empty-handed from our safari, yet always freshened up. The thrill can come from just the chase!

No more than 800 genetically diverse forest reindeer are left in the EU, and they all live in the Kainuu region. The wild forest reindeer classification is Near Threatened, due to habitat loss and predators. An ongoing EU-funded project is moving a few caribous from us to elsewhere in Finland in order to prevent extinction.

Although efforts are being made to save the forest reindeer, it is best to come and see them soon rather than being too late!

You can have a pre-physical examination at cost before sauna, when suitably available in the region. Measure your stress level before and after sauna with our exclusive smart ring. You may be surprised.

Frequent sauna bathing hugely lowers the risk of stroke, states the well-known study by the University of Eastern Finland. The decrease was amazing: 61 % among those with 4-7 sessions per week, compared to those with one session only. The study also indicates that regular sauna bathing is associated with a reduced risk of coronary diseases, sudden cardiac death, hypertension, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and respiratory diseases, and it lowers CRP levels too. Maybe sauna should be made compulsory!

In the old times the Finns who settled into wilderness always built a sauna first. It was the safe base against hardships while constructing the main log house. And it was a paradise in the merciless backwoods. Is it your turn now? Collect sauna know-how at Villa Cone Beach. A free package for our sauna-goers contains designs, recommendations, links to studies on wellness and health, as well as to the best suppliers. Personal instructions are also given.

Open-minded explorers can safely and quite comfortably tolerate sauna temperatures up to 100 °C (250 °F), if the air is very dry. Water boils at that temperature. If you are hardcore, you might be able to take a bit more. But don’t feel any pressure, it is fully honourable to turn back from the door!

Collect sauna know-how at Villa Cone Beach. A free package for our sauna-goers contains designs, recommendations, links to studies on wellness and health, as well as to the best suppliers. Personal instructions are also given.

The programme is for eligible and fit grown-ups only. Should we so deem or should you request, a pre-physical examination shall be arranged at cost, when suitably available. Measure your stress levels before and after the Red Hot Sauna with our exclusive smart ring. We all may be surprised, since no study has measured it so far.

The Northern Lights often appear hundreds of kilometres away, in any direction but most often the north. Our chauffeur will gladly drive you there as quickly as possible, if we have enough time. The Northern Lights are created by particles sent by the Sun, when they hit our atmosphere a few days later. That’s why a forecast can be given no more than days or hours ahead. Be prepared for a lengthy ride to anywhere in Arctic Lakeland or Lapland.

Many folks have beliefs and tales explaining the Northern Lights. Finns have learned since the Ice Age that they are a fox running in flames across the skies and their Finnish name, revontulet, literally means “fox fires”. Other people know the Northern Lights have an important role in fertility matters.

The night temperatures can briefly reach -30 ºC already in October. In December it is no surprise anymore. The coldest weeks come typically at the end of January or in the beginning of February. The temperature can drop below -40 ºC for a night or two, but this doesn’t happen every year. When it is twenty degrees colder than in your freezer, cars behave differently. Steering is stiff and driving feels hard until the parts warm up somewhat. Even then your stay in the warmth of Villa Cone Beach is comfortable and cosy.

The end of March and April are spring months. Days get longer, warmer, and sunnier. April is the month when we lose our snow and cannot stop the summer from beginning. As wonderful as winter is, the change in seasons is always welcome.

It snows from time to time over the whole period, the thickness of snow perhaps being half a metre by the year’s end and up to a maximum of one metre in March. The temperature rises above zero several times during the snowy months. Then we make snowmen, snow castles, and other art of snow. You can try it too!