Northern Finland and Arctic Norway

This remarkable tour runs at the optimal time, giving us the best possible chance of finding the northern owls as well as seeing a wonderful collection of other resident species and summer visitors. We’ll begin in Finland, the land of over 180,000 lakes, and the westernmost outskirts of the vast Siberian taiga forest. Many migrant birds will just be arriving at their remote arctic breeding areas.

Finland’s endless birch and pine forest might seem monotonous, but the superficial impression belies a subtle and complex beauty, especially in the patches of old, “untouched” forest. Thick carpets of colorful mosses and lichens line the forest floor, and fantastic old gnarled pines lend a magical character to these places. It may seem as if, by entering such a forest, we have stepped into a fantasy game.

Farther north still, in fact as far as it is possible to go on the European mainland, we’ll visit Norway’s unspoiled Varanger peninsula on the edge of the Barents Sea. Here we’ll experience the full beauty and diversity of arctic birdlife, and we’ll watch many species infrequently seen away from these latitudes.