Brown bears in Finland

I have just recently (September 2008) came back from a trip to view brown bears in Finland. It is something that I have wanted to do for years to see brown bears in their natural habitat. As I have said before bears are a very close and personal part of my life and this crystal bear website would be half empty without a bit about them and some pictures to see them in all their beauty. I wanted only to include bears that I have seen up close and so all these pictures are ones that I have taken and I hope you enjoy this little story about my trip and the bear photo gallery.

I went to the Wild Brown Bear lodge in Vartius in Finland which is just 1 ½ miles from the Russian border. It lies 644 km North East of Helsinki. I caught a plane from Helsinki to Kajaani then a 125km drive from there to the lodge. The drive was lovely as the roads where long, straight and empty, with huge pine trees and fir trees either side just so beautiful and peaceful. I was picked up by the owner of the hides Ari who has been doing this for nine years now and knows everything about brown bears. The lodge has ten private photographing hides holding up to two people as well as watching hides. The photographing hides were just perfect as right on the lake allowing you to get right up close to the bears. The lodge itself was set in a forest so remote and peaceful to lose you in. It was so quiet the sound of two red squirrels playing sounded like a large animal crashing through the forest. Wild mushrooms and toadstools of many varieties littered the floor at the sides of the tracks and you could hear wood peckers tapping away at the tops of the trees. Before coming to Finland I had sat down for three days meditation which had prepared me perfectly to enjoy all this space and be free to expand and let go.

My first night was spent was spent walking in the surrounding area. With camera in my hand I enjoyed taking pictures of the forest and plant life in it. I sat by the part of the lake by the lodge looking over the water and the ripples on the top and allowed this gentleness to take me away from the stress back home. In fact home was forgotten as I became submerged in all Finland's beauty. I watched the sun go down bringing with it stillness and peace.

The next day after breakfast I enjoyed more walks in the forest and moments by the lake before dinner at four o'clock. After this it was a walk of 700m at the other side of the forest down to the hides by the lake to spend an evening watching brown bears. I was so excited as I walked through this track in the forest as I was finally about to see and be with my beloved bears. The first night I was in a hide at the far left of the lake. I settled into my hide and looked out at the rock face at the other side of the lake. Birds were perched in trees and for the first thirty minutes all was quiet. You are told that absolute silence in the hides is required as the bears are extremely shy. About five of the hides had people in them but unless you knew you wouldn't have known as it was so quiet and still. My attention was drawn to the rocks as suddenly there was movement as the first brown bear came into view. The bear just stood there on top of the rocks smelling the air before another bear came in view nearby. As they hunted for food in the rocks it seemed this stirred the life out on the lake. Birds took flight around the bears waiting for any food that they may drop. More bears appeared at different parts of the lake, some even going to the lake it seemed to look at their reflection. I looked on in wonder as these beautiful bears ambled slowly along. I couldn't believe it when a bear came closer and closer to my hide to within a couple of metres of my hide. The bear was so close I could hear it breathing and low grunts as it went to a box that contained trout salmon. The hide owners feed the bears about 100kg a night. This brings them out to view and is placed in the buckets as this contains the smell of the fish. They used to just put it out for the bears but even after the fish had gone the bears could still smell it and would dig for ages looking for the fish. Another smaller bear came close to the food source and the other bear chased it away. The bears were so close I could see the steam of their breath. I viewed brown bears for the next four hours until the sun went down and I could no longer take pictures. Then I just put my cameras away and sat back to watch them wander about in their only little bear world. When I could see no more I got into my sleeping bag and fell asleep to the sounds of the bears so close around me. It was a wonderful feeling and my dreams were filled with bears.

The brown bear is an amazing sight to behold. An adult male bear can weigh up to 700kg and have 42 teeth. The colour of brown bears ranges from tan to near black. They look like gentle giants but have great strength. The brown bears diet mostly consists of vegetable matter about 80%. You never see two males eating together. If you see two bears eating together it usually is two sisters or a male and female. As I was viewing them in September it was a great time as they were stocking up for winter when the bears go into hibernation and give birth. Male bears can walk 200km to their hibernation zone, covering up to a distance of 25km per day. Female bears tend to stay closer travelling from the area only a distance of 5-10km. The max speed the bears walk to hibernation zone is 1-1 ½ km an hour as they hunt for food on the way. Bears in their nature are solitary creatures and fight only if threatened. Brown bears often use old ant nests to hibernate in or dig caves. Often once the snow falls skiers ski over the top without even realising bears are underneath. The only tell tale sign is a hole in the snow which is used for air and water. The brown bear is called Karhu in Finland and the Latin name is Ursus arctos.

The next morning I awoke in the hide to complete peace settled over the lake. As we walked back to the lodge through the forest everyone was smiling and couldn't wait to get to the other side to talk about the bears we had seen. Breakfast was a babble of conversation as everyone wanted the release of been quiet all night and exchange our brown bear stories. I went up to my room to get washed and changed and just sat on the bed for over an hour trying to take in the night before. I had spent a night with my beloved bears and I got to do it all again tonight too I thought. The day was spent at leisure enjoying the forest, lake and stillness around. As it turned out I was the only person going to view bears that night so it was just going to me alone in a hide with the bears for company, this was so perfect. As I walked back through the forest for a second time tingles came all over me. As I got to the hides Ari met me and showed me to hide 1 at the opposite side of the lake from the previous day. He told me to walk back to the lodge at seven the next morning. It was truly going to just going to be me and the bears tonight I was so excited.

 From this hide I had a much closer view or the rocks at the other side of the water. I could tell how much the bears loved exploring inside the rocks and looking at the view below them. There were fewer bears out tonight but I got to see them even closer than the previous night. In Finland they have over 900 bears. In the area I was in there were about 35 brown bears and at this particular site you could often view up to 9 bears at a time. As the bears played on the rocks I saw just how powerful they were climbing about them. As they walked about the area you felt like they owned it all and had not a care in the world. As they ran through the water and waded through the mud I felt a sense of joy at the bear's freedom. As the bears fed near my hide and kept coming and going I felt really close to them. Their thick brown fur, wet nose and deep eyes made them so lovable. The white in their mouths made it look as the bears were smiling at you. Often the bears would just stop and look straight at you it seemed. I loved every minute of the time I spent with the bears. I took so many pictures of them which I will treasure forever. As darkness fell again a gentle rain fell and added to this magical moment. I sat in a chair got comfortable and listened to the sound of the bears and the rain falling and fell into the moment. I closed my eyes and went into a meditation to be even closer to my bears. As the hours passed they were still around and as I drifted back it was all dark. I peered out of my hide as I could hear all the bears about me and I strained for one last look at my bears. As my eyes became accustomed I could faintly make out the outline of one of them so close to me. I said goodbye to the bears before settling down to sleep with the sound of the bears walking in the mud looking for food and the rain falling on the hide. My memories of watching these brown bears will last a lifetime. I love my bears even more now.

I have posted some movies from my brown bear viewings on You Tube. You will get to see the bears I saw from the hide and I hope you will enjoy watching my brown bears.

The Crystal Bear You Tube site click here

If you fancy going to view brown bears at the same place I did, just click the link below.

Click here to go to wild brown bear website

copyright © crystal bear 2008