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 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.