Women-only guided snowshoeing expedition
Created for beginners; no previous experience required!
Explore pristine coniferous forests and frozen lakes of eastern Finland
Reach the remote wilderness of reindeer, elk, lynx, hares and bears with local, expert guides
Staying in wilderness cabins and log cabins
Cook and share delicious meals over an open fire
Experience 4,000 year old rock paintings at Colour Rock
Try ice-swimming in a frozen lake!
End each day with a traditional Finnish sauna
Created for solo women travellers, come meet new friends!
WHAT TO EXPECT
Join up with a small group of fellow Gutsy Girls and head off on a guided snowshoeing holiday, deep into the pristine Hossa National Park. We’ve partnered with local, expert wilderness guides to create a unique winter adventure, taking you into the peace and tranquility of the forest trails and over the ridges and frozen lakes of eastern Finland.
This trip is the perfect active escape. During the week-long retreat you will snowshoe, ice swim (if you dare!), devour fire-cooked meals, wind down in the sauna, share each other's company by the woodburning stove and bed down in traditional log cabins and wilderness huts.
After a short introductory session on snowshoeing equipment and technique, you will be equipped to access the incredible snow-covered landscape with your guide. No previous experience is necessary, but you will need to be fit and comfortable being out for 6 hours per day, adventuring over variable snowy terrain. There will be many short ups and downs to challenge and exhilarate!
We can’t wait to share the sport of snowshoeing and the remote Finnish wilderness with you.
LOCATION
We’ll be heading to Hossa, Finland’s 40th National Park, which stretches over 11,000 hectares of pristine coniferous forest and sparkling lakes. Reindeer, elk, hares, wolves, wolverines and bears (safely in hibernation at this time of year!) roam freely through the birch, spruce and pine.
This beautiful area has been inhabited since the Stone Age - and some of Finland’s most important rock paintings can be found at Värikallio, dating back over 4,000 years. And with over 90kms of trails, it is the perfect location for a snowshoeing adventure with new friends.
SNOWSHOEING
Do you like to hike? Snowshoeing is the winter extension, making remote snowy terrain accessible! Snowshoes are worn over footwear and their wide frame allows bodyweight to be distributed over a larger area. This stops you from sinking into the snow and helps to achieve ‘flotation’ - on top of the white stuff rather than thigh deep in it!
It’s a great sport for beginners because it doesn’t need the same level of technical skill and experience as skiing or snowboarding, yet gets you out into the wide open, snowy backcountry. It’s great exercise too because it works your whole body, improves balance, proprioception and muscle condition and is fast to learn.
ACTIVITY LEVEL
During this adventure, we will snowshoe between 6 km and 11 km per day and be out for around 5 - 6 hours, with plenty of time allowed to enjoy regular snack stops, time to take in the peace and the scenery and a good, long leisurely lunch. The terrain itself is quite variable with many short up and downhills but there are no long climbs. The landscape is simply breath-taking, winding through forests, along ridges and over the frozen lakes.
At the end of January, the snow is normally 60–70cm deep and soft - which means our average speed can be anything from 1 - 2 km per hour. If the track is harder, we will be able to walk faster and will have the option to add extra kilometres to the day’s route.
The difficulty of the tour is rated between easy and moderate, depending on the snow conditions. No previous experience of snowshoeing is needed but good physical condition is required to maximise enjoyment. If you do physical activity that gets your heart rate up 2-3 times a week and you enjoy hiking, you’ll have a great time on snow shoes!
ACCOMMODATION
Each night our accommodation will be in traditional log cabins inside the National Park, all of which are equipped with saunas for that all important evening wind down, as well as wood burning stoves to gather around and keep us toasty after a day of adventuring in the wilds.
We’ll have a base camp cabin for 5 of the nights, but for 2 nights we’ll be more remote. These cabins are basic and do not have electricity or showers, and the toilets are in a shared outhouse, adding to the true wilderness experience.
We don’t want to romanticise about these cabins too much! They are simple and basic, but do the job in providing a place to rest and get warm after a day in the crisp fresh air, you’ll sleep well…if you can stop yourself from checking for northern lights all night!
FOOD
We will be treated to a delicious and nutritious breakfast, lunch and dinner each day. Finnish products are always our first choice.
A good range of breakfast foods, including bread, cheese, ham, porridge, muesli, yoghurt, coffee and tea will be served at the cabin at around 8am, to set you up for the day’s adventures. Lunch will be prepared over an open fire along the route, at around midday.
Expect nourishing hot soup, sandwiches and a nice cup of coffee or tea with chocolate and biscuits.
When you arrive home to the cabin at the end of each day, dinner will usually be a hearty buffet served between 7-8pm, and will include some typical Finnish dishes. There will be a main course (meat/fish, potatoes/rice), a fresh salad/warm vegetables and a dessert.
We can cater for all dietary requirements with prior notice!
NORTHERN LIGHTS
Will you see the northern lights? We can’t guarantee it but you’ll be in the right place, with little to no light pollution! We’ll be keeping everything crossed that mother nature delivers!
The Adventure
Consider this itinerary as a flexible guide. Adjustments might be made to our daily plans depending on weather and conditions. The nights designated for the wilderness cabin stay may also shift.
Our goal is to provide you with the best experience, so some adaptability is essential!
-
Your adventure begins with your arrival at Kuusamo airport! We’ll connect you up with all those on the trip, so you’ll likely have someone to travel with. Transfer is provided to our base camp in Hossa (approx. 1 hour drive) where we will stay in a traditional cabin.
The cabins we use as our base camp cabins are situated in an isolated spot in the heart of the National Park. They are traditional, but well-equipped log cabins, with shared indoor toilets and showers as well as a kitchen, dining room and central heating. There is a sauna and a site for an open fire. There is also the alluring possibility of ice-swimming close at hand…
-
This day will start with a hearty breakfast, an introduction to the week’s programme and a brief preparatory session on snowshoeing technique. Once equipped and raring to go, it will be time to set off for the first day trip to see the Lounatkoski rapids. We’ll enjoy a picnic around an open fire next to the rapids and then snowshoe back to the our cabin, across Jatkonvaara-hill.
In the evening, relax and unwind in the lakeside sauna. Those who want can again try ice-swimming – breathe slowly out and dip yourself into the hole in the ice!
Snowshoeing 7 km, 6 hours.
-
After breakfast, we will get the chance to see the incredible 4,000 year old rock paintings. We will first take a short car transfer and then snowshoe to Colour Rock. A picnic lunch will be served near the prehistoric site and around an open fire - hot soup and sandwiches and coffee brewed in a big pot. In the afternoon we will return to the cabin to spend one more night, gathering strength to go out into more remote wilderness terrain the following day.
Snowshoeing 7 km, 6 hours
-
After breakfast this morning we will say goodbye to traditional cabin and journey to the wilderness cabins, where we will spend the next two nights.
The route goes along the top of a ridge between two frozen lakes and through the beautiful snow covered pine, spruce and birch forests. Look out for reindeer! Eventually you will reach the cabins where we will stay the night.
The wilderness cabins are situated on the shore of a lake. There is a sauna in the cabin, but there are no showers or electricity and toilets are in a shared outhouse. Heating is by cosy log burning stove.
-
After breakfast you will snowshoe along the ridges and over the lakes. The surrounding forests are home to many animals like elks, wolves, lynxes and hares but you will need a very sharp eye to see them! Bears also inhabit the area but in winter they are safely tucked away in hibernation. Halfway along our route, we will enjoy a picnic lunch around an open fire by some rapids.
We’ll be in the wilderness again this evening with no showers or electricity, but again, a cosy wood burning stove will provide the heating. There are outhouse toilets.
Snowshoeing 8 km, 6,5 hours
Note: 28 Jan - 4 February trip, you will stay in the same wilderness cabin for nights 5&6.
-
Today's route takes us back to our base camp cabin. We will snowshoe along high ridges, with amazing views, until we reach the Hossa Visitor Centre. We will have lunch here and there is a chance to visit a small shop for souvenirs. Back at the our first cabin, we will rest, have a sauna, maybe with ice-swimming for the brave, and enjoy a well-earned dinner.
Snowshoeing 5 km, 4 hours
-
Start the day with a hearty cabin breakfast and consider your options for the final day of the tour. You could opt to head out for an additional day of snowshoeing, or you could choose to stay close to the cabin and learn to build an igloo… or try ice fishing.
If you haven't yet tried a dip in the frozen lake, perhaps this will be the day?! After the obligatory evening sauna, we will enjoy our last night together over a Gutsy Girls farewell dinner.
2024
PRICE
January Shared room £1300
March Shared room £1400
DATES
Sun 17 March - Sun 24 March 2024⚡️ 3 SPOTS LEFT
2025
PRICE
January Shared room £1400
DATES
Sun 5 January - Sun 12 January 2025
Sun 19 January - Sun 26 January 2025
WHAT'S INCLUDED
6 days of guided snowshoeing
7 nights accommodation (4 nights in twin share room in equipped cabin, 2 nights in dorm style accommodation in wilderness cabin)
Snowshoes, poles, snow boots, mittens
Expert local guide
Gutsy Girls host
All meals - breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Saunas and ice swimming
Luggage transfers
Single timed Airport transfer from airport for recommended flight times.
WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED
Flights
Drinks
Travel Insurance
Personal clothing
Check out our packing list here
-
Important: The transfer times and airports are different for February and March.
Transfer times & recommended flights for February 2025
Our recommended flights are direct to Kuusamo with TUI from either London Gatwick, Birmingham or Manchester, and our airport transfers are designed to meet these flights. Kuusamo is approximately a 1 hour journey to our base cabin.
We will do one transfer on arrival and departure at the following times:
Arrival transfer: 1:30 pm pick up from Kuusamo airport
Departure transfer: Drop off at Kuusamo airport at 10:45 am
Our recommended flights are charter flights with TUI from London Gatwick (LGW), Birmingham (BHX) or Manchester (MAN) to Kuusamo (KAO) as follows:
London
Outbound: TUI
Depart LGW at 06:00
Arrive KAO at 11:35
Return: TUI
Depart KAO at 12:45
Arrive LGW at 14:35
Birmingham
Outbound: TUI
Depart BHX at 06:50
Arrive KAO at 12:10
Return: TUI
Depart KAO at 13:20
Arrive BHX at 14:45
Manchester
Outbound: TUI
Depart MAN at 07:35
Arrive KAO at 13:00
Return: TUI
Depart KAO at 14:10
Arrive MAN at 15:35
You can book these directly on the TUI website. We recommend booking your flights as soon as we have confirmed your trip is running as there are not many alternative flight options!
ALTERNATIVES
You could also fly outbound with Finnair and spend a night in Helsinki on Saturday before the trip begins; the transfer time can usually accommodate a morning Finnair flight to Kuusamo from Helsinki. If you are flying back to the UK with Finnair, you may need to spend another night in Helsinki on the way home.
GENERAL
You can get to Kuusamo however you like, as long as you are at the airport in time to meet our transfers. You may want to spend a night exploring Helsinki at the beginning or end of your trip.
Other airlines which fly direct from the UK to Helsinki are Norwegian and Ryanair.
PLEASE NOTE WE CAN ONLY DO ONE TRANSFER ON ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE. DUE TO LONG DISTANCES, PRIVATE TRANSFERS ARE EXPENSIVE TO ARRANGE.
-
Our recommended flights are Easyjet flights direct from London Gatwick to Rovaniemi. Rovaniemi is approximately a 3.5 hour journey to our base cabin.
We can do one transfer on arrival and departure at the following times:
Arrival transfer pick up: 12.30 pm
Departure transfer drop off: 10.30 am
Our recommended flights to Rovaniemi are as follows
Sunday 17 Mar 2024
London Gatwick to Rovaniemi
LGW 06:25 ✈️ RVN 11:50 Easyjet EZY8847
Sunday 24 Mar 2024
Return: EZY8848 Easyjet
RVN 12:30 ✈️ LGW 14:15 EZY8848 Easyjet
Our airport transfer timings are designed to meet these flights.
There are no direct flights to Rovaniemi from non-London airports on these dates.
GENERAL
You can get to Rovaniemi however you like, as long as you are at the airport in time to meet our transfers. You may want to spend a night exploring Helsinki at the beginning or end of your trip.
-
The accommodation on this trip is fairly simple, but absolutely in keeping with the wilderness that you'll be experiencing on your showshoe hikes each day! These huts are very traditionally Finnish, and we'll be experiencing Finnish traditions, culture and food first hand.
All trips except January 28 - February 4
On days 1–3 and 6 & 7 we will be at base camp, a traditional but well-equipped log cabin on the shore of Lake Jatkonjärvi.
The spacious cabin has 8 bedrooms with bunk beds, shared toilets and showers.
It also has a kitchen, dining room and central heating.
There is an electric sauna shared with a neighbouring cabin, a barbeque shelter and a site for an open fire.
There is the possibility of ice-swimming here!
On days 4 and 5 at the wilderness cabins the accommodation is more basic.
These log cabins have dormitory bunk beds (sleeping bags and liners provided)
You’ll be sleeping in the living space together, heated by a log burner.
These cabins have no showers or electricity.
The toilet is in a shared outhouse.
They do have saunas and wood stove heating!
Please note that the bathroom facilities are shared throughout the trip and that single rooms are not available.
January 28 - February 4 trip
The accommodation on this date is similar but slightly different to the other dates. There are two main differences:
A different base camp cabin
We stay at one wilderness cabin for 2 nights instead of moving between 2 different cabins
This date only has capacity for 8 guests (rather than 12) due to the smaller base camp cabin.
Days 1 – 4 and 7 we will be at a different base camp, a smaller traditional but well-equipped log cabin on the shore of Lake Lounaja:
You’ll be in a twin share room for these nights.
The cabin has 4 bedrooms each sleeping 2 people, shared toilets and showers.
It also has a kitchen, dining room and central heating.
There is an wood fired sauna and a site for an open fire.
There is the possibility of ice-swimming here!
Days 5 & 6 you'll be at a wilderness cabin, where the accommodation is more basic:
Dormitory bunk beds (sleeping bags and liners provided)
You’ll be sleeping in the living space together, heated by a log burner.
These cabins have no showers or electricity.
The toilet is in a shared outhouse.
They do have saunas and wood stove heating!
The bathroom facilities are shared throughout the trip and single rooms are not available.
-
Included: breakfast, lunch and dinner
Breakfast is served at the cabin (bread, cheese, ham, porridge, muesli, yoghurt, coffee, tea).
Lunch is served on an outdoor fireplace on the route and it consists of warm soup, sandwiches, (sausages) and coffee & tea with chocolate/biscuits.
Dinner is usually a buffet and includes typical Finnish dishes. The dinner consists of a main course (meat/fish, potatoes/rice), fresh salad/warm vegetables etc and dessert.
Finnish products are always our first choice. In winter all fruit is imported into Finland, so fruit may not be served very often, if at all.
Breakfast is usually around 8 am, lunch at 11–12 am and dinner at 7–8 pm.
Please bring your own snacks (energy / muesli bars, nuts, raisins etc) if you might need these during the week.
Tap water is drinkable in Finland. At the wilderness cabins where tap water is not available, water is brought in large cans (you can fill your own water bottle from these). Bottled water is not available.
We can cater for most dietary requirements. Please let us know if you have any dietary requirements at the time of booking.
-
A good base level of fitness is required to get the most out of the trip.
If you exercise in a way that raises your heart rate for 30 - 60 minutes, 3 times a week you’ll be good to go for this adventure! This could be hiking, running, cycling, swimming, high-intensity gym classes etc.
-
Our experiences are created with solo female travellers in mind, connecting like-minded women through sports, nature and adventure. The Gutsy Girls community is filled with bold and badass women from 18-65 years old, we never ask your age, just that you are up for an adventure!
As a rough guide, most Gutsy Girls guests are 24-60 years old, with around 60% in their 30s-40s.
After a day snowshoeing in the wild, age becomes irrelevant, as we are all connected by our experiences.
-
You will need personal travel insurance that covers you for snow shoeing - this is a requirement.
We highly recommend you buy your travel insurance as soon as you book your spot to cover yourself should you fall ill or injure yourself before your trip.
-
The cancellation will only be effective from the date that the cancellation is received in writing by email. Cancellation charges will be payable as follows:
• Cancellation fee of 100% is charged if cancelled 44 days or less before the trip
• Cancellation fee of 30% is charged if cancelled 45 days or more before the trip
BOOKINGS TERMS AND CONDITIONS
By paying your deposit you agree to the terms and conditions of Gutsy Girls and our provider.
-
Whenever possible we use female instructors and guides, however, we cannot always guarantee this, simply because there are fewer female instructors available!
Our first priority is to work with the most highly experienced and considerate instructors and guides, who are patient, friendly and as passionate as we are about building women’s confidence in the outdoors.
Simply due to the ratio of men to women in the outdoors industry, sometimes this means our guides and instructors are male.
We keep a close eye on the feedback our guides receive from our guests as we believe that overall this is more important than their gender. We sincerely hope that as more women are introduced to adventure sports and activities, the number of female guides and instructors in our industry will increase.
-
This trip has a maximum of 12 spots, early booking is advised!
QUESTIONS
Bookings for this adventure are now open, you can secure your spot here.
If you have any questions, please check our FAQs as we’ve likely already answered them!
If you still need help, drop a message below and we’ll reply within 48 hours (Monday-Friday)
If you want to join the waitlist on a sold out date, drop us a message below and we’ll add you to the waitlist
Snowshoeing Packing List
The weather is likely to be cold and changeable. Of course we cannot predict the weather on any given week, but temperatures normally vary between -5 and -20 ° C, and we may sometimes have temperatures of more like -35°C. This sounds cold, however, for most of the winter in Finland it is a “dry” cold which tends to feel less cold than “damp” cold (which we have in the UK!).
You do need enough clothes to stay warm and comfortable though!
WE PROVIDE
Snow shoes
Trekking poles
Snow boots (if required - free to rent)
Sleeping bag and mummy liner (2 nights in wilderness cabins)
Bath towel (if you want to have a separate hand towel, please bring your own)
YOU WILL NEED
Snowshoeing kit:
Snow boots (you can hire these if you need - no need for investing in special footwear - let us know on booking)
Gaiters can be useful (optional)
20 - 30 litre backpack
Base layer thermal tops (a selection) (synthetic, wool or silk)
Long johns (thermal) (synthetic, wool or silk)
Fleece or wool jumper
A breathable, waterproof/water resistant and windproof shell jacket
Soft shell type trousers (windproof, water repellent, breathable) with space for thermal leggings/long johns underneath
A warm packable insulated / down jacket
A selection of warm socks of different thicknesses to help you get the best fit in your boots (wool is best)
Sunglasses (ski googles can be useful if the weather is bad but can fog up when you get hot!)
Warm hat
Ear muffs can be useful
Buff (you might want two - one for your neck, one as a headband), scarf or balaclava
Ski gloves (2 pairs, ideally, in case one gets wet - normal ski gloves will do - warm mittens are best if you are prone to getting cold)
Pair of big mittens to put over the other gloves when we stop
Glove liners and/or disposable hand warmers if you suffer from cold hands
Waterproof trousers (optional but recommended as an extra windproof layer)
Off the Snow:
Casual warm evening clothes
Night wear
Head torch & batteries
Toiletries
Swimwear and neoprene boots/gloves for the ice swimming and sauna if you wish (Finns will go nude!)
Travel towel (optional; bath towels are provided)
Sleeping bag liner (optional; these are provided if you don’t bring your own)
Pillowcase or camping pillow for the wilderness cabins
Sunscreen (high factor) and lip salve
Any prescription medication
Other medication (paracetamol/ibuprofen) is significantly more expensive in Finland so bring some if you need to
Compeed or moleskin for blisters, just in case!
Slippers / shoes (ideally with hard / waterproof soles) for the cabin
Earplugs and eye mask for sharing rooms in the cabins
30 - 40l soft sided overnight bag for packing for the wilderness cabins (optional; these are provided if you don’t bring your own)
Other Stuff:
Camera
Dry bags for inside your day pack to keep stuff dry
Waterproof case for your phone might be handy
Snacks - a selection!
Medium sized tupperware for carrying food out on the trails
Thermos so you can take hot drinks out on the trails
Water bottle (not a camelbak style bladder which will freeze)
Hand sanitiser
If you’re packing light, you could bring soap flakes/wash to hand wash thermals if required
Occasionally, luggage can be misplaced especially if you are connecting with another flight before landing in Kuusamo. We therefore recommend that you bring some clothes and shoes in your hand luggage so that you can participate in the first day even if your luggage doesn’t arrive with you!