The night is so dark that I fumble to set up my camera on its tripod—but I’m grateful for the pitch-black. I’m also relieved it’s not too cold outside, and I can do without the added obstacle of gloves. A ’90s jingle about ribbon dancing from my childhood plays in my head as bands of green and purple intensify in the sky above me. Despite my jet lag from having just arrived in the Lapland North region of Finland, there’s no way I’d miss this.
Fall has arrived in Finland, and I’m one of the few dozen travelers out here. Winter (beginning around November) is undoubtedly Finland’s peak travel season, when nearly 3 million tourists are lured by whimsical snow globe scenery and a promise of northern lights. But I’ve stumbled on something of a local secret about fall, when visitation drops by more than half.
“Even after a lifetime of watching, [the auroras] feel special every time,” says Katja Vira. “You never know how long they will dance, or how their colors and shapes will change—and that unpredictability is part of their magic.”
Photo by Christian Hofstetter/Shutterstock
By day, I get to feast my eyes on spectacular ruska (foliage) thanks to golden birches high up in the mountains and rusty red carpets of maaruska, or low-lying ground shrubs. And by night, I can see the mystical aurora borealis with intense clarity.
“I find the northern lights even more beautiful in autumn than in winter,” says Katja Vira, owner of the wilderness lodge Isokenkäisten Klubi. “Without snow brightening the landscape, their colors can appear especially vivid.”
Aurora season kicks off in Lapland at the end of August, when the midnight sun gives way to dark nights and crisp temperatures. Because Finnish culture is so rooted in nature, autumn here brings foraging, campfire meals, comfortable hiking and paddling conditions, cold plunges during sauna sessions, and of course, the northern lights.
Best activities to see foliage in Finland
“For us, autumn is one of the most beautiful and meaningful seasons in Lapland. Every day the landscape seems to look a little different,” says Vira.
Photo by Kota Collective Photo/Lapland North Destinations (L); photo by Matt Wilder/Visit Finland (R)
Perhaps one of the most unique leaf-spotting activities I’ve ever done had me clad in a thermal dry suit and helmet for a guided slow float down the Kitkajoki River with Ruka Adventures. The Ruka-Kuusamo region is also home to five national parks with hikes like the 1.3-mile walk up Konttainen Hill, where my camera couldn’t get enough of the peak hues, post-shower rainbows, and roaming reindeer.
Finland is also home to the largest population of brown bears in Europe, so naturally, I jumped at the chance to bear-watch from a hut-like wildlife hide in a protected nature reserve, with Bear Kuusamo. My patience paid off with a sighting of a female that could definitely be a contender for Fat Bear Week.
Other national parks to take in Lapland’s fall foliage include Urho Kekkonen, where a fat-tire e-bike ride will show you thick forest scenery with ponds and rivers, and Lemmenjoki (Finland’s biggest park), where I highly recommend a Paltto Adventures riverboat cruise led by a Sámi guide. Cap it off with a visit to the Sámi Museum & Nature Centre Siida for a deeper understanding of the Indigenous peoples’ history and culture. And don’t miss out on a husky walk or wagon ride through the forest with Happy Huskies.
Eat foraged meals and fall-harvest dinners
Taste the Finnish wilderness with Noki Outdoors, which offers guided foraging, cooking over open flames, and outdoor dining.
Photo by Kota Collective Photo/Lapland North Destinations
“Fall is my favorite—lots of berries and mushrooms to pick, and fresh air with cool temperatures, so any food you bring out to the wild preserves well,” says Sonja Lassila, wilderness guide, chef, and founder of Noki Outdoors. “It’s amazing to gather around a campfire and spend an evening with friends and good food.”
On a foraging walk in Urho Kekkonen, our group picks fresh blueberries, lingonberries, and bog bilberry, fulfilling my berry quota for the year. Lassila also finds some chanterelle mushrooms and then uses the gathered ingredients for open-fire cooking and outdoor dining experiences with guests. With our bounty, she whips up a standout mushroom soup and berry-filled dessert.
To sample more of Finland’s fall bounty, tuck into a traditional warm fish soup with carrots and potatoes at Fell Centre Kiilopää, where dessert involves cooking your own pancakes over an open fire. At Restaurant Laanilan Kievari, try the vichyssoise (a cold potato and leek soup) with hand-picked nettle or the signature Laaniporo, an aged reindeer delicacy similar to Spanish jamón, served with tomato.
In the Ruka-Kuusamo region, wood-fired pies at Pizzeria Ruka get a Finnish touch, with toppings like smoked reindeer and cloudberry jam. And my dinner at Restaurant Klubi stayed on theme with a local mushroom and herb soup, trout from the local lake, and an apple crumble–style dessert.
Make sauna a daily ritual at these hotels
Saunas in Finland, like the panoramic ones at Aurora Village, are all about being in nature.
Courtesy of Aurora Village Ivalo
It’s impossible to ignore the scenery when staying in one of Isokenkäisten Klubi’s glass-walled overwater huts, floating on the quiet surface of Lake Heikinjärvi. “Surrounded by forests and wilderness, we have the privilege of watching this autumn transformation right outside our door,” says owner Vira. “It reminds us every year how closely our lives here in the north are connected to the seasons and to nature.” The hotel also has an award-winning smoke sauna (that Vira says her father built by hand), which has no chimney. Staff burn wood inside the hut for several hours, then clear out the smoke so it’s ready to use.
You can find another smoke sauna at Fell Centre Kiilopää in the town of Saariselkä, with outdoor steps leading into a crystal-clear mountain stream for a cold plunge. At Wilderness Hotel Juutua, private sauna and hot tub sessions come with views of the foliage-framed Juutuanjoki River. And at Aurora Village in Inari, I alternated between the outdoor Jacuzzi, glass panoramic sauna, riverside wood barrel sauna, and invigorating cold plunges in the Ivalo River.
