Wild camping in Finland

Fishing
Fishing is generally permitted in Finland, but there are a few restrictions. Fishing and ice-fishing on lakes is permitted without a permit. However, if you want to fish in the sea or in rivers and streams, you need a fishing permit. You can easily buy one here online or in most local kiosks.

Fire
Making fire is only permitted in Finland in designated fireplaces, or only with an explicit permit. In the summer months and during droughts, it is also forbidden to light fires in these places. On Tulikartta.fi/ you can see a map of all the fireplaces on the website. The site also gives you an overview of cabins, small restaurants and places where you can watch birds.

Animals
In Finland you should not only watch out for the well-known predators such as lynxes, wolves or bears, especially in road traffic reindeer or moose can become a real danger when they appear on the road. Therefore always pay attention to the wildlife crossing warning signs.

Winter tyres
From December to February, winter tyres (at least all-weather tyres) are compulsory in Finland, and this also applies to any trailers. Due to the sometimes extreme weather conditions, even winter tyres with studs are permitted in the period from November to March and are especially helpful in the north.

Fact #1 - Music
The icy and gloomy ambiance has produced some metal bands. So many in fact that Finland is the country with the most metal bands per capita.

Fact #2 - Traffic offenders
Traffic tickets are always an unpleasant thing, but in Finland, it can be particularly expensive. The fines are based on annual income.

Fact #3 - Saunas
Finns love the sauna. There are more than three million saunas in the whole country, which means that one sauna for every two Finns. That is the most saunas per capita.

Fact #4 - Honesty
According to a study by Readers Digest, 11 out of 12 lost wallets are returned to their rightful owner. This makes them some of the most honest people in the world.

Fact #5 - Coffee and milk
The Finns love coffee and milk, so much so that they are number one in per capita consumption. The coffee consumption is 12 kg per year and almost 1 liter of milk per day.

Fact #6 - Palindrome
The longest palindrome in the world comes from the Finnish language saippuakivikauppias. Translated, it means "a merchant of soda."

Fact #7 - Day of the Failures
October 13th of each year is the official day of the failures. The day was initiated by Finnish students in 2010 and is now celebrated nationwide.

Fact #8 - Prisons: Advantages
Prisons in Finland are very inmate friendly. Prisoners are allowed to work, spend their day and move around very freely in the surrounding villages.

Fact #9 -Prisons: Downside
But this open prison system also has disadvantages. Slightly more than 10% of prisoners escape during their time off. That is the highest escape rate in Europe.

Fact #10 - Shining Reindeer
Near Rovaniemi, the reindeer, or at least their antlers, glow. These are painted with luminous paint to prevent accidents.