Departure from the Nellim Boat Harbour

Nellim is also a good starting point for a canoe trip. What follows is a presentation of two alternative routes, i.e. a day trip and a longer trip taking three days. On the longer trip, be prepared for spending the second night on your own, i.e. without any constructed services.

Day Trip to Speinniemi

From the boat harbour, the distance to the boating base of Peiliniemi (Speinniemi) is a bit more than 5 kilometres.

There has been an unusual amount of variation in the name of this boating base. It is very common for Inari Sámi geographical names to adopt Finnish forms, and the names' meanings have changed. However, it is rare that several names are used for one place. The original name of the peninsula next to the boating base is "Speinnjárga", which originates from the name of a man known as Spein Sarak or Sarak Svendsen, who once lived in northern Norway. On the old topographic map, the name has been distorted into Peiliniemi ("mirror peninsula"), so the meaning has changed completely (in northern Sámi, "speadjal" stands for "mirror" and "njárga" for "peninsula"). On the address and recreation map for Inari, the boating base in question is known as "Lusmanuora".

You can return to Nellim the same way or by going around Lusmasaari Island. Going around the island increases the length of the return journey from 5 kilometres to at least 14 kilometres. That way, the length of the day trip is either 10 or 19 kilometres.

Maps

Electronic Maps

Canoe Trip around Kaamassaari Island

You can take a two-day trip by continuing from Speinniemi to the Tyllylahti boating base where there is a camping site. On the way, you can turn off to Andreasnuora and study a former prison camp that was run by the Germans in World War II. The prison camp is located on the northern side of Andreasnuora. Most of the buildings at the former prison camp have decayed but there are still some traces of the camp left.

The length of the stretch on the first day of canoeing is 22 kilometres. In addition to the Tyllylahti boating base, you can also stay overnight at the Red Hut, which is an open wilderness hut located opposite Tyllylahti. On the address and recreation map for Inari, the Red Hut is called "Kaikunuora".

Go around Kaamassaari Island along the narrow straits. You might even see a white-tailed eagle wheeling in the sky as this bird is regularly observed on the lake. The trip continues onto the strait between the islands of Kovasaari and Kaamassaari, after which, the open waters of Satapetäjäselkä await you. At this point, you must study the direction of the wind as it is advisable to pass Satapetäjäselkä on the lee side.

Return to Nellim either via Speinniemi or by canoeing across Satapetäjäselkä onto the southwestern side of Tervasaari Island and continuing on from the northern side of Lusmasaari Island. The distance from Tyllylahti to Nellim is about 30 kilometres.