Finland Photo Tour: Bears, Capercaillie, Black Grouse

Itinerary – Finland Bear Photography Tour

This itinerary is intentionally flexible to accommodate individual preferences and adapt to changing weather conditions. The focus is on photography from hides and temporary shelters, offering a wide range of species and opportunities, which means choices may vary on-site.

Day 1: Kajaani Airport Meeting Point

We will meet at Kajaani Airport and drive to the lodge we will be staying at. After settling in, you can explore the surroundings and meet the group. Depending on arrival times, there may be an opportunity to visit a photo hide.

Days 2–5: Specialist Hide Photography Routine

To maximise wildlife encounters and photographic opportunities, our schedule remains flexible. The exact plan each day will depend on weather conditions, recent sightings, and your personal preferences.

There is, however, a consistent daily rhythm. Around 15:00, you’ll enjoy a traditional Finnish meal, after which you prepare your gear and depart for the hides at around 16:00. From there, several hides will be available, each suited to different species, though wildlife is never entirely predictable, and unexpected encounters (such as wolverine appearing in a bear hide) are always possible. You will remain in the hides overnight and return to the lodge the following morning for breakfast at 08:00, after which you can rest, review images, or continue photographing around the lodge, where there is plenty of wildlife and landscape interest.

There are specific hides to photograph brown bears, wolverines, white-tailed eagles, ravens, capercaillie and black grouse. For capercaillie, you’ll depart for a dedicated hide around 18:00, while black grouse requires an early 04:00 departure to witness their spectacular lekking displays in beautiful morning light.

This structure allows extensive photography in both rich evening light and soft morning light. During the night, while you remain in the hides, you can either sleep in the comfortable beds or stay alert for activity—you may hear wolves howling in the distance or movement close by without seeing it. As you are always two per hide, you can also take turns resting and watching, waking each other if something remarkable occurs.

Before heading out, you’ll receive a thermos of coffee or hot water, along with sandwiches and snacks for the night.

Back at the lodge, you’ll share breakfast and stories from the night, with plenty of time to review images, discuss them with the trip leader, and exchange feedback. Depending on your energy, you can rest or explore the surrounding area, where landscapes, birds and other wildlife offer further photographic opportunities.

At 15:00 you’ll prepare for your next hide session and have another delicious Finnish meal.

Day 6: Return to Kajaani Airport

You’ll return to Kajaani for your flight home, taking with you the experiences of the Finnish wilderness.

Cost

This trip can be booked from £1950 per person for a shared room (maximum 3 people of the same gender)
Or a double room from £1995 per person.

Single Room Supplement: £265

Room Options

1 Person – Shared 3-Person Room:
When booking this room, you will share with up to two other people of the same gender. The room has separate beds. If no one else of the same gender books a shared room, you will pay the single-room supplement. If only one other person books, you will pay the rate for a 2-person shared room.

2 Persons – Double Room:
Booking a double room is ideal for couples or two friends travelling together. Please indicate in the booking form whether you prefer a double bed or two separate beds.

1 Person – Single Room:
You will have the room to yourself. A supplement applies for single occupancy. In some cases, you may be assigned a 2- or 3-person room for single use — in both cases, the same single-room supplement applies.

What’s Included

• All accommodation
• All meals and snacks
• Use of various hides for 4 nights
• 5 nights possible for an additional £200, depending on flight schedules
• Local transport
• Guidance by a professional British nature photographer

What’s Not Included

• (Alcoholic) drinks
• Single room supplement
• Personal expenses
• Travel and cancellation insurance
• Possible additional transport costs (£50–£80) due to revised flight schedules that may require departure from an alternative airport.

Practical Information – Finland Photography Tour

Participants Meeting

To prepare for the trip, we organise a participants’ meeting so that you can get to know your fellow travellers and have the opportunity to ask questions.

Difficulty

Physically, the trip is not demanding. You will be transported to and from the hides, so you only need to walk short distances of 15 to 200 metres to reach them. However, it helps to have some patience and mental endurance, as you may spend several nights in a hide for 14 to 16 hours at a time.

Accommodation

During the trip, we stay in a lodge where we sleep in shared 2- or 3-person rooms. There is also the option to book a single room at an additional cost. Some rooms have private bathroom facilities, while others share them. Single rooms always include a private bathroom.

Transportation and Flights

All transport from arrival at Kajaani Airport until departure is included in the trip.

Required Equipment and Materials

You will need a good camera with at least a 300 mm telephoto lens, though a greater focal length is even better. Additionally, a wide-angle lens between 12 and 35 mm is ideal for capturing striking landscape images. From the hides, you will photograph from a platform where you can mount your ball head or gimbal head. A tripod is therefore not strictly necessary, but a ball head, video head, or gimbal head is essential. In most hides, each photographer has access to multiple mounting plates, so you can, for instance, work with two cameras fitted with different lenses. If you are unsure what gear to bring, feel free to contact us; we are happy to advise you.

Climate and Clothing

There is a high chance that there will still be snow. Make sure to bring sufficiently warm clothing, including a hat, gloves and/or mittens. It is useful to wear multiple layers so you can easily adjust to the temperature. Do not forget your boots and plenty of socks. In the hides, you can wear thick socks or slippers, as boots are left outside.

Vaccinations

No vaccinations are required for Finland. Always check official sources, such as your local health authority, for the most up-to-date advice.

Passport and Visa

For travel to Finland, a valid passport is required.

Species to Photograph

What animals can you encounter on this beautiful photography trip to the Finnish taiga? The list below gives an indication of the species you may encounter in April/May and is not a guarantee.

Birds

• Capercaillie
• Black Grouse
• Siberian Jay
• White-tailed Eagle
• Golden Eagle
• Raven
• Hooded Crow
• Crane
• Bullfinch
• Tits
• Whooper Swan
• Goldeneye
• Jay

Mammals

• European Brown Bear
• Elk
• Reindeer
• Wolverine
• Wolf
• Squirrels

Testimonials

Nature Talks Finland Photography Tour

Joy

I joined Peter on a trip to Finland in April 2022! It was an absolutely fantastic trip and we were incredibly lucky with what we saw. We managed to see just about everything the location has to offer: bears, wolverines, fighting black grouse, fighting capercaillie, and even a wolf. Of course, it doesn’t always work out like that, so we were absolutely thrilled!

The location itself is excellent, and the owners are very friendly. They really helped me out when my suitcase was delayed, so I could still fully enjoy the photography trip without any worries. Definitely one to repeat—I booked again straight away 😉

Gr. Femke

The trip to Finland was breathtakingly beautiful, and the group was great fun. Peter was a fantastic guide, and I learned a huge amount about photography, which I’m hoping to put into practice in Bulgaria this summer!

I enjoyed it so much that, in my enthusiasm, I’ve already booked your bird photography trip to Finnish Lapland for next spring 🙂

Marlie S.

In May 2019, I travelled to Finland with tour leader Peter van der Veen and other participants to photograph bears, wolves, capercaillie, and black grouse from hides. This was my first photography trip, and I had only recently started taking photography seriously.

I’m very pleased with my first results, and a trip like this is definitely worth repeating. The trip was very well organised, the accommodation and food were perfect, and the group was lovely—nothing to complain about 😉

Our guide Peter was extremely helpful and attentive, and everyone’s photographic wishes were taken into account.

Marije R.

I joined the bear photography trip to Finland in May with Peter van der Veen.

It was a wonderful trip with plenty of photographic opportunities. We saw black grouse, bears of course, and even wolves on several occasions. There was a great variety of hides in different locations, which resulted in a lovely diversity of images.

The guiding was excellent, the location was stunning, the lodge accommodation was very comfortable, and everything was perfectly organised. I immediately booked another trip for the autumn—Indian Summer.

Ronald B.

In the second week of May 2019, I travelled to Finland with Nature Talks. We met at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, and all participants arrived on time. After check-in and security, we were on our way to our destination.

Our Nature Talks guide, Peter van der Veen, was already with us from the start of the journey. It’s reassuring to have a guide who has experienced everything many times before. For me, it was my first photography adventure—exciting and a little nerve-wracking.

After a connection in Helsinki, we continued on to Kajaani, and then travelled by taxi to a wildlife centre.

We arrived in the early evening, where a light meal was waiting for us. As a bonus, we were told we could use the black grouse hide that very night—an unexpected extra day in a hide, what a surprise!

Our day and night rhythm was completely reversed, and over five nights (4pm–7:30am) we visited three different locations to photograph bears, wolves, black grouse, white-tailed eagles, and other birds of prey.

In the mornings, some people caught up on sleep, others reviewed and edited their photos, and we also held photo reviews. Peter is an excellent coach—very supportive and knowledgeable.

Nature is nature, and sometimes the animals appeared at times when the light wasn’t ideal for photography, but it was still an incredible experience. Even though I can usually cope quite well with little sleep and irregular working hours, I still needed a few days to recover afterwards.

That said, I would absolutely recommend it to everyone—what an experience!

Finally, a special mention to our host at the wildlife centre. Everything was done to make our stay as enjoyable as possible. A real credit to their hospitality.