Finland Summer Bear Cubs Safari
Dates: 4th - 8th July 2025
Group Size - 7 plus guides
3 days immersive hide photography
£2850 per person fully inclusive except flights
Places available: 2 / 7
So here's another Finnish cracker!!! We've been waiting to reschedule this tour for 3 years and finally we have the dates that we want so here it is!!!
Every summer the population of European Brown Bears in Finland come to well regulated feeding sites and sometimes the mothers will bring their young cubs. We have chosen early July for this spectacular to ensure that the young bears are old enough to a) play and b) for the mothers to be confident with them around our hides. Also the bears seem to be coming later and later in the season with their cubs so this is also part of the reason.
Of course it's not all about cubs and there will be plenty of spectacular adults around too, in a variety of habitats. There is also a variety of light angles available as each hide is in a different setting, so you will get backlight, front light and side light or just diffuse cloudy light!
Now I mention hides. we have some very special 2 person hides rented for this safari, they are small but comfortable and made from wood. The bears are totally used to these hides and come VERY close, you are perfectly safe don't worry and it's simply incredible when they do. You will enter the hides at 5pm and will stay throughout the night until approximately 7am the next morning. In Finland light is beautiful from 2 hours before dusk (around midnight) all through the night to sunrise (3am) and then a couple of hours beyond. Bears can come at any time.
The hides have plenty of room for sleeping don't worry, and we have over booked them to have enough for everyone (see below). The hides are situated in three different kinds of habitat and you will rotate each night through each kind - swamp, forest and lake. This ensures that you will get a variety of shots, none is better than the others as bears visit all the hides. The group maybe split between the different habitats each night. Remember you will be staying in the hide for 12 hours so you must be able to deal with this as there is no other way! As a Mandalorian would say "This is the way!".
During the day once you have slept you will get the benefit of Andy and Suzie's experience. Andy will be there for photo advice and Suzie will help with all LightRoom processing of the images that you have taken. Consider this a daily workflow class.
Sound good so far? Yeah it is, the bears are simply awesome.
Our Advantages
Now lots of people advertise these tours, here are the things that make ours different and we think of a higher quality:
- Timing - we are running the tours in early July to minimise the gamble that the mothers won't bring their cubs. As we have said above they are bringing them later in the season now, so this might work out well. July is also slightly cooler than June which will make a difference in the hides (and flights are cheaper).
- Hide booking - we have overbooked the number of hides needed for the group. Whilst there is a cost implication in doing this, as usual we have done it for you to get the best experience possible. The main reason is so that you don't have to share with another person if you don't want to, so we have enough for couples or singles. If we get at least one couple on this trip it will free up a hide and give us some extra flexibility. This means that we can move you around easier and give you a much better experience according to where the main action is! You also have the 2 person hides that have better foreground and backdrops plus a better angle for shooting than the larger ones!
- Guides - you have Andy and Suzie guiding on this trip. Andy will be present for all things photographic and everyday Suzie will be on hand to help out with LightRoom processing and will be giving informal hints and tips sessions. Yes you need to sleep too but after lunch we are here to help you!
- TTA Membership - as a member of the Travel Trust Association our trips are fully protected and insured too, so you can travel with us in confidence. Your money is safe in an independently managed trust account, with full protection against supplier failure and insolvency. You must still take out adequate personal travel insurance to cover any eventuality that arises and stops you travelling, but our TTA membership gives you peace of mind that we have your back.
Miscellaneous Info
Accommodation - you will stay in comfortable rooms inside a converted hunting lodge with decent showers and beds. Food will be Finnish style, hearty and yet simple. We can cater for dietary requirements like vegetarian and vegan if we know in advance.
Daily routine - Dinner at 4pm, into the hides at 5pm, out of the hides at 7am back for breakfast then you can either sleep all day (as you need to be awake most of the night) or break it up with lunch before dinner at 4pm and then.... well you get it. You will have some snacks for the hides at night.
Camera kit - we will send full briefing notes to you but basically the quieter that you are the more likely the bears will come. So a camera with a silent drive is preferable. You can use a tripod but it's a pain, best to just use a tripod head ( which attaches to the hides, they are designed for this or a beanbag. There are 4 slots for shooting in each hide. Lens is anything upto 500, but a wide angle is essential.
Hide toilets - simple and very basic, i.e a bucket !!!! That is why we booked you enough hides so you don't have to share.
Insects - there can be biting insects inside the forests but generally only outside the hide on the walk in are they an issue. I always use repellant and a mosquito hat to shield my face, plus gloves too. Just to warn you!
Temperature - it should fall no lower than 10C every night and you will be given a sleeping bag just in case!
Hide etiquette - absolutely no talking once you are settled in the hide and no excessive movement as the bears will know and won't come. And obviously no leaving the hide until we come to get you in the morning!
Briefings etc - On the first day you will get a briefing on how to behave in the hides plus essential photo hints and tips from Andy. Then at dinner every night we will have a show and tell session where you can show your favourite picture from the night before. At all times whilst not in the hides Andy will be there to help you with camera stuff and Suzie will be there to share her LightRoom expertise.
Communication - we will setup a WhatsApp group for each tour. When you are in the hides you can use it to communicate with each other / ask Andy questions. provided that you phone is on silent and remains so.
Trip length - you may wonder why this is only 3 nights in the hides. In our experience this is a very exhausting trip and by the end you will have had enough and won't want another night!
Insurance - you must take out full and comprehensive personal insurance for this trip in case you have to cancel. Supplier failure and cancellation insurance is provided by our Travel Trust Association membership, details of which can be found below.
Very important - you cannot EVER leave the hide for any reason until we come to get you, this will scare off the bears and they might not come back for some days. So by agreeing to come on this your you agree to this. If you are in anyway claustrophobic then obviously do not sign up for this tour!!
A reality check!
I have to put these riders and disclaimers in everywhere these days as it's very important to me to be honest with you and manage expectations!
Bears come to these hides all the time, every night. But the choose where they go and when. They might choose to walk behind the hide, they may hide behind a bush, we have no way of controlling that as they are wild animals. Whilst mothers do bring cubs regularly, they may not when you are in your hide but the person next to you might get lucky. There is nothing we can do about this!
One thing about the weather. We cannot predict what it will be. You could get lovely sun, you could get cloud, you could get gloomy or it could be rain!!!
The flowers might be there or they might be early / late, it's not our fault and there is no way to predict this.
It's really important to be honest here!
Health and Physical
You do not need to be particularly fit for this trip, access to the hide will be a maximum 500m walk across undulating terrain. What you do need to be is a) patient b) happy to sit / lay in a restricted environment and happy to pee in a bucket!!! These hides are not luxury, they are simple wooden structures that provide protection from the elements and stop you scaring the very shy bears away. You can stand up in the hides. There is an area for sleeping and you will be given a sleeping bag. At no stage can you leave the hide no matter what, you really have to know this! Toilet wise it's a simple bucket, there is paper inside the hide or you can bring your own from the lodge.
The hides are compact yet cosy, we enjoy working in them. There is plenty of room to shoot and your cameras go through cloth windows (not glass). There is a small two way glass window next to them so you can see out, you will usually hear the bears long before you see them!
Travel Trust Association
The TTA is an independently trade organisation of tour operators that we are proud members of. The TTA provides guarantees for your booking with us in two forms. The first is that all monies are deposited to a trustee managed trust bank account and any payments to / from them have to be authorised at several levels. Secondly your booking is protected by the TTA Safe Seat Plan and Supplier Failure Cover, both of which are insurance policies to protect your money from fraud and supplier failure. We include the costs of these policies automatically in your booking fee, so that you can book with us as a trusted and reputable tour operator. Further details of our TTA membership can be found by clicking here (use your browser back button to return).
Itinerary
Here is the itinerary for the workshop, it is assumed that we will get the early Finnair flight from Heathrow:
Tour 1
4th July - Arrival to Oulu (Finland) late afternoon / early evening. Pickup and transfer to the airport hotel and dinner. Overnight stay
5th July - minibus transfer to remote lodge, lunch / dinner before first overnight session in hide
6th - 7th July - breakfast, lunch, dinner at lodge, overnight session in hide
8th July - breakfast before minibus transfer to Oulu to connect with flight home
Flights
The tour starts and finishes at Oulu in Finland. There are regular flights daily via Helsinki from London, other airports are available. After booking we will send you our recommended flights to get that you can then book yourselves.
Booking
The price of the workshop is £2850 per person quoted on a sharing basis. This includes everything in Finland (full board accommodation, transfers, guiding), except your international flight, personal travel insurance, tips, alcohol and personal items such as a stuffed troll and a viking helmet. The single room supplement is £185 for the whole trip.
All transport will be via a Volkswagen 4WD minibus and a 4wd car.
To book your place - if you are 100% good to go then click here to email us, include how many places you want and any dietary considerations. We will then reply with confirmation and details for the deposits. Deposits will be paid to the TTA Trust Account, you will be sent full details, a booking confirmation and an invoice with payment details and due dates. Payment will be a £500 deposit and a balance 2 months before the tour.
Refund / Cancellation policy - Things come up we know that and sometimes you may have to cancel a trip even though you want to go. So we have this simple policy for this trip. Please only sign on if you are sure you want to go. If you cancel and we are able to fill your place then you will receive your money back. If we cannot fill your place then we will not refund your money and will instead help you with the relevant insurance documents for your insurance company (since it is a requirement of this tour to take out comprehensive personal travel insurance ). By booking this tour you understand these policies, no discussion will be entered in to and there will be NO exceptions.
Three months before departure we will send you recommended flight details and closer to the time we will have a full pre-departure info on what to bring,
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