Ruska a.k.a fall foliage – part of the magnificent colors of autumn in Finland

Fall foliage in Finnish Lapland

Autumn in Finnish Lapland, in addition to the northern lights, is also known for ruska a.k.a fall foliage, which in turn take care of the wonderful splendor of colors during the daytime. Since we have previously focused strongly on the northern lights on this blog, it is appropriate to get to know this second autumn natural phenomenon a little more closely at the dawn of autumn.

Simerock and Jukolan viesti held in Rovaniemi this weekend

Jukolan viesti, aka Napapiiri Jukola orienteering competition is held in Rovaniemi in 2021

The second last weekend of August is a real super weekend for our neighbor city Rovaniemi as two major events will be held at the same time. The world’s largest orienteering event Jukolan viesti (Jukola relay) will be held in Rovaniemi on August 21-22, and the largest rock festival in the north, Simerock, will resonate on August 20-22.

Ranua Cloudberry Festival – history and general information

Ranuan hillamarkkinat

The Ranua Cloudberry Festival could certainly be considered the most significant single event in our locality. Organized for the first time in 1974, the event first started modestly, mainly aimed at the municipality’s own sellers, but it soon became clear that the event would be very easy to grow into a much larger one as well. In this blog post, we get to know a little bit about the history of the festival.

Ranuan Keskusgrilli was voted as the fourth best grill kiosk in Finland

Ranuan Keskus-grilli

Ranuan Keskusgrilli, a grill kiosk located in the center of Ranua village, has a guaranteed place in the heart of many Ranuan residents, both current and former. At the beginning of July, the Ranuan Keskusgrilli, which had long satisfied the hunger of many passers-by, received a well deserved accolade after being elected as the fourth best grill kiosk in Finland by the readers of Iltalehti.

Ranua Zoo Wildlife Park’s birth and history

Ranuan Eläinpuiston sisäänkäynti

Although Ranua Zoo turned full years for the last time in 2013, to continue the theme of the 80s I covered in my previous text, I felt it was the right option to tell about the birth and history of the largest tourist attraction in our town.

6 tips for berry picking and preserving

Berry picking - ripe cloudberries in Ranua in summer 2021

Harvesting season is now at its best in Finnish Lapland, as both the cloudberry and blueberry harvests are ripe. However, it is not advisable to head to the cloudberry marsh or blueberry forest without proper planning. In this blog post, we will give you six handy tips for berry picking and preserving.

Blueberry harvest ready to be picked in Ranua

Blueberry harvest in Ranua

The cloudberry harvest in the summer of 2021 eventually turned out to be good, although have been suffering from drought all over Finland this summer during both June and July. With regard to the cloudberry harvest, picking will now be concentrated in the wooded ravine areas at, and the picking season is coming close to its end in the heights of Ranua. However, berry picking in Finnish Lapland will continue next with blueberries.

Portrait from Ranua: Sara Thaveeprayoon sells Asian Street Food in Ranua

Asian Street Food by Sara sells Asian street food in the center of the town of Ranua

The portrait from Ranua is a new series of stories in which we present interesting current and former people of Ranua. In the first part of the story series, we interview Sara Thaveeprayoon, whose business Asian Street Food by Sara sells Thai street food at the center of the town of Ranua.

The scientists finally know what causes the Aurora borealis

Aurora borealis in winter in Ranua, Finnish Lapland

Northern lights are one of the main reasons, why so many travelers want to visit Finland in the darker seasons and especially winter. But what are the reasons behind aurora borealis and what causes them to appear? Scientists have long speculated about what causes this specific light phenomenon that occurs in the Earth’s polar regions. Now the reason has been found for sure.

Cloudberry harvest is ripening in Ranua – second really good year ahead of us?

Raakoja hilloja Ranualla kesäkuussa 2021

Last summer was exceptionally good in some areas in terms of the cloudberry harvest. Ranua, the official cloudberry town of Finland, saw cloudberry blossoming in the beginning of June and thanks to good weather conditions, also the ripening has progressed very well. This is why we are expecting a good cloudberry harvest for the second year in a row.