Finland. Lake Saimaa

 After completing kayaking on Lake Saimaa, we traveled to another part of Finland's largest lake, to the Pukkaharju Ridge Nature Reserve. The drone revealed the beauty of Lake Saimaa, which continued to impress with its vastness and the unique shapes of its islands...  From the village of Anttola, we drove along a picturesque road that ran alongside the lake...

  Spotting a sign for a viewpoint, we stopped to admire the lake from another perspective... 

Arriving in Savonlinna, we visited Olavinlinna Castle, founded back in the 15th century...  

  Thirty kilometers from Savonlinna lies the Pukkaharju Ridge Nature Reserve, our main destination for the day...

   Near the reserve, we stayed overnight at a campground...

 As the sun began to set, we headed to the beach to launch our drone and capture evening shots of the endless Lake Saimaa...

  The next morning, we headed to the next location of our journey - Koli National Park...We were so enamored with the Finnish bus stops along the road that we couldn't resist stopping to take a closer look...

  The last major town on our way to the national park was Joensuu, the center of North Karelia province. It is situated on the shores of Lake Pyhäselkä, part of the Saimaa lake system...

  The town center...

  We were now just a short distance away from the main location of our Finnish journey - Koli National Park...