Meet Sulo - the Bearman
In Finland, everybody loves living close to nature but Sulo Karjalainen, who lives surrounded by predators, takes it to extremes.
If you head about 30 kilometres south from Kuusamo, in the north of Finland, you may end up at an old farm on the shore of a lake. Recently, and over a short period of time, this spot has become quite a talking point and most Finns would recognise the name of its owner. Sulo Karjalainen has featured in numerous newspaper articles and he has even had his own TV documentary, as people have become fascinated by Sulo – because his relationship with Finland’s predators is something out of the ordinary.
– People know me because of the animals. That makes me happy. When you’ve lived in the forest since childhood, you’re naturally close to animals. I remember when I was a little boy I used to spend days in the sheep pen while my mother was milking the cows. I wasn’t even ten before I first saw a bear in the wild.

Lapland
In Lapland, swapping the hustle and bustle of ski resorts and cities to the peace and quiet of the wilderness takes mere minutes.
Related Links
You might also enjoy these
Lapland
With some 2,000 brown bears freely roaming the country, Finland offers the best bear watching safaris in Europe. In the central and eastern forests of Lakeland, several companies organize bear watching and photography trips between April and September.
Read MoreIn Finland, you can find some of the world’s last wilderness regions, where you can experience the untouched nature with its rare wild animals.
Read MoreTinja Myllykangas is a young woman who traded city life to a wilderness hut in Lapland. She now runs a sled dog safari business and shares a deep bond with the wild.
Read MoreFall in love with the winter wilderness and it could completely change your life. Pasi Ikonen is a prime example of what the pull of Lapland can do.
Read MoreIf Finland is one of the world's best kept secrets then Gunnarsstrand is a secret within a secret. Meet Pelle, the beachcomber artist who has lived there all his life.
Read MoreCycling is becoming more and more popular around the world. One of the most up-and-coming and versatile locations for biking is Finland.
Read More