Itinerary
- Day 1
Arrival
You'll arrive at Itärajan Helmi guesthouse and get settled into your room. The group gathers for dinner this evening, and you'll hear about the week ahead on this nature and wellness retreat.
- Start point
- Joensuu, North Karelia, Finland (Joensuu)
- Meals
- Dinner
- Day 2
Wild Herbs and Natural Products
This morning starts with learning about local wild herbs and natural products through a forest introduction. You'll forage and process herbs during the day, then pick berries and take a coffee break right there in the forest. After dinner, head to the evening sauna to relax.
- Meals
- Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Introduction to local nature and wild herbs
- Foraging and processing of herbs
- Berry picking and coffee break in local forest
- Evening sauna
- Day 3
Food from Forest and Fields
You'll forage ingredients from nature and work together preparing a three-course lunch. The menu includes local rye bread with wild herb pesto and cold-smoked salmon, nettle pancakes with lingonberry-spruce sprout jam, and cheesecake with blueberry jam. Dinner and evening sauna follow.
- Meals
- Lunch (Three-course lunch featuring local rye bread with wild herb pesto and cold-smoked salmon, nettle pancakes with lingonberry-spruce sprout jam, cheesecake with blueberry jam and seasonal herbs), Dinner
Included Activities
- Foraging ingredients from nature
- Preparing three-course lunch together
- Evening sauna
- Day 4
Natural Cosmetics
Participate in a natural cosmetics workshop where you'll make bath bombs and exfoliating products. Learn about vegetable oils and create a facial oil matched to your skin type, then practice facial massage techniques. Lunch and dinner are included, with evening sauna after.
- Meals
- Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Natural cosmetics workshop - making bath bombs and exfoliating products
- Learning about vegetable oils
- Making unique facial oil for your skin type
- Learning facial massage routine with facial oil
- Evening sauna
- Day 5
Relaxing in Nature and Sauna
Spend time in the forest learning about nature's health effects and practicing relaxation exercises. You'll prepare for the evening sauna by making herbs for foot baths, herbal waters, and birch whisks. After lunch, head to a special sauna experience by the lake following dinner.
- Meals
- Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Introduction to nature's health effects
- Relaxation exercises in the forest
- Preparing sauna experience - making herbs for foot baths and herbal waters
- Making birch whisk
- Evening sauna experience by lake
- Day 6
Excursion to Local Artisans
Visit the Wood Soul exhibition to see all stages of tree life from growth to final art piece, located in beautiful Onnela surrounded by an arboretum. After lunch, head to Galleria Savipaja at Vasiljala farm near the Russian border to see Finnish clay items and handicrafts. Dinner and evening sauna wrap up the day.
- Meals
- Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Wood Soul exhibition - experiencing all stages of tree life to art piece
- Onnela visit with arboretum and garden spaces
- Galleria Savipaja visit - Finnish handicraft business
Landmarks Wood Soul Onnela Galleria Savipaja - Day 7
Kukkakuhhaus Festival
Attend the Kukkakuhhaus rural romantic flower festival, a colorful celebration full of flower scents and varieties that draws visitors from surrounding areas. You'll have lunch and dinner with evening sauna.
- Meals
- Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Kukkakuhhaus Festival visit
Landmarks Kukkakuhhaus - Day 8
Departure
Enjoy breakfast and say goodbye as your week-long wellness retreat comes to an end.
- End point
- Joensuu, North Karelia, Finland (Joensuu)
- Meals
- Breakfast
