Bear Watching In Kuusamo
Two nights ago I was sitting in a small wooden shed in the middle nowhere, just 2kms from the Russian border.
No, I haven’t taken a job as a spy.
Nor have I started brewing some illegal moonshine or become involved in a weird cult.
I was bear watching. This is a video I took of one of the bears that came to visit that night.
I feel so privileged to have been one of the few people to see the shy brown bear, and so close as well.
You can read all about my Ruka bear watching experience over on my travel blog. There’s pictures and everything, so go on over and have a read.
A huge thank you to the lovely Tuomo from Karhu Kuusamo who allowed me to come along and witness this and who patiently answered all my questions and even laughed at a couple of my jokes! The man is clearly some kind of saint.
And of course to my husband who didn’t mind me going out at 6pm and not coming home until 3am. Yikes, I can’t remember the last time I came home that late, and I don’t think its ever been done sober before. The policeman who stopped to breathalyze me on the way home seemed somewhat shocked to see someone sober out driving at that time of the morning too.
Is it strange that I’ve been dreaming of bears every night since?
I'm Heather, an expat Brit living in Kuusamo, northern Finland.
Very nice! I've only seen bear tracks in the wilderness of Lapland so far. The bear on your camera wasn't very hungry though or maybe he did not trust the situation?
I think it might have been a little bit of both. He didn't seem very hungry and he was new to the area, the guide didn't recognise him, and he was probably a bit worried. It was amazing to seem him though.
Now that is an experience worth having because, I suspect, so rare. Good for you. I'm slightly green this morning.
Lucky you. I once saw a mother bear n cubs in the wild when in Yosemite I have never forgotten it. Can we look forward to more David Attenborough moments?
You lucky, lucky lady. Thank you so very much for sharing the video. I feel privileged to have had an insight into this bears life.
How beautiful. So athletic and strong in his gait. You must have been on a nature high after this one!
no not strange at all!! blinkin eck! you were pretty close – but how exciting! have been trying to leave comments for a few days now on your blog but for some reason was not working… loved the moose post – you should write thrillers with that imaginiation! x
What an amazing sight. You're braver than me although you are probably more used to bears than me. I would have run a mile. Fascinating to watch though. Wow.
Heather, that is fantastic, to have witnessed this little bear so close must have been so exciting – really good bit of film, thanks for sharing. xxx
oh Steve it was amazing, worth the airfare to come to Lapland alone.
oooh, with her cubs? how fabulous! I do I will have some more to share with you before the summer is out, i have been invited to go back in the high season so fingers crossed.
Isn't it amazing? I can't stop thinking about it to be honest. I wonder how one becomes a guide and spends all their time watching them…?
I still am, really.
Hi elise and thank you for persisting with the commenting. bless you. We were really close, the hide was about 10 meters from the food. An amazing experience
thanks Rosie, yeah, it was amazing. Although not at all scary, I was a bit apprehensive to be honest before I went but they are so frightened of humans, we had to be silent for 4 hours before the first one appeared.
What a good thing to do on a night out!
Way better than sitting in a dark bar being chatted up my drunken idiots and waking up the next morning feeling like death and stinking of booze.