Sailing from island to island. Falling asleep to the sound of the waves and waking up to the cry of the gulls. Blueberries for breakfast and fresh grilled fish for lunch.
A visit to the Archipelago National Park is an encounter with the sea. The park consists of 2000 rugged, rocky islands and forms the core of the great Archipelago Sea Biosphere Reserve, one of the largest archipelagos in the world. The Vikings used to embark from here and vessels of the Hanseatic League passed by. Still today plenty of old shipwrecks slumber at the bottom of the sea.
On the surface colonies of grey and ringed seals laze on the sunny sandbanks. Moose and small rodents roam the windswept island forests. And once in a while the white tailed eagle, the pride and emblem of the archipelago, circles in the sky on the hunt for prey.
A mosaic of small scerries and islands; the park consists of 2000 rugged, rocky islands and forms the core of the great Archipelago Sea Biosphere Reserve, one of the largest archipelagos in the world.
Brackish water affects the marine species and the sea is inhabited both by fresh water and marine species.
Vegetation in the national park is very sparse. The main characteristics of which are windswept dwarf pines, stunted deciduous trees and barren rocks. Along the edges of the meadows, used for grazing for centuries, it is possible to find such flowers as bloody cranesbills and vincetoxicum growing.
A large number of sea birds make their nests and breed on the rocks and small islands of the Archipelago; including gulls, Arctic terns, eiders, razorbills and black guillemots. The wildlife of Archipelago also includes a number of threatened species such as the White-tailed eagle, the Caspian tern, the Grey seal and the Ringed seal.
The interesting exhibitions in the Blåmusslan Visitor Center explain the archaeology, history, flora and fauna of the Southwestern archipelago. Visitors can see old shipwrecks, dive down to the bottom of the sea, listen to Finnish myths or step back in time and walk the museum’s geological trail. For in-depth information a reference library provides books and magazines on nature and the environment as well as microscopes and herbariums. Blåmusslan visitor center is located at the Southern tip of the municipality of Kimitoön in Kasnäs.
The Centre provides visitors with information regarding sights in the National Park and maintains temporary exhibitions on the natural environment and way of life in the Archipelago. The Centre organises seminars, lectures and themed events on the subject of the archipelago.
On the islands of Nagu, Berhamn and Kråkskär there are old fishing villages with traditional wooden fishermen’s houses from the 19th century. Even in the smallest house there is a tiny sauna!
Still inhabited and post modern archipelago architecture.
Visitors can see the Finnish-Swedish coastal culture, language, traditions and modern life. Today many artists and artisans prefer to live here.
Watch flocks of sea birds arrive for the nesting season in the spring. More than 130 bird species breed in the Archipelago, among them the white-tailed eagle, the national park’s emblem.
Study the Archipelago’s flora and fauna and go hiking along the park’s ten nature trails. The paths range from 0.5 to 3 km and take in scenic vistas, lakes and old fishing towns.
Turn pirouettes on the Baltic Sea! Late autumn and spring are the best seasons for ice-skating.
Go with the flow and explore the Archipelago by paddle. There are no marked canoeing routes in the national park area. Beginners should start with a guided tour.
Snorkel the underwater trail on Stora Hästö Island and follow the rope with underwater signs.
Set sail and plow the waters Vikings used to cross. There are several harbours and landing places in the archipelago. On some islands landing is prohibited during the nesting season from April to July. In the areas of Trunsö (Nagu) and Grimsörar (Korpo) boating and landing are not permitted at all.
Explore the Archipelago’s underwater world! During the nesting season divers are restricted to certain areas only.
The closest international airport is in Helsinki, which can be reached in 3 hours from Turku. There is a smaller airport in Tampere, mostly for budget flights.
There are regular buses from Turku, platform 3. Please visit www.vainionliikenne.fi and buses for Nagu and Korpo. There are buses going from Turku and Helsinki to the ferry departure points at Kasnäs (in Dragsfjärd), Prostvik and Pärnäs (in Nagu). Timetables can be found e.g. for bus company Vainion liikenne (www.vainionliikenne.fi)
The guest harbours and boat ramps are listed in a book called Käyntisatamat - Besökshamnar (www.finnlake.com), which is published annually. There are ferry services (http://www.saaristo.org/) to some of the national parks islands, for instance Holma, Jurmo and Berghamn (Nagu). Ferry timetables are found at www.fma.fi.
It is not possible to drive to the national park. However, Blåmusslan Visitor Centre is accessible by car. In addition, there are ferries (http://www.saaristo.org/) to all inhabited islands. Of these, there are national park services on the Jurmo Island in the municipality of Korpo, on the Berghamn Island in the municipality of Nagu, and on the islands of Holma and Högsåra in the municipality of Dragsfjärd.
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A taste of Archipelago
29 January 2010
Certified local business partners representing Archipelago were introducing their wilderness together with their ecological handmade crisp bread and nice orange coloured carrot-pumpkin jam to visitors of the Matka Travel Fair in Helsinki.Photo: Pensar SydThis was the first grand introduction of the certified businesses as PAN Parks partners...more |
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Archipelago makes moves towards the first marine PAN Park
25 September 2006
Archipelago National Park in Southern Finland has finalised its application to become the first marine PAN Park. PAN Parks conservation manager, Vlado Vancura has just returned from a pre-verification visit to help the park prepare for the process. The PAN Parks management team is quite excited at the prospect of challenging the PAN Parks...more |
