Spot a Saimaa Ringed Seal! Seal wathing trips to the National Park on a wooden boat from May to August
Seal Watching Trip with nostalgic wooden boat to Linnansaari National Park is an unforgettable experience for people of all ages. Our skipper navigates you to rambling Linnansaari island, right in the heartland of Saimaa Ringed Seals. During the trip we observe the Seals laying around the waterfront of Linnansaari while enjoying authentic Sawolax Espresso.
Duarion n. 2,5 hours. The trip is suitable for all.
Daily departures at 10.00 from May to August.
Price: 87€/ adult, 43,50€/ children
Get your ticket from online shop or by adding the Seal Watch Trip to your accommodation plan. You can also purchase ticket to Seal Watch Trip without accommodation.
*The trip may be cancelled or re-scheduled due to heavy weather conditions (thunder storm, average wind speed ≥ 14m/s).
Watch vlog from the Trip
Seal friendly trips – now and always
The Saimaa Ringed Seal is one of the most endangered seal species. This cute seal was trapped in Saimaa region after the last ice age and Saimaa is the only area in the world where you can spot the Saimaa ringed seal. We at Järvisydän are fully committed to respect the habitat of Saimaa ringed seal and we always take the Seals into considerations when planning and arranging the trips.
We are fully committed to arrange the trips in a way that does not interfere seals in any way.
-We spread awareness and understanding of the Saimaa ringed seals.
-We observe the seals from proper distance.
-We do not publish any geolocations information of the seals.
-During winter, we choose routes that does not interfere the nesting of the seals.
10 Interesting facts about Saimaa Ringed Seal
- The Saimaa Ringed Seal is believed to be as intelligent as a dog.
- The seal uses its claws to dig a breathing hole in the lake ice.
- The Saimaa Ringed Seal can remain submerged for over 20 minutes. Typically, a dive lasts less than ten minutes.
- In late February the female gives birth, usually to one pup, in a lair that is dug into a lakeshore snowdrift. The lair is difficult to spot from on top of the lake ice, because it is accessed via a hole in the ice.
- The seal mainly feeds on small fish, such as ruff, smelt, vendace, perch and roach. An adult seal eats about 1,000 kilos of fish a year.
- You may spot a seal pup playing in the water – by carrying a straw in its mouth, for instance. The mothers also sometimes play with their pups.
- Each seal has an individual fur pattern, by which it can be identified just like a person can be identified by their fingerprints.
- The largest male ever found in Lake Saimaa, known as “Viljo”, weighed 124 kilos. Usually a mature seal weighs around 60 kilos. The weight varies a great deal, depending on the season.
- A Saimaa Ringed Seal reaches sexual maturity at the age of 4 to 6 years and may live over 30 years old.
- he seal has a short tail between its hind flippers.
Source: Metsähallitus -www.nationalparks.fi/saimaa-ringed-seal