On this seal safari you will enter deep into the Linnansaari national park, to the home waters of osprey and the endangered Saimaa ringed seal. On this tour our main goal is to have a good look at the seals and get to know about their life! You will be guided by one of our wilderness guides specialized in lake nature. The seal safaris are made with open boats to give the participants the best possibility to spot the seals. We will also enjoy coffee/tea and a sweet snack during the safari. Duration 3 hours.
On our seal watching trips we guarantee great nature experiences without disturbing the animals. During our seal safaris we watch the seals with binoculars without disturbing the seals resting on the rocks. We drive slowly and we do not make any unnecessary noise. We do not go ashore in places where we know seals loll.
All our seal safaris are done in small groups. In a small group and with an experienced nature guide the chance of spotting seal is very good.
Available: May
Starting place: Oravi village
The boat is equipped with life jackets, rain gear, EA kit and binoculars.
Price
79 €/ person
These trips are suitable for individual travellers.
Safari includes a guide, life jackets, rain gear if needed, binoculars, coffee/tea with sweet snack.
We travel with open boat in small groups.
Safari doesn't include a pick up. Please contact the sales service for a pick up from Savonlinna city, price is 19€/person/one way.
CLOTHES: Good outdoor gear suitable for the weather. In May we still have cold days and the water is cold. Please take warm clothes, long sleeve outdoor wear, gloves and a beanie hat. You can also borrow overalls, hats, gloves and boots from us (included in the price). We also lend you rainwear if needed.
CAMERA: Take camera if you want to take pictures of the seals. Please notice that we'll take pictures in a distance. If the weather is rainy you can borrow a dry bag for the camera.
SEAL SEASON: May is the main seal season. In May the seals are molting on the rocks throughout the day. Seals molt from the time the ice has melted for 1 month, this is usually from the beginning of May until the first week of June. In May the chance of seeing seal is 99%. After the molting season (when the seals shed their winter fur) the best time to see the seals is at sunset. The departure times for the sunset safaris can be seen in the booking calendar.
Our trips are seal friendly and we do not disturb the animals.
BOAT: On our lake safaris we travel with safe and fast but quiet aluminum boats (open boats). We also have a catamaran with bow visor for easy access. The catamaran is easy to board also for those with limited mobility.
GUIDES: All our guides have years of experience with the seal excursions, and they know the best places for spotting the seals. All guides are licensed for boat safaris.
WEATHER: We very seldom cancel trips due to the weather. We have the right to cancel the trip or change the timetable in case the wind is very hard or there is a long-lasting heavy rain or thunderstorm. In general, we do not cancel trips due to rain showers or unstable weather conditions.
Dress according to the weather! You can borrow an overall or rain gear from the reception in Oravi (included in the price of the trip)