Sulkava
Sulkava is a municipality along the shores of Lake Saimaa. It is just the right size, full of life and positivity, and best known for its annual Sulkava rowing race.
The Sulkava Rowing Race, the biggest rowing event in Finland, is organized annually in Sulkava on the second weekend of July. Hundreds of wooden church boats (boats that in told times were used for rowing the community to church) are seen on Lake Saimaa when they competitively row 60 km as teams, pairs and alone.
Experience the cozy atmosphere of the wooden house milieu and the village road “Rantaraitti” also before and after the Rowing Race. Along Rantaraitti and the marketplace, there are boutiques and cafés worth a visit that are open all year round. The wooden house milieu is a nationally significant environmental and tourist attraction.
There are also spectacular nature destinations and routes in Sulkava. When visiting Sulkava, it is worth climbing to Pisamalahti hill fort, one of the most valuable ancient hill forts in Finland, or hike on nature trails while admiring the beautiful views of Vilkaharju eskers. Vilkaharju esker is a part of Saimaa Geopark.
Oravareitti is a fantastic paddling route that meanders along small rivers and little lakes from the municipality of Juva to Sulkava. The best time for canoeing/kayaking is early summer. There are 21 information boards along the route that can be seen from the canoe and that tell about the versatile nature of the region. The length of the route is 57 km.
