blue lake with fell in background and clouds mirroring in the water

Vihreä keino

Ounasjärvi Rowing Boat Taxi

Vihreä keino offers noiseless and zero emission boat transport over the lake Ounasjärvi.

During the hiking season (appr. June to October), Vihreä keino offers passenger transport from or to Hetta over the lake Ounasjärvi. Crossing the lake is about 1km and takes ca. 15 - 20 minutes.

With our muscle power only we transport passengers with a traditional wooden rowing boat.

We have two rowing boats available and can transport up to 4 people at the same time.

Prices:

1 person: 20€ per trip
2 people: 30€ per trip

The prices are for the trip between Hetta harbor and the hiking route to Pyhäkero/Pallas-Yllästunturi national park. For transport to other destinations please give us a call. Discount offered for hitch-hikers and long distance cyclists.

We only accept cash or bank transfer. (There is a cash machine in front of the grocery shop, ca. 200m from the harbor in Hetta.)

Please note that we can NOT transport passengers at strong winds, and that the amount of passengers per trip is limited to 2 people per boat at a time.

Other Rowing Boat Activities

If you fancy fishing on the lake, a day hike on the opposite lakeshore or camping in Karjalansaari Island, or just to get away from the mosquitoes and hang out in the middle of the lake, contact us for on offer.

Vihreä keino also offers transport of goods in the upper Ounasjärvi water system (Ounasjärvi, Periläjärvi, Muotkajärvi, and the rivers Käkkälöjoki, Näkkäläjoki, or upper Ounasjoki). Emission-free, naturally.

Contact

taina niemelä
wilderness guide and Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park guide

Book boat taxi

For bookings with short advance please call:
+358 46 9335678

Reservations more than a day in advance can be made online:

Hetta harbor --> Hiking route

Hiking route --> Hetta harbor

If you can't find a suitable slot from our booking system, need transport of more than 2 persons, or for other inquiries, please call!

The book "Lapland Guide for Travellers and Hikers" from 1939 advises travellers:

"There is a telephone connection from the hut [at Pyhäjärvi] to Hetta, where a boat can be ordered from the ranger's hut to the southern shore of Lake Ounasjärvi, 1 km by rowing."

Today, there is no ranger, and the call can be made from a mobile phone, but the rowing distance is still the same.

Map

Hetta-Pallas travel information

If you are planning to hike the popular Hetta-Pallas hiking route, through the Pallas-Yllästunturi national park, you may want to combine our boat taxi service with public transport.

Liikenne Rundgren Oy operates a daily bus service between Kolari and Hetta (in both directions) and has stops close to the hiking route, such as in Jerisjärvi, Pallastunturi, or Vuontispirtti. You can, for example, drop your car along the hiking route or in Hetta, take the bus, and hike back to your car (Rundgren recommends booking beforehand if you travel Pallas-Hetta direction with the bus, as it can be full).

Additionally, there are two daily buses connecting Hetta and Rovaniemi (in both directions), as well as trains from southern Finland to Rovaniemi or Kolari.

For a detailed bus schedule and booking bus tickets please visit the Matkahuolto website. Train schedules and train tickets can be found from the VR website.