Rental hut

Vihmala

Number of beds

4 beds

Size (in square metres)

25 m²

Coordinates

Euref-Fin (~ WGS84) lat: 64° 15.918', lon: 27° 21.726' ETRS-TM35FIN: N: 7126628, E: 517543

Vihmala rental hut is a wooden cottage from the 1930s designed by Eino Pitkänen, and it has been renovated almost in its original style. The cottage is very simple and has no electricity or running water. The cottage heats up with a traditional wooden stove, which can also be used to cook food. Sauna is shared with other rental huts.

A rental hut is a place for an overnight stay that can be rented for only your use.

Map files and brochures

Terms of reservation for huts

Reservations

The reservation day for reservable and rental huts begins at 2 pm and end at 12 noon.

Bring along your invoice and proof of payment to the hut.

Rental season 3.6.-29.9.2024. The rental huts on Ärjänsaari are only available in the summer, and the reservation system is opened at the beginning of the same year.

Basic details of the destination

Municipality: Kajaani
Region: Kainuu
Location: Ärjänsaari
Heating: Wood-burning stove
Electricity: No
Drinking water: Must be brought yourself, well (only in the summer)
Toilet: Dry toilet
Staying overnight: Blankets, bunk bed, mattresses, pillows
Pets: Prohibited
Sauna: Yes

Arrival instructions

Ärjänsaari Island, which belongs to the City of Kajaani, is located in Ärjänselkä area of Lake Oulujärvi. The distance from the centre of Kajaani to Ärjänsaari is about 16 kilometres as the bird flies. Boat harbours nearby include Ruunaniemi (3 km), Koutaniemi (7.5 km), Paltaniemi (17.5 km) and Kalkkisilta Bridge in Kajaani.
There is no public transport to Ärjänsaari Island.

Driving Instructions

To the Koutaniemi boat harbour: from road no. 5 (Kajaani–Iisalmi), turn onto Vuoreslahdentie Road, and drive for about 9 km. Turn to the right onto Heinirannantie Road, and drive for about 7 km. Turn to the left onto Kalasatamantie Road, and drive to the end of the road, i.e. to the lakeshore. You can enter the following address into your navigator: "Kalasatamantie 25, Kajaani".
To the Paltaniemi boat harbour: drive from road no. 5 (Kajaani–Iisalmi), following the signposts to Kajaani Airport, onto Paltaniementie Road. Drive past the airport and turn to the right onto Satamatie Road. Drive to the end of the road, i.e. to the lakeshore. You can enter the following address into your navigator: "Satamatie 10, Kajaani”.
To the boat jetty of Kajaanin kalkkisilta: from road no. 5 (Kajaani–Iisalmi), turn onto Vanha Viitostie (no. 8807). Drive along this road for about 4.3 km and turn to the right onto Ahontie Road (no. 8803). Drive for about 1.3 km and turn, before Linnansilta (“the castle bridge”), to the right onto Kalkkisillantie Road. Drive to the end of the road, i.e. to the boat jetty. You can enter the following address into your navigator: "Kalkkisillantie 1, Kajaani".
To the Ruunaniemi boat harbour: from road no. 5 (Kajaani–Iisalmi), turn onto Vuoreslahdentie Road, and drive for about 16 km. Turn to the right onto Ruunaniementie Road, and continue to the end of the road, i.e. to the lakeshore. You can enter the following address into your navigator: "Ruunaniementie 70, Kajaani".
- The Ruunaniemi shore may only be used by the customers of Metsähallitus and the Luonnollisesti Oulujärvi company. At other times, the road is blocked by a gate.

By boat

Transport to Ärjänsaari Island can be enquired from local businesses:
- Luonnollisesti Oulujärvi (luonnollisesti.fi), tel. +358 50 327 7709
- Steamship Kouta (oulujarviristeilyt.fi), tel. +358 44 352 3479
Several boats can be moored to the Ärjänsaari boat jetty. There are eight mooring buoys on the northern side of the jetty. The side-on moorings on the southern side of the jetty are reserved for charter boats and ships. Beaching is recommended for shorter boats with an outboard motor.
The small dock at Vierasniemi is intended for the use of Vierasniemi renters only.
Read more about the area and more detailed arrival instructions on Nationalparks.fi.

Yard

Small root cellar, outdoor toilet (shared with other island visitors), clothes line and a rug-beating rack shared with the Kantola hut.
The sandy beaches of Säippä and the summer café are just a stone’s throw away from the hut.
Camping next to the cottage is prohibited; there is a separate area for camping in Säippä.

Keys

The key is in a key cabinet on the hut wall. The cabinet is protected with a code. Instructions and the code are sent to you by e-mail at the time of booking.

Facilities

Heating and lighting

The hut has a wood-burning stove and firewood for heating. Please use firewood sparingly. Please note that it takes some time before the hut is properly warm.
The hut has no electricity. We recommend using a headlamp, which leaves your hands free to do chores around the hut. For safety reasons, candles must be burned on a non-combustible surface and constantly monitored.

Cooking

Wood-burning stove, small root cellar (the root cellar is not very cold, we recommend taking dry and freeze-fried foods), basic dishware and cooking equipment for four people.
We recommend bringing your own portable stove.

Drinking water

There is no running water in the hut.
Drinking water from the well or bring with you. A cistern is located on Ärjänsaari Island, which is a few hundred metres from Vihmala.

Staying overnight

Two bunkbeds, beddings for four persons.
The cottage tenant brings own linen (hand and bath towels, sheets, tablecloths, etc.).

Sauna

The possibility to use the sauna is included in the rental price. Sauna services must be booked separately in the sauna book.
The same sauna is also shared by the customers of the other Ärjänsaari rental huts and shepherds.
More detailed information and instructions in the hut folder.

Toilet

There is a dry toilet near the hut. Please bring your own toilet paper.

Waste disposal

There are no waste containers by the cabin. Visitors are advised to take their accumulated waste with them.

Metsähallitus follows the principles of litter-free hiking. Visitors are adviced to bring their own waste out of the area. Read more about hiking without littering (nationalparks.fi).

Other things to keep in mind

There are no accessible services in the hut.
Please clean the hut before you leave. If the tenant of the cottage does not clean the cottage or the cleaning is incomplete, the tenant will be charged € 75 for cleaning.

Safety

Although Finland has a broad network for mobile phones, there are some areas in the park without signal. If this happens try to climb to a higher place or go into an open area. Check the mobile network coverage with your mobile phone operator before your trip.
There are fire alarms at wilderness huts, but we recommend to bring a 9 V battery and/or your own travel fire alarm with you.
Read more about the area and its current information at Nationalparks.fi.

Hut maintenance

Maintenance and Management: Metsähallitus, Parks & Wildlife Finland.

More information:

Kuhmo Visitor Centre Petola petola(at)metsa.fi, tel. +358 40 825 6060. The price of the call is EUR 0.00/min + mobile phone charge specified in your mobile phone subscription or local network charge when using a landline phone.

If you notice that anything requires maintenance, kindly let us know so that we can react to the needs as quickly as possible.

The practical maintenance is taken care of by a partner enterprise of Metsähallitus Luonnollisesti Oulujärvi Oy (luonnollisesti.fi).