The peaceful and sheltered inner archipelago of Kvarken is ideal for canoeing and boating. You can explore the area making use of the reservable hut in Korsholm, for example, or one of the former pilot stations or coastguard stations which are now managed by Metsähallitus. The surface area of Kvarken as a whole is 1281 sq.km.
Some of the islands near the mainland are also accessible by car. You may start your trip by visiting Terranova - Kvarken Nature Centre, in the town of Vaasa.
The large archipelago of Kvarken consists of wilderness-like forested islands and a labyrinth of the rocks and islets of the inner archipelago. In the shallow waters live fish and birds characteristic for the archipelago. The Black Guillemot (Cepphus grylle), which is typical for the area, nests between the rocks. The White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) can often be seen wheeling over the forested islands.
In july 2006 The Kvarken Archipelago was incripted on
the UNESCO World Heritage List (whc.unesco.org). The archipelago was inscripted thanks to the land uplift phenomenon, which is particularly markable in the shallow Kvarken archipelago, and the large moraine fields, which were formed under the last deglaciation period. The United Nations organization Unesco seeks to encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding universal valur to humanity.