Visitor Centre Ukko has information on Koli’s heritage landscape and
Eastern Finland’s wooded hills and culture.
Opening hours in 2010
26.4.–27.6. Mon to Sun 10am to 5pm
28.6.–8.8. Mon to Sun 9am to
7pm
9.8.–30.9. Mon to Sun 10am to 5pm
1.10.–31.12. Mon to Sat 10am to 5pm,
Sun 10am to 3pm
Exceptions:
26.6. open 12am to 7pm, 27.6. open 10am to 7pm
15.11.–26.11. closed
24.12. closed, 25.12. open 12am to 5pm
Entrance
- Our travel information, reference library, handicraft exhibition and
Internet point are free of charge.
- To get to our exhibitions and picture shows you will need an Ukko pass.
- Adults 5e, children (ages 6 - 16) 2e, and under 6-year-olds free of
charge
- Group pass (minimum of 10 people) 4e per person, family pass 12e, year
pass 17e
- A reserved tour of our exhibition in Finnish 2e per person (minimum of
17e per tour), other languages 2.50e (minimum of 30e per
tour).
Contact Information
Address: Visitor Centre Ukko, Ylä-Kolintie 39, 83960 Koli,
Finland
Tel. int. +358 205 64 5654
Fax:
+358 205 64 5771
E-mail: ukko(at)metsa.fi
The Visitor Centre is managed by Metsähallitus. Tour and exhibition services
managed by Ukko-Koli Ystävät ry (Koli National Park friends group).
Directions
By Car and Ferry
The Visitor Centre is accessible by a vast network of roads . The centre of
Koli Village is 9 km and the Visitor Centre is 12 km from road 6, which runs
between Joensuu and Kajaani. From road 6 turn onto road 504 at Kolinportti in
Ahmovaara. Turn right, if you are coming from the direction of Joensuu, and
left, if you are coming from Kajaani. There are signposts to Ukko-Koli from the
village of Koli. A car ferry
(www.pielis-laivat.fi, in Finnish) travels between Lieksa and Koli during the
summer.
A beautiful road, Rantatie, travels along the Lake Pielinen shore for almost
20 km in the park area. Stopping off at different scenic spots and onto trails
is simple. There are also small unpaved roads which wind all around the park.
Different paths and cabins are accessible from these roads. When coming from the
direction of Ahveninen and Lieksa to get onto Rantatie, turn right from paved
road 515 onto an unpaved road at the sign for Herajoki. When coming from the
direction of Joensuu and Kajaani, turn onto road 515 to Ahveninen and then left
at the sign for Herajoki.
On arrival at Ukko Visitor Centre visitors should leave their cars in the
parking lot and continue from there by foot, up a slope (300 m), up a set of
stairs (150 m) or by a complementary railcar.
By Public Transportation
Coaches travel to Koli, from Joensuu and Kajaani. There are also special
shuttle taxis. The Koli taxi is very convenient and travels between Koli and
Joensuu. Customers are taken from door to door. (for example Ukko Visitor Centre
- Joensuu railway station) They are around the same price as other public
transport. Taxis are to be reserved 24 hours in advance at tel. +358 100 9986.
You can also get their timetables from the same number. Coach timetables on the
Koli website
(www.koli.fi).
During summer, boats travel
(www.pielis-laivat.fi, in Finnish) from Joensuu, Lieksa, Nurmes and Vuonislahti
to Koli.
Services
- Information on Lake Pielinen and Koli travel and hiking destinations and
other Finnish national parks.
- Reservations for rental cottages in Koli National Park.
- We sell maps, publications on nature and culture, posters, postcards,
local handicrafts and organic food in our cafe.
- Conference services
- Information on local travel services.
- Hiking equipment rental,
- Programme organisers.
- Hotels and restaurants.
- Holiday Cabin rentals.
- Koli market and taxi service.
- Internet access point
- Children’s play corner, with small activities for the family’s little ones
- Reserved group tours of the Visitor Centre exhibition space: Ukko pass and
a fee of 2e per person. (If there are under 10 people we charge 17e per
group). Tours should be reserved in advance.
Events
Information
on events in Koli National Park
Koli Heritage Exhibition
The exhibition at Visitor Centre Ukko tells about the Koli region’s geology,
nature and culture.
Auditorium and AV Presentations
- On the second floor of the Visitor Centre there is a well-equipped
auditorium which seats 200 people. It can be rented for conferences and
seminars.
- Reservations can be made
here
(www.vaaravaraukset.fi, in Finnish).
- When the space is not in conference use, multi-vision and slideshow
presentations of Koli’s natural features, lasting 20 minutes, are shown there.
Reference Library and Media Studio
- The reference library has an assortment of books on nature, culture and
history. The media studio has an abundance of nature and culture CD ROM’s and
other media information banks for visitors to use.
The Grounds
- A path and stairs both lead from the Visitor Centre grounds to the
Ukko-Koli look-out point. A chair lift, which takes visitors to shore of Lake
Pielinen, and several paths leading to the area’s wooded hills have their
starting point on the grounds.
Cafe and
Restaurant Services
- The Visitor Centre nature-theme shop Vakka sells organic pastries, organic
coffee, organic hot chocolate, herbal tea and local handicrafts. We also cater
conferences.
- There is a café / restaurant at Hotel Koli, next to Visitor Centre Ukko in
the upper yard.
- An arts café Kolin Ryynänen is situated in the centre of Koli Village and
functions as an information point for Koli National Park. Kolin Ryynänen also
offers accommodation in a two story outbuilding. Tel. int. +358 13 672 160.
- At Koli harbour there is a café as well as conference rooms, a tourist
information point, exhibitions and reservable saunas at Alamaja. Tel. int.
+358 13 673 223. During summer (15.6. - 15.8.) Alamaja is open every
day.
Services for School Groups
- In 2001 a school camp project, funded by Leader, was started at Visitor
Centre Ukko. The venture is a joint effort by the Finnish Forest Research
Institute, Ukko-Kolin Ystävät (Koli National Park friends group) and 20 local
entrepreneurs. The venture aims to develop school camp programmes.
Services for the Disabled
- All areas in the Visitor Centre are accessible by wheelchair. The building
has a toilet for the disabled. There are ramps by all stairs and an elevator
to the auditorium and conference room. The auditorium and cafe can both fit
several wheelchairs at one time.
- There is an induction loop system in the auditorium for the hearing
impaired.
- The railcar, from the parking lot to the centre, is wheelchair compatible.
The disabled may also drive up to the building if necessary. This is otherwise
forbidden.
- The Ukko-Koli look-out point is accessible by a wide path and has a flat
ledge for wheelchairs.
