Rajamaa

Rajamaa, ”borderland” in English, is located right on the border between Sweden and Finland and right in the middle of three different cultures, Swedish, Finnish and Sámi. Here, among deep forests and rivers, Kaisu and Lars Malmström have run Rajamaa for over 30 years. A facility in the midst of nature, with cozy cottages, camping and a restaurant with hearty homemade food.

In Torne Valley, on an island in the middle of Muonio river, lies the village of Muonionalusta. Only seven people live here, and two of them are Kaisu and Lars. They are well known for their hospitality and are happy to welcome you to their scenic Rajamaa. They have five slightly smaller two-bed 25 sqm cottages and five larger four-bed 46 sqm cottages with two separate bedrooms and a larger living room. All cottages have ensuite bathrooms and a small kitchen. There are a shared sauna and a newly built wilderness lodge with ten beds within a day’s hike distance.

The river that runs past the island is called Muonio, joining Sweden and Finland together. You can clearly hear the river during the summers, but in winter the water freezes and forms a thick layer of ice. But if you look really closely you can still sense the river under the ice.

Regardless of the season, there are a variety of activities to try out in the unspoiled nature just outside your door. During the summer season, starting mid June, there’s activities such as hiking, canoeing, mountain biking and more than anything else, fishing. Rajama also offers special family weeks. When the last hikers of the season travel home at the end of September, the Malmström family and their guides take a short break only to open the doors again in late October. Until the winter season starts around Christmas time, many cross-country and biathlon teams and clubs will come to Rajamaa, year after year, to train in Muonio. The winter season continues all the way to the end of April, then the staff will take a break again before the summer season kicks-off again in June.

It doesn't matter if your reason for coming to Rajamaa is the fishing, hiking, skiing or just to get away from your day to day stress, Kaisu and Lars always gives you a warm welcome to come and explore Torne Valley's peaceful nature, vast scenery and unique cultures.

Finnish is the primary language spoken by the staff and in the village, but many speak several languages, for example, Lars speaks Finnish, Swedish, English, French, and German.