Routasenkuru gorge

Small fell just some 4 km south from Näätämö village at the Norwegian border. Guided hiking trips from Näätämö. The original Inari Sami name Juovlâlâhtuodâr means a fell with rugged grounds but as word for Christmas, juovlah, is so similar, the name has been mistranslated into Finnish as Joulutunturi, the Christmas Fell.

The Finnish Forest Administration tells: "In Vätsäri you can experience the astonishing silence of a wilderness in its natural state. The remote location of Vätsäri, [...], in roadless backwoods, means that mass tourism would never disturb the peace of the area." The extremely rugged mosaic of pine forests, mires, lakes and creeks is difficult to navigate, so experience is truly needed to go independently. The area is considered the most difficult to hike in the whole of Finland. There are no marked trails through the Vätsäri area but the 35-km Piilola Trail going through the southern part, ending up in Norway, and the Saami Trail, which climbs up to the fell called Semekurtta about 6 km after leaving Sevettijärvi. From Semekurtta one can have a view of this notorious landscape.

Large museum about the Skolt Sami opened in 2017. Main exhibition tells about Saaʹmijânnam, the Skolt Sami Land. Changing art exhibitions. A few kilometres south there is also an open air museum consisting of Eastern Orthodox St. George's Chapel from 1565, and a traditional Skolt summer village.

The Näätämöjoki river flows through wilderness for 40 km before ending in the Arctic Sea in Norway. The river has a naturally breeding Arctic Sea salmon population and is subject to fishing trips from the Näätämö village. The river cannot be reached by car anywhere in Finland. There is a lean-to shelter by the river some 8 km from Näätämö. For fishing salmon you need to buy a permit online or otherwise.

Unlike most Samis, the Skolt Sami are orthodox. Designed by Ole Albert Gottleben and finished in 1951, this simple wooden church is an example of functionalist architecture. It was first an orthodox prayer room (chasovnya) and after a renovation in 1992 it was designated a church.

Small museum and community centre in a standard-type house built for resettled Skolt Saami, with outhouses. The adjacent outdoor museum features a reconstructed Skolt Saami village, modeled after the Suonijoki (Suõ'nnjel) village. Museum shop with literature and Skolt Saami handicraft.