//
Municipality in South Ostrobothnia, Finland
Photo: via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Karijoki (Swedish: Bötom) is a municipality in Southern Ostrobothnia in Finland, located 25 km from the coast and 90 km south-west of Seinäjoki. With only around 1,500 inhabitants it is a small place, but it gained fame when a Neanderthal cave (called the Wolf Cave) was discovered in 1997.
From the travel guide. Select a place for details, a map and what is nearby.
Susiluola
is Karijoki’s main attraction for tourists and locals. This is the geological result of a million years of climate changes. It consists of a wide horizontal fissure of the rock and it is named after its location on Wolf Mountain (Susivuori). This has a very important impact on the Scandinavian prehistory studies because investigators are convinced that the Neanderthal men inhabited this cave.
It is possible to arrive to the Wolf Cave Information Center by car. It is recommended to visit the Wolf Cave exhibition in the same place which includes an audiovisual presentation of the landscape and life in and around the Wolf cave 120,000 years ago, as well as a presentation about the Wolf excavation work. In the exhibition there are also explanations about the surroundings and the Neanderthal humans. After that a 1 km by-foot trail into the woods leads to the cave. The natural trails through the astonishing nature, surrounded by the signs of the Ice Age are something really worth to experience.
Karijoki is 14 km inland from the Lålby crossroads of E8 (national road 8) in Kristinestad. From the east the road (663) comes in from Kauhajoki.
Read in the guideChoose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.
Vaasa · International · VAA
Loading places around the airport…
Articles and travel topics about Karijoki and Finland.
Nature & adventureWhere to see the northern lights in 2026 and 2027 during Solar Cycle 25, comparing weather in Tromsø, Abisko, Fairbanks and Iceland.
7 min read
InspirationThe best places to visit in December across sun, snow and culture, comparing Lapland, Chiang Mai, Vienna, Costa Rica and Cape Town.
7 min read
InspirationDiscover 10 rewarding emerging travel destinations for 2027. Escape crowded tourist hubs and explore quiet spots with rich culture and great food.
8 min read
Culture & historyAmong the world's continents, Europe might be the one most thoroughly excavated by archaeologists. Prehistory is usually defined as the time before local written records, which spread with Ancient Greece, and later the…
Wikivoyage
Every section of the guide. Open one to read it in full.