Our last major stop on the road trip was Kalajoki. We drove here directly from Levi in one go, covering a distance of a little over 500 kilometers.
This was our first time in Kalajoki, so we were excited to see the famous sand dunes. It was late August, and the weather was already quite cool, so we knew we probably wouldn’t be sunbathing, and since neither of us enjoys cold water, swimming was likely out of the question as well. However, we still wanted to admire the scenery and see the famous sand dunes.
We booked our accommodation right on the beachfront, near the sand dunes, at Hotel Rantakalla. The location of the hotel was perfect, right on the edge of the dunes, but the accommodation itself was okay. We didn’t have the best luck with our room; we were given a room on the lowest floor, with no view from the windows, and the room itself was a bit worn-out. But it served its purpose for one night.
In the evening, we took a walk on the beach. The sand dunes looked beautiful, and the beach was incredibly peaceful. There was a nice, long, narrow sand strip along the beach that stretched far towards the horizon. At times, it almost looked like we were walking on water! We were treated to a stunning sunset, which painted the entire sky a beautiful orange-red hue.
Kalajoki offers a variety of activities for a longer visit, such as excellent cycling routes, the opportunity to visit the Maakalla self-governing island, or explore the old town of Kalajoki, Plassi. However, we only made a quick stop to see the sand dunes on our way home, but another time we could stay longer and enjoy more of what Kalajoki has to offer.
After our time in Kalajoki, we continued our journey back home. Travel fatigue was starting to set in, and we didn’t have much energy left to explore further. However, we made a stop near Vaasa at the Raippaluoto Bridge, which is the longest bridge in Finland. The bridge was indeed a beautiful and impressive sight. We took a cooking break here, and the area before the bridge had a nice picnic area by the beach, offering a direct view of the bridge.
From the Raippaluoto Bridge, we headed straight home. In total, we had been on the road for about three weeks, and it was truly a wonderful trip.
Road trip to Northern Norway offered so many amazing sights, and there’s still so much left to see. We’ll definitely be going back, probably more than once. As lovers of the mountains, we don’t think we’ll ever get tired of those landscapes.
