Drive through Finland in the summer and you’ll find two colours dominating the scenery: green and blue. The forested landscape is dotted with patches of water – or, in some areas, vice versa – so numerous they have earned Finland the nickname “the land of the thousand lakes”.

In fact, the moniker is an understatement, as there are a total of 188 000 lakes in Finland. From the metropolitan area around Helsinki all the way up to Inari in Lapland, Finland is filled with oases of the clean blue.

Finns feel certain closeness to the element of water, and it is a source of livelihood for many. Lakeland in Eastern Finland is where Saimaa, the country’s greatest lake, is situated. It is home to the Saimaa ringed seal, one of the most endangered species in the world, and nestles several cities on its shores.