Finland's sixth-largest lake, ninety kilometres long, stretches north from Joensuu past Lieksa to the Russian border country. The lake is the visual centre of everything in this part of Karelia — dark water, low islands, the ridges of Koli rising 250 metres straight from the western shore.
In summer, a passenger ferry runs from Lieksa to Koli (about 90 minutes one way), making a day trip on foot or by bicycle possible without your own car. In winter the lake freezes solid and locals plough an ice road across to the island villages on the far side. Rental cabins on the shore make the obvious base for a few days.