Pikkukili, North Karelia, Finland

4Terhi M 5:00 PM Jul 28, 2020

Excellent day trip from Joensuu
We visited Pikku-Kili in July 2020 and the park was such a positive surprise! The park is in a beautiful setting with a small lake (in which you can swim) and overlooking rolling hills. The animals are kept in large and tidy enclosures. We visited on a hot day so most animals were sleeping in their hides but this did not take away from the trip as we could still see them. Each enclosure had an info sign in Finnish about the animal. There is also a playground with swings, slide and a sand pit. The park has an observation tower with magnificent views towards Russia which is well worth the climb. The cafe is very reasonably priced and they had freshly made doughnuts available which were delicious. The only downside was that there were no baby changing facilities in the toilet (or maybe we did not find them). The park does have prams available which you can lend for free. The drive from Joensuu via Ahveninen is beautiful with the road cutting through the islands and there are lake views on both sides of the road. We will definitely return at another time!