The Kuusamo Lapland tourism region has Lapland’s southernmost fells: Iso-Syöte, Ruka, Suomu, Sallatunturi, and Pyhätunturi. The region is tableland with a higher elevation above sea level than that of northern Lapland. Kuusamo is Finland’s geographically highest municipality.

The Kuusamo Lapland tourism region, called the Switzerland of Finland, has a different climate. Summers are short and light, winters are long and snowy. During winter’s dark period there are only a couple of hours of daylight around midday. In midsummer the sun sets below the horizon for only a fleeting moment. The Arctic Circle passes through the region.