Palovartija House, Rental hut

This rental hut is reserved for shepherds until the end of August. From the beginning of September Palovartija can be booked from Eraluvat.fi -webshop. Main building: 83 m²/2 pers. + 2 pers. Also on the grounds: bunkhouse (sleeps 4), waterfront sauna and root cellar. Palovartija House is subject to the terms and guidelines of Metsähallitus rental huts.

Guidelines on using rental huts.
Bookings from the web shop eraluvat.fi or from the service number +358 20 69 2424.
Terms of reservation for Palovartija House shepherds’ rental hut.

Photo: Anne Pyykönen

Originally built in 1845 and last renovated in 2005, Palovartija House is located on a high esker ridge in the beautiful national landscape of Punkaharju. Well-stocked Lake Pihlajavesi is right next to the hut. Visitors to Palovartija House can easily explore the National landscape and sights of Punkaharju.

Location

Eastern Finland, South Savo, Savonlinna (savonlinna.fi), Punkaharju Nature Reserve
Address: Punkaharjun harjutie 124, 58500 Punkaharju
Coordinates: WGS84 lat: 61.77120 lon: 29.34940
Palovartija House is located on the shore of Lake Pihlajavesi, close to ship traffic. The hut can be reached by car from Punkaharjun harjutie. There is parking space for a few cars on the hut grounds.

Maps

Precise location of the hut: Excursionmap.fi
Map of Punkaharju Nature Reserve
Terrain map M542, 1:50 000

By car

Palovartija House can be reached by car on highway 14; 32 km from Savonlinna and 90 km from Imatra. The hut is 370 km from Helsinki. When driving in from the south, turn onto Punkaharjun harjutie 4792, drive another 1.2 km, and then turn left at the address sign 124 onto the narrow cottage road, which runs up the ridge. The hut is approximately 200 metres from Harjutie.

By public transportation

Punkaharju can also be easily reached using public transportation.
Coaches (matkahuolto.fi) run regularly from both Savonlinna and Imatra.
A railbus (vr.fi) stops several times a day at the Punkaharju village, Retretti and Lusto stops.
There is also a flight connection to Savonlinna.

By boat

Palovartija House can easily be reached by boat from the fairways on Lake Pihlajavesi and Lake Puruvesi. There is no pier on the shore.

Price

Shepherds’ Week season 5 June - 7 August 2023, rate: 600 € / week (incl. 10% VAT)
Rental season 7 August - 1 October 2023, rates starting from 200 € / 2 days (incl. 10% VAT)
The reservation day starts at 2 pm and ends at 12 noon the next day.
The rate does not include the final cleaning fee.

Keys

The information regarding the keys is given in the reservation confirmation.

Facilities

In the main building, the bedroom has a double bed and there is a pull-out sofa in the main room. The bunkhouse has bunks for four (pillows and duvets - no sheets included), electric lighting, stove and refrigerator. Kitchen utensils and dishware for eight. Electric heating only in the main building. Outhouse as a toilet.
There is a campfire site next to the sauna.
The wood-burning waterfront sauna is located at the foot of the hill, on the shore of an esker pond.
There is a rowboat at the guests’ disposal on the shore of Lake Pihlajavesi.
A responsible hiker practices litter-free hiking and leaves no trace.

Notices

There are no accessible services in the hut.
Pets are not allowed inside the hut.
The hut’s bread oven and wood-burning stove are not in use.
The tenant is responsible for cleaning the hut before leaving.
Stairs lead from the hut down to the Lake Pihlajavesi shore, where there is no pier.
No toilet paper is provided
Campfires are prohibited during forest fire warnings or grassfire warnings. Check to see if there any warnings in effect (ilmatieteenlaitos.fi).
Mobile phone coverage (in finnish).