At the moment I’m working, with progressing desperation, on finding a ride for a fellow who needs to get from Salla to Kandalaksha on Monday, July 16. Here are some notes on my progress, shared in hope they may be useful to travellers.
It turns out that most passenger vans make their runs towards the weekend, leaving Thursdays or Fridays, and the traffic is generally down in the summer. Last time I undertook a search like that on March 2 2018. Here is some additional information:
She ventured there on a bus and made it as far as Kemijarvi and Rovaniemi. No lineup at the Salla crossing, no strip searches, all smooth and easy. Very happy with the Landmark Travel Hotel in Rovaniemi. Stories coming up. Compared to Russia things there seem so simple and straight-forward as to be hardly worth documenting.
Salla Tourist Information Office
Postipolku 3
98900 SALLA
tel/fax: +358 16 879 250, +358 400 269 838
email: touristinfo@salla.fi
www.salla.fi
English page >>
Stumbled into a pdf file of a brochure prepared by the Salla Tourist Information office >> Lots on 1939 and 1941-1944 war history there, including Finnish and German cemeteries near Old Salla, now occupied by Russia.
The best advice found so far at the Travel to Finland forum is to find a place called R-kioski in the center of Salla (the first Finnish town after you cross the border if going from Kandalaksha) and get unlimited internet from Elisa for 6.6Euro for 10 days.
Here is one: http://www.salla.fi/Yritys_ja_toimipaikkaluettelo And Google easily translates it into English.
The original text from an unknown source, recived from Alexandra, is below. Not important enough to to translate but I’ll keep it for the record. The point is something is brewing. In spite of famous Russian inefficiencies A LOT of talk usually preceeds something or other happening. ..