Poem II opens the doors to travel where you don't follow pre-trodden paths or read lines from paper. To us, travel is storytelling, adventure and experiences born at the collision points of nature, mythology and urban culture. In Taruma, every trip is a unique experience — a journey that takes shape with you.
In partnership with Koe Kainuu Adventures, we bring experience travel into today, straight into the dark wilderness embrace.
Koe Kainuu is a Kuhmo-based experience travel company that isn't afraid to try something out of the ordinary. It was born from a desire to protect local culture and inspire people to be interested in it in a whole new way.
For Taruma, Koe Kainuu is more than a travel agency: it's a tribe that believes in authenticity, wild nature and the idea that the best stories are born when a guide doesn't recite pre-written lines but walks alongside you like an old friend.
While studying fashion design, I got the feeling that creating for work was a completely different thing than creating as a hobby — someone else was always controlling your work. I wanted the freedom to create something authentic and my own.— Kerttu Komulainen, Koe Kainuu
"In 2014 lightning struck when I was studying fashion design and I realised that something in the field was bothering me," Kerttu recalls. Creativity was in danger of falling under control, until a social media ad for nature guide training came up. Intuition said strongly that direction had to change now — and design school was abandoned then and there.
From there began a journey where design expertise moved from clothes to experiences. Nature guide training lasted only a year, but took Kerttu to fun jobs like escape room game master, aurora guide and river boat deckhand.
Kerttu founded her own Koe Kainuu company in 2021. As an entrepreneur, Kerttu got to design her own special adventures, such as the Väinämöinen's Love Poem adventure game and mythology-themed trips to the majestic landscapes of Hiidenportti National Park, where ancient stories come alive. In 2025 the company was changed from a sole trader to a limited company, and Kerttu's spouse Mike joined. Today they both work as guides and are eager to develop food travel services as well.
Koe Kainuu Adventures donates 1% of proceeds annually to the Finnish Natural Heritage Foundation to protect old forests in Kainuu. So far, this one-percent path has protected 1,246 m² of Kainuu's old-growth forest — a small piece at a time, but permanently.
For Taruma this is essential: when we walk together on wilderness paths, the wilderness thanks us back. Every joint trip by Taruma and Koe Kainuu grows the protected area, so you're stepping onto a path that continues to live after the trip too. Read more at koekainuu.fi.
For example, inspiring art trips, dusky ghost trips and customised adventures where nature is experienced with all senses — not just walking, but living.
Completely new experiences where the silence of the wilderness meets the electric beat of techno music, creating something hypnotic.
Trips where we stop to capture the beauty, light and mysticism of nature through the lens with a stylist's eye.
Forget stiff guides. On Taruma's trips you feel like you're walking with an old friend who chats and shares knowledge about exactly what interests you that day.
We think it's boring that events always serve the same pancakes and grill sausages. We want to offer people new flavours — Greek-Kainuu food travel in Naurava Pöytä style.
Väinämöinen's Love Poem adventure games and the majestic landscapes of Hiidenportti National Park where ancient stories come alive.
As a supporting member of Taruma you get first news of upcoming trips, discount prices for experience travel and invitations to member-only Koe Kainuu adventures.