What does Malkasaari offer?
Malkasaari is located in eastern Helsinki, west of Kallahdenniemi and south of Meri-Rastila. The island is located a relatively short and sheltered paddling or rowing boat trip away from Vuosaari.
Waterway transport connections
The island is not covered by regular waterborne transport.
Visitors’ marina
On the northern shore of the island, there is a visitors’ marina with about a dozen buoy places. You can spend the night on the island free of charge.
Malkasaari marina, location on map(Link leads to external service)
Other landfall and mooring points
The gently sloping beaches are suitable for paddlers, especially the northern shores of the island have sheltered sandy and gravel beaches.
There is a soil-based path around the island that is about 900 metres long. There is a proper route from the visitors’ marina and the cooking shelter to the sauna.
Cooking shelters and fire places
There is a large cooking shelter with a chimney on the island. In addition, a fire place has been built near the cooking shelter. It is forbidden to make a campfire elsewhere on the terrain. There is no firewood on the island, bring your own wood to the campfire site. Check the warnings from(Link leads to external service)the Finnish Meteorological Institute’s website(Link leads to external service). Please clean up after yourself carefully and take your rubbish with you back to the mainland. During a forest or wildland fire warning, fires can only be lit up with caution in the cooking shelter.
Malkasaari cooking shelter, location on map (Link leads to external service)
Toilets
There is an outdoor toilet near the cooking shelter.
Malkasaari has a sandy beach suitable for swimming and plenty of picnic spots, and the nature on the island is forest-like. Walk around the island and enjoy the beautiful nature. There is a barbecue area, toilet and boat pier on the island.
Camping
Short-term camping is allowed on Malkasaari island. You can spend the night on the island free of charge.
Sauna
The sauna on Malkasaari is not in use for the time being.
Malkasaari’s past
There have been no permanent residents on Malkasaari. The name of the island, Takvedaholmen in Swedish and Malkasaari in Finnish, refers to transverse support beams in roofs. This suggests that the island was once used to source timber.
There once were two residential villas on Malkasaari. Stora Villan, Malkasaari’s former main building dating back to the 1910s, was demolished in the late 1960s. The island’s current barbecue area is built on top of the footings of the demolished villa. In addition to the footings, other old stone structures related to the main building, such as the fence surrounding the yard, stairs and paved passages, have been preserved: the section of a stone wall in the central part of the island bordered the garden, and there was a steamboat dock on the southern shore where there now is a pile of rocks. You can still see plants that are typical in villa gardens on the island, such as lilacs, Siberian peashrubs as well as perennials and bulbous plants.
The main building was accompanied by Lilla Villan, which was rented out after the war for one summer at a time. The villa with a gable roof, completed in 1933, is still on the island, but it has been left to its own devices without a purpose and with its windows covered. On the northern shore of the island, there is a sauna building that represents the Finnish art nouveau style.
Malkasaari was transferred to the ownership of the City of Helsinki in 1965 when it became a recreational island. Malkasaari was a very popular camping island in the past. Long-term camping caused wear and tear and side effects on the island, which is why permanent camping and related structures were banned in 2014.
There are no nature reserves on Malkasaari. Malkasaari’s shores are open, partly rocky but also sandy. The forests are mainly dry, park-like peaty forests. Next to the cooking shelter, there is a epilittoral meadow classified as an extremely endangered habitat type. The rocky meadow shores on the south side are classified as a near threatened habitats.
The northern shores of Malkasaari and the surroundings of the cooking shelter are an important bat area. The species of bats found in Malkasaari include the northern bat, whiskered bat, Daubenton’s bat and Nathusius' pipistrelle.
The nesting season of birds in the archipelago is at its most active from April to the end of June. On the Malkasaari trails, respect the nesting peace and maintain a sufficient distance to birds.
Species observations in Malkasaari
The iNaturalist application allows you to easily record your species observations on your phone. The artificial intelligence and other application users can help you to identify the species. The confirmed observations are recorded at the Finnish Biodiversity Information Facility (FinBIF), where they serve researchers, authorities and nature enthusiasts.
Species observations in Malkasaari (laji.fi) (Link leads to external service)
- When enjoying the island, please stick to the trails and paths marked on the map to prevent wear and tear. Also keep a safe distance to birds and other animals. Respect the peace and quiet of others, also at night. Quiet hours are from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.
- Short-term camping is allowed on this island. The water in the island’s well is not drinkable, so bring your own water bottle and snacks.
- Please note that making a fire is only allowed in the cooking shelter and the barbecue area marked on the map. The barbecue are is not in use during a forest or wildland fire warning. Check the existing warnings on the Finnish Meteorological Institute’s website(Link leads to external service).
- Collecting wood from nature is not an everyman’s right. When you leave, sort your rubbish on the island or take it to the mainland to be recycled.
Important facts about this site
Dogs must always be kept on a lead. Check warnings from the Finnish Meteorological Institute before making a fire, and respect the nesting peace of the birds.
General rules
In all outdoor recreation areas, observe everyman’s rights and rules and move responsibly in nature:
There are no structures supporting accessibility on Malkasaari. The paths are soil-based.
Accessibility information for Malkasaari’s services is still incomplete.
Links to accessibility information will be available here when the analysis is completed.
Malkasaari’s services on the map
In Malkasaari, there is a cooking shelter with a chimney and a built fire place, and an outdoor toilet in connection with these. There is a visitors’ marina on the northern shore of the island.
Printable Malkasaari guide map (pdf, inaccessible)(Link leads to external service)
