Karelia-Soutu (Karelia Rowing Tour) is the biggest long-distance rowing event in Finland. It has been held annually 28 times, each year attracting over 1000 participants. The course lies through the heart of the North Karelian Lakeland.

There are classes for all kinds of rowers: solo, pairs, families or even teams. These are divided along two separate routes, one for small boats ( 203 km) and the other for so-called Church boats, with a crew of 14 rowers plus cox (146 km). The average speed of the church boats is 9,2 kms per hour.

The 'Small Boats' class is for rowing boats with crews of 1-6 persons, and includes canoes and kayaks. Their route starts from Mutalahti Bay at Ilomantsi and ends at Joensuu. The Church Boat class starts from Lieksa, but also ends at Joensuu.

The Karelia Rowing Tour is a rowing event open to all, and is not a competition. The organisers provide a complete service allowing participants to concentrate on rowing and enjoyment. Rowers are accompanied throughout by safety boats.

Each daily stretch of the route is divided into sections of a few hours, with breaks. During these breaks local village societies and businesses provide meals and refreshments. At overnight stops along the route saunas are available, and there is a full programme of evening activities and entertainment. Meals and snacks (marked in the programme with *) may be pre-purchased for the whole or part of the event.