5 days
The Essence of Lapland

Day 1. Arrival and the first aurora night

I meet you myself at Rovaniemi Airport. The city centre is only ten minutes away. We leave some time for you to settle into your hotel and shake off the long journey.

In the evening we set out on the first northern lights chase. I choose the first night deliberately: the weather may turn in the coming days, so we do not let the first chance go. We follow the forecasts and drive to where the clouds break, and when the aurora appears I take professional photos of you under it. That is why the tour has no time limit.

1. AfternoonWelcome at the airport, transfer to the hotel
2. EveningNorthern lights chase and photography · 4–10 hours

Day 2. Snowmobile, Santa Claus Village and Arktikum

After the aurora night we start the day gently. Late in the morning you ride a snowmobile with a guide: first along forest trails among pines bowed with snow, then across a white, frozen lake. The start is in town, the pace is relaxed for first-timers, and children ride in a heated sled.

Around midday at Santa Claus Village you cross the Arctic Circle line, visit Santa in his office and send a card from his post office. We end the day at Arktikum, exploring Arctic nature, Sámi culture and how the northern lights you saw the night before are formed.

1. Late morningSnowmobile safari · about 1 hour of driving
2. MiddaySanta Claus Village and the Arctic Circle line
3. AfternoonArktikum museum and science centre

Day 3. Reindeer and huskies

In the morning we go to a lakeside reindeer farm, 15 kilometres from town. The family has herded reindeer since at least the 1800s and now cares for more than 250 of them. You meet the herders, feed the reindeer by hand and, if the snow allows, ride into the forest by sleigh.

In the afternoon we head north to pure-bred Siberian huskies at a family-run farm. After a short lesson you take the reins: you drive your own dog team about 4 kilometres through the snowy forest. Then we visit the kennels, spend time with the huskies and warm up with a hot drink.

1. MorningReindeer farm · about 2 hours
2. AfternoonHusky sledding, you drive yourself · 14:00
3. EveningFree

Day 4. East Lapland: Korouoma and Ruka Coaster

The fullest day of the programme. Early in the morning we drive south-east, about an hour and a half, to Korouoma canyon. In this deep valley, formed hundreds of millions of years ago, water running down the canyon walls freezes every winter into giant ice waterfalls. The walk is about 5 km: short, but with steep ascents and descents, and slippery in winter. With ice cleats or snowshoes we walk without hurrying, and take a warm break by a fire in front of the ice columns.

In the afternoon we continue to Ruka. Ruka Coaster, which you have probably seen all over social media, is a mountain coaster that glides down a snowy slope with views of the forest. You brake the sled yourself as it speeds up to 40 kilometres per hour. On the way back to Rovaniemi in the evening, we stop briefly at the Auttiköngas waterfall.

1. Early morningDrive to Korouoma · about 1.5 hours
2. Towards middayWalk in the canyon, frozen waterfalls, break by the fire
3. AfternoonRuka Coaster · from 13:30
4. EveningStop at the Auttiköngas waterfall, return to Rovaniemi

Ruka Coaster is open in the winter season from early December (depending on snow) until early May. Children under 8 and shorter than 135 cm ride with an adult. When the Coaster is closed, this day is done as Korouoma and ice fishing.

Day 5. Ice fishing and farewell

After a full day, the last morning is calm. In the middle of a frozen lake near town we drill through the ice with an auger and fish like the locals. Finns say that catching a fish is not the goal, it is a bonus. By the fire, with hot drinks, we say goodbye to Lapland.

Depending on your flight time, I drop you at the airport. If your flight is early in the morning, we take a short walk around town instead of fishing.

1. MorningIce fishing and campfire · 2–3 hours
2. Depending on your flightTransfer to the airport