Winter Activities in Northern Lights Village Saariselkä
Snowmobile Safari
Leave the last remains of your everyday cares behind you and sit behind the handlebars of a snowmobile. On the snowmobile safari, you will receive a good understanding of the nature of Lapland during the winter. The breathtakingly beautiful landscape of the fells, the powdery snowdrifts, and the trees bowing down under the weight of the snow line your route that takes you comfortably away from the bustle of the village of Saariselkä. Along the way, we stop to take photographs of the beautiful scenery and to enjoy a hot drink & food. We may even be joined by a curious Siberian jay that, according to old folk tales, are departed woodsmen.
Duration: 2 hours or 4 hours
Includes: Guiding in English, Warm Drinks & Snacks, Thermal Clothing inc. Overalls, Boots & Gloves, Balaclava, Helmet, Snowmobile & Fuel. The 4-hour departure also includes soup with rye bread and cookies.
Snowmobile & Ice Fishing
Drill a hole through the thick ice, bait the hook, and see if you can catch a perch or a whitefish from the secluded, ice-covered wilderness lake. The snowmobile safari takes you through the remote, uninhabited forests and over the windy fells, past the breathtakingly beautiful scenery, until we reach the small wilderness lake. At the lake, we will try our luck at fishing and build a fire to enjoy a delicious meal and fry the fish we have caught. Along the way, we stop to take photos of the most beautiful sights of our trip.
Duration: 4 hours
Includes: Guiding in English, Soup Lunch inc. Rye bread, warm berry juice and cookies, Thermal Clothing inc. Overalls, Boots & Gloves, Balaclava, Helmet, Snowmobile & Fuel
Aurora Hunting by Snowmobile
Take a snowmobile through the nocturnal snow-covered forest, far away from the residential areas and their light pollution, up the slopes of the silent snowy fells. Up in the fell, we warm up by the fire under the starry sky and wait with an evening meal and hot drinks. Are you the one who sees the first flare of the Northern Lights? Compose your photos to include the Northern Lights, the snow-covered conifers, and the fells or just let the unforgettable sights enchant you.
Duration: 3 hours
Includes: Guiding in English, Warm Drinks & Snacks, Thermal Clothing inc. Overalls, Boots & Gloves, Balaclava, Helmet Snowmobile & Fuel
Husky Safari (5km, 10km & 20km)
Driving a team of huskies over the white, shimmering fells is an experience that is almost mandatory during a trip to Lapland. The eager dogs run at full speed and the sled glides effortlessly over the snowdrifts with the skids hissing softly. The lead dog turns to look at you at a crossroads – right of left? Mush! The husky safari starts in front of your Aurora hut and takes you on a fast-paced trip over the untouched snow of the fells and the forests surrounding the Northern Lights Village. This is an experience that you will never forget! Two people drive one sledge themselves.
Includes: Guiding in English, Thermal Clothing inc. Overalls, Boots & Gloves. The 4-hour departure also includes a soup lunch with rye bread and cookies.
Cross country skiing lesson
Jump on your skis and push ahead – soon you will be gliding on the snow like ancient Laplanders. Skiing is easy and can be done by anyone who can walk! During this beginners’ course, your guide will teach you the basic techniques, after which you can head on the forest trail to witness the wintery beauty of Lapland.
Duration: 2 hours
Includes: Guiding in English, Thermal Clothing inc. Overalls, Skiing Boots & Gloves, Cross-country skis and helmets
Snowshoeing
Snowshoeing is the closest way to experience the nature of Lapland. The deep snow crunching under the shoes, the snow-hooded trees, and the pearly-white willow grouse watching you from afar – the winter nature is a magical world of its own. We hike through the forest in snowshoes to a nearby fell where we will build a fire, enjoy a delicious meal outdoors, and enjoy the spectacular scenery. The guide will provide information on the nature and animals of Lapland, and with any luck we may see a Siberian jay, a willow grouse, or a herd of reindeer wandering by. This trip is especially suitable for nature-lovers, who wish to take great photographs and enjoy the natural scenery in an ecological way.
Duration: 2 hours
Includes: Guiding in English, Thermal Clothing inc. Overalls, Snowshoes
Aurora Hunting on Snowshoes
In the quiet forest, the only sound comes from the crunching snow as you walk over the snowdrifts that can get up to one-meter-thick in your snowshoes past the trees bent under the snow. The slumbering forest is lit only by the moon and the millions of stars. You feel connected to the ancient nature. In the fell, a cozy hut is waiting for you to build a fire and enjoy some snacks and warm drinks while you wait for the Northern Lights to flare up. With any luck, you get to be witness to a magnificent show as the waving Northern Lights expand across the universe.
Duration: 2.5 hours
Includes: Guiding in English, Thermal Clothing inc. Overalls, warm drinks and snacks, Snowshoes
Reindeer Express
Sit down into the sleigh and signal the reindeer – and hold on! Now you get to see how Laplanders used to move around before snowmobiles arrived to the northern wilderness. Driving a reindeer sleigh through the wintery forest is an experience that seldom comes around in one’s life! The reindeer rides start from and end in the reindeer paddock in the Northern Lights Village.
Duration: 25 minutes or 1.5 hours
Includes: Guiding in English, Thermal Clothing inc. Overalls, Boots & Gloves, Seat in Reindeer Sleigh / You may optionally ride the sleigh yourself
Reindeer Day
What does a reindeer eat in the forest in the wintertime? What does a reindeer’s muzzle feel like? How does a reindeer survive outside in -45 degrees centigrade? It is time to find out! Thoroughly explore the Northern Lights Village’s reindeer paddock. You get to meet with a reindeer breeder who will inform you about the reindeer and the Sámi. And, of course, you also get to feed the reindeer and drive a reindeer sleigh through the snowy forest.
Duration: 3 hours
Includes: Guiding in English, Warm drink and lunch, Thermal Clothing inc. Overalls, Boots & Gloves, Seat in Reindeer Sleigh
Daytrip to Nellim
Explore the meeting point of the eastern, western, and northern cultures in the tiny village of Nellim, next to the enormity of Russia, in the heart of the land of Sámi. The bus will take you comfortably to the northernmost border crossing between Finland and Russia. We will spend a moment at the border station and continue on to the Paatsjoki River Bridge that crosses over the unfrozen river and provides a view directly into Russia. We will also explore the Holy Trinity church at Nellim, where the log walls and the beautiful icons transform the shrine into a completely unique work of art, exhibiting the centuries-old Orthodox history of the Skolt Sámi people. Lunch is served in the Nellim Wilderness Hotel, where the tables are filled with delicacies prepared from the purest ingredients of Lapland.
Duration: 6 hours
Includes: Guiding in English, Warm Drinks & Snacks & Lunch, Thermal Clothing inc. Overalls, Boots & Gloves, Minivan drive in Inari region
Siida Excursion
Explore the local way of life and the history of the Sámi people and see the magnificent unfrozen Juutuanjoki River with its steaming rapids, flowing between the snowdrifts. Take a comfortable seat on the bus! We travel leisurely through the village of Ivalo to Inari and stop along the way to photograph the beautiful landscape on the shore of Lake Inari. In Inari, we take a short walk to the snowy Juutuanjoki River, where the openly flowing rapids carve ornamental patterns into the surrounding ice. After a lunch in the warm embrace of a campfire, we continue on to the Sámi Museum Siida. A guided tour of the museum provides you with a good idea of the history and way of life of the Sámi, the indigenous people of Lapland. After the tour we will visit a handicraft shop where you can purchase beautiful local souvenirs.
Duration: 6 hours
Includes: Guiding in English, Warm Drinks & Lunch, Thermal Clothing inc. Overalls, Boots & Gloves, Minivan drive in Inari region, Visit to Siida Museum
Searching for Santa
Searching for Santa is a set of playful, unforgettable Christmas experiences for the young and the young at heart, set in Northern Lights Village. Santa’s little helper Elf will meet you and other participating families and be your guide for the day. The day starts with gingerbread baking at the restaurant Kota. After the cookie moment the Elf will take you to meet Santa’s flying reindeer. Unfortunately, the reindeer only fly on the Christmas night, but you get to take a (short) ride on the reindeer-drawn sledge on snow instead. Then it is time to go searching for Santa’s secret cabin. The Snowmobile-Elf will take your family on a heated sledge ride into the forest. If you can find the cabin, Santa will most likely welcome your family in for a private chat and even give small gifts for the children.
Duration: 3 hours
Includes: Guiding in English by an Elf, Thermal Clothing inc. Overalls, Boots & Gloves, Gingerbread baking in company of your Elf guide, Short ride in the snowy forest on a heated sleigh pulled by a snowmobile, Meeting the Reindeer and a short sleigh ride , Meeting Santa Claus in his cabin (~10 minutes), Small present.
Note: Parents/Guardians are expected to actively participate in order to enhance the experience for their children – For equality reasons, we’re unable to have Santa give presents purchased by the parents
Aurora Camp by the Lake
An unforgettable evening, the roaring fire and the spectacular dance of the Northern Lights awaits you in the Aurora Camp, on the shore of a picturesque lake. The Aurora Expedition is made in comfort by bus. On the way, we stop to take photos at the rugged Lake Inari, which was believed to be the home of Ukko the Overgod by the ancient Laplanders. From there, we continue on to the Aurora Camp on the shore of the lake. In the camp, we warm up in a cozy hut by the fire, enjoy a warming drink and prepare a traditional Lapland midnight snack while waiting for the Northern Lights to appear on the horizon. Grab a reindeer hide, lie down in the snow, and enjoy an unforgettable experience under the Northern Lights. If the evening is completely calm, you may even hear the whispers of the Northern Lights.
Duration: 3 hours
Includes: Guiding in English, Warm Drinks & Snacks, Thermal Clothing inc. Overalls, Boots & Gloves
Aurora Camp by the Border
Take a seat on the bus and enjoy the nocturnal landscape of Lapland. We drive through the silent village of Ivalo and the tiny Nellim, on the winding road toward the slumbering border of our enormous neighbor Russia. From the border, we continue on for a kilometer to the Paatsjoki River bridge. We will make a fire under the open sky and wait for the Northern Lights to flare up. And when they do, the sight is incomparable: the river flowing freely and rapidly towards Russia, reflecting the red and green flames of the Northern Lights covering the skies, and the snow-covered trees. An experience you will remember for the rest of your life.
Duration: 3 hours
Includes: Guiding in English, Warm Drinks & Snacks, Thermal Clothing inc. Overalls, Boots & Gloves
Aurora Hunting by Heated Sledge
The silent, snow-covered forest, the nocturnal fell on the edge of the boundless wilderness, and the magical Northern Lights above you. Take a seat in the heated Aurora sleigh and enjoy! Your guide tows the sleigh with a snowmobile through the snowy, moon and starlit landscape, all the way to the top of the fell, far away from the residential areas and their light pollution. After arriving, we prepare our cameras and take photographs of the northern night sky. We wait for the Northern Lights to appear in comfort by the fire, enjoying hot drinks and listening to tales until someone spots the first flare. Now your imagination is the only limit: The Northern Lights waving across the sky, the constellations, snowy trees, and the glittering snow-covered fells… How will you compose your photos?
Duration: 3 hours
Includes: Guiding in English, Warm Drinks & Snacks, Thermal Clothing inc. Overalls, Boots & Gloves, seat in a heated sleigh
Aurora Photography Tour
Make the most out of the opportunity to photograph the Northern Lights. During the photography workshop you will learn all the tricks you need to capture the Northern Lights and the night sky in such a way that your photos are an accurate representation of reality. Your instructor has twenty years’ worth of knowledge and experience of photographing the Northern Lights. The workshop provides you with just the right tips on how to handle your camera and set the exposure and shutter to be able to share the magic of the Northern Lights with your friends with the best possible photos.
Duration: 1 hour
Includes: Guiding in English, Coffee & Tea