January 2020 – 4 nights – adults only!
Bundle up to chase the northern lights in a snowmobile, eat reindeer, fall asleep staring at the stars through a glass ceiling, and learn about the only indigenous people of Europe (the Sámi).
The Avventura’s Lapland Finland Map
Overview
We only got to see the northern lights for 10 minutes, but we were so surprised how many other ways there were to really enjoy this trip. Participating in so many fun outdoor adventures (snowmobiling, dog sledding, snowshoeing, and even a reindeer farm) in an environment that was so cold and so dark was truly unique. We pulled out all our winter gear from Chicago (that we haven’t used since moving to Turin) and headed up north.
The hotels in this remote area are super unique. We stayed three nights at the Wilderness Hotel, which has modern igloo-like rooms with a glass ceiling and spent one night in a mobile cabin in the middle of a frozen lake.
We also ate a lot of reindeer. We thought it would be tough and gamey, but it is super tender and tasty. We were skeptical and had some hesitations, particularly since this was right after Christmas, but so glad we tried it and even bought some canned meat to bring home for the kids to try (who also loved it).
We had never been somewhere before where there was no true daylight. Eating breakfast in the pitch black at 9am was crazy. The sun never rose over the horizon, but there was a dawn or dusk-like light from 10-2.
Maybe it’s because we’re so used to all the lively conversations among Italians, but one of the main things we noticed is that the Finnish people are so quiet. At the airport you could hear a pin drop even though it was full of people. When talking to guides we didn’t know if pauses while they were speaking meant they were done talking, but then all of a sudden they would give another piece of information. There was no sense of urgency, just lots of quiet and peacefulness.
Avventura Favves
Angeli Reindeer Farm was our favorite experience. We debated for a long time about which tour to do (all the hotels and outdoor adventure groups in the area offer a tour), but in the end, we decided to go directly to this authentic farm. It was easy to arrange with Anne via Whatsapp. Unlike other farms, this herd of reindeer is wild but they come back to the farm for food. There were no sleigh rides, but we got to feed them and then sit inside with Anne in her home and talk over tea and cakes. Her family is Sámi and we got to hear her stories about her culture, family life in such a remote place, and of course about reindeer. She also has beautiful jewelry for sale that she makes herself.
Snowshoeing – We rented snowshoes through the Inari Wilderness Hotel and chose a 4 hour route that would lead us to see the remote Pielpajärvi Wilderness Church. It was such a beautiful, quiet and remote experience. Our tip is to start as early as possible on any activity so you don’t run out of light like we did. At 2:30 in the afternoon it was already pitch dark and we were racing back to finish the hike. It was quite sweaty!
Snowmobiling + Northern Lights – Again, there are many tour experiences to choose from for this. We did the Aurora Snowmobile Expedition through Visit Inari (135€/person). It included pickup from the hotel, was with a small group, and they provided extra warm outer layers. Lynn almost flipped us over, but we did catch a brief view of the northern lights and had warm snacks and drinks in a tipi-like tent. This isn’t an experience we would probably do again, but we were glad we did it once.
Restaurant Aanaar in Hotel Kultahovi – We ate at this restaurant twice (which is extremely unusual for us), not because there aren’t that many options in a town with a population less than 600, but because we really liked it. They had really fun cocktails and fancy preparations. We definitely were not expecting this level of sophistication in this remote location. The delicious reindeer was prepared in so many different ways.
Lake Inari Mobile Cabins – This was a crazy unique experience. After a simple but nice dinner of grilled fish and sausages around a campfire, they drag you and your cabin out via snowmobile for about 10 minutes to a quiet spot in the middle of the frozen lake. It’s just you and a few other scattered cabins out there. The cabins have a basic toilet and wifi. It was a cloudy night so there were no northern lights viewings for us, but we still liked this fun and unique experience. They drag you back in the morning to home base for a simple breakfast.
Inari Wilderness Hotel – This hotel was perfect for the area. It has a beautiful main lodge with big fireplaces and comfy chairs perfect for sitting around sipping warm beverages. We stayed in a glass ceiling room near the lake’s edge but there are also less expensive standard rooms. There’s a free sauna (need to reserve – not necessary to do in advance) which is quite nice to warm your core body temperature up after an activity. They also had lots of their own daily activities (although, aside from the snowshoe rental, we booked separately through the various groups at lower rates). We had dinner there one night, which was pretty good, but the breakfast buffet was really exceptional. They made an effort to have local foods and jams, and it was included with the room rate.
Other Things We Liked
Dog Sledding with Guesthouse Husky – Unlike the snowmobile, Lynn did successfully flip us over while driving the dog sled. Dog sledding is not native to the area (it was brought in later for the sole purpose of tourism) and reindeer farmers have an issue with them because they create noise and sometimes the dogs get out and can harm the reindeer. But, putting those issues aside, it was a fun experience to guide our own dog sled team. We could have used some more information about the dogs and dog sledding, but our guide was not very forthcoming. We didn’t think he was unfriendly, but just like many of the Finnish people we met, he spoke very quietly and directly and only gave short responses to our questions.
Logistics and Miscellaneous Notes
Lapland, and Inari in particular, has a much better chance of seeing northern lights than other parts of Finland further south. We misunderstood a statistic we read prior to going that said that the Northern Lights are present in the region 300 out of 365 days a year. This is true, but doesn’t account for cloudy nights when the clouds are covering the lights. We had a lot of cloud cover while we were there. If you really want to see the lights, try to book as many nights as you can to increase your chances and cross your fingers for clear skies, but be prepared to enjoy the experience even if you don’t get to see them.
We flew to Ivalo on Finnair, with a connection in Helsinki. Helsinki airport has good food and coffee options. It was full of people, but like our other experiences in Finland it was so quiet, there were no conversations above a whisper. We rented a car and drove 35 minutes to Inari. We had a sedan with snow tires, and the roads were very well maintained, so it was safe and easy to get around.
Have you ever heard of the Moomin books by Tove Jansson? Check out the store dedicated to the Moomins in the Helsinki airport with books and cute paraphernalia, and there’s even a Moominworld for these funny and adorable creatures in southwestern Finland. The stories are for kids, but the adults also enjoy them. We’ve read Finn Family Moomintroll as a family.
We would have loved to buy reindeer fur boots while we were there because they are supposed to be the warmest boots you can wear (the Sámi wear them to take care of their reindeer). They are available for purchase at the Siida museum, which is dedicated to Sámi culture, but they were too expensive for us.
Next Time We Go
We really enjoyed this trip, but it was a once in a lifetime trip. We definitely feel like northern Finland was the right choice to see the northern lights, but next time we’ll probably try to see them in another location like Alaska, Canada or Norway.
The Avventura 