Winter Adventure in Finnish Lapland

WINTER ADVENTURE IN FINNISH LAPLAND

12-Day Independent Tour

Available Between: December 1, 2024 – March 31, 2025

 

HIGHLIGHTS
Visit Helsinki, Tallinn, Rovaniemi, Finland’s Lapland and Porvoo • Meet Santa Claus at the Santa Claus Village • Hunt the Northern Lights • Enjoy a variety of winter activities you won’t find anywhere else!

ITINERARY INCLUDES

• 8 nights hotel accommodations, double occupancy, with private facilities
• 2 nights at Nellim Wilderness Lodge – Log Cabin, double occupancy, with private facilities
• 1 night at Nellim Wilderness Lodge – Aurora cabin, double occupancy
• Daily Breakfast [B], 4 lunches [L], and 4 dinners [D]
• Cruise: Helsinki – Tallinn – Helsinki
• 4-hr private walking tour of Tallinn with local English-speaking guide
• Transfer from Hotel to Train Station in Helsinki
• Train: Helsinki – Rovaniemi
• Transfer from train station to hotel in Rovaniemi
• Arctic Delight Safari to Santa Claus Village
• Sampo Icebreaker Excursion – with lunch and transfers from Rovaniemi
• Bus: Rovaniemi – Muotka
• Transfer from Matkahoulto Ivalo to Nellim Wilderness Lodge
• Activities at Nellim Wilderness Lodge (dates of activities may vary based on weather conditions)
  o Reindeer Day with Snowmobile
  o Husky Safari
  o Snowshoeing Trip
  o Aurora Camp
  o Aurora Snowmobiling
• Transfer from Nellim Wilderness Lodge – Ivalo Airport
• Transfer from Helsinki Airport to City (van) on Day 10
• 4-hr private walking tour of Porvoo with local English-speaking guide
• Transfers to/from Porvoo

ITINERARY – 12 DAYS

DAY 1     ARRIVE HELSINKI
Arrival in Helsinki. Balance of day free to relax and adjust to time change. Overnight at the Original Sokos Hotel Presidentti or similar.

DAY 2     HELSINKI                                                                                        [B]
Breakfast at hotel. Day free to explore Helsinki on own. You may wish to visit the Temppeliaukio Church (The Rock Church), Helsinki Cathedral, Esplanade Park, The Sibelius monument, Havis Amanda Fountain, Uspensky Orthodox Cathedral, Finlandia Hall, Presidential Palace (Presidentinlinna), Kiasma Art Museum, or take a ferry out to Suomenlinna Maritime Sea Fortress. Overnight at hotel.

DAY 3     EXCURSION TO TALLINN, ESTONIA                                   [B]
Breakfast at hotel. Transfer on own to the Silja Line terminal for 10:30am departure to Tallinn. Arrive at 12:30pm and disembark. Meet your guide at the pier and enjoy a walking tour of Tallinn prior to returning to the port for 4:30pm departure. Arrive back in Helsinki at 6:30pm. Dinner on own. Overnight at hotel.

DAY 4     HELSINKI – ROVANIEMI                                                         [B,D]
Breakfast at hotel. Meet your transfer driver in the lobby for departure to the Helsinki Central Train Station. Depart Helsinki by train to Rovaniemi (8-12 hour train ride depending on departure time). Arrive in Rovaniemi and meet your transfer driver. Dinner and overnight at the Scandic Pohjanhovi Hotel or similar.
Option: Flights between Helsinki – Rovaniemi available upon request.

DAY 5     EXCURSION TO SANTA CLAUS VILLAGE                          [B,L]
Breakfast at hotel. Short walk to the Safartica Office for your day excursion to the Santa Claus Village. Santa Claus’ original home lies in the mysterious Korvatunturi (“Ear Fell”) in Finnish Lapland. Since the exact location is a secret only known to a chosen few, he decided to establish an office in Rovaniemi, the capital of Lapland, in 1985. Rovaniemi received the status of the Official Hometown of Santa Claus in 2010. Mr. Father Christmas himself, visit Santa’s Official Post Office, do some shopping and enjoy delicious lunch. After lunch, head for the snowmobiles and drive to a local reindeer farm. Meet the reindeer, try a short reindeer sleigh ride, take part in special “Crossing of the Arctic Circle” ceremony and after a splendid day we return back to the city by snowmobiles. Crossing the Arctic Circle Certificate is given to you as a gift at the end of the safari. Return to the Safartica Office in the evening. Dinner on own. Overnight at hotel.

DAY 6     SAMPO ICEBREAKER EXCURSION                                     [B,L]
Short walk to the Tourist Information office. At 7:00am, depart on a truly unique experience, a cruise on the Sampo Icebreaker in the middle of the frozen Gulf of Bothnia. Every cruise will have a guided tour from the Captain’s bridge all the way down to the engine rooms. A delicious meal is served in the ship’s elegantly cozy restaurant. Before returning to the port, the ship will make a one-hour stop to enable each visitor to participate in the swimming event, comfortably dressed in survival suits. At the end of this unique cruise experience, the crew will present a Sampo Cruise Certificate to each participant. Return to Rovaniemi for overnight at hotel. Dinner on own.

DAY 7     ROVANIEMI – SAARISELKÄ                                                  [B,D]
Breakfast at hotel. Transfer on own to the bus station for departure to the Nellim Wilderness Hotel. Disembark at the Matkahoulto Ivalo bus stop. Here, meet the transfer from the Nellim Wilderness Hotel. Time free to explore your home for the next three nights. Dinner at the hotel. In the evening, enjoy an aurora snowmobiling safari. On this tour, your guide will take the group and head for open spots where the chances of seeing the Aurora Borealis are the best. Driving distance depends on the weather conditions; if the sky looks promising, we will make more stops in order to admire the possible Northern light show. Return to Hotel for overnight in a log cabin.
Option: Flights between Rovaniemi – Saariselkä available upon request.

DAY 8     SAARISELKÄ                                                                               [B,L,D]
Breakfast at hotel. Today, experience an absolute ‘must do’ when visiting Lapland…a Husky Safari! The dogs’ excitement is infectious and as the animals fall silent on the trail, you will realize that this is the only way to see Lapland. Tonight, you will search for the northern lights by snowshoe! Snowshoeing in the woods at night has its own excitement. You will wander in the amazing taiga forests surrounding Muotka until finally reaching the camp spot. At the camp, we enjoy some warm drinks and gaze at the sky in the hopes of a possible Northern Lights show. Lunch and dinner served at hotel. Overnight at hotel.

DAY 9     SAARISELKÄ                                                                              [B,L,D]
Breakfast at hotel. Today, enjoy a guided snowmobile tour that will give you an insight on Sámi culture and way of life in the north. The guide will tell you more about the Sámi culture and the life in the north. You will feed the reindeer – the curious animals might even come up and eat out of your hand! After the amazing experience you will have lunch by the open fire. Comfortably seated on reindeer hides around the fire, you will be served reindeer soup and warm drinks that have been heated over the fire. During the day we will make stops at the Nellim church and the Russian Border. Tonight, switch to an Aurora Cabin for a chance to sleep under the dancing Northern Lights. Lunch and dinner served at hotel. Overnight at hotel.

DAY 10     SAARISELKÄ – HELSINKI                                                 [B]
Breakfast at hotel. Morning free to relax at the hotel. In the afternoon, transfer to the Ivalo Airport for flight to Helsinki. Upon arrival in Helsinki, transfer to the Original Sokos Hotel Presidentti or similar. Dinner on own. Overnight at hotel.

DAY 11     EXCURSION TO PORVOO                                                    [B]
Breakfast at hotel. At 10:00am, meet your driver/guide for a 4-hour tour of Porvoo, Finland’s second oldest city. Best known for its Old Wooden Town, Porvoo is filled with charming cafés and boutiques, and the painted red-ochre riverside warehouses. The cobbled streets lined with old dollhouse-like houses are embedded with excellent restaurants, handcraft and homeware shops, and galleries. Return to Helsinki in the afternoon. Balance of day free. Dinner on own. Overnight at hotel.

DAY 12     HELSINKI – DEPART                                                           [B]
Tour ends following breakfast at hotel.

NORTHERN LIGHTS: The Northern Lights are visible in the northern sky from September through April when the sky is clear and free of clouds. Like many natural wonders, it is an ephemeral spectacle – the Northern Lights may be visible, they may appear for a bit and then be gone (it is not a TV show that you can just turn on and off). But it is worth the patience which is much required. Because they are a winter event, you need to be prepared to wait outside while looking for them. It is best to dress very warmly, in layers, with good footwear, gloves, hats and whatever else makes you comfortable while you await this truly outstanding event. For the best photos we recommend using a tripod.