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4 days - Short stay to search for Northern Lights in Finnish Lapland
Enjoy the best of Finnish Lapland, staying in the countryside resort in Harriniva. Located 230kms north of the Arctic Circle, this local resort offers a great range of winter activities. A comfortable Scandinavian style accommodation combined with a wellness centre with a wide range of therapies and treatments, get ready for a great Winter Adventure with an added bonus of the Northern Lights, fingers crossed.
During the day time you get to know huskies and reindeers and at night time our guides will take you out on snowshoes as well as snowmobiles to 'hunt' for the Northern Lights. This short tour is ideal for 'beginners' and families with kids.
Ask us about the new Aurora Dome accommodation for a 'chill free' Northern Lights experience.
As a Certified B Corporation, 50 Degrees North has designed this tour using handpicked local hoteliers and suppliers who share our ethos of delivering services and activities of high social and environmental standards.
The CO2-e per person per day of all tours is carefully measured following each season. We fully offset all emissions of our tours on your behalf, and we constantly look at ways to reduce emissions where possible.
Snowmobile, private transfers from airport, snowshoes & husky rides.
Aurora Alarm can be organised at the reception on your arrival - approx. 12 Euros. Aurora Sighting SMS will be sent to your phone during your stay at the cabins.
Arrival to Kittilä airport and transfer to Harriniva Hotel. Harriniva Hotel is located 230kms north of the Arctic Circle in the Finnish part of Lapland and offers a great range of winter activities. A comfortable Scandinavian style accommodation is combined with a wellness centre with a wide range of therapies and treatments.
Accommodation in cosy double rooms with shower and toilet. Dinner in the restaurant.
Breakfast in the hotel restaurant. Today we will visit a local reindeer herder and his reindeers. You will learn about the life and ways of the reindeer man and of course also about his reindeer. Reindeer herders will show you how to throw the lappish lasso (suopunki) and you will also enjoy a short safari during the program. Lunch is served in the hotel restaurant.
In the evening you will start your snowmobile engines and head out. The chances of seeing the famous ‘Aurora Borealis’ are great on this night safari. The approximately 20km tour takes you to the top of a nearby fell, where you will enjoy some warm drinks and feel how the sky is closer and stars brighter...
After breakfast you will meet your guide and our happy huskies - there are over 400 husky dogs in our husky farm. After a guided tour of the husky farm and some driving and safety instructions, you will start the 17 km husky safari -2 persons per sled with one driving, and the chance to swap drivers halfway. After the safari lunch is served in the hotel restaurant.
This afternoon is free to explore the local area or book an excursion. After dinner you will pack your snowshoes and head out with your guide in hope of spotting the Northern Lights. After finding the perfect spot with a view to north you warm up with hot drinks before returning to the hotel.
After the breakfast transfer to Kittilä airport.
All prices listed are per person, twin share. Please note arrivals are from Monday to Thursday. Other starting days are possible but the day to day itinerary might change slightly. This program is suitable for those aged 12 and over.
Prices are indicative due to the current uncertainty across Europe with increasing energy and volatile fuel costs.
Extra optional upgrades for Saturday Night:
Option 1:
Exchange your Northern Lights snowshoes for a night in a Snow Igloo. After dinner transfer to Torassieppi Winter Village where you will spend a night in a Snow Igloo. Transfers, warm drink, sleeping bag and breakfast in the morning included. Please note that you will check out of your hotel room on Saturday. These igloos are your traditional, enclosed igloos with no special Northern Lights viewing windows.
This program is suitable for those aged 12 and over. Please note that children under 18 years cannot drive the snowmobile and small children cannot drive the husky team. They will be sitting in the guide’s sledge during the safaris.
Finland is well known as a 'Northern Lights' travel destination. Above the Arctic Circle, small villages and resorts in the wilderness over unique chances to see the lights between mid-September to early April.
If you’re looking for unusual honeymoon destination, look no further than Northern Europe and Scandinavia! Imagine a stay at the ICEHOTEL Sweden, the Retreat at the Blue Lagoon Iceland and more..
Get ready for travelling in the Nordic winter weather - ideas for travelling smoothly in the snow.
Travel insurance is compulsory for all tours with 50 Degrees North. The safety of our travellers, staff and operators is a major priority of 50 Degrees North. With an operational office in Norway, 50 Degrees North has access to an up-to-the-minute flow of information regarding the countries we work in. We are also in regular contact with the various operators we use. Their in-depth knowledge and understanding of their various areas is vital.
Here are some suggestions and tips from our staff who have kids themselves, for travelling in Scandinavia with younger children. We hope that you will find this advice helpful and be sure to ask us for more information before travelling as our staff have all grown up in Scandinavia.
In general, Scandinavia and Finland are very child-friendly destinations and if you have any special requests or questions while here, please contact the staff at your hotel immediately. Almost all restaurants can be considered child-friendly with baby chairs and sometimes also drawing utensils, books or toys, and when using public transport, Scandinavia offers some great support for families with younger children. Baby changing tables in public toilets, play equipment and play rooms at airport terminals and family wagons in trains with playing area for the little ones are common place.
When possible, we suggest arriving to Scandinavia or Finland a day or two earlier before your holiday program begins so that your younger children can adjust to the time zone. Young children arriving from the Southern Hemisphere generally wake up at around 4 - 5am for the first few mornings before they get accustomed to the new time zone. Be sure to have breakfast provisions ready for this, as it is unusual for anything to be provided from the hotel at this early hour. We suggest bringing packages of the child's favourite breakfast cereal from home plus tea bags etc. to help in those first few days. Likewise, quiet entertainment for those early hours might be a good idea as well.
Hotel rooms in Scandinavia more likely than not, only have twin beds pushed together to make a double if required. The spare children's beds are often foldout beds. Generally, it is easy to arrange at reception for the cots but be sure to ask for help if something doesn't seem right. We were provided a cot without a mattress once - very uncomfortable indeed if we hadn't chased that up!
Also, in Scandinavia it is not common practise to have tea or coffee provided in the room, and even if there is a kettle, there might be nothing else. We suggest travelling with a small supply of your own tea bags/coffee, and asking directly at reception for a kettle on arrival.
Feeding your children adequately is probably the hardest thing to do on an arranged holiday - kids are out of wack with jetlag, fussy and hungry for their own comfort food. When hotels and packages provide set times for meals and buffets, it is important to come prepared.
It is handy to take a small cooler bag already from home filled with snacks, utensils and fresh food. From the breakfast buffets it is usually acceptable to take a small amount of fresh food such as boiled eggs, rolls and fruit for morning and afternoon tea for the little ones.
We would also suggest that you give your kids a taste of what’s to come before their holiday on some foods that they are likely to get in Scandinavia. Meatballs, European flavoured sausages, soups & then treats like cinnamon buns and waffles are typical children's menu items. Cinnamon is a very common flavour used in Scandinavia and Finland.
If you are part of an arranged program, be sure to ask at reception if you need anything in particular. The hotel staff will be more than happy to warm up baby food and organise more snacks or fruit.
We recommend seeking all available information from the reception or activity provider when considering what optional activities will suit your younger children. These activities can be cold and involve a transfer a certain distance from the hotel. If you are uncertain why the activity is being run at a particular time, please ask for clarification as there is often a reason that you might be unfamiliar with. We all know as parents that children generally perform better earlier in the day than later, however, the activity providers might have a safety, logistic or climate reason for picking a certain time.
In Scandinavia, it is often left up to the parents to make decisions about age limits and suitability (unlike other regions where everything is stipulated) so be sure to ask reception or other guests who have done the activity for further advice.
We usually don't recommend winter activities, such as longer husky safaris, snowmobile safaris and late evening Aurora Hunts to children under the age 4-5. This of course depends very much on a child as every child is different, but for younger children we recommend shorter excursions as it can get very cold sitting still in a sled. Some operators also do not take children under the age of 5 on their tours, so please ask us specifically before travelling about these limitations.
This is going to make or break your holiday in Scandinavia in the winter. Be sure to refer to our comprehensive packing list provided in your pre-departure information and be on the look out for the best protection for your children in the cold. Winter is great time for kids to play outside and snow-based activities will keep the young ones entertained for hours as long as they have appropriate clothing.
Extra (non-cotton) layers that can be added or taken away when needed, heat warmers and slip on crampons for the older children are recommended. Mittens where all fingers except the thumb are together are often warmer than gloves, and extra pair of mittens will come in handy after building a snowman or two. A balaclava type of hat that covers both the neck and ears and which can also protect part of child’s face if needed, is also great under a warm and windproof beanie.
The base-layer next to skin should be either wool or synthetic blend, never cotton. With perspiration cotton turns quickly damp and then cold, no matter what other warmer clothing items are layered on top of it.
Many of the hotels and activity providers also do offer warm outer clothing for hire, but if traveling with small kids, please do check beforehand that correct sizes are available.
