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6 days - Independent Christmas tour, visiting Tromsø and new boutique Cahkal hotel in Finland

Join a special independent Christmas tour 400 kilometres above Arctic Circle in Kilpisjärvi. This is a relaxed luxurious Christmas holiday in a totally unique and pure arctic wilderness setting at the new boutique hotel Cahkal.

As well as snowmobiling, reindeer experience and a Northern Lights cruise, sit back in a traditional Finnish Sauna experience. Enjoy a traditional Finnish Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve, before finishing the trip in the Arctic capital, Tromsø.

Highlights include

  • Stay at the boutique hotel Cahkal, Finland
  • The aurora borealis is the best lightshow on Earth, so stay up late to see the Northern sky dance with green light
  • Experience Christmas 400 kilometers above Arctic Circle
Day 1
Arrive in Tromsø and transfer to Kilpisjärvi
Day 2
Snowmobile Experience and Christmas Program with Santa Visit
Day 3
Arctic and wilderness activities and sauna experience
Day 4
Travel to Tromsø - the middle of the Aurora Borealis zone
Day 5
Guided city walk in Tromsø with polar museum and Northern Lights Cruise
Day 6
Departure this morning in Tromsø
Start/End Place
Tromsø, Norway
Destinations Visited
Norway
Finland
Duration
6 Days
Start Date
Scheduled
Travel Style
Independent
Suitability
Easy Christmas tour - minimum age: 10 years old
Code
50DN1085

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.

Details

Transportation

Private transfers Tromsø - Kilpisjärvi - Tromsø

Included
  • All accommodation in a shared double/twin room, single supplement available
  • 3 nights at boutique hotel Cahkal
  • 2 nights standard room in Tromsø
  • Daily breakfast, 3 dinners and 2 lunches
  • Snowmobile Experience
  • Christmas program
  • Reindeer Experience
  • Tromsø city walk
  • Electric Northern Lights Cruise
  • Shuttle transfer between Tromsø and Cahkal Hotel
  • All transport between destinations
  • Taxes and service fees
Not Included
  • Meals not specified in the itinerary
  • Alcoholic beverages and soft drinks
  • Gratuities and items of personal nature
  • Travel insurance

Portage is not included - you will be responsible for carrying all your luggage.

Itinerary

Day 1 - Arrive in Tromsø and transfer to Kilpisjärvi

Arrive Tromsø and transfer to Kilpisjärvi. The place is located just over 2.5 hours, 160 km from Tromsø and is the very northwesternmost point of Finland, near the Arctic Ocean. Here you will stay at boutique hotel Cahkal for the next 3 nights.

Relax with the mountain views from your stylish room before enjoying a 3-course dinner at the accommodation restaurant, Aika.

Meals
1 Dinner

Day 2 - Snowmobile Experience and Christmas Program with Santa Visit

After breakfast, experience the surrounding nature and views and learn to drive snowmobile while sightseeing the snowy mountains and lakes. The tour will introduce you to the sights around Kilpisjärvi village and takes you to a tundra lake surrounded by the mighty Saana and Jehkas mountains. The tour will make stop at the Three country cairn, at the border of Finland, Sweden and Norway. This visit is in top 3 on many visitors bucket list.

In the evening, celebrate Christmas with a traditional 3-course dinner.

Meals
1 Breakfast
1 Lunch
1 Dinner

Day 3 - Arctic and wilderness activities and sauna experience

After Breakfast, start the day by exploring the fishing nets a traditional fishing method in Kilpisjärvi. Join a local guide to check the nets travelling to the fishing spot on a sleigh pulled by a snowmobile. After checking the nets, enjoy a tasty lunch. If you are lucky and catch a fish it can be taken back to the hotel and prepared for dinner.

This afternoon you can choose to visit a local reindeer farm OR join a night adventure by snowshoes. 
The reindeer farm is located next the Hotel. Meet the reindeer herder and learn about reindeer herding, a traditional local livelihood. You can also feed the reindeer and take photos with these beautiful arctic animals. For a finishing touch enjoy a short reindeer ride.

Kilpisjärvi village and the surrounding area is one of the best places to see the northern lights. The snowshoe adventure takes you through the forests where you can enjoy a hot beverage and snacks while looking out for the magical lights.

Finish the day with time in the sauna and a delicious dinner at AIKA Restaurant.

Meals
1 Breakfast
1 Lunch
1 Dinner

Day 4 - Travel to Tromsø - the middle of the Aurora Borealis zone

After breakfast, board your transfer and travel to Tromsø, 2.5 hours north across the Norwegian border. Tromsø is the gateway to the Arctic and one of the best and most cosmopolitan places to observe the spectacle that is called the Northern Lights.

Tromsø is located in the middle of the Aurora Borealis zone, and following the planet’s rotation, Tromsø moves into the aurora zone from 6pm to midnight.

Meals
1 Breakfast

Day 5 - Guided city walk in Tromsø with polar museum and Northern Lights Cruise

After breakfast, you are met by our private guide at your hotel and brought outdoors on a historical and cultural city walk through Tromsø city. During this walk you visit the Polar Museum with your guide. This museum contains the history of the Arctic explorers Amundsen, Nansen and Scott. The walk ends at the Polaria aquarium and environmental centre.

The rest of the day is free to wander around in this Arctic capital - if it is a bit fresh outside, explore the lovely cafes & galleries.

In the evening, set off on an adventure into the total darkness of the Arctic fjords and Polar nights. Depart Tromsø and set sail for the direction where the clearest weather conditions for the night has been predicted. This can be north towards the areas of Kvaløyvågen or south to Ramfjorden or west along the southern part of Kvaløya island. The captain and crew will work together and keep their eyes out for clear skies or a gap in the cloud layer. While you wait for the northern lights to appear, you can stay warm and comfortable in our heated lounges. Grab a beverage and a snackcfrom the cafe.

Throughout the evening the guides will share their knowledge and personal stories of the Northern Lights. From mythical stories from around the world to the scientific explanation of the Northern Lights. Some nights she shines bright in the sky and dances with different colours, while on other nights she's a bit shy and is only faintly visible or not visible at all. The guides can help you take pictures during the tour.

Meals
1 Breakfast

Day 6 - Departure this morning in Tromsø

After breakfast, transfer to the airport and depart Tromsø.

Meals
1 Breakfast
Dates & Prices

Please note all prices are per person in double/twin share.

Dates
Start Date
End Date
From Price
Status
Accommodation
23 Dec 2024
28 Dec 2024
23 Dec 2024
28 Dec 2024
EUR 4,635
Fully booked
Standard
23 Dec 2024
28 Dec 2024
23 Dec 2024
28 Dec 2024
EUR 1,880
Fully booked
Extra for Single

Important Information

Activities are subject to change due to updated schedules and weather.

Snowmobile Experience: For driving the age limit is 18 years. Passenger age recommendation is min 10 years and minimum height 135cm. Smaller children can join in the sleigh (connected to the guide’s snowmobile) with a parent.

SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL:

Light pollution affects the ecosystem and among other things, it disrupts the ability of birds to navigate by moonlight and starlight, and the ability of nocturnal animals to hide from predators. As such they utilize as much natural light as possible, and only keep the lights on when they are needed. Customers are encouraged to do the same – this way marvelling the northern sky becomes easier.

Cahkal Hotel uses geothermal heating and solar panels (make sense in summer when the sun does not set). It is totally built of wood, a sustainable material in Lapland. Cahkal Hotel’s AIKA restaurant uses local ingredients as much as possible, including white fish from the nearby lakes (fished by the local fisherman), reindeer meat from the local herder (the one you meet) and wild berries from the surrounding wilderness.

Interactive Tour Map

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