Lapland New Year 2017

We really had arrived in a magical wonderland, simply breath-taking. It was snowing and -19! Let the fun begin! Off horse riding into the wilderness this afternoon. Firstly, to collect our thermal suit, we certainly needed them.

Day 1

The girls headed off horse riding, deep into the wilderness. I was hoping and praying I didn’t fall off as the snow was around 4ft deep! My pony being a sensitive one, I named him BOLT! Trust me to get a naughty one.

A one-hour excursion I would highly recommend but it's not for the faint-hearted if you're scared of bears!

Day 2

Our first full day and everyone was excited to do our first adventure activities, husky ride, tobogganing, and snowmobile rides.

Then a whole afternoon of sledging into the late evening. Great fun for us adults trying to relive our youth. After heading back to our hotel at the top of the ski slope, we came across a little gem hidden on the hill tops.

Laavu is located close to Levi front slopes. There is a 300-metre scenic path to the Laavu. Inside you can enjoy hot drinks and crepes cooked by an open fire and fried sausages. The amazing views carry out all the way to Pallas fells.

Café Panorama Laavu’s heart is the open fire. From the shelter of the forest, you can admire the northern lights in winter or midnight sun during the summer time. The Laavu’s front wall is made of glass, so you are not exposed to the chill winter weather. Next to Café Panorama Laavu, you can also find a scenic tower, from where you can see the Lappish scenery even further.

Day 3

Up bright and early to meet the big man himself. Hidden deep in the forest is a winter wonderland village. We headed straight to Mrs Claus’ workshop to bake some gingerbread cookies. The smell was amazing, yum, yum. Lots of fun activities are available for the kids, like making Christmas decorations, picture drawings for Santa, tobogganing, Elf football, and riding a reindeer.

This was the first day we actually got to see full daylight. The sky was lit up with pink and yellow colours. Then the moment we have all been waiting for. We got to meet the real Father Christmas. The realisation on my daughters’ face was a moment I will never forget. These types of memories stay with you forever.

After a hot lunch we headed back for some more tobogganing and to prepare ourselves for a New Year's Eve celebration. Our last evening was celebrated with a gala dinner, kid’s games and a very funny Panto.

We all then gathered onto Levi ski slope for fireworks, which were the best I have ever seen. The locals all gathered around and climbed the slopes, we knew we were in for a good night!