Reindeers, Huskies & Northern Light Thrills

After sending multiple clients off on their bucket list trips to Lapland, I thought it was time to go an experience this winter wonderland for myself. Lapland is not a country but a region that covers vast areas of northern Scandinavia and part of Russia. For my trip I selected Finnish Lapland and took a direct flight to Rovaniemi. The airport while small was very efficient and had a lovely winter scene create in the baggage claim area. While you can catch a taxi, it's easier to pre-book a transfer and my lodgings were only a short 30 minute journey. I was staying in a gorgeous Panorama Hut, these newly built cabins are in the forest surrounded by nature and piles of snow. Set about a 5-8 minute walk from the reception/dining area, while only compact, they are furnished immaculately in traditional Scandi style and have everything you need, queen sized bed, kitchen area, floor to ceiling windows and a cute shower/bathroom area plus are always toasty warm. On arrival I was provided with a thermal over suit that would keep me warm even if it went down to -30 degrees (thankfully it was pretty mild while I was there), wool socks and scarf and waterproof boots, I was allowed to keep these for the duration of my stay.

I'd booked an action packed 4 day itinerary. I'd arrived early afternoon but as the sun sets so early I simply unpacked and then went and had a lovely hearty dinner in the restaurant. The next day I enjoyed breakfast and then joined the group and walked down the the husky kennels, where we had chance to meet the husky puppies and were give an informative talk about their lives, how far they can travel, how long they work for etc. We then partnered up and enjoyed a thrilling 5km Husky Sled ride across the frozen lake and through the snowy forest, while one person sat in the sled, the other drove and shouted "mush", it took a little practice to get the hang of breaking and keeping the speed consistent as the dogs love to just run and run. Later that night, it was then time to head in a coach for a trip towards the border with Sweden on an Aurora Hunt, we seemed to drive in the middle of nowhere but it was actually an area of frozen lakes and we got the chance to walk into the middle and given there was no light pollution we were able to witness an amazing light show and I'm glad to say the Northern Lights came out to play! The hunt took us to three locations and each one offered a different perspective on this natural phenomenon.

The next day was probably my favourite activity, after a short coach ride into the centre of Rovaniemi, we got kitted out with our helmets and gloves and walked down to the frozen river, we had a detailed safety briefing and then took off in formation, I absolutely loved it, it gave me a real adrenalin buzz as the instructors allowed to you let the throttle out so you felt like you were flying, we also went up and down into some forested areas and part way through the 3 hour Snowmobile expedition enjoyed hot berry juice.

The final day I got up early as the sunrise was too good to miss and went on a walk over to the island where you could take a few different snowy trails off varying kilometres and see native flora and fauna, plus at select points there were outdoor fire pits so you could stop and have a warm drink or smores and warm yourself up. After a couple of hours, I then headed back to the reception area and met the group to go and walk down to meet our Sami herders who would take us on a magical and gentle Reindeer Sleigh ride through the snowy forest, before treating us to hot berry juice in a real Lavvu (teepee). After all the action my final activity was a wonderful and relaxing Private Sauna experience to warm up. While the trip I'd booked was more adult focused, children were welcome on all activities and there was also the option for kids to go and have a private meeting with Santa...and while I was very tempted, I thought I was a little too old now :)