Early in our planning for Finland, we knew it was a priority to make it to Lapland (Finland's northern most region). The chances to see auroras would be best above the Arctic Circle. Finland’s ski holiday at the beginning of the month meant things in the central region of Finland where we live would be closing down, which presented a perfect opportunity for exploring. We decided make our way to the Lapland region....I’m talking about as far north as you can get in Finland, to the small village of Utsjoki.
While there are several resorts and tour companies that offer an experience in the Lapland, we found a small family owned business, Aurora Holidays, and booked with them. Our entire experience, from start to finish, exceeded every expectation that we had and at the end of the week we left feeling more like friends than customers. (Really…this is not an ad for the company, but I honestly do think they’re just that great and I highly recommend them if you are considering a trip to the Lapland.) The tour is 5 nights which gives you lots of chances to catch auroras, while also having plenty to do during the day.
Our journey started with a flight from Helsinki to Ivalo, Finland, however our final destination was still another 3 hours north by car. Tiina, the owner of Aurora Holidays picked us up at the airport and took us to the grocery store in town so we could stock up for the week. After arriving at our cabin, we had the night to settle in and get ready for the adventures of the coming week. Chance brought our family of three together with two other couples (from Switzerland and Scotland), and the dynamic of the group made each activity through the week even more fun.
While there are several resorts and tour companies that offer an experience in the Lapland, we found a small family owned business, Aurora Holidays, and booked with them. Our entire experience, from start to finish, exceeded every expectation that we had and at the end of the week we left feeling more like friends than customers. (Really…this is not an ad for the company, but I honestly do think they’re just that great and I highly recommend them if you are considering a trip to the Lapland.) The tour is 5 nights which gives you lots of chances to catch auroras, while also having plenty to do during the day.
Our journey started with a flight from Helsinki to Ivalo, Finland, however our final destination was still another 3 hours north by car. Tiina, the owner of Aurora Holidays picked us up at the airport and took us to the grocery store in town so we could stock up for the week. After arriving at our cabin, we had the night to settle in and get ready for the adventures of the coming week. Chance brought our family of three together with two other couples (from Switzerland and Scotland), and the dynamic of the group made each activity through the week even more fun.
On our first day, half of the group set out with our guide Emilia to a small Norwegian town (just across the border from Utsjoki) for an afternoon of dog=sledding. The musher, Dag, assured us that it was safe to take Elise. In fact, his own 7 month old son sleeps on the sled while Dag mushes and his 4 year old daughter mushes behind her own child sized sled. For safety, I sat in the sled with Dag while Jason had the chance to drive his own sled with a team of dogs just behind us. Elise and I made the first lap with the group (about 40 minutes) before we decided to hop off and let the rest of the group continue on for another hour. I planned to wait in the van, however the musher’s wife (knowing I was outside with a baby) kindly invited us inside. Elise was thrilled to play with their baby and also took a great liking to their four year old daughter. When our group returned, we joined them outside for hot berry juice and snacks by the fire while we talked to Dag about the 1,000 kilometer dogsled race he would be embarking on the next day. (Update: he finished the race! Read about it here.) That evening, clouds were the main feature in the sky and only faint auroras were visible, but the group enjoyed a great evening of conversation in the warming hut on the bank of the river just below our cabins.
The second day, we set out to tour the village of Utsjoki and also stopped by the bridge that crosses the natural river border between Finland and Norway. At the ripe old age of 8 months, Elise has been in two countries at one time, as we made sure to stand exactly at the border. We also had the chance to visit a historic Sámi village, which gave us a small view into what life was like hundreds of years ago. In the evening, we had a traditional Sámi dinner (mushroom soup, sautéed reindeer and squeaky cheese) prepared in a hut. Later, we set out for the bank of the river with another forecast of clouds. The group, positive as always, found plenty of natural beauty to keep us entertained. Shards of ice sticking up from the frozen river instantly attracted the creative minds in our group, and with a few colored LED headlamps, the ice was lit from several different angles. Photographers, perched in various locations around the ice shards, created a “Stonehenge” like atmosphere. At the moment when we least expected it, auroras appeared above us, and the group collectively caught its breath and watched a beautiful show unfold above us.
On Friday, our afternoon was all about snow shoeing. Half of our group went with Emilia, but Jason and I knew that a 4-5 hour snow shoeing trek would be a bit much, even for our easy going baby. Instead, Tiina offered to take us on a shorter snow shoe trek with the promise to turn back if we needed to. Tiina kindly brought extra gear for Elise (including an Ergo baby carrier) and we set off oh our journey. Elise fell asleep almost immediately on our trek, and we were left to marvel at the quiet beauty of our surroundings. Jason enjoyed pushing the boundaries (as usual) intentionally stepping into waist deep snow and sliding down the large hills just for fun. That evening was another night of great conversation around the fire, more fun with the beautiful ice formations on the frozen river and a few subdued auroras.
The next day was a free day, which Jason, Elise and I used to snow shoe once again. In the evening, our fun loving group got together for a night of tobogganing. (Imagine…8 adults and one baby sled riding for the sheer fun of it.) The auroras appeared once again as a beautiful send off from our week in Lapland.
For a long time, I did not consider group travel as an option. What we’ve found however, is that trips such as this one tend to attract like minded groups of people. Anyone willing to travel far above the Arctic Circle and spend nights standing in temperatures that can get well below freezing are a unique set of people. As for choosing Aurora Holidays, a small, family owned business like Tiina’s is the best possible option. The entire week felt so personalized to what each person in the group enjoyed. Traveling with an 8 month old has some unknowns, but Tiina went out of her way to accommodate us and quickly became one of Elise’s favorite people.
I’m already dreaming of returning someday, but until then we’d like to send a heartfelt thanks to Tiina and Emilia for making our week so fantastic. More aurora photos from our trip will be coming up in the next post.
For a long time, I did not consider group travel as an option. What we’ve found however, is that trips such as this one tend to attract like minded groups of people. Anyone willing to travel far above the Arctic Circle and spend nights standing in temperatures that can get well below freezing are a unique set of people. As for choosing Aurora Holidays, a small, family owned business like Tiina’s is the best possible option. The entire week felt so personalized to what each person in the group enjoyed. Traveling with an 8 month old has some unknowns, but Tiina went out of her way to accommodate us and quickly became one of Elise’s favorite people.
I’m already dreaming of returning someday, but until then we’d like to send a heartfelt thanks to Tiina and Emilia for making our week so fantastic. More aurora photos from our trip will be coming up in the next post.