Icebreaker for 2

Today your adventure to the far north begins, with snowy landscapes, endless forests and a good dose of winter magic waiting for you.

Once you arrive, there’s plenty of time to settle in, explore the surroundings and get into the Finnish mood. 

You stay in an Invisible Suite, a modern cabin clad in mirrored glass. The glass reflects the trees around you, so the suite blends beautifully into the forest. Inside, floor-to-ceiling windows look out onto the magical winter landscape. With a private sauna and a private hot tub on the terrace, this is the perfect place to warm up together after a day in the snow. And keep your eyes open: a reindeer might just wander past the window.

Under a dark sky, you travel by reindeer sleigh through the silent forests around Rovaniemi, in search of the northern lights. After the ride of about 40 to 60 minutes, you warm up by the fire in a traditional hut, with hot berry juice and a Finnish pastry. Meanwhile the guide tells you about life in Lapland and the work of the reindeer herders.

• Transport to and from the reindeer farm
• Warm winter clothing
• Hot berry juice and a Finnish pastry
• Your very own “reindeer driving licence”

This tour shows you Lapland in two very different ways. First you hop on a snowmobile and ride for about an hour through snow-covered forests, stopping along the way to enjoy the views and take photos. No experience is needed: the guide explains everything beforehand. Then you swap the snowmobile for snowshoes and walk peacefully through the forest near Vikaköngäs. With a maximum of eight guests per group, there’s plenty of room to experience it at your own pace.

• Pick-up from and drop-off at your accommodation
• Warm winter clothing, helmet and balaclava
• One snowmobile to share, taking turns to drive

Step aboard the Polar Explorer, a real icebreaker that worked on the frozen sea for decades. For three hours you sail through thick sea ice. You feel and hear the ship forcing its way through the ice. Along the way you get a look at the bridge and the engine room, and if conditions allow, you step off the ship to walk on the frozen sea. If you dare, you then put on a survival suit and float in the water between the ice floes. A day you’ll never forget, with a certificate from the captain to prove it.

• Coach transport from Rovaniemi to the harbour and back
• Hot drinks on board
• Survival suit for floating in the ice

Throughout your stay, enjoy culinary highlights in the Invisible Restaurant. In the evening, choose a 5-course fine dining menu created by chef Matias Haapsaari (gold at the IKA Culinary Olympics 2024), or a hot rock dinner, where you cook premium cuts of meat yourself on a heated volcanic stone at the table. One evening you’ll have an illuminated Aurora Igloo in the forest all to yourselves, with a welcome drink and a three-course menu. And who knows, the northern lights might even put in an appearance.

• Daily breakfast
• A choice of fine dining or hot rock dinner every evening
• One evening a private dinner in the Aurora Igloo

Today your adventure in Finnish Lapland comes to an end. After breakfast there’s still a little time to enjoy the view and pack at your leisure. Then a transfer takes you to Rovaniemi airport for your flight home.

Choice of Log Cabin (2-4 people), Luxury Log Villa (6-8 people) or Aurora Hut (2 people).

Warm up in the Wave Sauna, a shared sauna with panoramic views, and then step into the outdoor hot tubs, with the snowy forest all around you. In between you have your own spot in the sauna lounge to relax. You round things off with a warm soup lunch, a small dessert and coffee or tea.

There’s nothing quite like the moment the huskies set off: first lots of barking and excitement, and then suddenly nothing but the sound of the sled on the snow. After a visit to the kennel and a short briefing from the musher, you drive the sled yourselves for about half an hour through the snowy forest. Back at the kennel you’ll hear all about the dogs’ lives and finish by the campfire with hot chocolate and biscuits. 

Of course, a visit to Rovaniemi isn’t complete without dropping in on Santa Claus. You’ll be picked up from the lodge in the morning, after which a local guide shows you around Santa Claus Village. You cross the Arctic Circle (with a certificate to prove it) and then have free time to meet Santa, send a card from his very own post office or browse the little shops. Fancy something extra? You can also go for a horse ride through the snow here.

By snowmobile sled, you cross the frozen river to a private island, far from the city lights. There a traditional, hand-built log cabin awaits, where you enjoy home-baked blueberry pie by the crackling fire, hot drinks from a wooden kuksa and reindeer sausages with lingonberries. Meanwhile the guide keeps an eye on the sky, and with a bit of luck the northern lights will appear. The guide takes photos all evening and sends them to you afterwards.

Don’t want to travel with a suitcase full of thick coats and snow boots? Then hire a complete winter set in Rovaniemi: a warm jacket, winter trousers, mittens, snow boots and a neck warmer. The sets are available up to size 6XL, and if something doesn’t fit well, you can exchange it free of charge in the shop. That way you’re fully ready for the cold outside the excursions too, for example on a walk in the forest around the lodge.

About an hour’s drive from Rovaniemi lies Ranua Wildlife Park, home to more than 50 Arctic species, from polar bears and wolves to wolverines and Arctic foxes. The animals have spacious enclosures in the middle of the forest, and some of them ended up here because they were found injured or abandoned in the wild. Together with a photographer guide you walk through the park, with plenty of time to take great photos of the animals. Afterwards you receive a selection of edited photos, and there’s still time to stock up on Fazer chocolate and local treats.