Far North in Finland

Day 1

The day always seems long .. but flying to Finland is a quirk of the converging time zones with 2 hours difference!

The day always seems long, an early start driving to Heathrow a day after the nervous wait to see if the airport would open following the substation fire that closed the country's major airport. A short stop in Helsinki for a bite to eat and then a hop north over frozen lakes to land in snowy Rovaniemi, gateway to the Arctic. Quickly out in our hire car the Wildlife & Wilderness Lapland winter road trip had begun.

It is only a short drive to our first accommodation, Vaattunki Wilderness Resort some 20 minutes from the airport, but tucked away in the trees beside the river that flows through the town. Immediately we felt far removed from the bustle of the UK in the quiet wilderness forests of Finland. To welcome us the aurora borealis made an appearance, albeit a glancing green ribbon above the intermittent clouds that cast its glow over the snow and ice covered river. We had arrived!

A first night under the northern lights, magic!

Day 2

Day 2 was a long one! After an early site visit around Vaattunki we nipped back to the Arctic Circle to check out Nova Skyland, a smart hotel with some interesting architecture that is ideal for those that want a taste of Santa's Village but in style. 

Later we headed north passing Tankavaara, the gold prospecting village to reach Saariselkä and the fell top of Kaunispää, the northern-most ski resort in Europe. The rest of the day was spent inspecting hotels, lodges and log cabins, those towards the fell-top having immense views on what was an incredibly clear and sunny day.

Jávri Lodge was a highlight with sophisticated charm of a small luxury property that is family run and used to be the holiday home of a Finnish president. A home from home with an indoor pool and wine cellar. We were treated to tea at their wilderness cabin too, lovely.

Descending, we visited the famous glass igloos of Kakslauttanen before finishing with a meal and overnight at Wilderness Hotel Muotka where again the northern lights appeared and this time put on more of a display across the heavens.

Day 3

Late March is a wonderful time to be in Finland, in fact the Finns think of this as their favourite time with snows still on the ground. We travelled further north on scenic roads over the snow-covered hills, mostly on a solid surface although the road out to Nellim was patchy with snow and ice.

Wilderness Hotel Nangu was a highlight. This adult only lodge has sold very well for us and whilst small, has a range of accommodation with the Panorama Cabins being most notable for their position overlooking frozen Lake Inari. The atmosphere is calm and welcoming, much complemented by friendly staff and the gloriously large and light main dining and lounge area.

However reluctantly we had to move on and another nice drive lakeside brought us to Inari where we spent the night at Wilderness Hotel Juutua overlooking the rapids on the river of the same name. The Aanaar restaurant at the hotel treated us to a wonderful 3-course menu and the meals here were among the best we had on our tour through northern Lapland.

Day 4

An early start and I was excited to drive the remote road to Pokka. Sure enough after leaving town we were on a surface of snow and ice for the next 3 hours as we drove across one of the remotest wilderness areas in Finland. We saw very little traffic and learned later that most Finns prefer to drive the long way round to reach Levi. But the wilderness feeling out there was terrific, even if experienced from inside the car. 

Today was a day of meeting husky dog sledding providers and visiting the fabulous, newly opened Nivunki Village. A small, boutique hotel with unusual and impressive glass rooms for viewing the northern lights and fine restaurant and wonderful large panoramic sauna building that overlooks the lake. Sami culture is very strong here and reindeer often wander the property. Uniquely they have a heritage building that displays artefacts from some of the bygone reindeer herders lives.

Oh to have been at Nivunki this night out on the lake! The northern lights gave the best display I have ever seen. During the trip we had been fortunate with the weather, often with clear sunny days, meaning clear skies at night. Furthermore, there was no moonlight meaning dark skies, just perfect for aurora viewing.

I spent a cold couple of hours outside Ylläs for northern lights photography from an open area and the aurora displayed right across the whole arc of the sky. Whilst ribbons danced and the timelapse clicked away the northern lights also produced a corona 3 or 4 times over the course of an hour or so. Just spectacular and mesmerising. Truly a great experience and remember, we have been selling northern lights holidays for over 25 years and this was quite something for us. Luckily the solar peak of activity will continue for the next year or so before it starts to decline on its eleven year cycle.

Day 5

Time to turn and start the journey back towards Rovaniemi, we took a different route that neither of us had travelled before and followed the Tornio River to Pello before cutting across country to look at more accommodation options. 

En route we learnt that Finnair had cancelled our flights the next day back to the UK and so spent much of the afternoon at the delightful Beana Laponia sorting out arrangements to get home.

Day 6

Beana Laponia deserves a special mention, this small boutique, adult only lodge is situated beside the frozen Ounasjoki River opposite the small village of Meltaus. The main building houses just 11 rooms including a suite. Highlights here are the cuisine, fabulous 3 course meals with recommended accompanying wines; staff that go the extra mile and of course their raison d'etre, husky dog sledding. The owners are a dog sled racing family and their best dogs are held at kennels here on their 45ha site. Needless to say, with our flights cancelled we took the opportunity to enjoy a 25km end of season run out with the friendly and eager huskies. We'd like to thank Malla and her staff for looking after us so well, our clients' comments suggest this is the norm for this wonderful lodge.

Day 7

Finnair got us back to Helsinki and despite delays we returned home tired but enthused about a week in Lapland where we saw a number of husky dog sledding suppliers, over 20 hotels and lodges and drove over 800 miles. Other bonuses were  undoubtedly the fantastic displays of northern lights; red squirrels and my first hazel hen. Sadly we saw no wandering reindeer, a common feature on summer roads.

If you'd like to book a winter adventure searching for the northern lights or just enjoying the company of husky dogs as you glide through the forests of Finland then do get in touch.