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Lapland: A Kilpisjärvi Northern Lights Winter Adventure
Lapland
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This trip supports
- Overview
- Itinerary
- Esential info
- Reviews
- Packing list
Grade:
Entry Level
Type:
Cultural
Transfers
Duration:
5 Nights
8 - 8
Group size
Leaders
Tour Highlights
- Experience the majestic Northern Lights
- Take a ride on a Husky sled tour
- Snowshoe through the beautiful wilderness
- Finnish Sauna
Escape to the wilderness – magical Christmas in Kilpisjärvi!
Experience the wonders of Lapland in this bespoke group adventure for Kim ten Have & Friends:
Kilpisjärvi village is located on the corner of three countries; with spectacular fell landscapes surrounding the new design hotel, restaurant, and fully equipped chalets. Have a memorable Christmas holiday in Finnish Lapland with high end service and friendly atmosphere!
Kilpisjärvi is one of the most snow-guaranteed places in Finland and most importantly one of the best places in whole Europe to see the Aurora Borealis as it is located up in the mountain ranges: there are plenty of clear nights for you to witness the magical northern lights.
The natural environment in Finland is unique and plays an incredibly important role in the lives of Finns. Known as the ‘land of a thousand lakes’, Finnish Lapland has one of the largest archipelagos in the world. With the forests considered as ‘green gold’, and the heavy snow in the winter reflecting the majestic luminescence of the Aurora Borealis, it is indeed a magical land.
Finland was named the happiest country in the world for the fourth time in a row in 2021, and this is no accident: Lapland’s incredible natural beauty is where people go to relax and take time off from their busy schedules, calming them down. Experience the Finnish way of bathing and relaxing in a sauna - with even an icy plunge afterwards! - finding happiness in your everyday life as the locals do.
Get back to nature whilst practising local cultural activities such as cross-country skiing and riding on a husky dogsled. Back in the days before any of the main religions reached Finland, people believed in the Gods, spirits, and elves living in the forests – perhaps you will meet them...
Day 1: Welcome & transfer to your hotel
Flights
Transfer
Dinner
4 star hotel
The nearest airports to Kilpisjärvi are Tromso (Norway), located only 170 kms from Kilpisjärvi, or Kittilä (Finland) 270 kms away. We can also arrange a private transfer from Rovaniemi airport (Finland) which will take up to 6 hours driving. We will meet you at the airport with a private transfer to your hotel.
Overnight: Hotel Rakka
Day 2: Northern Lights and the Magical Night Sky
Breakfast
Dinner
4 star hotel
If in search for Aurora Borealis, Kilpisjärvi is a must destination. Statistically, Kilpisjärvi area has clear night skies and northern lights more often than any other place in Finland. You can admire the night sky in complete silence and with minimal manmade light pollution on a tundra lake surrounded by snowy fells. We recommend snowmobiling during the safari. Includes guiding, thermal outfit, photos by the guide, hot drink, pastry.
Distance and duration 15 km / 3 h
Overnight: Hotel Rakka
Day 3: Snowshoe Adventure at Night
Breakfast
Dinner
4 star hotel
Snowshoeing is a lot of fun and night makes it an adventure. To make it safe, we use head lamps while snowshoeing, and turn off the lights when having breaks so we can see details of the landscape and wonders of the night sky. Snowshoeing is a great workout even though it is easier than skiing. Going uphill and downhill is safe for beginners. Includes guiding, thermal outfit, snowshoe set, hot drink, pastry.
Overnight: Hotel Rakka
Day 4: Snowshoeing in the Vicinity of Saana
Breakfast
Dinner
4 star hotel
Skiing comes naturally to Finns, and kids usually get their first pair of skis as toddlers. In recent years the popularity of snowshoes has been growing quickly. For a beginner snowshoeing is much easier than skiing. Going uphill and downhill is surprisingly fun as snowshoes float nicely even on deep snow. Includes guiding, thermal outfit, snowshoe set. Duration 2,5 hours
OR:
Sliding snowshoes are one of the best new inventions to explore the beautiful snowy surroundings of fell Saana. Sliding snowshoes, also known as skin-based skis, combine the best features of cross-country skis and snowshoes. With a good grip uphill and mellow speed descending downhill, sliding snowshoes are beginner friendly and highly recommended by Kilpissafarit. Includes guiding, thermal outfit, sliding snowshoe set. Duration 2,5 hours
Overnight: Hotel Rakka
Day 5: Husky excursion possible only 28.12.2023
Breakfast
Dinner
4 star hotel
Dog sledding trip 2 hours, PRIVATE
The trip starts with driving lessons and harnessing the dogs to the harness. Two customers share one sled. One of the customers sits and the other drives the sled. We change shifts sometimes.
We drive for about 45-60 minutes. on a sleigh ride, after which we can pet the dogs and enjoy hot drinks and local sweet treats by the campfire. At the same time, I talked about my dogs and life in the north with them.
Overnight: Hotel Rakka
Day 6: Departure
Flights
Transfer
Breakfast
After breakfast we transfer to the airport for your flights home, relaxed and infused with the spirit of Lapland!
Adventure Optional Extras
Plant an additional 15 trees for your adventure
Carbon Compensation is not the perfect solution, and it is important to first reduce our carbon emissions as much as we can, yet trees remain an excellent natural technology to sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to slow global warming.
For every client and guide who attends a YellowWood Adventure, we donate £30 to our partner charity WeForest to plant 15 trees to (over) compensate for the carbon footprint of the tour.
We also invite our clients to match this with an optional additional £30 for another 15 trees to be planted to help compensate for the carbon footprint of their international flights.
WeForest run many tree planting and tree maintenance projects such as this seedling nursery in the Amhara region of Ethiopia, the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil and many other projects in other countries including Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania & India.
Click Here to find out more about their amazing projects around the world.
Reviews
Catherine LA
Thanks so much YellowWood Adventures! We had such a brilliant time. The perfect trip with lots of adventure and lots of time to relax too!! One of our best holidays ever! Really appreciate everything and all your attention to detail to make sure we had such a brilliant itinerary! We can’t wait for our next trip.
Lapland: A Winter Adventure
Receive a 15% discount off Water-to-Go filtration water-bottles to help reduce plastic waste.
Compulsory
- Passport & insurance documents
- Credit / debit card for ATM use
- Prescription medication & antibiotics such as Azithromycin to stop serious traveller's diarrhoea
- First aid kit: paracetamol, antihistamine cream, ibuprofen cream, thermometer & blister kit (eg plasters & zinc oxide tape)
- Washbag & usual contents
- Travel adaptor model C
Items for walking / sightseeing in Finnish Lapland
- Warm, windproof and water-resistant winter coat or parka, hip length or longer and with a looser fit so it can easily fit over bulky sweaters, and layers that are as important as the warm outerwear
- Warm, comfortable and water-resistant trousers / pants (those designed for skiing are perfect)
- Warm winter shoes / boots (waterproof), for example leather hiking boots
- 1-2 pair of warm (and waterproof) woollen gloves
- A warm, thick and windproof beanie or something that protects both your head and your ears from the wind and cold weather
- A warm scarf to keep your neck warm
- Shoes to wear around the sauna - NB flip flops aren't good in the snow
- Swimwear
- Warm pyjamas / nightwear (flannel, wool, cotton)
- Woollen socks or slippers for relaxing inside
- Warm, moisture-wicking and well-fitting socks - merino wool recommended
- Woollen pullover or sweater
- Merino wool underwear: a long-sleeved top and a set of bottoms
- A Headlamp or flashlight as daytime is very short
- Some dry bags or waterproof cases to keep your phone and any electronic gear dry
- 20-30L daypack for hiking / sightseeing, preferably with waist and ideally, chest strap
- Water-to-Go filtration water-bottle & additional storage water-bottle - ideally 2 litres per person
- Extra batteries for your electronic gear, as batteries die faster in cold weather
- Sunglasses and high factor suncream
Optional
- Mini crampons that fit your walking boots - available from stores such as Blacks, Decathlon etc
- A good face moisturizer
- A moisturizing lip balm
- A camera and tripods for capturing the Northern Lights and low light situations
This trip supports
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Grading
To help you choose the right adventure for you, we have given each itinerary a grading that relates to the level of Walking / Trekking you will experience during the trip. This grading can be found on the Yellow map on the adventure page of the website.
All of our trips involve a level of general activity so are designed for people who are in good health, enjoy the outdoors, and have a taste for adventure and some level of fitness. As will be clear from our destinations, the climate (and altitude) may be different to that which you are used to, so please take this into consideration when choosing the most suitable holiday.
Please read our Adventure Itinerary & Essential Information for more information and don't hesitate to contact us if you would like to chat through whether you have found a suitable adventure for you.
Grade 1-3: Entry Level
You need to be in good physical health to enjoy your active holiday, but you don’t need to be an experienced hiker. These itineraries offer a mix of sightseeing and easier walking for around 2-4hrs a day, with the emphasis on sights and cultural experiences.
Walks will be well marked or on defined pathways, and often around sites of interest. The expected amount of descent/ascent will depend on the landscapes of the destination, but will not exceed 400m/day, and will often be much less. Walks are at low altitude (below 3000m).
You will not be required to carry more than a day sack with water and essentials. Ensure you are aware of the weather conditions likely in the destination you are visiting and have a pair of comfortable and worn in walking shoes/boots.
Grades 4-6: Intermediate
You need to have a good level of fitness and be a regular walker for these adventures, with ideally some trekking experience. You can expect to be walking for 3-6 hours per day, not including rest stops, normally on good trail paths but with some uneven surfaces at times.
You will not be required to carry more than a day sack. You may be walking in more challenging temperatures. You will generally be walking at low altitude (below 3000m) but may walk at altitudes up to 4000m. The amount of ascent could be up to 800m in a day but will frequently be less. You may walk on consecutive days.
Ensure you are aware of the weather conditions likely in the destination you are visiting and have suitable clothing for this adventure.
Grades 7-9: Challenging
You need to have a good level of fitness with previous experience of trekking. Extra training before your trip will ensure that you get the most out of your adventure. Areas will be remote and terrain uneven.
Expect to walk for 5 – 8 hours a day, not including breaks, with some very steep ascents and descents. You will be walking at altitude (over 3000m but not higher than 5000m).
Ensure you are aware of the weather conditions likely in the destination you are visiting and have suitable equipment/clothing for this adventure (see the packing list for your adventure).
Please check individual itineraries for details of what you will need to be carrying with you.
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