Finland in Winter: Lights, Reindeer, and Huskies
Lapland is a delightful winter wonderland. If there is something to be done in the snow, you can do it there. One of the things I enjoyed about my hotel is that they partnered with a small, local tour company, Kairankutsu, to offer daily tours and activities. These could easily be booked in advance or at the hotel front desk, were charged directly to the room, and pick up was conveniently located in the lobby. I appreciated the smaller group size compared to the other company in town and that I did not have to pay extra to go alone, even if I were the only one on the tour. The only thing I didn’t like was having to narrow down my options.
I ended up choosing one activity for each day - a Northern Lights tour, a reindeer safari, and husky sledding. Each one was wonderful and fun in its own way.
Based upon my experience with Northern Lights searching in Iceland, I prioritized two things for my second attempt at glimpsing the lights. The first was booking at the last possible moment when I had a chance to review the forecast and the second was flexibility. That’s how I ended up on the Northern Lights by Car tour mere hours after arriving in Luosto. This was predicted to be the clearest night of the three I would be there and I knew having a car (driven by someone else, obviously), would provide the needed flexibility to seek out locations where lights were most likely to be seen. I was picked up promptly and ended up being the only one on this tour. My guide offered me an extra layer of warmth in the form of an oh-so-attractive one piece ski suit, which I thankfully accepted despite feeling like a shapeless blob while wearing it. Then we set out to find the lights. After a bit of driving in various directions to look for clear skies, we ended up at a frozen lakeshore, innumerable stars glittering across the vast sky. Even without seeing the lights, this made the tour entirely worth it.
As I marveled at the stars, my guide built a fire in a nearby kota. These small shelters, based upon traditional Sami shelters, are located throughout Finland and include a central fire pit for preparing food as much as for warmth. Wood is often provided, although my guide brought her own. She built a fire and roasted sausages, which I enjoyed with hot berry juice. This typical snack was warm and welcome as I thawed my by then frozen hands.
Of course, you’re probably wondering if I saw the Northern Lights. Yes, yes I did. However, the lights were only slightly visible that evening and I was so cold by this time that my jet lagged brain and frozen hands failed to successfully operate my camera. After a moment, I gave up on my camera and chose to simply enjoy the lights and the stars and the expansive night sky.
I also downloaded the Aurora Alert app, just in case.
The next day, after a wonderfully fantastic night of sleep, I joined the Reindeer Safari tour. We visited Kopara Reindeer Park, where we got to see a bit of their large herd of deer and learn about the tradition of reindeer herding.
After this brief introduction, we set off on our sleighs, the herder in front with the attached sleighs lined out behind him. I was warm beneath the blankets as I marveled at the frosted world around me, quiet except for the crunch of reindeer feet and the swish of the sleighs as they moved through the snow.
Sounds lovely, right? And it mostly was, except for the slightly less than minor anxiety I felt due to being eye level with a creature who had the potential to spear me with its antlers. It was a beautiful experience, but not one without some level of fear.
Partway through the sleigh ride, we stopped to warm up by a fire and indulge in warm berry juice. After the ride was over, we walked back to the farm, checking out a herder cabin along the way. We ended our tour as the setting sun peaked through the afternoon clouds.
The following day, my third and final activity was dog sledding. I was actually nervous about this, but it ended up being a blast. It was fun to meet the huskies and the other rescue dogs at the family run farm. It was plain to see how much the huskies loved running. While sitting in the sled was fine and gave me a chance to view the scenery, driving the sled was the best part. I had considered not doing it - the owner of the husky farm reassured “the lady with the belly” that if I was not certain about driving, I could remain seated rather than switching halfway through, but I am so glad I decided to drive the sled. My only regret is not doing a longer ride.
Although there was much more to do, I enjoyed the activities I chose for my time in Luosto. Other popular activities seemed to be ice fishing and anything on a snowmobile. I liked that I got to support a small, local company while also being able to easily book and access tours. Even if you’re not staying at Santa’s Hotel Aurora, I recommend checking out Kairankutsu if you’re spending time in Luosto or other nearby areas.