Winter wonderland – and northern lights in Lapland

DAY 1: ARRIVAL IN ROVANIEMI

Arrival in Rovaniemi by plane (not incl.). Transfer to the town center.

DAY 2: ROVANIEMI/ARCTIC CIRCLE / IGLOOS (265 KM)

Visit to the Arktikum Museum, where cultural history and exhibits on the northern lights phenomenon are on display. Travel north of the Arctic Circle, visiting Santa Claus in his village. Continuation on the Arctic Ocean Road and a visit and a hot cup of coffee in the old gold mining village of Tankavaara. In Kakslauttanen you experience the ice gallery, and you have the option to spend the night in igloos of glass, stargazing at the night sky and hopefully experiencing the magnificent northern lights. Dinner in a traditional Sami Kota.

DAY 3: SAARISELKÄ/ALTA (395 KM)

Visit to the Siida museum where you learn about Sami culture and history. Across the Norwegian border and o the “capital” of the Norwegian Sami, Karasjok. Visit to Sapmi Park and lunch in a Sami Goathi (a small turf hut). Across the snow-covered Finnmarken tundra to Alta – one of the best locations in Norway to spot the northern lights.

DAY 4: ARCTIC FJORDS / TROMSØ – CITY OF NORTHERN LIGHTS

Visit to the Alta museum and continuation to Øksfjord where we board the Hurtigruten ship taking us further south. Dinner onboard – and hopefully we will experience the northern lights on deck. Arrival in Tromsø around midnight.

DAY 5: TROMSØ – HUSKIES

City tour in Tromsø including the arctic center Polaria, the Polar Museum with exhibits about the polar expeditions of the 19th century and life on Spitzbergen as well as the Arctic Cathedral. In the afternoon visit to a husky farm where we learn about the breeding of husky dogs, all while enjoying coffee around an open fire. You have the option to take a ride on a husky sleigh.

DAY 6: ABISKO NATIONAL PARK/ ICE HOTEL/KIRUNA (430 KM)

Route to the Swedish border and Abisko National Park. Continuation towards Jukkasjärvi where the first ice hotel and bar is located. Here we take a short guided tour through the hotel and enjoy a drink at the bar.

DAY 7: BORDERLAND/KEMI (385 KM)

Through vast snow-cowered forests across the Finnish border and further on to the icy waters of the Gulf of Bothnia for a stay in Kemi.

DAY 8: ICE BREAKER CRUISE/ ROVANIEMI (115 KM)

In the morning you will have the opportunity to participate in an optional adventurous cruise onboard The Sampo, the former icebreaker. The thundering sound of more than 3 500 tons of steel crushing the thick ice leaves even the most seasoned seafarers awestruck. In the afternoon, we head up to Rovaniemi. We recommend a snow mobile tour to a local reindeer farm, ice fishing, cross country skiing or a reindeer safari as a late afternoon activity.

DAY 9: DEPARTURE FROM ROVANIEMI

Transfer to the airport and departure.