Ivalo
Day 1 Depart USA
Day 2 Helsinki – Ivalo
Day 3 Ivalo
You will fly to Finland with Finnair, via the Finnish capital of Helsinki, to the town of Ivalo, 186 miles north of the Arctic Circle. Here our local representative will be awaiting you and take you to our pleasant hotel that is nicely situated at the Ivalojoki River in the Lappish wilderness. The first day is open to spend on your own. On Sunday morning after breakfast our representative will fill you in about shops, dining facilities and excursions in Ivalo. From the comfortable hotel that has a swimming pool and a real Finnish sauna you may explore the white surroundings. Thus it is possible to take a snowmobile trip on the Lappish tundra; no experience is required. This costs about $100 per hour for a two-person snowmobile. You may also take a cross-country tour or go skating at the skating rink of Ivalo, which is walking distance from the hotel. In that case you want to remember to bring your skates or your cross-country skis with poles and shoes. This equipment may be for rent at the hotel, but supplies are limited.
Husky Trip
Day 4 Husky Trip
Day 5 Husky Trip
After breakfast we will take off on a three-day husky trip. First you will meet the friendly, intelligent polar dogs and your own husky team at a nearby husky farm. Dressed in thermal clothing, warm fur boots and thick mittens you will learn from the dogsled driver, the “musher”, how to harness the four or six huskies and you will practice your steering. After some initial familiarization we will travel our first day across nearby Inari Lake. In this lake, which is the third largest in lake-rich Finland, are about three thousand islands. Numerous inlets carve the banks and give shape to the beautiful décor of the trip. In these icy surroundings the ground is permanently frozen and the only trees that can survive in this arctic tundra are small birch trees. A guide travels ahead of the group on a snowmobile with sled in order to keep potentially headstrong huskies in line. The travel distance per day varies from 10 to 25 miles. At the end of the first day we will reach our wilderness cabin, a simple hut without running water and electricity, but that will be compensated for fully by the spectacular location and a potent wood fire. After caring for the dogs we prepare a solid warm meal together. The next morning we will put our experience of the first day to good use when we harness the dogs to the sleds. We will leave our luggage behind in the hut and we will take a spectacular trip in the area. Because the sleds are lighter now, we are traveling a lot faster today. At noon we will have lunch at a fire that we start in the snow. At the end of this beautiful trip we will return to our wilderness hut, where our jointly prepared meal will taste extra good.
Ivalo
Day 6 Back to Ivalo
Day 7 Ivalo
Day 8 Ivalo – Helsinki - Amsterdam
Day 9 Arrival USA
The next day we will return to our comfortable hotel in Ivalo, where you can let go of the exertions of the past few days in the sauna. On the last day you may visit the special open-air museum of the Sami, Lapland’s indigenous people. This “Siida” museum is 25 miles from your hotel in Inari and shows how man and nature have been adapting for thousands of years to the icy conditions in this region. Another option is to visit a reindeer farm. There you will be able to take a fun tour on a reindeer sled, which is an entirely different experience from the trips with the dogs. Of course you may also opt to do another cross-country or skating trip in the area. On our departure day we fly back together to Amsterdam around noon, possibly after one last sauna visit. You will say goodbye to the Dutch travelers at the airport. Then you will spend one final night in Amsterdam. The time in Amsterdam is not accompanied. There is plenty to do including café hopping and strolling along the canals. A train or bus into Amsterdam from the airport hotel is quick and easy, as is the efficient tram system within Amsterdam. The following morning, you board a flight back to the United States.
Day 1 Depart USA
Day 2 Helsinki – Ivalo
Day 3 Ivalo
You will fly to Finland with Finnair, via the Finnish capital of Helsinki, to the town of Ivalo, 186 miles north of the Arctic Circle. Here our local representative will be awaiting you and take you to our pleasant hotel that is nicely situated at the Ivalojoki River in the Lappish wilderness. The first day is open to spend on your own. On Sunday morning after breakfast our representative will fill you in about shops, dining facilities and excursions in Ivalo. From the comfortable hotel that has a swimming pool and a real Finnish sauna you may explore the white surroundings. Thus it is possible to take a snowmobile trip on the Lappish tundra; no experience is required. This costs about $100 per hour for a two-person snowmobile. You may also take a cross-country tour or go skating at the skating rink of Ivalo, which is walking distance from the hotel. In that case you want to remember to bring your skates or your cross-country skis with poles and shoes. This equipment may be for rent at the hotel, but supplies are limited.
Husky Trip
Day 4 Husky Trip
Day 5 Husky Trip
After breakfast we will take off on a three-day husky trip. First you will meet the friendly, intelligent polar dogs and your own husky team at a nearby husky farm. Dressed in thermal clothing, warm fur boots and thick mittens you will learn from the dogsled driver, the “musher”, how to harness the four or six huskies and you will practice your steering. After some initial familiarization we will travel our first day across nearby Inari Lake. In this lake, which is the third largest in lake-rich Finland, are about three thousand islands. Numerous inlets carve the banks and give shape to the beautiful décor of the trip. In these icy surroundings the ground is permanently frozen and the only trees that can survive in this arctic tundra are small birch trees. A guide travels ahead of the group on a snowmobile with sled in order to keep potentially headstrong huskies in line. The travel distance per day varies from 10 to 25 miles. At the end of the first day we will reach our wilderness cabin, a simple hut without running water and electricity, but that will be compensated for fully by the spectacular location and a potent wood fire. After caring for the dogs we prepare a solid warm meal together. The next morning we will put our experience of the first day to good use when we harness the dogs to the sleds. We will leave our luggage behind in the hut and we will take a spectacular trip in the area. Because the sleds are lighter now, we are traveling a lot faster today. At noon we will have lunch at a fire that we start in the snow. At the end of this beautiful trip we will return to our wilderness hut, where our jointly prepared meal will taste extra good.
Ivalo
Day 6 Back to Ivalo
Day 7 Ivalo
Day 8 Ivalo – Helsinki - Amsterdam
Day 9 Arrival USA
The next day we will return to our comfortable hotel in Ivalo, where you can let go of the exertions of the past few days in the sauna. On the last day you may visit the special open-air museum of the Sami, Lapland’s indigenous people. This “Siida” museum is 25 miles from your hotel in Inari and shows how man and nature have been adapting for thousands of years to the icy conditions in this region. Another option is to visit a reindeer farm. There you will be able to take a fun tour on a reindeer sled, which is an entirely different experience from the trips with the dogs. Of course you may also opt to do another cross-country or skating trip in the area. On our departure day we fly back together to Amsterdam around noon, possibly after one last sauna visit. You will say goodbye to the Dutch travelers at the airport. Then you will spend one final night in Amsterdam. The time in Amsterdam is not accompanied. There is plenty to do including café hopping and strolling along the canals. A train or bus into Amsterdam from the airport hotel is quick and easy, as is the efficient tram system within Amsterdam. The following morning, you board a flight back to the United States.
