Lapland Wilderness Husky Safari 7,5 km: Honest Review & Tips

I Didn't Expect Lapland winter activities and tours to Feel Like This

The temperature hit -22°C when I pulled into the husky kennel at 09:30. The dogs, a mix of Siberian huskies and Alaskan breeds, were already howling, steam rising off their fur in the cold morning air. Our guide, Juhani, had been running this kennel outside Ranua for 14 years. He handed me a one-piece thermal suit and said: "The dogs know if you're nervous. They feed on it." He was right.

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I booked the Lapland Wilderness Husky Safari 7,5 km after reading too many reviews of commercial farms near Santa Claus Village where the ride lasts 15 minutes and the dogs look tired. This one promised a deeper route into the forest, fewer people, and more time actually handling the sled. It delivered.

Juhani paired me with a team of six dogs, the lead pair were sisters, Luna and Nala, both four years old. He explained the commands in Finnish: seis (stop), vasen (left), oikea (right), and the most important onehiljaa (quiet), which the dogs rarely obeyed. The sled itself was a traditional wooden design with a metal brake pad you step on to slow down. No fancy suspension. No electric assist. Just you, the dogs, and the frozen trail.

The first 2 km were pure chaos. The dogs pulled hard, the sled fishtailed through the first curve, and I nearly lost my balance twice. Juhani had warned me: "Keep your knees bent. embrace the turns. Do not let go of the handlebar." I held on. By the 4 km mark, I found the rhythm, shifting my weight, using the brake sparingly, letting the dogs do what they were born to do.

Who this is NOT for: Anyone who wants a gentle, guided experience where you just sit and ride. This tour requires active participation, you stand on the runners, steer through forest trails, and help the dogs on uphills. If you have back problems or mobility issues, book a reindeer sled instead.

The Tour That Saved My Trip

The 7.5 km route takes you through pine and birch forest along the Kemijoki River valley. At the halfway point, Juhani stopped the sleds at a traditional kota, a wooden hut with an open fire. He served hot lingonberry juice and pulla (cinnamon buns) while the dogs rested on beds of spruce branches. The silence was absolute. No road noise. No planes. Just the crackle of the fire and the occasional bark from a dog asking to run again.

I asked Juhani why he chose this route instead of the shorter 5 km option. He said: "The 5 km stays on the flat trail. The 7.5 km goes up the ridge. You get the view of the frozen lake. Most tourists don't know the difference, but the dogs do, they want the longer trail." He was right about the view. From the ridge, you could see the white expanse of Lake Olkkajärvi below, the snow-covered pines stretching to the horizon.

The total time was about 2.5 hours from arrival to departure, 45 minutes of instruction and suit-up, 1 hour of actual mushing, and 30 minutes for the break. It felt exactly the right length. Any shorter and I would have felt cheated. Any longer and my hands would have gone numb despite the thermal mittens.

Who this is NOT for: Anyone on a tight schedule who wants a quick photo opportunity. This is a proper morning commitment. Also not for people who dislike dogs, you'll be surrounded by 40+ excited huskies for the entire visit, and they will jump on you.

The Moments That Made Lapland winter activities and tours in Lapland winter activities and tours Worth the Trip

The best moment came about 30 minutes into the ride. The sun, what passes for sun in December, just a pale glow on the horizon, broke through the clouds and lit the frost on the birch branches. The dogs' breath formed clouds that trailed behind us. Luna and Nala were in perfect sync, their paws hitting the snow in a rhythm I could feel through the sled. Juhani called ahead: "You're doing well. The dogs respect you." It was the highest compliment a guide can giv.

But it wasn't all smooth. At the 6 km mark, one of the wheel dogs, the ones closest to the sled, stumbled on a hidden rock and yelped. Juhani was there in seconds, checking the leg, calming the dog. It was a minor strain, not a break, but the team had to stop for five minutes while the dog recovered. Juhani carried a first-aid kit specifically for dogs, bandages, antiseptic, pain relief. He told me later: "I've seen commercial kennels ignore injuries to keep the tour running. We don't do that here." That moment alone was worth the pric.

The second surprise was the northern lights. We finished the tour around 11:30, and as I was taking off the thermal suit, Juhani pointed to the sky. A faint green arc was visible, not the Instagram explosion, but a genuine aurora, pale and rippling. He explained: "The dogs don't care about the lights. They only care about the next run." I stood there for ten minutes, watching the aurora move slowly across the sky, the dogs quiet for once, the snow glittering in the green light.

A Lesser-Known Tour Worth Discovering

While I was in Rovaniemi, I also booked a northern lights photography tour with a different operator. The guide, a Finnish photographer named Antero who had been chasing the aurora since the 1990s, drove us 40 minutes north of Rovaniemi along the Kemijoki River. At 22:37, the lights appeared, not the Instagram green I expected, but a pale white smear that Antero said was a "weak display, maybe Kp 2." He set up tripods, adjusted exposure, and by midnight the sky was genuinely rippling. The photos he sent two days later showed colours my phone couldn't captur.

If you're choosing between the two, the husky safari is the better value for a single tour. But if you have two days, do both, the husky safari in the morning and the aurora tour at night. They complement each other perfectly: one is active and grounded, the other is passive and celestial.

Who this is NOT for: Anyone who expects guaranteed northern lights. Even with the best guides, aurora visibility depends on solar activity and cloud cover. If you only have one night in Lapland and you're set on seeing the lights, choose a tour with a free rebooking policy.

What Really Surprised Me About Lapland winter activities and tours

Three things stood out that I didn't expect. First, how warm the dogs keep you. Standing on the sled runners, your body generates heat from balancing and steering. By the 20-minute mark, I had unzipped the top of my thermal suit. The dogs themselves radiate heat, when they stopped at the kota, I could feel the warmth coming off their bodies from a metre away.

Second, the silence. I grew up in Rovaniemi, so I thought I knew what forest silence felt like. But 8 km into the wilderness, with no roads, no houses, no power lines, the quiet is different. It has a weight to it. When the dogs stop howling, you can hear your own heartbeat. The snow absorbs every sound. A twig snapping sounds like a gunshot.

Third, the exhaustion. I'm reasonably fit, I hike in the summer, ski in the winter. But standing on a sled for an hour, constantly adjusting your weight, gripping the handlebar, braking on hills, it uses muscles you don't know you have. My thighs were sore for two days. Juhani laughed when I told him: "The first time is always the hardest. The dogs know it too. They test you."

Mia Ahola's Insider Tips for Getting It Right

I've done this tour three times now, once as a guest, twice with visiting friends. Here's what I've learned:

• Book the morning departure. In December, the sun rises around 10:15 and sets around 14:00. A 9:30 AM start gives you the best light. Afternoon tours start in twilight and end in darkness.
• Wear wool base layers, not cotton. Cotton holds moisture and freezes. Merino wool is worth the cost. I wear a merino top, a fleece mid-layer, and the thermal suit they provide. No jeans, ever.
• Carry a power bank. Lithium batteries drain in minutes at -22°C. My phone went from 80% to 15% in 45 minutes of taking photos. A power bank kept it alive.
• Ask about the dogs before you book. The best kennels are small family operations 30-60 minutes outside Rovaniemi, not the large commercial farms near Santa Claus Village. Juhani's kennel has 42 dogs. He knows every name.
• Skip the Santa Claus Village restaurants. Eat in Rovaniemi centre instead, take bus #8 from the train station. The food is better, cheaper, and you avoid the crowds.
• Check the cancellation policy. This tour operates in all weather, but if you're booking a separate aurora tour, make sure they offer 100% money-back guarantees for cloud cover.

One more thing: the thermal suit they provide is excellent, rated to -40°C. But the boots they give you are only rated to -20°C. If you have your own winter boots, bring them. I wore my own Sorel boots rated to -40°C and my feet stayed warm the whole time. The other guests in the provided boots were complaining by the end.

What I Wish I'd Known Before I Went

I wish I had known how much the dogs would test me. The first 10 minutes of the ride, they pulled so hard I thought I would lose control. Juhani had told me to keep my weight back, but I kept leaning forward instinctively. After the first curve, I nearly went off the sled. The dogs sensed my hesitation and pulled harder. It was only when I committed, leaned back, planted my feet, and let them run, that the ride smoothed out.

I also wish I had brought a better camera. My phone took decent photos, but the real magic, the frost on the dogs' whiskers, the steam rising from their fur, the pale winter light filtering through the pines, required a proper camera. Juhani offered to take photos with his DSLR and send them later, but I declined, thinking my phone was enough. It wasn't.

And I wish I had booked a second tour. The 7.5 km route was perfect, but after riding it, I wanted to try the longer 12 km expedition that goes all the way to the frozen lake and back. Juhani said they offer it for more experienced mushers. Next time, I'll book that on.

Finally, I wish I had known about the poro (reindeer) farm near Palojärvi that Juhani recommended. He said: "Most tourists book the wrong farm because they want Instagram, not reindeer." The farm he suggested has no gift shop, no Santa hats, no queue for photos. Just a Sámi herder and about 80 reindeer in a forest enclosure. I went there two days later, and it was the most authentic experience of my trip.