Ivalo

Tours

Pick up at your hotel, travel by minibuss to our office in the center of Ivalo. You will get warm thermal clothes and shoes, then head on to the small village of Koppelo, far from the city lights. Take a seat in your sled and travel deeper into the wilderness with your local guide. Comfortable snowmobile-pulled sleigh is covered by warming reindeer hide and you can enjoy the ride to the frozen lakeside. In the lake we will take a break in the silent beauty of the wilderness. If you are lucky, you might see the Northern Lights in famous Lake Inari. Your hosts Tina and Tapio are owners of this small family company. They live in a small island, and you will get a authentic experience by visiting the island. In the island is a traditional wooden cottage and lappish teepees. There you can relax and see if you are lucky enought to see the Northern Lights. Guide will prepare delicious dinner and hot drinks by a campfire. Dinner will be made of local fish or reindeer ( vegetarian option is possible by request) You will meet our friendly reindeers and have possibility to meet & feed them.

This safari is a perfect choice to get your first snowmobile driving experiences, track is planned to suit your skills. During this safari, you’ll learn how to drive snowmobile along frozen Ivalo River and Lake Inari. Trail distance in total about 25-30 km. This is a small group tour, maximum 8 person in the group. This tour is desinged for adults, age limit is 12 years for a passanger. We will dress you up warmly at our office in Ivalo. Then we drive 10 minutes by minibuss to the lake side, where the snowmobiles are waiting. Experienced local guide will give you good instructions on snowmobile handling before heading to the track. Owner of this small family company Tina and Tapio live in a small island, there you will meet our friendly reindeers. You can feed them and take photos. Our experienced guide will tell you about reindeers and life in lapland. You will enjoy a homemade lunch by campfire in warm lappish ”teepee”. Lunch will be made of local fish or reindeer. After enjoying beautifull surroundings and hot drinks, we will head back to Ivalo. If you book shared snowmobiles and your group has odd number ( for example 3 person or 5 person ), one of you will travel as a passanger in our guides snowmobile or in the sleigh pulled by snowmobile. You can swap places so you all can drive snowmobile.

Owners of this small family company Tina and Tapio are living in the island you will visit during this trip. They are local people living in the same lifestyle as their ancestors. In this tour you have possibility to get authentic lappish experience with local people. We will pick you up from your accommodation by minibuss. You will get warm thermal clothing and shoes in our office in the center Ivalo. From there we continue to a small village called Koppelo. Snowmobile and sleight is waiting for you there, the journey starts to our secret fishing place. You can enjoy unique landscape, while travelling in the comfort of a sleigh pulled by a snowmobile. Experienced local guide will give you instructions for Ice Fishing. You will receive your own fishing rod and you can start fishing in a true Lappish style. You will use either a worm or a maggot to catch the fish. After fishing we will drive to small island, which is home to Tina and Tapio. In the island there is a cottage and two lappish teepees. There is also two friendly reindeers you can meet there. Lunch and hot drinks will be served in a warm lappish teepee by open fire. Lunch will be made of local reindeer meat or fish (also vegetarian option). This is a great outdoor trip even if you are not so interested in fishing!

Join the Aurora Experts on our legendary Northern Lights trip to reach the best places and see this great natural arctic phenomenon. The guide shares information about the Northern Lights and the old mythology around them. Listen to the stories about local life and nature by living fire. Experience some Lappish shamanism and see your future with our great Aurora guides! Make pictures by the hints from the Aurora guide. The visibility of Northern lights depends for example on the weather and activity of the Sun, but this trip is to offer you the best chance to see the lights on the best possible location in Ivalo – Saariselka area. The site is absolute dark site far from the village lights and hotels. This is important because most of the lights are relatively faint so in absolute darkness you will see much more. The site also has got a great micro climate which means that even if it is foggy on Inari lake or Saariselka fells the sky might be clear on our site. The longer you stay the more you see. This is why our tour is relatively long. The best hour to see the lights is just before the midnight but the best lights may appear whenever. On the way to the site we stop the car even several times if needed and follow the lights. During this tour we also spend nice time in a tepee on the best possible site for following the sky and barbeque for all tastes and diets. We will also advice you in taking pictures and we will make pictures ourselves which we share with you from our cloud service. Please be aware of the pick up times and locations. We keep right to change pickup times. Quality or number of pictures is not guaranteed.

This trip takes you from Ivalo to Kiilopää and is full day experience in Inari’s most popular national park areas. We meet at our shop in Ivalo, where we hop in the car and drive to Kiilopää where we have a hike in the beautiful tundra. We have a lunch on the go during the trek on an open fire or a camping stove, depending on the weather. From Kiilopää we have a great view of the surrounding wilderness and the national park. After the hike we head to the the cold baths and gentle steams of our smoke sauna. The atmospheric swimming place by the river Kiilopuro guarantees complete relaxation after a day of hiking. Please note This activity is run every Friday in November-April The trip is executed with a minimum of 2 participants. Remember to mention dietary requirements and / or allergies when booking.

We cycle around the area of Ivalo, our trail goes trough the village, near by forests and in Ivalo river and its old riverbeds that the locals call “Vuopaja”. From our ready made tracks we can see some history of the village and how it developed around the Ivalo river. We see infrastructure how village survives flood periods and how locals move around the village area. We will have a stop for hot juice and some snack before finishing back to Xwander shop. Schedule and directions: We start at 10:00 from Eräsoppi / Xwander shop (address Ivalontie 12). Please be at the shop latest at 9:45, so we have time for necessary preparations. The total duration of the trip is around 2 h. We return to the shop between 12 and 13:00. We have a pick up service for Inari, Nellim, Saariselkä and Kiilopää areas. Contact us ahead to book a transfer.

Book you private transfer between Rovaniemi and Ivalo by private minibus. Perfect for families and groups - child seats are available upon request. We will agree with you pick up time and place. The road between Rovaniemi and Ivalo takes around 4 hours. There is a stop at the gas station in the middle of the journey. Our minibuses are: Mercedes Vito, VW Caravelle, Opel Vivaro, Renault Traffic. The vans can easily fit up to 8 passengers and have a large luggage compartment. Enjoy the arctic road.

What better way to indulge yourself in the true Finnish and Lappish way of living, than to spend a day with a local who will show you around to the hidden spots of Lake Inari, tell you local stories, take you out into nature, and treat you to a nice traditional Finnish meal in the outdoors? If you are looking for an ultimate authentic local experience, here you will get it all in one day as an exclusive private tour. On this day trip, you will spend the day with one of the legendary local guides: Mika, Janne or Köpi. They all live in Lapland and in the Ivalo area and with decades of experience in hunting fishing and hiking in most areas of Lapland, they are probably one of the best people to show you around Lake Inari. You will start this tour at the local harbor area from where you will continue on a sleigh pulled by a snowmobile. If requested, you will be provided with a nice and warm overall and a helmet and you will head out to discover the vastness of the Inari Lake that is the largest lake in Lapland. You will continue to find a nice spot for a guided nature walk with snowshoes on one of the islands. Your guide will tell you about nature and animals. You will see some tracks in the snow and if you are lucky, you might also see some animals. This snowshoe walk will also take you to a beautiful vantage point to oversee the lake with its islands. After exploring the lake above the ice, you will now get a chance to see what you might be able to find under the ice. You will have the rare possibility to see one of the oldest ways of catching fish on Inari Lake in the wintertime: net fishing. Your guide will explain about the nets, how they are used, and what you could catch. Next, you will try to catch your own fish with ice fishing. You will make your own hole in the ice and try to catch some fish. At the same time, your guide will make a fire and start preparing the meal on the open fire. If you catch any fish, it will also be prepared, but if you don’t catch anything, don’t worry, you won’t stay hungry and you will get a nice traditional meal (please inform about any diets 2 days in advance!) At the end of the day, your guide will drive you back to the harbor and than drive off into the sunset. This trip takes usually 6 hours, but depending on ice and snow conditions as well as weather, it can be shorter or longer. As this is a private tour, it is possible to adjust how much time is spent with each activity depending on your interests and/or fitness. Transfers from Ivalo are also possible for an additional fee.

Take a seat in a heated Aurora sleigh and relax as your guide tows the sleigh with a snowmobile through the silent, snow-covered forest and across the frozen lake. Enjoy the journey far away from residential areas and their light pollution, staying warm and comfortable as you take in the night sky illuminated by the stars and the Northern Lights. During breaks, sit on comfortable reindeer hides and sip on hot drinks, adding to the Nordic experience. Watch as the Northern Lights ripple in waves across the sky, admire the constellations, the snowy trees, and the shimmering snow-covered fells. Enhance your adventure with an optional open fire dinner. If you choose this option your safari will be divided into two parts with a delicious, traditional meal enjoyed by the fire in a Lappish Tipi in between. For an added touch of Finnish tradition, opt for a tent sauna, complete with the exciting option for ice swimming. Combine the thrill of chasing the northern Lights with authentic arctic relaxation.

Embark on a day hike focusing on wild food and foraging, starting from the village of Ivalo, nestled in the heart of Northern Lapland. This region, renowned for its natural beauty and diverse flora and fauna, offers a unique opportunity to learn about nature’s own food reserve. The excursion is perfect for nature enthusiasts, culinary adventurers, and those seeking a deeper connection with the environment. Guided by experienced local guides, you’ll venture from Ivalo into the pristine wilderness of Northern Lapland’s lush forests around Lake Inari. Along the way, you’ll learn to identify and forage a variety of wild plants, berries, mushrooms, and herbs. You’ll also gain valuable insights into the traditional uses of these natural resources by the indigenous Sámi people, as well as the sustainable and ethical practices that ensure the preservation of the region’s delicate ecosystem. As a highlight of your excursion, you’ll gather around an open fire to enjoy a sumptuous lunch, prepared with the wild ingredients you’ve foraged during your journey. This wild food and foraging experience in Northern Lapland is more than just a culinary journey; it’s an invitation to reconnect with nature and cultivate a deeper appreciation for the world around us.