Romance under the Northern Lights

Lake Inari, one of the largest in Scandinavia, offers a vast scenery throughout the year

Travel period 01.01.2011-31.03.2011
Five days (four nights)

Combine a relaxing romantic holiday in Lapland with just a bit of activities and culture in Finland’s Lapland. Stay a night in a glass igloo under the Aurora Borealis, visit the Sami museum, take a snow mobile safari, dine in Lappish restaurants, and visit a reindeer farm or go for a husky ride. The Arctic Lapland is magical in winter!

The Wilderness Hotel Nellim is located in a very peaceful corner of Finnish Lapland away from the big tourist centres. The hotel stands on the shores of Lake Inari, one of the deepest lakes in Scandinavia.

Kakslauttanen Igloo Village is located high up above the Arctic Circle. This secluded log cabin village is the ultimate location for an arctic romantic break. As a highlight of your stay, you will stay overnight in a glass igloo. Kakslauttanen has been listed as one of the 100 best destination hotels in the world.

Day 1: First taste of Lapland

Flight to Ivalo Airport and transfer to Hotel Nellim. After settling in, you’ll enjoy a dinner at the hotel restaurant serving also local delicacies like white fish and reindeer stew with Arctic berries. Later on, there is a 2.5 hour evening trip to Aurora Camp.  This pleasant three-mile sledge ride takes you to Lake Inari, where you’ll have a good chance to see Aurora Borealis in the winter sky.

Day 2: Reindeer farm and snow mobiles

After the breakfast it is time to start the snow mobile safari to a local farm. You’ll meet a herdsman who tells about the life in Sámi land and how the reindeer are looked after. You can also feed animals in their natural surroundings. There will be a picnic lunch by a camp fire. In the afternoon you will join a local fisherman and help him to check his under- ice nets on the Lake Inari. After the 20-mile safari it is time to return to the Hotel Nellim for the dinner and sauna, if you like. Afterwards, there is still an evening ride to catch the northern lights.

Day 3: Snow shoes and huskies

The proper hotel breakfast gets you going for a two-hour snow shoe trek around Nellim area. You will return to the hotel for lunch, and the afternoon is free for your own interests. You can book an optional husky safari on the thick frozen lake and take the reins of a husky team pulling the sledge.  You can spend the afternoon exploring local traditions. You can book a three-hour special programme of Lappish activities – learn about local crafts, listen to old songs and enjoy seasonal dishes prepared from Lake Inari fish, reindeer and cloudberries. The wooden Nellim Orthodox Church is also worth a visit. The Russian border is only a few miles away, and on the Paatsjoki Bridge you can see the towers guarding both sides of the border.

Day 4: Sámi museum and night under northern lights

Time to get cultural on the way to Kakslauttanen, and stop at the Sámi museum and Northern Lapland Nature Centre “Siida”.  The exhibitions show how nature and people have adapted to the extreme conditions of the Northern environment. Wonderful photographs, videos, sounds and original artifacts guide you through the seasons and the past times.

Kakslauttanen is a popular destination for romantic breaks and a venue for real white weddings. After a delicious dinner with Lappish delicacies, the night in a glass igloo will be the high point of the holiday. You can admire the northern lights and millions of stars in the clear Lapland sky in a comfortable room resting on a luxury bed. It will stay warm inside even when the temperature outside drops to under -30°C! Every December, the best ice sculptors in the world come to Kakslauttanen to participate in the international ice-sculpting week, and the creations remain on view for the rest of winter.

Day 5: Welcome again!

After the breakfast there is some time for shopping original Lappish crafts or just enjoying the winter morning in Kakslauttanen. Then it is time to take a transfer to Ivalo airport for the flight to Helsinki and then back home. And then it is time to start planning the next visit to Lapland.

Package prices:

From London Heathrow: from £1494 / person
From Manchester: from £1564 / person

Package price per person when minimum of two persons share a room and an igloo.
Packages also available without flights. Ask also for special offers!
Child discounts are also available.

What is included in the price?

• Scheduled Finnair flights from the United Kingdom to Ivalo (via Helsinki)
• Accommodation in a hotel room in Nellim  for three nights
• Programme as described
• Accommodation in Kakslauttanen glass igloo for one night
• Half board (breakfast & dinner)
• Transfers by a car between Ivalo airport and Nellim, Nellim and Kakslauttanen and  Kakslauttanen and Ivalo airport

Please ask for a price for:

• The single supplement
• Child discounts (up to 15 years old)
• Extra nights
• The package without flights

Please note that this is an unescorted trip and no guide services are provided.

As the flights to Ivalo are via Helsinki, you may wish to extend your visit to Finland by staying in Helsinki. If you wish to spend some time in the Finnish capital, call our office for further details and prices.

Travel insurance

Travel insurance is not included in your holiday cost. It is strongly recommended that insurance be taken out to protect you and your group against any unforeseen insurable events.