The Best Things to Do in Ivalo, Lapland
After a week of Christmas markets in Germany and France, we were ready for something a bit more serene and remote. We headed north to Ivalo, Lapland, where we spent two unforgettable nights in a glass-roof cabin at Aurora Village Ivalo, followed by three nights at an Airbnb cabin by the forest.
The setting was otherworldly — snow-covered trees, frozen lakes, and the stillness of the arctic wilderness. This was our first experience of ‘Polar Night’, where the sun didn’t rise above the horizon.
Despite that, there were still a few hours of usable light from around 10:30am to 1:30pm. You’ll likely be able to only fit in one activity a day during those limited hours, so here are our personal top picks.
Despite flying in the middle of the day, there’s not much sunlight this far north.
Our Favourite Activities in Lapland
1. Feel the Thrill of Husky Sledding
What better way to explore the white-blanketed woods than with a pack of excitable dogs? An exhilarating husky sledding adventure with Extreme Huskies was the clear highlight of our trip.
You’ll never forget that initial jolt as the huskies take off at a breakneck pace. Wrestling with the brakes feels like taming a wild current, but once the chaos settles, you’re no longer just a passenger – you’re running with the pack. Case in point: when you’re going uphill, they expect you to lend a helping leg and push the sled along. It’s a team effort.
There are a few husky operators in the region. We went with Extreme Huskies because of the stellar 4.9 rating on Google and because many of the comments mention how the dogs seem well cared for.
Indeed, the kennels looked well-maintained, and all the huskies seemed quite content and excited to hit the road.
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Extreme Huskies operates 1, 2 and 4-hour tours. We chose the 4-hour tour and would recommend it as it doesn’t cost too much more than the shorter options, includes a delicious salmon soup lunch, and allows more time to enjoy the husky experience.
2. Chase the Northern Lights
Lapland is a prime region to spot the beautiful Northern Lights, especially during the longer polar nights. However, viewing is anything but guaranteed. During our five nights here, only two nights were clear enough to see the spectacular dancing lights.
Still, that was plenty. Thanks to Janne at Northern Light Riders, we received a frantic phone call the day on the third night of our trip. “Come now,” he insisted. It was 7:30pm, and we had just finished dinner at our Airbnb.
We are so glad we did. Over the next few hours, he drove us (and a group of Spanish visitors) around, and we witnessed the auroras putting on strong, dazzling shows. It’s true – the lights are not as strong to the naked eye as they are to the camera lens, but we could still see the shifting skies ourselves.
Watching the auroras dance across the sky feels like glimpsing the universe in motion – fleeting, mesmerizing, and utterly unreal.
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Many factors affect the visibility of the Northern Lights, including cloud cover and magnetic activity. Be sure to use a tour that actively chases the Northern Lights based on current forecasts rather than one that simply goes to pre-determined viewing locations.
We can recommend Northern Light Riders. Book it for your first night so there’s room to reschedule if the lights don’t show up.
You can also try to catch the lights yourself if you have a car and feel confident driving around. The app Northern Lights Alerts will send alerts when there is activity nearby key locations. It costs €9.90 for three days of coverage.
3. Feed the reindeer & hop on an enchanting sleigh ride
Live out your Jingle Bells dreams, ‘dashing through the snow,’ on a reindeer sleigh ride (we booked through Viator with cashback). Unlike the huskies, Finnish reindeer take life at a much slower pace.
Located near the nearby town of Saariselkä, this Sami-operated reindeer farm takes you out for a winding, 60-minute expedition in a convoy of sleds. We were kept warm with blankets as the group wound around the woods, with only the tinkling of the reindeer bells breaking the peaceful silence.
Afterwards, we revived with a roaring fire and cup of coffee and tea as one of the herders chatted to us about life on the farm and all things reindeer.
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The reindeer sled ride is much more passive than the husky experience. You just sit back, relax, and get pulled along at a leisurely pace.
We felt that the 60-minute ride might have been too long, so consider booking shorter options.
4. Glide through the Forests on a Snowmobile
For many Finnish people, the humble snowmobile is just another way to get around town. For us, it was an exciting new way to explore the forests. We also did this 3.5 hr tour with Janne from Northern Light Riders.
After a quick safety briefing, we headed out to the vast, snowy fields. First-hand experience was the best way to learn – we quickly found out that turning at speed is the most important skill to master.
The ride started with a few shaky jolts; each bump a lesson in control (so was reversing from a powdery wall of snow that we accidentally plowed into).
But the thrill of speed and the crisp air rushing past made it all worth it. We were also lucky to catch a glimpse of wild reindeer weaving through the trees on our return.
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Check with your provider. At a minimum, you’ll likely require a driver’s license. It’s also advisable to have travel insurance that covers any injuries with snowmobiling and the cost of repairs if you damage the vehicle.
Warm winter gear is advised. Some providers, such as Northern Lights Riders, provides full protective and warming gear.
Where WE STAYED in Lapland
1. Aurora Village Ivalo
At the start of our trip, we splurged on two nights at Aurora Village Ivalo. We booked 10 months in advance and paid €852 for two nights at the early bird rate, which included a 25% discount, breakfast, and dinner.
The drawcard: each cabin boasts an expansive, heated glass roof that lets you soak in the beauty of the auroras at night from the comfort of your bed.
Unfortunately, both nights were cloudy during our stay, but we did still enjoy the facilities on offer. The cabins aren’t especially large, but they are climate-controlled with a fridge, tea and coffee, and a spacious en-suite.
Essential snow equipment such as snow shoes, sleds, and toboggans are complimentary. Each morning's buffet breakfast was surprisingly good, with choices such as pancakes, eggs, bacon, cold cuts, and more.
Dinner was also a wonderful way to unwind by the fire each evening. The three-course menus included some interesting choices, such as grilled reindeer. Our favourite dish was the sautéed pike perch on our first night.
2. Airbnb South of Saariselkä
We moved to an Airbnb about a 40-minute drive south of Ivalo for the final three nights. It cost us A$626 a night which sounds steep, but it was cheaper than two cabins at the Aurora Village overall as we split between two couples.
Its isolated location on the fringe of a national park offered exceptional views of the never-ending forest blanketed in a thick layer of snow. We also appreciated being able to cook our own meals – it helps save on costs as well!
We used the cabin as a base for a few activities, such as the reindeer tour. During the darker hours, we relaxed at the in-house wood sauna, cooked meals together and enjoyed the quieter days at the end of a jam-packed trip.
I was also able to practice using my DJI Mini 4 Pro drone and managed to capture some decent shots as the skies turned pink one morning. Finally, yes – you can see the Northern Lights from inside the cabin if you’re lucky!
How to get to Ivalo
You can drive to Ivalo, but most visitors will likely fly in with Finnair from Helsinki or with other airlines from abroad (we saw a few UK departures).
Finnair flies multiple times a day to Ivalo. We recommend booking an Economy Reward with points – these offer great value compared to the standard cash fare, which can reach hundreds of Euros.
For some reason, Ivalo doesn’t show up as an option with Qantas Points.
But with Avios (which you can transfer 2:1 from American Express Membership Rewards in Australia), a Helsinki-Ivalo flight only costs 6,500 Avios + fees and taxes per person, one-way.
Finnair flies an Airbus A320 on the route with an Economy-only configuration. Complimentary water and blueberry juice is offered onboard and you can pre-purchase hot or cold food online, before the flight.
Our Other tips for Ivalo
1. Check out the K-Supermarket
There are a few supermarkets in Ivalo, but our favourite is the large K-Supermarket you’ll see as you go into town from the airport (it’s on your right at the roundabout).
Inside, there’s usually a good range of hot food items, including roast chicken, grilled salmon, cooked pork ribs and more. These are reasonably priced and tasty for a quick lunch.
K-Supermarket is also the official distributor for Finnair’s famous blueberry juice. After tasting it in-flight, we bought a few bottles for the road. It’s delicious on its own or mixed with sparkling water and perhaps some gin.
If you’re going to Saariselkä, note that the supermarkets in Ivalo are generally cheaper and have a larger range of items to buy.
2. Need car hire? Check Green Motion
It’s easy to pick up a car at Ivalo Airport. All vehicles are fitted with winter tyres by default during the winter season. Besides being more cautious on the road, you don’t need to do much differently while driving. The highways are well-maintained.
Compare prices for your dates. In our experience, we found the local operator Green Motion was more competitively priced than the international chains. We had no issues with picking up or returning the car with them.
3. Consider an e-Sim for FInland and the rest of Europe
A TravelKon Europe eSIM is a cost-effective way to use data abroad. For example, a 10GB plan valid 30 days across most of Europe costs just A$24.65 when you use my discount code.
Use the code TPW for 15% off any order (except for any eSIMs already on sale).
All photos by Brandon Loo. This trip was self-funded.
