Day 1- Arrival in Finland
Our trip started with a morning flight from Birmingham to Enontekio. A short flight of 3 hours to Finland. The flight was very smooth, and coming into land was beautiful as everything was covered in snow and the sun was setting.
Stepping off the aircraft onto the snow and ice felt magical. After collecting our luggage, we boarded our coach to the resort of Kilpisjarvi. We stopped off during the transfer to collect out snowsuits and boots.
This was our first fun experience, the staff at the centre gave us our snowsuits and boots which we tried on to everyone’s amusement. They gave us a traditional drink of warm blackcurrant juice.
After everyone had gotten their snow gear, we boarded back onto the coach to head off for Kilpisjarvi and the Tundrea Resort. We had a very warm welcome on arrival, they drove around the complex dropping everyone off with their luggage. We then had our welcome meeting in the traditional wooden hut with roaring fire. They explained the different activities that was available to sign up for. Our mealtimes were also explained, and information was given about the resort and local area.
The evening was then ours to enjoy our first meal: this was buffet style, delicious food with a good choice. All the staff were so helpful and friendly. We unpacked in our cabin which was well appointed, lovely and warm with fantastic views over the fell.
During our welcome meeting they told us to download the “Aurora App” which gave us notifications when they were likely to occur. The App did the trick, just after 10pm we went outside and were treated to a magical, beautiful sight. The northern lights were visible, and it was breathtaking. I had always wanted to see them and they didn’t disappoint.
Day 2- First day of activities
We had some free time to explore the local area, we walked to the waterfall area which was a short distance away. It was a beautiful, bright and sunny day, so enjoyed exploring our surroundings. We headed for the frozen lake, which was near our resort. It was strange to think we were walking on it but apparently the ice was nearly a metre thick. The views were amazing.
After lunch we booked an extra optional activity of snowshoeing, which lasted three hours. It was a gentle start, walking over the frozen lake with our snowshoes and poles. We then moved to walking up the hill where we enjoyed spectacular views over the area. It was a long walk, but thoroughly worth it as we got to enjoy the whole area.
The highlight of the day was our evening snowmobile adventure. The snow was coming down quite heavily, which made it even more special. We arrived at the snowmobile centre, a short distance from our resort. They gave us extra clothing layers of warm coats to go over our snowsuits and large leather thermal gloves.
We had our snowmobile instruction and some practice time on the frozen lake before heading off into the forest. We were accompanied at the start and end of the convoy, with experienced snowmobile riders who were there if we needed anything. It was a thrilling ride around the forest and up onto the high ground. We headed there because it was an area with no artificial light. This would help to see the northern lights. However, due to the heavy snow, we unfortunately didn’t get to see them that night. Halfway through the snowmobile adventure, we stopped in another wooden hut with traditional fire. We warmed ourselves up with hot juice and donuts. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience and couldn’t wait to do it again.
Day 3- More activities
The morning started with a hearty-cooked buffet breakfast. Shortly after breakfast, we headed off for our next Snowmobile adventure: the three border safari. This is the point where Sweden, Norway and Finland share a point on the lake, marked with a yellow buoy.
It was a beautiful ride out across the frozen lake and into a different area which we hadn’t explored before. We stopped a few times for the official photographer to take photos of us all on our vehicles and as a convoy. After about an hour and a half, we reached the border point of the three countries. This was an excellent photo opportunity to visit three countries in under a minute. I even ran around the buoy visiting all three countries. Again, the staff provided hot drinks and snacks at our halfway stage. It was a breathtakingly stunning area. After a short break we headed off back towards our resort passing skiers, and other snowmobile vehicles. We did stop for more photo opportunities as the scenery was remarkable.
On arrival back at Tundrea Resort we had a lovely warm lunch and a hot chocolate. In the afternoon we walked a short distance to the reindeer farm which was about ten minutes away from our hotel. We listened to a very interesting talk about the Sámi and their culture. We also watched a short film about a year in the life of a reindeer. This was followed by meeting some of the orphan reindeer, where we were able to feed them their favourite food: lichen. There were other reindeer on the farm who were working. We enjoyed a short sleigh ride with them around the farm which was fantastic.
The rest of the afternoon was spent enjoying the local area, sledging and having fun in the snow.
At the evening meal, the conversation was all about the northern lights as the app was indicating they were likely to appear. Sure enough, on our walk back from the restaurant to our cabin, we saw some faint green lights. As the evening progressed the lights became stronger. We were so lucky seeing them for a second time, especially as they were different shapes to the first evening.
We couldn’t believe that our time in Finland was coming to an end. We had done so much in a few days. We were so lucky that to see the northern lights twice during our stay. Their activities are well organised and were very enjoyable. So many fantastic memories were made. It’s a magical place that I can fully recommend to everyone to try!
The quality of the accommodation, standard of the food and organisation from the Transun staff was incredible.
One last tip - take hand warmers and foot warmers with you, they’re especially needed on the snowmobile activities. They really made a difference.
If you are thinking about doing a trip to Lapland and you want further information contact joanne.jardim@milesmorgantravel.co.uk or ring 01285659611
