After counting down the sleeps until my Lapland trip I was finally on the short 3 1/2 hour flight with ENTER Air from Bristol to Enontekio (Lapland). Enontekio airport was really small, and our flight was the only flight landing that day. No long queues at passport control for this Arctic airport.
(Tip: Pack your scarves, gloves and an extra layer in your hand luggage for arrival; you will need them!)
After collecting our luggage, we boarded our coach for the fifty-minute transfer to our hotel, the Davvi Arctic Lodge in Karesuando. The scenery from the coach was simply stunning, a magical winter wonderland. The hotel's unrivalled location is perfect for the Northern Lights if you are lucky enough to see them.
The Davvi Arctic Lodge has rooms in the hotel, Davvi Arctic Lodge cabins (of which some have a sauna), the Aurora House, and finally the Fell Houses. We were allocated Fell House, one which can sleep up to nine people, in three bedrooms, plus three children in the lounge area. A plus to this Fell House was that it also had tea and coffee provided. The Fell Houses are a short walk from the main hotel, through a lit path in the forest. The accommodation was really warm and comfortable with panoramic views across the arctic landscape. Close to the building, "Boots and Suits" Transun provide a snow suit and boots for your arctic experience. From small to extra-large, they had a suit to fit everyone.
A welcome meeting on our first night introduced us to everything on offer for our three night adventure. We were full board for our stay, and three course meals were flavoursome and of a good variety. Full of carbohydrates, as you work off your food very quickly in this cold weather. The carrot cake and yummy cheesecake dessert was just divine.
(Tip: Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated as the air is very dry.)
The reception area in the hotel has daily notices for mealtimes and activities throughout the day. Included in our trip was the Northern Lights Snowmobile Safari, Call of the Husky Safari, Northern Lights Forest Trek and Reindeer Camp plus Sleigh Ride for across the four days. There are optional excursions that you can also purchase. If you are not participating in an organised excursion there are many walks you can do in the snowy terrain, or you could visit the local Lapland shop, which is a short walk down the hill for those all-important souvenirs. A guided snowshoe tour looked great fun for all ages.
(Tip: Definitely layer up with thermals and two or three layers under your snowsuit for all activities.)
The temperatures in Lapland, whilst extremely cold were actually unseasonably warm on our visit at 0 degrees, which along with high winds meant our husky sledding was postponed until the following day. This was a great opportunity for a walk out of the hotel and across the frozen river bridge into Sweden. The beautiful Karesuando church greeted us on the other side of the river. The northeast church in Sweden was built in 1905 and serves both Finland and Swedish parish, a welcome retreat out of the wind that day. Small but beautiful. On the way back we stopped at the iconic sign to have our photo taken with one foot in Finland and one foot in Sweden.
After a hearty evening meal we embarked on a forest trek up the hill. Later, with simply stunning scenery of silver birch, spruce and pine trees, we sat around an open fire drinking hot berry juice. The Transun team kept us amused with stories of the Sami culture, wildlife and Finnish/Swedish lifestyle. This was really interesting.
(Tip: The local tipple, glogi, is an alcoholic beverage, but on quite a few trips the non-alcoholic berry juice version is given; as alcohol and snow mobiles is not a good mix!)
The highlight of my trip was the reindeer camp and sleigh ride. This was a short minibus ride away from the hotel and on arrival we were split into two groups, visiting the Sami tent for Tales of Sami Life before our turn to ride in the sleigh pulled by a reindeer across the frozen terrain. This was a truly magical memory.
Our last day in Lapland was also special with a trip to the Alaska huskies. They had all ages, from puppies to the golden olden huskies. We visited the kennels before boarding our sleigh; where the two of us were pulled by a team of nine huskies, and musher Mike, was in charge of the sled and the huskies. Commands were called to the dogs and also for us to lean left or right, which we obeyed 100%. We didn't want to be the ones ending up in the frozen lake or swamp! The track was really bumpy, and the huskies were fast. It was truly exhilarating.
All these magical memories I will never forget on this bucket list trip of a lifetime. Even though I didn't get to visit Father Christmas…but hey it was February after all!
