Hut to Hut Aurora Husky Safari in Lapland (Finland)

The beauty of the landscapes, the adventure of staying in the cabins and the thrill of (hopefully!) seeing the Northern Lights are of course just parts of the experience - the real stars of any dog sledding holiday are the dogs themselves.

You will be driving your own sled, normally with four dogs per team, and caring for them along the way as you cover typically 30-45km each day. As you get to know your huskies and work closely with them over the course of the week, it will be almost impossible not to fall head over paws in love.

Be prepared - when it's time to say goodbye, there will probably be tears!

Adventurous wilderness dog sledding tour but with a few creature comforts

Hut to Hut Aurora Husky Safari in Lapland is suitable for adults with a love of the outdoors, dogs and adventure.

As an extended dogsled tour moving between cabins each night, this tour is a fairly challenging experience requiring a good level of fitness and general experience of outdoor activities.

Accommodation along the route is simple - you will be staying in wilderness cabins which typically have no electricity or running water and caring for your dogs throughout the tour.

But "simple" doesn't mean "uncomfortable"! Each cabin has a wood-fired sauna, a great way to end the day's mushing, when you can soothe your muscules, relax and talk over the day's sledding. The cabins are cosy and you will be provided with warm winter sleeping bags.

The first and last nights of the tour are in hotel/cabin standard accommodation at the kennels, with delicious local cuisine (and more saunas if you wish!) providing a very comfortable and enjoyable way to start and end your husky adventure.

Northern Lights possible throughout the season

Hut to Hut Aurora Husky Safari in Lapland runs weekly from the beginning of December until mid-April. The Northern Lights can be seen throughout this period and chances can be good at any time (provided of course that the skies are clear, there is Aurora activity, and you're not asleep!).

During the darker periods, the longer hours of darkness can be ideal for watching the Aurora, while the later parts of the winter may have clearer skies, enabling displays to be seen more easily even when the darkness does not come until later in the evening. By mid-April, you will need to stay up later for the skies to darken enough for the Northern Lights to be seen, but the wonderful spring feeling and typically milder temperatures mean you'll probably be happy to stay awake!

Getting Involved

As with all our dogsled tours, you will be involved in all aspects of the trip, and this is very much part of the experience. You will assist with caring for your dog team, including harnessing, feeding (and, yes, picking up poo!), as well as tasks around camp such as fetching water, chopping wood, preparing food, washing up, etc.

Day 1 - Arrival

Transfer (approx. 60 mins) is included from Kittilä airport in connection with scheduled Finnair or Norwegian flights. You can also choose to arrive by night train to Roveniemi and bus to Muonio, from where transfer is also included.

We recommend arriving in the afternoon (Finnair flight arriving Kittilä 17.50 is very suitable), though later arrivals are also possible.

You have a welcome dinner together before retiring for your first night in Lapland. Accommodation is shared and may be in cabins or rooms.

Days 2-6 - Dog sledding between wilderness cabins

After breakfast, you will receive your clothing and equipment for the tour, meet the dogs and your guide and learn how to harness your team and control the sled.

Then you set off into the Arctic wilderness, sledding through a beautiful winter landscape of frozen lakes and ancient forests. The next few days will take you towards the edge of the Pallas-Ylläs National Park, Finland's third largest National Park with an area of 1,020 sq.km.

The route taken and the particular wilderness cabins used during the tour will vary depending on factors such as weather conditions, time of year and other activities taking place in the area.

You will normally sled to a new cabin location each day, covering typically 30-45km per day. Lunch will be taken at a suitable spot outdoors over open fire or possibly stopping at a "lavvu" (tipi) if shelter is required.

Each afternoon when you reach the cabins, the first job is to take care of your dogs. You will unharness your team and ready them for the night, prepare food for the teams, fetch water and take part in other tasks around the cabins such as preparing firewood or assisting with the evening meal.

In the mornings, it will normally take some time to ready everything for the days' sledding. Preparations will normally begin around 07.00, feeding and caring for the dogs, preparing breakfast and packing the sleds. When ready, you take to the trail to explore a new part of the Lapland wilderness.

Accommodation in the cabins is shared on all nights, using warm winter sleeping bags. Most of the cabins have electricity or running water - a real wilderness experience! Each cabin has sauna, providing an opportunity both to wash and to relax.

Your last day of sledding (Day 6) takes you back to the kennels for farewell dinner and overnight there.

Day 7 - Departure

After breakfast, you will be transferred to Kittilä airport for departure (or Muonio if departing by bus). We recommend leaving with a morning or lunchtime flight (such as Finnair flights departing 09.05 or 13.35).

Included

Accommodation:

• Two nights (Day 1 and Day 6) in comfortable accommodation near the kennels, with access to sauna available. Accommodation will be shared and may be in hotel rooms or cabins.
• Four nights (Days 2-5) in simple but comfortable wilderness cabins along the route. Most of the cabins have no electricity or running water, are heated by wood-burning stove and have dry wilderness toilets. Sauna is available at each cabin. Sleeping accommodation is in shared rooms, single or bunk beds. There is a network of cabins which may be used - exactly which are used for a particular tour will vary depending on factors such as weather and trail conditions, time of year and other activities taking place in the area.

Meals:

All meals from dinner on arrival day to breakfast on departure day (breakfast, lunch, dinner + coffee/snacks, etc). Please let us know if you have any special dietary requirements.

Food served during the tour, especially for nights at the kennels on Day 1 and Day 6, has a focus on local produce and traditional Lappish cuisine.

Christmas and New Year dates include seasonal festivities during the tour.

Equipment and Clothing:

• All equipment necessary for dogsled tour including sled and team of huskies (typically 4 dogs per team). All persons drive own sled - it is not possible to share sled for this experience.
• Warm winter outer clothing: thermal snowmobile overall, winter boots and thick woollen outer socks, warm hat and balaclava, warm outer gloves, winter sleeping bag and liner. Please provide height, weight and shoe size in advance.

Guide:

• Instruction in harnessing and sled handling.
• Services of local guide during the tour.

Transfers:

• Local transfers between Kittilä airport in connection with scheduled flights as per itinerary.

Not Included

• Travel: We do not arrange flights or domestic travel, but are happy to advise on suitable connections and assist you with any aspect of planning your journey. See under "Getting There" for general travel information.
• Alcoholic drinks.

Required

Health requirements/experience:

You should have a general good level of fitness and enjoy the outdoors. You should also be comfortable living in close proximity with others.

Minimum age 18 years.

Some previous dog sledding experience is recommended, but the tour is also open to participants without previous experience provided they have appropriate level of fitness and general experience of outdoor activities. The tour can be physically demanding and requires a good level of fitness. You must be able to brake the sled when going downhill and also assist the dogs during uphill sections by stepping off and running behind the sled for short distances.

You will be outside for extended periods during the day and temperatures can vary from around zero degrees C to -40 degrees or lower depending on time of year and conditions during your tour.

Everyone assists with tasks around the cabins such as taking care of the dogs, fetching water, chopping wood, preparing meals, etc.

NB: Under normal circumstances there is no reason why this should be required, but note that should a guest cut the tour short for reasons other than an emergency (such as unsuitable fitness level, whether own choice or decision of the guide), a local evacuation charge of €350 Euros per person will apply.

What makes this "Medium"?

The tour takes place in a lowland landscape of frozen lakes and forest. There will be some uphill sections when it is necessary to assist your team, but these will typically be less demanding than when sledding in a mountain region. However, as an extended tour with 5 days' sledding, level of challenge will normally be higher than for shorter tours.

Except where required by weather conditions or other considerations, the planned itinerary will require moving overnight location each day.

Accommodation at the start/end of the tour is hotel/cabin standard and during the tour is of simple standard, but is cosy and comfortable in wilderness cabins heated by wood-burning stove and with sauna available each night.

NB: Perception of difficulty is very subjective. What is hard to one person may be easy for another and vice versa, depending on factors including level of fitness, age and previous experience. Weather conditions/temperatures can also dramatically affect the actual level of challenge encountered.

Equipment/clothes needed:

For information on any equipment and/or clothing included as standard for this experience, please see under "What's Included".

A detailed recommended packing list for personal items to bring will be sent with your booking documentation.

NB: We advise you not to buy equipment or clothes for your trip or to incur other non-refundable expenses such as flights until you have received confirmation of your booking from us in writing. Note of course that the most appropriate clothing to use as well as the level of challenge experienced during any outdoor activity may vary significantly depending on factors such as the time of year and the particular weather/temperature conditions during your trip.

Preparing for your trip:

For further reading, we also have a number of general information articles to get you ready for your trip, covering a wide variety of topics from what to do on a city break before/after your tour, advice on packing, eyewear for winter and considerations for female travellers.

Minimum number:

Total minimum 4 persons required for tours to be confirmed to run. You are welcome to book as a solo traveller.

Combine This With

This experience makes an ideal combination with the following:

• Northern Lights Multi-activity Adventure in Lapland (8 days, located just a few km from the kennels). Tours run Sunday-Sunday, making this an ideal itinerary to do before your dogsled tour - the Winter Activity Adventure includes a dogsled day activity which is an excellent warm-up for the tour!

Groups

Max. group size 7 participants.

Eco Info

This provider has a written environmental policy and is part of a local project aiming to convert waste from the kennels into bio-energy. Accommodation at the start/end of the tour is heated by geothermal energy with electricity being 100% from renewable sources.

"A fantastic husky safari which exceeded expectations." Malcolm

"A life-changing experience. The package was just perfect." Marco