One operator, and a short, sociable tour. The husky safaris at Vuokatti are run by a single local company, and the standard product is a self-drive run that adults share, swapping the handlebar halfway, with a fire and a snack at the kennel. Drivers need to follow instructions in English or Finnish; anyone physically unable to drive can book a ride instead. Ask what the listed price covers before booking.
Vuokatti is a ski and holiday resort in the Kainuu region, south of Lapland,5 and
its husky trade is one company. That shapes everything about booking a husky
safari there: the question is not which operator but which of its products, and
what the price you see actually covers.
One company
The husky safaris are run by Vuokatti Husky, part of Vuokatti
Safaris.1 The two local firms,
Vuokatti Husky and Vuokatti Safari, each active in the resort for more than ten
years, merged in 2014.3 Both the
resort’s own product page and the operator’s point to this one company, so
there is no field of kennels to compare, as there is in Rovaniemi or Levi.
The standard tour
The product the resort itself sells is a six-kilometre self-drive safari. Adults
take turns, switching drivers halfway, and the afternoon includes an
introduction to the dogs, which are Alaskan huskies, and hot berry juice and
grilled sausages afterwards. It starts from the kennel at Hyvölänkyläntie 1 in
Vuokatti.2
Visit Finland’s listing for the same tour gives it two hours, runs it from
December to April and starts the price from 145 euros, without saying whether
that figure is per person or per
sled.4 The difference matters,
because two adults and several children can share one sled, so get the basis in
writing.
Six kilometres in two hours is a short run with plenty of time at the kennel
around it. The husky safari guide explains
why the kilometres, not the hours, tell you how much sledding you are buying.
Tripadvisor ratings, 18 Rovaniemi operators
Highest first
Snowtrail Safaris 5.0
Nordic Odyssey 5.0
Nordic Adventures 4.9
Arctic GM 4.9
Book Lapland 4.9
Bearhill Husky 4.9
Arctic Attitude 4.9
StayLapland 4.8
Wild About Lapland 4.7
Wild Nordic 4.7
Lapland Winter Park 4.6
Safartica 4.5
Nordic Unique Travels 4.5
Apukka Resort 4.4
Lapland Welcome 4.3
Arctic Circle Snowmobile Park 4.3
Arctic Circle Husky Park 4.2
Raitola 3.4
<44.04.55.0
Ratings read from Tripadvisor. The shaded compartment left of the divider holds any score below 4.0. We record the score only; review counts and review text are not part of our comparison.
Driving needs a common language
One condition is easy to miss. The operator asks that drivers understand English
or Finnish fluently enough to follow the driving
instructions.1 For a family where
only one adult is comfortable in either language, ask whether that adult can
drive the whole way. Separately, the company sells a husky ride, a passive
experience for anyone without the physical ability to drive a
sled.1
Who it suits
A family on a ski week who want one afternoon with dogs, and adults happy to
share a sled on a short run. For a first-timer that is a fair introduction. For
someone who has done a husky safari before and wants a longer day, the resorts
further north sell that as their standard product, and
a husky safari in Ruka is the nearest comparison
of another resort built around short rides.
This page is an independent guide, written from published sources. We have no
connection to Vuokatti Safaris or any other husky operator.
Yes, as passengers. The resort's product page says each sled comfortably takes two adults and up to three children, depending on their size, which suits a family sharing one sled with an adult driving. Neither page read for this article gives a minimum age or a child price, so ask about both before booking, particularly with a toddler, and ask what the youngest children wear, since the overalls are sized for the people who drive.
Do we need to bring our own winter clothing?
Mostly not. The six-kilometre tour includes thermal overalls and boots, which is what makes it workable for a family on a ski holiday who packed for the slopes rather than for standing on a sled. Bring your own warm layers, a hat and good mittens underneath, because an overall over thin clothing is still cold on a sled, and the time at the kennel and by the fire is spent standing and sitting still.
Is Vuokatti a substitute for a husky safari in Lapland?
For a first taste inside a ski holiday, it does the job: real dogs, a sled you drive yourself and a fire afterwards. For a longer run, it is not the same product, because the standard tour is short and there is one company to choose from. If a half-day or more on the runners is what you are after, the page on where in Lapland to do a husky safari shows which resorts build their trade around that.
Lapland Handbook is written by its editorial staff in Rovaniemi. Every price, age limit and group size in a comparison is read from the operator's own page and marked "Not stated" when the operator does not publish it. Each guide names who should not book, and names the operator that suits each kind of group, whichever it is.
Rovaniemi's winter tours do sell out – December and the week around New Year first, and the small-group ones before the rest. Booking here goes straight to the operator at their own published price, and the code LH10 takes 10% off it.
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