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Best husky tour in Inari: which ride suits whom

A grey and white husky with a red tag on its collar standing on packed snow in front of snowbanks

Illustration photo: a husky in the snow, not at a kennel near Inari.

Lapland Handbook Staff How we research this

The short answer

With children aged four to eleven, book Visit Inari's Husky Experience: it gives them a lower fare and collects you from your Inari hotel. For two adults who want to take turns at the handlebar, Wilderness Hotel Inari's safari builds the swap into the ride. With a toddler, or for a longer day behind the dogs, drive to Saariselkä instead.

How the operators compare

Prices are the operators' own published starting prices as of the date this guide was updated, and they change through the season.

Visit InariWilderness Hotel InariSaariselkä family rideSaariselkä long ride
Time on the sled About 1 h About 1 h About ½ h About 2 h
Youngest 4 Not stated; no under-3s Over 2 Over 12
Child fare 30% off, 4 to 11 Not stated Not stated Not stated
Starts Inari village Inari village Saariselkä, about 56 min Saariselkä, about 56 min
Price per adult €198 €230 €169 – the lowest price per adult €287

Highlighted figures are the best in that row: the lowest price per adult. Only price is marked, and the cheapest ride is a drive away and half as long on the sled. Ranking the rest would mean choosing a party for you.

Where these figures come from
  • Visit Inari: About an hour on the sled from the safari office in the village, two to a sled, with a pickup from Inari hotels and a child fare.
  • Wilderness Hotel Inari: About an hour on the sled from the hotel, two to a sled, one driving and one seated, swapping at the halfway point.
  • Saariselkä family ride: Half an hour on the sled for families with children from two, from a kennel about 56 minutes' drive south of Inari.
  • Saariselkä long ride: About two hours on the sled with lunch, for children over twelve and adults, from the same area about 56 minutes away.

Two husky rides start in Inari village each winter day. Neither is on the booking platforms: both are sold by the seller itself, at the reception or on its own site.

With children aged four to eleven

Visit Inari’s Husky Experience is the family ride. It takes children from four, takes 30 per cent off their fare until they turn twelve, and gives about an hour on the sled within a three-hour outing.1 The company collects guests from hotels in the village at an agreed time, and seats two to a sled.2

For two adults who want to drive

Wilderness Hotel Inari’s safari is built for a pair who both want to steer: the change of driver is part of the ride, so each gets about half an hour at the handlebar.3 It costs more than the village’s other ride and prints no child fare.

When neither village ride fits

A toddler or a longer day means a drive to Saariselkä, about 56 minutes south. There one kennel runs a half-hour family ride that takes children from two,4 and a day with about two hours on the sled and lunch, for children over twelve.5 The Saariselkä rides are compared in the best husky tour in Saariselkä.

What each Inari ride costs a family, and what the price includes, is worked out in husky safari prices in Inari.

Tours you can book

Questions people ask

Do the village rides run in November or April?

Visit Inari sells its ride from 1 December to 7 April, weather permitting, and says winter activities begin only once there is enough snow and cold to run them safely; its online shop opens dates when they are known. Wilderness Hotel Inari's page does not print the season for its winter safari. Out of season the hotel sells a husky farm visit and a ride on a wheeled cart instead.

Where is the kennel?

Neither seller names it. Visit Inari says it drives you to its husky farm, and Wilderness Hotel Inari lists transportation among what the price includes. Both rides last about three hours in all, of which roughly one is on the sled, so the rest is the drive, the instructions and a hot drink afterwards. Plan the day around three hours, not one.

Can someone pregnant, or with a bad back, come along?

Visit Inari says it does not recommend husky or snowmobile safaris for pregnant women, for safety reasons, and asks every participant to tell the safari office in advance about medical conditions, injuries or allergies that could affect them on the trail. Wilderness Hotel Inari's page says nothing either way, so raise it in writing before you book there.

Written by

Lapland Handbook Staff

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.

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