Best reindeer tour in Ruka: which one to book
Illustration photo: reindeer photographed in summer, not at the Ruka farms.
The short answer
To be among a large herd, book the morning feeding at the farm on the Kemijärvi road. For a proper sleigh ride without leaving the resort, book the winter village's trip to its reindeer cabin. For something quieter after dark, book the lantern walk with a reindeer at a small family farm. Without a car or winter clothing, book the safari company trip that collects you.
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.
| A big herd: Kujala feeding | A long ride: Lammintupa cabin | After dark: Erola walk | No car: Rukapalvelu farm trip | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult | €27 | €70 | €56 | €160 |
| Sleigh ride | None | 1.5 km | None, a walk | 1.5 km |
| Length | 1 h | 2 h | 1 h 30 min | 2 h |
| Winter clothing | Your own | Your own | Your own | Lent |
| Getting there | Drive to the farm | Meet at the village café | Not stated | Car from Ruka |
-
A big herd: Kujala feeding
- Adult
- €27
- Sleigh ride
- None
- Length
- 1 h
- Winter clothing
- Your own
- Getting there
- Drive to the farm
An hour in the morning helping feed hundreds of reindeer in an old corral; you drive there yourself in your own winter clothes.
-
A long ride: Lammintupa cabin
- Adult
- €70
- Sleigh ride
- 1.5 km
- Length
- 2 h
- Winter clothing
- Your own
- Getting there
- Meet at the village café
A kilometre and a half by sleigh from the winter village to a log cabin, with feeding and sausages by the fire.
-
After dark: Erola walk
- Adult
- €56
- Sleigh ride
- None, a walk
- Length
- 1 h 30 min
- Winter clothing
- Your own
- Getting there
- Not stated
A lantern-lit walk of 1.2 km with a reindeer on a lead, then juice by the fire at a small farm.
-
No car: Rukapalvelu farm trip
- Adult
- €160
- Sleigh ride
- 1.5 km
- Length
- 2 h
- Winter clothing
- Lent
- Getting there
- Car from Ruka
A car from Ruka, a winter outfit and a sleigh ride of 1.5 km at a farm, with sandwiches and sausages.
No cell is marked: the four answer different wishes, and a longer or dearer outing is not a better one if it is not the one you wanted.
Where these figures come from
- A big herd: Kujala feeding: An hour in the morning helping feed hundreds of reindeer in an old corral; you drive there yourself in your own winter clothes.
- A long ride: Lammintupa cabin: A kilometre and a half by sleigh from the winter village to a log cabin, with feeding and sausages by the fire.
- After dark: Erola walk: A lantern-lit walk of 1.2 km with a reindeer on a lead, then juice by the fire at a small farm.
- No car: Rukapalvelu farm trip: A car from Ruka, a winter outfit and a sleigh ride of 1.5 km at a farm, with sandwiches and sausages.
Around Ruka the best reindeer outing depends on what you want from the animals. Here is one pick for each.
To be among a large herd
The Kujala farm on the Kemijärvi road opens its morning feeding to visitors at nine, and you spend the hour helping feed hundreds of reindeer with lichen in an old corral. You arrive by your own means and in your own winter clothes.1
For a real sleigh ride
The longest rides sold around Ruka are a kilometre and a half. Lammintupa’s trip to its reindeer cabin starts in the resort, takes you that far by sleigh, and ends with feeding and sausages by the fire in a log cabin.1
For something quieter after dark
Erola’s Reindeer & Tree, a small family farm, walks you through its own forest by lantern light with a reindeer on a lead, then serves juice by the fire.12
Without a car or winter clothing
Rukapalvelu drives you from Ruka, lends the outfit and gives the same kilometre and a half by sleigh at a farm, for a higher price.1
What each costs a family is on reindeer safari prices in Ruka, ages and seats for children on reindeer tours with children in Ruka, and the farms are introduced on reindeer farms in Ruka.
Tours you can book
The morning feeding of hundreds of reindeer at the Kujala farm, booked with the farm
Run by Kujalan Porotila
From €27per person
Length1 h
See it on the operator’s site(opens in a new tab)An evening walk by lantern light with a reindeer, then juice by the fire
Run by Erola's Reindeer & Tree
From €56per person
Length1.5 h
See it on the operator’s site(opens in a new tab)A 1.5 km sleigh ride to Lammintupa’s reindeer cabin, with feeding and sausages
Run by Lammintupa Winter Village
From €70per person
Length2 h
See it on the operator’s site(opens in a new tab)A 1.5 km reindeer sleigh ride at a farm, with the car from Ruka and an outfit
Run by Tailored Adventures Rukapalvelu
From €160per person
Length2 h
See it on the operator’s site(opens in a new tab)
Questions people ask
Can we drive the reindeer ourselves?
On one outing, yes: Ruka Safaris' longer farm visit says you drive the sled for a kilometre and a half with the reindeer. The other listings describe riding in the sleigh rather than driving it, which suits small children better. Ask the company before booking if steering matters to you, because the listings say little more than that.
Is there a reindeer outing combined with northern lights?
Three are sold in the dark: Ruka Safaris' sleigh ride under the evening sky, the Kujala farm's lantern walk to a hut with a view, and Erola's forest walk with a reindeer. None promises the aurora; each is an outing in the dark with a chance of it. For northern lights as the main aim, start from [northern lights tours in Ruka](/guides/northern-lights-ruka/).
Which one can we do without booking?
Lammintupa's short family ride runs without a reservation from Monday to Saturday, between eleven and three, from 23 December; the online booking covers only the morning slots. Everything else here is booked ahead, and most of it the day before at the latest, so a spare hour in the village is the one time the short ride is the answer.