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The best reindeer tour in Saariselkä, by what you do with the reindeer

A herder standing by three harnessed white reindeer and a wooden sledge on the snow

Illustration photo: a reindeer herder with a sledge, not in Saariselkä.

Lapland Handbook Staff How we research this

The short answer

For the sleigh ride itself, choose the resort's two-hour safari: it takes all ages and ends in a herder's kota. For children who want to feed the animals by hand, the safari house's farm visit is the one built around it. If you want a short ride and feeding in one outing, the hotel's version combines them. Book the hotel's day by snowmobile only if the adults also want to drive.

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.

Resort sleigh rideFarm visitRide and feedDay by snowmobile
Sleigh ride Yes, length not stated Not listed 20 min Not listed
Feeding Not listed Yes Yes Yes
Youngest All ages 2 4 Not stated
Length 2 h 1.5 h 2 h 5 h
Price From €94.34 per person Not stated From €165 per person From €240 per person

Nothing is marked: the safari house prints no price, and a ride and a farm visit are different outings rather than better and worse versions of one.

Where these figures come from
  • Resort sleigh ride: Two hours with a sleigh ride into the forest under blankets and hot juice in a kota afterwards.
  • Farm visit: An hour and a half at a reindeer farm, feeding and greeting the animals with a guide.
  • Ride and feed: Two hours of feeding reindeer by hand, with a twenty-minute sleigh ride.
  • Day by snowmobile: Five hours driving a snowmobile to feed reindeer, with lunch; children ride in a sleigh.

Saariselkä’s reindeer outings differ most in whether you ride or feed.

For the ride

Kakslauttanen, the resort south of the village, seats guests under blankets in a sleigh and takes them into the forest, then into a herder’s kota for hot juice. It takes all ages and lends overalls, and of the outings that print a price it is the cheapest.1

For feeding

Lapponia Tours’ farm visit lists no sleigh ride: the time is spent among the animals, feeding them with a guide who explains herding life, and it takes children from two.2

For both, or for a day

Wilderness Hotel Saariselkä’s two-hour outing combines feeding with a twenty-minute ride. Its five-hour day reaches the reindeer by snowmobile, with lunch, and seats children in a sleigh behind the guide.3

The rides sold through booking platforms are compared on the reindeer safari in Saariselkä page.

Tours you can book

Priced per person

Price not stated

Questions people ask

Can two of us book, or is there a minimum?

Two can book the hotel's outings, which need at least two people. The safari house's farm visit runs only for four adults or more, so a couple should ask the safari house whether a date already has enough people. The resort sells its ride per person, and one adult can even book a sleigh for themselves.

How do we get there?

The hotel includes transport. The safari house collects guests around Saariselkä who are more than a kilometre's walk away, but not in the Kakslauttanen and Kiilopää area. The resort's transfer runs from and to the resort, so guests from the village must first reach its reception, south of the village.

Do we need our own winter clothing?

At the resort, no: thermal overalls and blankets are lent at the farm. The hotel and the safari house do not list clothing among what their reindeer outings include, so ask them. If you need a set, the resort rents thermal clothing with boots for 32 euros a day.

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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