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Best snowmobile tour in Sodankylä: one trip for each kind of rider

Four people in black snowmobile suits, helmets and goggles cheering with raised arms on a white snowfield

Illustration photo: a group in snowmobile gear, not on a Sodankylä trip.

Lapland Handbook Staff How we research this

The short answer

A first-timer riding with family or friends should book the private safari, where nobody else sets the pace. Someone who wants the ride to lead somewhere, rather than to be the point, should book the trip out to fish through the ice. An experienced rider who wants to cover ground alone on a machine should book the long day, which puts one person on each snowmobile.

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.

Private safariRide and ice fishLong day, one each
Suits First-timers in their own group Riders who want a destination Experienced riders
Who sets the pace Your group Group size not stated A group of up to six
At the end Back to the office Fishing and a warm drink A snack on the trail

Nothing is ranked: the long day is not better than the short one for someone who has never ridden. Prices are on the price page for Sodankylä.

Where these figures come from
  • Private safari: Your own group with a guide, two people to a machine, for anyone riding for the first time with family or friends.
  • Ride and ice fish: A ride out onto the ice, two to a machine, with fishing gear and a warm drink when you arrive.
  • Long day, one each: A machine for every guest on long forest trails, in a group of at most six, for riders who want distance.

All three snowmobile trips in Sodankylä leave from the same office with the same kit, so choose by the kind of rider you are.

Riding for the first time

The private safari is for your group alone, with a guide and two people sharing each machine, so the pace is set by the slowest rider you brought.1 That makes it the gentlest start for a family or a group of friends.

Riding to get somewhere

The ice fishing trip rides out onto a lake, two to a machine, and hands you fishing gear and a warm drink when you get there.2 It suits anyone who wants a reason for the ride.

Riding for the distance

The long day puts every guest on a machine of their own on what the listing calls progressive wilderness trails, in a group of at most six.3 It is for riders who have done this before and want to cover ground.

Tours you can book

Questions people ask

Which trip suits a group where only one of us has a licence?

Probably one of the two where people share a machine, but ask first. The private safari's listing says it is not suitable for people without a driving licence without saying whether that applies to passengers, and the ice fishing trip says nothing either way. Write down who holds a licence when you book and have the company confirm the seating.

Can we add huskies or reindeer the same day?

The same company runs husky rides, reindeer visits and aurora hunts from the same office, and its own site offers tailor-made days on request. Ask for a combined day by e-mail rather than booking separate listings, so the timings fit and the company can tell you whether a morning ride and an afternoon visit are realistic.

Is riding pillion on the shared trips comfortable?

It is colder than driving, since the passenger sits still behind the driver with nothing to do with their hands. Everyone gets an overall, boots, gloves and a helmet, but add your own wool layers and a neck warmer, and swap places at the stops if both of you are allowed to drive.

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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