Best snowmobile tour in Utsjoki: picked by who is going
Illustration photo: a snowmobile in a remote landscape, not in Utsjoki.
The short answer
Licensed drivers who want the wilderness should take the village company's Paistunturi drive. Beginners who want to learn with the price settled should take the holiday village's safari. Families with young children should book the two-hour sled safari, which the village company describes as suitable for them. For a slow day in the wild without driving, the half-day sled safari with lunch at a hut is the one to choose.
Four kinds of visitor come to Utsjoki wanting a snowmobile, and each has a trip that suits them better than the rest.
For a licensed driver who wants the wild
The village company’s two hours in the Paistunturi wilderness. Its groups are always small or private, and it will quote for a longer trip on request.1 This is the trip to book if the landscape matters more than the machine.
For a beginner
The holiday village’s safari, sold as a lesson in the basics over fells and frozen lakes, at 225 euros each when two people share a machine.2 The price is per person and written down, which makes it easy to plan around.
For a family with young children
The village company’s two-hour sled safari, with everyone sitting in the sled behind the guide and a pick-up from near the village.
For a slow day without driving
The half-day sled safari, four hours deeper into the wilderness with lunch at a hut, for 250 euros.3 It is rated very easy, and it is the one long trip here that asks nothing of you.
Every trip’s price, length and inclusions are set out on snowmobile safari in Utsjoki.
Questions people ask
Which trip suits someone who uses a wheelchair or walks with difficulty?
The village company's two-hour sled safari. Its page says it can take people with mobility impairments if you tell it in advance by email, and the guest sits in the sled the whole time. Mention the details when you book so the guide can plan the pick-up, which is included within eight kilometres of the village.
Is there a trip longer than two hours for drivers?
Not as a fixed product. The village company's self-drive trip is two hours, but it takes requests for longer, tailored snowmobiling tours, so ask it for a price. The holiday village's driving safari is also two hours; its longer trip, three hours up to the fell views, is a sled trip behind the guide rather than a drive.
What do we see in the Paistunturi wilderness?
The village company describes it as one of the world's oldest mountain regions, covering about 1,500 square kilometres, with views across to the fells in Norway and a chance of birds, wildlife and snow formations along the way. Its guides also talk about Sámi land use and reindeer herding in the area, which is the reason to choose Paistunturi over a lap of a frozen lake.