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Family husky safari in Inari

A grey and white husky standing in a snowy yard with five fluffy puppies walking around its legs

Illustration photo: a husky with puppies, not at a kennel near Inari.

Lapland Handbook Staff How we research this

The short answer

Book Visit Inari's ride for children aged four to eleven: they pay less, and the company collects the family from its hotel in the village. With a child of two or three, drive to Saariselkä, where one kennel's short family ride takes children from two. For children who want to drive a sled themselves, the private farm visit in Ivalo is built for them.

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 rideIlonka, Ivalo
Youngest 4 Not stated; no under-3s Over 2 4 for sledding
Child fare 30% off, 4 to 11 Not stated Not stated Not stated
Child drives Not stated Not stated Not stated Yes, short runs
Getting there Pickup from Inari hotels Transport included Drive about 56 min Drive about 32 min

No row is ranked: the right ride depends on the youngest child's age, and a drive can matter more to a family than a fare.

Where these figures come from
  • Visit Inari: Children from four, 30 per cent off to the age of eleven, two to a sled, collected from hotels in Inari village.
  • Wilderness Hotel Inari: Two guests to a sled, one driving and one seated, with transport included; no child fare or age limit printed on the ride.
  • Saariselkä family ride: A half-hour ride sold as suitable for families, taking children over two, about 56 minutes' drive south of Inari.
  • Ilonka, Ivalo: A private farm visit where children from four drive short runs with one or two dogs, about 32 minutes' drive from Inari.

Children can ride behind huskies from Inari village, from the age of four on one ride and without a printed limit on the other. For a toddler, the nearest ride is further south.

From four to eleven

Visit Inari takes children from four, and until they turn twelve they pay 30 per cent less than an adult.1 It seats two people to a sled, so a family of four fills two, and it collects guests from hotels in the village at an agreed time before departure.2 Tell the office the children’s ages when you book; it asks for them.

The hotel’s ride

Wilderness Hotel Inari puts two guests on each sled, one driving and one seated, and includes transport.3 Its ride page gives no age limit and no child fare. The group’s general terms say only that no child under three can take part in an activity.4

Younger children, and children who want to drive

For a child of two or three, the nearest ride is in Saariselkä, about 56 minutes’ drive south: a half-hour ride sold as suitable for families, taking children over two.5 For children who want the handlebar, Ilonka’s private farm visit in Ivalo, about 32 minutes away, lets them drive short runs with one or two dogs on the farm’s own tracks.6

What a family of four pays on each Inari ride is on husky safari prices in Inari.

Tours you can book

Questions people ask

What should small children wear?

Visit Inari lends every participant winter overalls, boots, driving mittens, a balaclava and a helmet, and asks you to dress underneath in layers: a base layer of merino or synthetic fabric rather than cotton, a woollen or fleece mid-layer, a scarf or neck-warmer, thin gloves under the mittens and a liner sock under a wool sock. Wilderness Hotel Inari's safari page does not list clothing.

Can a baby come along and wait at the farm?

Neither seller says so. Wilderness Hotels' terms say that infants under three cannot take part in activities, and Visit Inari's ride is not suitable for children under four. Whether a parent can stay with a baby at the farm while the others ride is not covered by either page, so ask before booking rather than arriving with the child.

Can a teenager drive a sled alone?

Visit Inari sells a sled of your own on request, and the page gives no minimum age for driving one, so ask whether a teenager may take it. At Wilderness Hotel Inari each sled carries two guests, one driving and one seated, who swap halfway. A teenager aged twelve or over pays the adult fare at Visit Inari, where the child discount stops at eleven.

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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