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Family husky safari in Ivalo: age limits and how children ride

A black and white husky puppy with blue eyes and a red collar walking towards the camera across a sunlit snowfield

Illustration photo: a husky puppy in the snow, not at either farm on this page.

Lapland Handbook Staff How we research this

The short answer

With children under ten, book the family company's two-hour safari, which has a child fare and collects you in Ivalo, or the farm's track, where children drive a small sled themselves. Once everyone is over ten, the four-hour safari with lunch is open to you. Leave the private wilderness tours to adults: the farm takes no children on 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.

Ilonka farm trackIlonka private visitIvalo Safaris, 2 hIvalo Safaris, 4 h
Youngest About 4; 3 with help About 4; younger sit in the sled Not stated Over 10
How children ride Drive a small sled Drive or sit in the sled Two per sled, one sitting Two per sled, swapping
Child fare Yes, 4–17 Not stated Yes, under 10 No
Winter clothing Bring your own Bring your own Lent, children's sizes Lent, children's sizes

Nothing is ranked: which outing is right depends on the youngest child, not on the outing. Ages are as each farm prints them.

Where these figures come from
  • Ilonka farm track: Children drive a small sled with one or two dogs on a short track sized to them, with a parent helping the youngest.
  • Ilonka private visit: The same kind of sledding with a host for your family alone, and the youngest can sit in the sled while older children drive.
  • Ivalo Safaris, 2 h: A shared safari of about 12 km with a child fare, pickup in Ivalo and thermal clothing in children's sizes.
  • Ivalo Safaris, 4 h: The long safari with lunch in a hilltop hut, for families whose children are all over ten.

Most families at Ivalo will find the choice made by the youngest child’s age.

From about four

The farm’s children’s session has children drive a small sled pulled by one or two dogs along a short, safe track, with sleds and routes adjusted to their size and parents helping the smallest.1 It is booked on top of a farm entry, so the rest of the family walks the farm’s trail meanwhile.

Under ten, on a real safari

The family company’s two-hour safari takes children and prints a fare for those under ten. Two people share each sled, one sitting and one driving, on a run of about twelve kilometres, and the pickup and warm clothing are included.2

Over ten

Only then does the four-hour safari with lunch open up, and the company points younger children to the two-hour one instead.3 The farm’s private wilderness tours stay closed to anyone under eighteen, and no child may be left at the farm without a guardian.4

Tours you can book

Questions people ask

Does warm clothing come in children's sizes?

At the family company, yes. It lends thermal clothing on its safaris, and its rental page lists children's overalls from 80 to 164 centimetres and boots from size 26 to 35. The other farm lends overalls on its sled tours only if needed and asks visitors to its farm to come in weather-appropriate outdoor clothing, so bring the children's own winter gear there.

What happens to the children's sledding if there is no snow?

At the farm, the session turns into a husky walk in the forest, with the same dogs and cuddles, so the booking is not lost. Early in the season, when the snow is thin, that is the likelier outcome. The family company's safaris do not say what happens in thin snow; they give the distance as depending on the weather.

Can children join the husky walks?

The booking platform's walk from the farm is not for children under eight, and each walker is attached to a dog by a belt, which a small child cannot hold. The farm's own walks give no age. With younger children, the private farm visit lets you choose a walk as the activity, with a host who can keep the pace to theirs.

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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