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Family husky safari in Ruka: what works with children

A husky puppy with a blue collar sitting on snowy ground in front of a wooden building

Illustration photo: a husky puppy in snow, not at the Ruka kennels.

Lapland Handbook Staff How we research this

The short answer

With a toddler, book the winter village's short family ride, where the guide can drive and every age pays the same small price. With children of three and over, a 5 km ride from one of the safari companies seats them in your sled and brings a car and an outfit. With a child afraid of speed, the lakeside kennel's farm visit meets the dogs without a sled.

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.

Lammintupa, family 2.5 kmRuka Adventures, 5 kmRuka Safaris, 5 kmRailakka, farm visit
Youngest listed Price band from 1 3 3 Price band from 5
Child fare From €40, as adults €145 (4 to 11) Not stated €25 (5 to 14)
Where children sit In the sled; parent or guide drives In the sled with a parent In the sled with an adult No sled
Getting there Meet at the village café Car from the resort centre Pick-up in the resort Own transport
Clothing Your own Lent Lent Your own

No cell is marked: the right ride depends on the child's age and nerve, not on a figure. Ruka Safaris prints no child fare on the page we read.

Where these figures come from
  • Lammintupa, family 2.5 km: Ten to fifteen minutes on the sled from the winter village, with a parent or the guide driving and one price for every age.
  • Ruka Adventures, 5 km: A car from the resort centre and a safari outfit; children ride in the sled with a parent.
  • Ruka Safaris, 5 km: Pick-up in the resort and the outfit lent; children ride with an adult from their own party, not infants.
  • Railakka, farm visit: An hour and a half with the dogs at a lakeside farm, with a warm drink and a bun, and no sled at all.

With children the first question around Ruka is not the price but who is allowed on, and where they sit.

The youngest

The winter village’s family ride is the one for toddlers: 2.5 km, ten to fifteen minutes on the sled, and the guide will drive if you would rather sit with the child. Its single price band starts at age one, so a small child pays the same as an adult.1 Railakka’s farm visit at Suorajärvi suits a child who wants the dogs but not the speed.

Children who can sit a sled

From age three, the safari companies’ 5 km rides take children in a parent’s sled, and both Ruka Adventures and Ruka Safaris collect you in the resort and lend the outfit.1 Ruka Husky’s 10 km ride takes children from three at a child fare, but lends no clothing.2 Railakka’s private rides start at five.3

Older children

The longest rides have the highest age limits: Ruka Adventures’ 20 km takes children from six, Ruka Safaris’ day tour from eight, and Ruka Husky recommends its 25 km only over twelve.

What each costs a family of four is on husky safari prices in Ruka, and all six sellers are introduced on husky tours in Ruka.

Tours you can book

Questions people ask

Can a baby come on a husky ride?

No seller here says so directly. Lammintupa's price bands start at age one, Ruka Safaris says its taster ride is not suitable for infants, and the other kennels start at three or later. With a baby under one, write to the kennel before booking, and plan on one parent riding while the other stays with the baby rather than booking the whole family.

What if a child falls ill before the ride?

The terms are strict everywhere in the resort's own shop. Lammintupa keeps half the price from a week before and all of it from two days before; Ruka Safaris keeps all of it from two weeks before; Railakka keeps half from 45 days and all from 14. Only Lammintupa's rides sold on GetYourGuide can be cancelled free until the day before.

Is there a husky ride in the evening that children can join?

Railakka Huskies sells a private evening ride of three to four hours for up to six guests, but it prints no child price and no age for it, so ask before booking. With children, a daytime ride and a separate evening outing on a sledge behind a snowmobile, which several companies sell with child fares, is usually easier.

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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