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Family husky safari in Saariselkä: fitting the family onto the sleds

Two huskies and a white dog on leads among visitors standing in the snow

Illustration photo: huskies meeting visitors, not in Saariselkä.

Lapland Handbook Staff How we research this

The short answer

With one small child, choose the kennel that lets a small child ride as a third person on a parent's sled, and book by e-mail. With several young children, the resort's guide-driven sleigh keeps everyone together and nobody has to drive. With older children who can sit alone behind a parent, any of the three works, so choose by how long you want on the 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.

Resort kennelHotel's own kennelBooked by e-mail
Youngest rider 3 3 Not stated
Per sled 2, or 2–4 with the guide driving 2, a child with 1 or 2 adults 2 adults and 1 small child
Child fare Sold, 3–11, price not shown Sold, 3–14, price not shown €69.50, ages 4–11
Time on the sled Not stated About 1 h About 30 min

Nothing is marked: two of the three kennels do not print what a child pays, and a longer ride is not a better one for a small child. The e-mail kennel's adult fare is 139 euros.

Where these figures come from
  • Resort kennel: A fare for one adult and one child on a sled, and a separate ride on which the guide drives.
  • Hotel's own kennel: Children from three share a sled with one or two adults, for about an hour on the sled.
  • Booked by e-mail: Two adults and one small child to a sled, on a five-kilometre ride booked by e-mail or phone.

Three Saariselkä kennels each seat a family in their own way.

A child beside a parent

Kakslauttanen, the resort south of the village, sells a fare for one adult and one child sharing a sled, from the age of three, with further children added on their own fare. Its separate guide-driven sleigh takes two to four people, so a family can ride together without anyone driving.1 Wilderness Hotel Saariselkä pairs its younger children, three to six, and its older ones, seven to fourteen, with one or two adults on a shared sled.2

A small child as a third rider

Lapponia Tours fits two adults and one small child on a sled and asks that a child under six ride with an adult. It is the one kennel of the three that prints a child fare, and its rides are booked by e-mail or phone.3

Which ride takes the youngest children and which can be cancelled free is compared on the best husky tour in Saariselkä.

Tours you can book

Questions people ask

Can a teenager drive the sled?

At the resort kennel what counts is weight: a driver must weigh at least 45 to 50 kilograms, and from twelve a young person pays as an adult on a shared sled. The hotel's kennel lists children up to fourteen as sharing a sled with an adult. If a teenager wants to drive, say so when booking and ask what the kennel allows.

Are winter clothes included for the children?

The resort includes winter equipment and the e-mail kennel includes outdoor clothing. The hotel's husky listing names transport, instruction, the ride and warm drinks but not clothing, so ask before relying on it. A full set of thermal clothing with boots can be rented at the resort for 32 euros a day if you need to fill a gap.

Is there something with the huskies for a child too young to ride?

Yes. The resort runs a farm visit of an hour and a half, open to all ages, in which a guide takes you into the dogs' free-run area and the puppy park before hot drinks in a teepee; its booking calendar lists infants up to two. The hotel also runs a guided kennel tour where you can meet puppies and retired dogs.

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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