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Family husky safari in Salla: which ride suits which child

Close-up of a red and white husky with amber eyes looking at the camera against a snowy background

Illustration photo: a husky in the snow, not at a Salla kennel.

Lapland Handbook Staff How we research this

The short answer

With children aged three or four, the wilderness park is the only choice, and its lent overalls and boots save packing a snowsuit. With children of five or more, the family kennel's private ride keeps the dogs and the guide to your own family, if you can dress everyone warmly yourselves. In both, a child rides in the sled while an adult drives.

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.

Wilderness parkFamily kennel
Youngest 3 5
Child fare ages 3 to 12, half price 5 to 12
Winter clothing Lent Your own
Other guests Up to 20 None

Nothing is ranked: the youngest child and what the family has packed decide. What each ride costs a family is on the husky price page for Salla.

Where these figures come from
  • Wilderness park: Takes children from three with a half fare and lends overalls, boots and mittens to the whole family.
  • Family kennel: Takes children from five on a private ride for one family, who come dressed in their own winter clothing.

For a family, Salla’s two husky rides differ most in how young a child can be and whether anyone lends the winter clothing.

With the youngest

Salla Wilderness Park takes children from three at half the adult fare, always with an adult, and lends overalls, safari boots and mittens to everyone on the ride. Adults drive; children ride in the sled.1

With children of five and over

Sallan Huskyt takes children from five and gives them their own fare. The ride is private to your family, which suits children who are shy of a crowd, but the kennel asks you to come in warm clothes of your own.2

Tours you can book

Questions people ask

Can a teenager drive?

Not at the wilderness park, which says drivers must be over 18. The family kennel's page gives a minimum age for the ride but no separate age for driving, so if an older child is keen to take the sled, ask before booking whether they may drive part of the way under the guide's eye.

Are there children's sizes in the lent clothing?

The park lends overalls, boots and mittens to everyone on the safari and takes children from three, but its page does not list sizes. Give your children's heights and shoe sizes when you book, and bring their own hats, mittens and a spare pair of socks in case the smallest sizes are taken.

What if a child gets cold halfway?

Both rides stop halfway, at a fire with hot drinks at the park and at a hut with a fire at the family kennel, which is the moment to warm hands and swap layers. On the park's ride the adults change places at the stop; a cold child can stay in the sled with a blanket if you bring one.

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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