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Family husky safari in Sodankylä: which ride takes which child

A grey and white Alaskan Malamute on a lead gently taking a treat from a child's hand among autumn leaves

Illustration photo: a sled dog breed meeting a child, not at a Sodankylä kennel.

Lapland Handbook Staff How we research this

The short answer

With a child of four or more, the gentlest choice is a run where the musher or a parent does the driving: Arctic SISU seats small children on an adult's lap, and the family kennel's short safari is driven by the musher. Only the kennel charges children less. Book Arctic Wonders' ride, where everyone drives their own sled, only after asking whether it takes children at all.

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.

Arctic SISU: 5 kmHuskygorod: short safariHuskygorod: safari
Child fare No 30% off, 4–11 Yes, 4–11
Who drives An adult; child on a lap The musher You, or shared
Time on the sled 4–5 km About 15 min About 1 h
Winter clothing Not included Not stated Not stated

Nothing is ranked: the right ride depends on the youngest child. Ages and fares are as each seller prints them.

Where these figures come from
  • Arctic SISU: 5 km: Four to five kilometres with one adult driving and a small child on the adult's lap, with pickup from your address.
  • Huskygorod: short safari: Three kilometres, about a quarter of an hour, with the musher driving, then the farm, and a minivan from a meeting point.
  • Huskygorod: safari: About an hour on the sled, shared or on your own, then the farm, from the kennel's first winter of rides.

A husky ride with children turns on who drives the sled, and in Sodankylä there are two ways to leave the driving to a grown-up.

A parent drives

Arctic SISU Experience collects you from your address and puts one adult on the runners of each sled, with a small child riding on that adult’s lap, on a run of four to five kilometres. It takes children from four and charges them the full price.1

The musher drives

The family kennel’s short safari is three kilometres with the musher at the back of the sled, then time on the farm, and children from four to eleven pay thirty per cent less. Its longer safari gives an hour on the sled, also with a child fare. Both come with a minivan from a meeting point and start in the kennel’s first winter of rides.2

Tours you can book

Questions people ask

What should a child wear when clothing is not lent?

Arctic SISU marks thermal layers as not included, and the family kennel does not say whether it lends any. A child sitting still on a sled cools faster than a walking adult, so dress them in a snowsuit over wool layers, winter boots, a hat under the hood and mittens rather than gloves, with a spare pair in your pocket.

Can our child drive a sled?

None of the listings says a child may drive. Arctic SISU lets one adult per sled drive while small children ride on a lap, and the kennel's short run is driven by the musher. Its longer safari offers a sled of your own, but it does not say at what age a child can take the handlebar, so ask.

Is there a husky outing for a child under four?

Not a sled ride. Arctic SISU's short farm visit with a ten-minute ride starts at five, and every longer ride at four. The family kennel's farm visit lets children under seven in free, with hot drinks and cookies, but no sled, and its page marked it as temporarily unavailable in September.

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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