Book now

Northern lights with children in Ruka: what works for a family

Snow-covered spruces around a trodden path through deep snow under a starry night sky

Illustration photo: a winter night, not on the Ruka outings.

Lapland Handbook Staff How we research this

The short answer

With a toddler, book the heated aurora wagon, which takes all ages, or the Thursday sledge ride from the Ruka hotels, which takes children from three. With children of five and over, the three-hour sledge evening with a campfire lends everyone an outfit. With children of six and over who like to walk, the snowshoe walk under the stars explains the sky as you go.

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.

Northern Lights Expedition: wagonRuka Adventures: sledge rideRuka Safaris: starlight sledgingMyTrail: snowshoe walk
Youngest All ages 3 5 6
Child fare €50 (under 12) €40 (4 to 11) €58 (5 to 11) €40 (6 to 17)
Children travel Heated sleigh Sledge Sledge On foot
Length 2 h 2 h 3 h 2 h
Winter clothing Your own Lent Included Your own

No cell is marked: the right evening depends on the child's age and on whether they would rather sit or walk. The age bands are the ones each seller prints.

Where these figures come from
  • Northern Lights Expedition: wagon: Two hours in a heated sleigh pulled by a snowmobile, for all ages, with photos sent afterwards.
  • Ruka Adventures: sledge ride: Thursday evenings in a sledge behind the guide's snowmobile, with hot juice and pick-up from the Ruka hotels.
  • Ruka Safaris: starlight sledging: Three hours in a sledge behind a snowmobile with a break by an open fire, a winter outfit included.
  • MyTrail: snowshoe walk: Two kilometres on snowshoes with the stars explained, for children who would rather walk than sit.

With children, an aurora evening around Ruka depends less on the sky than on how young the children are and how late they can stay out.

The youngest

Northern Lights Expedition’s aurora wagon takes all ages: the evening is spent in a heated sleigh pulled by a snowmobile, and the guide sends you the photos.1 Ruka Adventures’ sledge ride takes children from three, collects you from the Ruka hotels on Thursday evenings and serves hot juice on the way.2

From five and six

Ruka Safaris’ starlight sledging takes children from five for three hours, with a break by an open fire and a winter outfit for everyone.3 MyTrail’s snowshoe walk takes children from six. It is the one evening here where children walk, two kilometres with the stars and their stories explained.4

Clothing

Two of the four lend clothing and two do not. For the aurora wagon and the snowshoe walk, children need their own snowsuit, boots, hat and mittens.

The outings for adults are compared on the best northern lights tour in Ruka, and the reindeer evenings for children on reindeer with children in Ruka.

Tours you can book

Questions people ask

Is there an outing for a family member in a wheelchair?

Northern Lights Expedition's aurora wagon is the one listing among these that says it is wheelchair accessible: the whole evening is spent in a heated sleigh pulled by a snowmobile. The sledge rides and the snowshoe walk involve climbing in and out of a sled or walking in snow, so ask the seller before booking if anyone in the family has limited mobility.

Do children pay the adult price anywhere?

On Ruka Safaris' minivan hunt they do: children from three to eleven pay the same €79 as adults. On the other outings here the child fare is between about half and three-fifths of the adult price. Teenagers are another matter, because Ruka Safaris and Northern Lights Expedition count everyone from twelve as an adult, while MyTrail charges the child fare up to seventeen.

What if a child falls ill and we have to cancel?

The terms differ a lot. Northern Lights Expedition keeps the whole price inside two days and half inside five. Ruka Adventures keeps all of it inside a week, half inside two weeks and a quarter inside a month. Ruka Safaris keeps all of it inside fourteen days and a tenth up to a hundred days before, so check your travel insurance for a family trip.

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.

More about Lapland Handbook →