Family reindeer in Enontekiö: which visit suits which children
Illustration photo: reindeer in Tromsø, Norway, not at the farms described here.
The short answer
With a baby or toddler, book the farm visit sold by the Hetta husky farm: under-twos go free and children under twelve pay a reduced fare. With children of twelve or older, look at the visit with a transfer, whose child fare is labelled with the age fourteen. For a family without a car, the transfer is the deciding point. For a ride in a sleigh, phone the local herder, whose half-day includes winter clothing.
Both reindeer farm visits in Hetta charge children less, but the age at which a child becomes an adult differs.
Who pays what
The visit sold by the husky farm lets children under two in free and charges a reduced fare below twelve.1 The visit with the transfer labels its child fare “Child (14)” without saying whether that means up to or under fourteen, and names no free age for babies.2
Getting there
Only the second visit includes a transfer from your hotel or cabin. The husky farm’s area page says the village’s reindeer farms are within walking distance of the downtown hotels, which for a family with a sledge may be enough.3
A sleigh ride
For a ride behind reindeer rather than a farm visit, a local herder runs short rides of one to two kilometres and a half-day with winter clothing included, booked by phone.
The prices for a whole family are worked out on reindeer safari price in Enontekiö, and the lunch visit is described on reindeer farm in Hetta.
Questions people ask
Can children touch the reindeer?
On the visit with the transfer, the company says the reindeer are used to people, come close because they know you are bringing treats, and let you touch them, and that they are free in the enclosure rather than tied. On the lunch visit, children feed the reindeer in the corral and see the young ones before the lasso demonstration.
Is the lunch suitable for children?
The lunch is reindeer sausage, Lappish bread and salad in a kota, with dried reindeer meat to taste, and a vegetarian option on request. For a fussy eater, the other visit serves a hot drink and donuts instead, which is the easier menu for small children and shorter, at two hours.
How cold does it have to be before the visit is called off?
Only the company that runs the visit with the transfer publishes a rule: its terms let you cancel free of charge if it is below minus thirty-two degrees at the activity site. The husky farm's reindeer page gives no temperature limit, so on a very cold day ask it directly whether the visit goes ahead.