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Family reindeer visit in Ivalo: what fits which age

A lit snow globe with a smiling toy reindeer inside, on a red base with a green bow and white snowflakes, in a dark room

Illustration photo: a reindeer snow globe, not from a farm described here.

Lapland Handbook Staff How we research this

The short answer

With toddlers or young children, book the farm near the village: its shortest visit is enough for a small child to feed a tame reindeer and go home warm, and the youngest go free. With older children, its longer visit adds a fire and the lasso. The herders' morning suits children who can manage an early start and a long spell outdoors; ask its child fare before booking.

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.

Farm, half an hourFarm, two hoursHerders' morning
Child fare Yes, 4–12 Yes, 4–12 Not stated
Under 4 Free Free Not stated
Length 30 min 2 h 4 h
Starts Daytime Daytime 8 am
Somewhere warm Not stated A hut with a fire Not stated

Nothing is ranked: half an hour is right for a toddler and four hours for a keen ten-year-old. Fares and ages are as each seller prints them.

Where these figures come from
  • Farm, half an hour: A short visit to photograph and feed the farm's reindeer, six kilometres from the village, free for children under four.
  • Farm, two hours: Feeding in the enclosure, then coffee or tea by the fire in a hut among the reindeer, stories of herding and a try at the lasso.
  • Herders' morning: Four hours from eight in the morning helping a herder's family feed a free-ranging herd, with pickup in Ivalo.

Small children and reindeer are a good match as long as the outing is short, close and warm, and at Ivalo one farm has built its visits that way.

For the youngest

The farm six kilometres from the village sells a half-hour visit to photograph and feed its reindeer, and lets children under four in free on this and its longer visits.1 Its two-hour visit adds a hut in the middle of the enclosure, stories of herding and a try at the lasso, with a lower fare for children from four to twelve.

For older children

The herder’s family starts its morning at eight and spends about four hours out with a herd that lives freely in the forest.2 That suits children who are used to long days outdoors in winter. The listing prints no child fare and no age limit, so ask both before booking.

Tours you can book

Questions people ask

Can we bring a baby to the farm?

Yes. Each of the farm's reindeer visits runs from two participants, so a couple with a baby can book one without waiting for others to join. A pushchair is another matter: the visits take place in a snowy enclosure, so a baby carrier or a small sledge works better than wheels.

Do children get to feed the reindeer?

At the farm, yes: its page says some of its reindeer are tame enough to eat from your hand, and feeding is part of its daytime visits, including the half-hour one. The herders' morning is about helping to feed a large herd, which children can join. The safari's two island reindeer are fed too, but that outing is for over-tens.

Can we visit during the Christmas holidays?

The farm's daytime visits ran from the first of December to the middle of April last winter, which covers the holidays, and the page has not yet been updated with this winter's dates. December days are very short this far north, so book a slot around midday if you want to see the reindeer in daylight.

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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