Reindeer with children from Posio: what each outing says
Illustration photo: reindeer lichen, the animals' winter food, not photographed in Posio.
The short answer
With young children, drive to Kemijärvi for the short sleigh ride: its operator calls it suitable for young children and it lasts about two hours. With children who get bored quickly, the Ranua park is the nearest and mixes reindeer with sledging and a sauna. Ask about ages before booking anything in Salla, where the listings set no limit, and check allergies first, because the Kemijärvi ride warns against them.
A reindeer day from Posio is a drive, an outing and a drive back, and with a small child the first and last parts matter as much as the middle.
Which outing says anything about children
The Kemijärvi operator describes its reindeer outing as peaceful and suitable for young children.1 Its sleigh ride comes with one clear warning: it is not suitable for anyone with an animal allergy.2 The Salla listings in this site’s records set no age limit and describe no seating for children, so a family should ask.
Which one keeps children busy
The Ranua park puts the reindeer beside skating, sledging and a sauna, and needs two people to run, which a parent and child meet.3 For a child who loses interest after ten minutes with any one animal, it is the easier afternoon.
Where to read more
The same Kemijärvi and Salla outings are set out for families staying there on reindeer with children in Kemijärvi, and the choice for every kind of party on the best reindeer tour from Posio.
Questions people ask
Do children pay less?
None of the four outings in this site's records publishes a child price: the Kemijärvi sleigh ride and the Ranua park open at a per-person figure, and the two Salla safaris give adult or per-seat prices only. Ask for a child rate when you book rather than assuming either a discount or the full fare, because the family total depends on an answer the listings do not give.
Is winter clothing lent for children?
The Kemijärvi ride includes thermal gear and the Ranua park includes winter outerwear, but neither says whether it comes in children's sizes. Pack your child's own warm layers, mittens and boots in any case, because the drive there and the time outdoors before and after the activity are just as cold as the ride.
How do we break up the drive with a small child?
Choose by distance first. Ranua is about an hour from Posio, Kemijärvi an hour and twenty-five minutes and Salla an hour and a half, so the Ranua park is the shortest day in the car. For Kemijärvi or Salla, plan the outing as the middle of the day, not the start, so the child is not tired before the reindeer appear.