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Reindeer with children in Saariselkä: what the children get to do

A small child in a fur hood and a green coat standing beside a harnessed reindeer

Illustration photo: a child with a reindeer, not in Saariselkä.

Lapland Handbook Staff How we research this

The short answer

For a toddler who will not sit still for long, the safari house's farm visit is the best fit: it is built around feeding the reindeer and takes children from two. For a child who will enjoy being carried through the forest, the morning sleigh rides that take all ages suit. For a child of four or more who wants both, the hotel's outing adds a short ride to the feeding.

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 visitResort sleigh rideMorning sleigh rideRide and feed
The child Feeds the reindeer Rides beside an adult Rides Feeds and rides
Youngest 2 All ages All ages 4
Clothing lent Not listed Yes – winter clothing is lent Yes – winter clothing is lent Not listed
Length 1.5 h 2 h 2 h 2 h

Highlighted figures are the best in that row: winter clothing is lent. Where clothing is not listed, ask before relying on it; the resort rents a thermal set with boots for 32 euros a day. What each outing costs a family is on the reindeer safari price page.

Where these figures come from
  • Farm visit: An hour and a half feeding and greeting the reindeer with a guide, from the age of two.
  • Resort sleigh ride: A sleigh ride under blankets for all ages, with a child seated beside one adult, then a kota.
  • Morning sleigh ride: About 45 minutes in a sleigh, every morning, for all ages, with thermal outfits lent.
  • Ride and feed: Feeding the reindeer by hand and a twenty-minute sleigh ride, from the age of four.

What a child does with the reindeer differs more between these outings than the price does.

Feeding them

Lapponia Tours’ farm visit is spent among the animals, feeding and greeting them while a guide explains herding life, and takes children from two.1

Riding behind them

Kakslauttanen, the resort south of the village, seats a child beside a parent under blankets and ends in a herder’s kota; it takes all ages.2 Lapland Safaris’ morning ride, also open to all ages, gives about three quarters of an hour in the sleigh.3

Both

Wilderness Hotel Saariselkä lets children from four feed the reindeer and ride for twenty minutes.4

What each ride costs, including the places free for small children, is worked out on reindeer safari prices in Saariselkä.

Tours you can book

Priced per person

Price not stated

Questions people ask

Will the reindeer eat from a child's hand?

On the feeding outings, that is the point. The hotel says the reindeer may come right up and eat out of your hand, and the safari house's visit is built around greeting and feeding them with a guide. The sleigh rides are about the ride, so a child who wants to touch the animals should do one of the other two.

Which run in the morning, before a nap?

The Lapland Safaris ride leaves at ten every day, and the resort's booking calendar lists rides at half past ten and half past one. The hotel's outing starts at one in the afternoon. The safari house did not show dates in its calendar at the time of reading, so ask it for the time when you book.

Will the children hear anything about reindeer herding?

Yes, on each of them in some form. The safari house's guide explains the herding way of life and answers questions, the hotel's guide tells stories about the Sámi and the reindeer's role in the North, and the resort's ride ends in a herder's kota with talk of the region's nature and culture.

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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