Family snowmobile safari in Tornio: sorted by your child's age
Illustration photo: a snowmobile and sledges in winter, not on the tours described here.
The short answer
With children aged four to fourteen, book one of the Tornio company's two rides: children travel in a sledge behind a parent's machine at a printed child fare, and it starts in town. With children under four, ask the snowmobile park on the Kemi side, which seats children in a sled and collects you but prints no age. With a tall child of twelve or more who wants to ride on the snowmobile itself, the Kemi sunrise ride allows it.
On a snowmobile safari the question for a family is where the child sits, and the answer changes with age.
Four to fourteen: the sledge, from Tornio
The Tornio company tows children aged four to fourteen in a sledge behind a parent’s snowmobile, at 75 euros a child against 175 for an adult sharing a machine, on both its bay ride and its wilderness ride.1 It starts in Tornio, so there is no drive to Kemi first. Children under four are not priced, and the safaris need at least two paying people.
Twelve and taller: behind the driver
Out of Kemi, the sunrise ride lets a child over twelve who is at least 140 centimetres tall sit on the snowmobile behind the driver.2 For an older child who would find a sledge babyish, that is the one to book. It meets at the safari house in Kemi, 21 minutes from Tornio.
Under four: ask the snowmobile park
A lodge on the Kemi side runs a snowmobile park where children ride in a sled, with a warm cabin for snacks and drinks, and it collects families from nearby towns.3 Its listing sets no age and no child price, so it is the place to ask about a toddler rather than a confirmed yes.
Not the private tour
The private tour on the frozen sea near Kemi does not take children under twelve, however much a quiet outing appeals.4
What the Tornio rides cost a whole family is worked out on snowmobile safari price in Tornio.
Tours you can book
A family snowmobile park with a warm cabin, pickup included
Run by Lapland Salmon Lodge
From €99per person
Length4 h
Book now on GetYourGuide(opens in a new tab)A sunrise snowmobile ride on the frozen Bothnian Bay
Run by Sea Lapland Safaris
From €130per person
Length1.5 h
Book now on GetYourGuide(opens in a new tab)A snowmobile ride on forest tracks and frozen rivers in two countries
Run by Nordic Safaris
From €175per person
Length2 h
See it on the operator’s site(opens in a new tab)Two hours by snowmobile on the frozen Bothnian Bay from Tornio
Run by Nordic Safaris
From €175per person
Length2 h
See it on the operator’s site(opens in a new tab)
Questions people ask
Do they lend winter clothing for children?
The Tornio company lends snowmobile overalls, boots, a helmet and gloves, and the Kemi sunrise ride includes clothing and a helmet, but neither says whether the sizes go down to small children. The snowmobile park's listing mentions no clothing at all. Give each company your children's ages and heights when you book, and bring your own warm layers for underneath either way.
What happens on a very cold day?
The Tornio company's terms say that if it is minus twenty or colder and there are children on the safari, it reserves the right to shorten the programme. It does not say that it refunds any part of the price when it does. A child in a towed sledge is sitting still in the wind, so on a hard-frost day a shorter ride may be the kinder one anyway.
Can a sixteen-year-old drive the snowmobile?
No, on none of these tours. The Tornio company and the Kemi rides require the driver to be eighteen and to hold a valid driving licence, and the private tour on the frozen sea sets the same rule. A sixteen-year-old rides as a passenger: behind a parent on the Kemi sunrise ride if tall enough, or in the sledge on the Tornio rides up to fourteen.