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Husky safari in Ylitornio: which of the three to book

A musher in a helmet driving a team of dogs along a snowy trail through a sunlit forest

Illustration photo: a husky team on a forest trail, not in Ylitornio.

Lapland Handbook Staff How we research this

The short answer

If you mainly want to meet the dogs, or are travelling with someone who would not enjoy a ride, book the one-hour visit: it is by far the cheapest and there is no sled. For a first ride, the lake trail gives about half an hour on the sled. Book the logging camp trail only if you want the longer ride, which costs 60 euros more for roughly another quarter of an hour on the runners.

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.

Matara Creek: visitMatara Creek: lake trailMatara Creek: logging camp trail
Price €40 – the lowest price per person €179 €239
Length 1 h 1.5 h 3 h
Time on the sled No ride 30 min 45–50 min
Overalls and footwear Not in the listing Included Included

Highlighted figures are the best in that row: the lowest price per person. All three price per person. Only price is marked: the visit is cheapest because it has no ride, not because it is the same thing for less.

Where these figures come from
  • Matara Creek: visit: An hour at the kennel with the owners, hearing how it grew from an old dairy farm and meeting the dogs, including the rehomed ones they call Second Chance Dogs. No ride.
  • Matara Creek: lake trail: About half an hour on the sled along the lakeside trails, then a hot drink and a snack at the musher's camp and a guided kennel visit.
  • Matara Creek: logging camp trail: The same outing with a longer ride of 45 to 50 minutes, then the camp and the kennel.

Husky outings in Ylitornio come from Matara Creek, a family kennel in the village of Meltosjärvi that grew out of an old dairy farm and takes in rehomed working dogs alongside its own. It sells three outings, and the difference between them is how long you spend on the sled.

Without a ride

The one-hour visit is a talk and a walk round the kennel with the owners: how they came to keep dogs, how the kennel grew and where individual dogs came from. It suits children who would rather meet dogs than ride behind them, and anyone who wants to see a working kennel for 40 euros.

With a ride

Both rides start with the dogs, give you the choice of driving or being driven, and end with a hot drink at the musher’s camp and a guided kennel visit. The lake trail spends about half an hour on the sled for 179 euros. The logging camp trail spends 45 to 50 minutes for 239, so the extra 60 euros buys roughly another quarter of an hour on the runners and a longer day at the kennel.

The kennel also sells on its own site, where the two trails cost less and have child fares but the overalls and boots are yours to bring; husky safari price in Ylitornio sets the two price lists side by side.

The Santa station and the rest of what is sold around Ylitornio are on the Ylitornio destination page, and husky rides with more kennels and longer trails are compared in the best husky tours in Rovaniemi.

The Christmas attraction in the same municipality, a converted railway station with Santa and reindeer, is described in Santa Station in Ylitornio.

Tours you can book

Questions people ask

Do we have to drive the sled?

No. On both rides you can either drive the team yourself or sit in the sled while one of the kennel's mushers drives, so a group can mix the two. The listings show one price whichever you choose, so say which you want when you book, to be sure a musher is free for your sled.

What should we wear?

The rides include overalls and warm footwear, so you need your own hat, gloves and outdoor clothing underneath. The kennel does not allow long scarves or loose, dangling bags on the sled for safety, so leave those in the car. The visit without a ride lists warm clothing as the thing to bring, since you are outdoors with the dogs.

What if we have to cancel?

All three listings allow free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start, with a full refund. After that the price is not refunded, so if a very cold spell is forecast or someone falls ill, decide the day before. The listings open only once you choose a date, so check the start time shown when you book.

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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