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Ice fishing in Kemi: which trip to book

Gloved hands lifting a small fish out of a hole in the ice beside an orange tip-up flag on a frozen lake at low sun

Illustration photo: a catch lifted from the ice, not from one of the trips compared here.

Lapland Handbook Staff How we research this

The short answer

For the sea, take the snowmobile trip onto the Bothnian Bay: two hours, with a full winter outfit and helmet lent, and the ride is half the point. For a family afternoon, take the pond: five hours, transport included, the catch cooked into a soup in a kota, and room for children to play in the snow. The pond is the cheaper of the two.

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.

Sea Lapland SafarisLapland Salmon Lodge
Price €155 €120 – the lower price per person
Duration 2 h 5 h
Where you fish The frozen sea A private pond
Getting there By snowmobile from the safari house Transport included
Food Hot drinks Fish soup in a kota
Winter clothing Included, with helmet Not stated

Highlighted figures are the best in that row: the lower price per person. Both price per person and can be cancelled free up to 24 hours before. Only the price is marked: a longer trip is not a better one in hard frost.

Where these figures come from
  • Sea Lapland Safaris: Out onto the frozen Bothnian Bay by snowmobile, with the outfit and helmet lent and a hot drink on the ice. Short, and the ride is half the outing.
  • Lapland Salmon Lodge: A private pond, transport included, and the catch cooked into a soup in a kota. Five hours meant for families, with sledging and snowmen between bites.

Around Kemi, the booking platforms sell two guided ice fishing trips, and they are two different afternoons. The safari company behind the sea trip also lists a morning trip onto the bay on its own site, which the best ice fishing in Kemi takes up.

On the frozen sea

Sea Lapland Safaris takes you by snowmobile from its safari house out onto the frozen Bothnian Bay, where the guide sets you up at a fishing spot. It lasts two hours, lends a full outfit and helmet, and serves hot drinks on the ice. Two guests share a machine unless one pays to ride alone.

At a pond, with lunch

Lapland Salmon Lodge drives you to its private pond for five hours. The catch goes into a soup served in its kota, and the listing is written for families, with sledging and snowman-building between bites. It is the cheaper trip at 120 euros, but it does not say whether winter clothing is lent.

How an afternoon on the ice goes, and what the kit lists mean, is in ice fishing in Lapland for the whole region. The rest of the town is on the Kemi destination page.

Tours you can book

Questions people ask

Can we ride alone on the sea trip?

Yes, according to availability, for a solo supplement of 55 euros per driver. Otherwise two guests share a snowmobile and take turns driving, and the driver needs to be 18 with a licence, as on the seller's other snowmobile rides. Ask for the supplement when booking rather than on the day.

Do we need winter clothing for the pond?

Lapland Salmon Lodge's listing does not mention clothing. It includes transport, the fishing and the soup in its kota. Five hours outside, even with a warm kota to go back to, is a long time in the cold, so ask whether overalls are lent and bring wool layers either way.

Why is the Ii trip not included?

Because it starts in Ii, where you drive to a car park by the sea, rather than in Kemi. It is a private family trip by snowmobile and sleigh at 140 euros per person for two hours, with winter clothing extra. If you have a car and a free afternoon, it is worth a look on its own merits.

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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