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Ice fishing in Pyhä: which guided trip to book

An ice auger drilled into a frozen lake next to a green cool box and a person's boots, with a yellow shelter behind

Illustration photo: ice fishing gear on a frozen lake, not from one of the trips compared here.

Lapland Handbook Staff How we research this

The short answer

If you want to fish, take the trip by car: it is the cheapest, the shortest and picks you up in the Pyhä-Luosto area on request. If you also want to drive a snowmobile, book the snowmobile trip from Luosto, and choose the electric version only if a quieter machine is worth the extra to you. On the snowmobile trips children over two ride in a sled behind the guide; the trip by car gives no age rule, so ask before booking with small children.

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.

Kairankutsu: by carLapland Safaris: by snowmobileLapland Safaris: electric
Price €99 – the lowest price per person €171 €206
Length 2 h 3 h 3 h
To the lake By car, pick-up on request Snowmobile from Luosto Electric snowmobile from Luosto
On the ice Hot drinks Coffee and a bun by a fire Coffee and a bun by a fire
Children Not stated Over 2, in the guide's sled Over 2, in the guide's sled
Cancelling Free up to 24 h before €25 from 8 days, full price within 7 €25 from 8 days, full price within 7

Highlighted figures are the best in that row: the lowest price per person. All three price per person and include the fishing gear and a guide. Only price is marked: a longer trip is not better in hard frost.

Where these figures come from
  • Kairankutsu: by car: The fishing on its own: collected on request in the Pyhä-Luosto area, driven to an easy lake, taught to drill and jig, and given a hot drink. The cheapest and shortest, with free cancellation until the day before.
  • Lapland Safaris: by snowmobile: Fishing plus a snowmobile ride: two adults share a machine to the fishing spot, with coffee and a bun by a fire. Children over two ride in the guide's sled.
  • Lapland Safaris: electric: The same trip on a quieter electric machine, for about 35 euros more. The group is mixed, and the guide's machine is still a four-stroke one.

Two kinds of ice fishing are sold in Pyhä-Luosto. Kairankutsu, the company behind the Pyhä husky farm, drives guests to an easy lake from the Pyhä area. Lapland Safaris takes them from Luosto by snowmobile, on a petrol machine or, for more money, an electric one.

If the fishing is the point

The trip by car is the cheapest and the shortest: two hours, collected on request from your accommodation in the Pyhä-Luosto area, driven to a lake that is easy to reach, taught to drill a hole and jig, and given a hot drink. The operator lends cold-weather gear if you ask. It can be cancelled free until the day before.

If you want the snowmobile too

Lapland Safaris’ three-hour trip adds a snowmobile ride through the forest to the fishing spot, with coffee and a bun by a campfire. Two adults share a machine, the driver needs a licence valid in Finland, and children over two ride in a sled behind the guide. It runs three afternoons a week.

The electric version costs about 35 euros more for a quieter machine. The group still travels together with a mix of machines, and the guide rides a four-stroke one to pull the children’s sled.

What an afternoon on the ice is like, and what the gear lists mean, is covered for the whole region in ice fishing in Lapland. The rest of the area is on the Pyhä-Luosto destination page.

Which trips take a child from two, what the child’s seat costs and why the electric trip charges a child no more is worked out in family snowmobile safari in Luosto.

Tours you can book

Questions people ask

Does the electric trip mean everyone rides electric?

No. Lapland Safaris runs the fishing trip as one group with a mix of machines, according to what each guest booked, and the guide always drives a four-stroke snowmobile because only that can pull the children's sled. If you want a trip on electric machines only, the company points to its separate electric safaris instead.

Do we need our own winter clothing?

Not on the snowmobile trips, which include a thermal outfit. On the trip by car the operator says you can borrow cold-weather gear if you need it, so ask when booking. Sitting still on the ice is colder than walking, so wear wool underneath whatever you are lent.

What if we cancel?

The trip by car, booked through Viator, can be cancelled free until 24 hours before. The two snowmobile trips from Luosto carry a 25-euro fee from eight days out and the full price from seven days before the start. If the weather or your plans might move your dates, that difference is worth more than the price gap.

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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