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Ice fishing in Ruka: which of the three trips to book

Two anglers on a frozen lake beside a yellow tent, one drilling a hole with an auger while the other sits fishing

Illustration photo: ice fishing beside a tent on a lake, not on the Ruka trips.

Lapland Handbook Staff How we research this

The short answer

Book whichever fits the day: the three trips cost much the same. Ruka Safaris' trip is the one with a printed length and pick-up in the resort; Ruka Adventures' trip lends all the gear and also collects you. The ski resort's snowshoe walk out to the ice is for older children and adults who want a walk as part of it.

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.

Ruka SafarisRuka AdventuresRuka Guides
Price €98 €93 €89
Priced per Person Person Person
Length 3 h Not stated Not stated
Getting there Pick-up, 4 places Pick-up, 3 places Ruka Valley centre
Youngest listed Not stated Not stated From 8
Gear Not stated All provided Not stated

No row is ranked: the prices are close together, and what separates the trips is how you reach the ice and what the listing prints.

Where these figures come from
  • Ruka Safaris: A three-hour trip with pick-up from four places in the resort.
  • Ruka Adventures: A trip with all the gear lent and pick-up from three places in the resort.
  • Ruka Guides: A snowshoe walk out to the ice and fishing there, from the ski resort's centre in Ruka Valley.

Ice fishing at Ruka is sold by three companies as short trips, at prices within ten euros of each other.

With pick-up

Ruka Safaris sells a three-hour trip and collects guests from four places in the resort.1 Ruka Adventures collects from three places and says all the gear is lent, asking only that you dress warmly; its listing prints no length.2

On snowshoes

The ski resort’s activity company, Ruka Guides, combines a snowshoe walk with fishing on the ice, starting from its centre in Ruka Valley. It is sold from age eight.3

Choosing

With the prices this close, choose by the morning you want. Ruka Safaris’ trip is the one to book if you need to know how long it lasts; Ruka Adventures’ is the one that says outright that the gear is included. The snowshoe trip is for older children and adults who want the walk as much as the fishing.

More trips are compared by the kind of day on the best ice fishing trip in Ruka, for children on ice fishing with children in Ruka and by price on ice fishing prices in Ruka.

Tours you can book

Questions people ask

Do we keep the fish we catch?

None of the three listings says what happens to the catch. It is the company's decision on a guided trip, so ask when you book whether you can take the fish home or have them cooked for you, and whether the guide cleans them, because a perch in a hotel room with no kitchen is not much of a prize.

What if we need to cancel?

All three are sold on GetYourGuide with free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start and a full refund inside that window. After that the platform does not refund, so if a child falls ill or the forecast is for a hard frost, decide the day before rather than on the morning.

Is it too cold for children?

It can be, because ice fishing is mostly sitting still. The snowshoe trip is sold from age eight, and the other two print no age. Dress children in more layers than for skiing, with a warm seat pad if you have one, and ask whether the trip uses a tent or a fire, because none of the three listings says.

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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