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Private husky tour in Ruka: what is private and what it costs

A snow-covered frozen lake edged by frosted trees under a pale winter sky

Illustration photo: a frozen lake in winter, not Lake Suorajärvi.

Lapland Handbook Staff How we research this

The short answer

Book Railakka's 5 km lake ride if you want the team to yourselves and do not need a car or an outfit arranged. It costs well above a shared ride for a couple but close to one for a family of four. Choose its evening ride only if the dark is the point, and book once your dates are fixed, because the kennel keeps much of the price if you cancel even weeks ahead.

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.

Frozen lake, 5 kmForest trail, 10 kmEvening, 3 to 4 hHusky walk, 2 h
Two adults €490 €590 €790 €280
Each extra adult €220 €240 €320 €140
Child €120 (5 to 14) €140 (5 to 14) Not stated €95 (5 to 14)
Family of four €730 €870 Not stated €470
Largest party 6 6 6 10

All four are Railakka's and all are private. A family of four is two adults and two children aged five to fourteen. No cell is marked because the four are different outings.

Where these figures come from
  • Frozen lake, 5 km: Two hours in all, driving your own team across the frozen lakes of Suorajärvi, then time with the dogs by the fire.
  • Forest trail, 10 km: Three hours, from the open lake into the forest, for a party that wants a longer and more varied drive.
  • Evening, 3 to 4 h: A self-driven ride in the dark in the hope of northern lights, with no child price printed.
  • Husky walk, 2 h: A forest walk with a harnessed husky for each person or pair, no sled, for up to ten guests.

Around Ruka there is one answer to a private husky ride: Railakka Huskies, a kennel on Lake Suorajärvi in Kuusamo that arranges every ride for a single party of up to six.1

What private costs

Railakka prices a ride for one or two people, then adds a charge for each extra guest. For a couple that is expensive: the 5 km lake ride costs €490, against €240 for two on Lammintupa’s shared 5 km ride and €388 on Ruka Adventures’. For two adults and two children the gap narrows, to €730 private against €678 on Ruka Adventures’ shared ride, though the winter village’s ride stays well below both at €430.14

Longer, or after dark

The 10 km forest trail adds an hour and runs from the lake into the trees.2 The evening ride takes three to four hours in the dark, for the chance of northern lights, and is the only husky ride on the resort shop’s northern lights list.3

What to plan for

Book only once your dates are fixed: the kennel’s terms keep half the price if you cancel within 45 days and all of it within 14.4

The shared rides are compared on husky tours in Ruka, and what each costs a family on husky safari prices in Ruka.

Tours you can book

Questions people ask

Is there a weight limit on the sled?

Railakka recommends a maximum of 110 kg for one guest on the sled and asks to be told before booking if that applies, so that it can prepare the ride for the guest and the dogs. It is a recommendation rather than a rule, which is a reason to write to the kennel first rather than to stay away.

Can we arrange transport and clothing?

Both, for a fee. Railakka says winter clothing can be arranged in advance for an additional charge and transport to the farm on request, but it prints neither price, so ask for both when you enquire. The shared rides from the safari companies in Ruka include the car and the outfit in the ticket, which is worth weighing against the private price.

Is the husky walk worth it without a sled?

For some families it is the better choice. The walk is two hours in the forest with a husky on a harness for each person or pair, also private, for up to ten guests, and it runs outside the sled season. It suits children who love dogs but not speed, and anyone who wants to take photographs without holding a sled.

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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