Private reindeer tour in Ivalo: who to ask, and what to ask for
Illustration photo: a farm in the snow, not a place described here.
The short answer
Ask the herder's family whether a morning or an evening can be kept for your group: its groups are small enough that one family fills much of a departure anyway. For small children, the farm near the village runs visits for very small groups. The one private tour with reindeer on the itinerary is the snowmobile safari company's private version of its Lake Inari trip, which it offers on request.
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.
| Herder's family | Farm near the village | Snowmobile safari company | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sold as private | No | Santa visit only | On request |
| Group size | Up to 8 | From 2 | Up to 8 on the shared trip |
| The reindeer | A free-ranging herd | An enclosure | Two on an island |
| How to ask | Through the booking platform | E-mail or phone |
-
Herder's family
- Sold as private
- No
- Group size
- Up to 8
- The reindeer
- A free-ranging herd
- How to ask
- Through the booking platform
Mornings with a free-ranging herd and evenings by the fire, both capped at eight guests; no private option printed.
-
Farm near the village
- Sold as private
- Santa visit only
- Group size
- From 2
- The reindeer
- An enclosure
- How to ask
- E-mail or phone
Visits to a reindeer enclosure six kilometres from Ivalo that run from two participants; only its Santa visit is sold as private.
-
Snowmobile safari company
- Sold as private
- On request
- Group size
- Up to 8 on the shared trip
- The reindeer
- Two on an island
- How to ask
A family company that builds private versions of its Lake Inari safari on request, with its two reindeer on the island along the way.
Nothing is ranked: none of the three sells a private reindeer outing with a price, so there is nothing to compare but what they already offer a small group.
Where these figures come from
- Herder's family viator.com read Sep 22, 2026
- Farm near the village ivaloreindeerfarm.com read Sep 27, 2026
- Snowmobile safari company ivalosafaris.fi read Sep 27, 2026
- Herder's family: Mornings with a free-ranging herd and evenings by the fire, both capped at eight guests; no private option printed.
- Farm near the village: Visits to a reindeer enclosure six kilometres from Ivalo that run from two participants; only its Santa visit is sold as private.
- Snowmobile safari company: A family company that builds private versions of its Lake Inari safari on request, with its two reindeer on the island along the way.
Nobody at Ivalo sells a private reindeer outing, but nobody sells a big one either, so a small group is closer to private than the word suggests.
The small operators
The herder’s family takes at most eight people on its mornings and evenings, and a family of five or six fills most of a departure.1 The farm near the village runs each visit from two participants and lists an e-mail address and a phone number on the same page for anyone who wants to ask about a visit of their own.2
The private tour that includes reindeer
The family company that runs snowmobile safaris to Lake Inari asks groups of friends or family to e-mail for a private tour, and its route stops on the owners’ island, where two reindeer are fed before lunch.3 It is a snowmobile day first and a reindeer visit second, but it is the one private option at Ivalo with reindeer on it.
The shared reindeer outings are compared on the best reindeer tour in Ivalo.
Tours you can book
Two hours in a reindeer enclosure near Ivalo, with lasso and a fire
Run by Ivalo Reindeer Farm
From €157per person
Length2 h
See it on the operator’s site(opens in a new tab)A 25–30 km snowmobile safari to Lake Inari, with reindeer and lunch
Run by Ivalo Safaris
From €179per person
Length3.3 h
Book now on GetYourGuide(opens in a new tab)A morning with reindeer herders, feeding a free-ranging herd
Run by Ivalo Experiences
From €199per person
Length4 h
Book now on Viator(opens in a new tab)
Questions people ask
Is the Santa visit at the reindeer farm private?
Yes. The farm near the village sells a Santa visit reached by a sleigh pulled by a snowmobile, and marks it as private, priced per group rather than per person. It is the one private outing the farm lists, and it runs only in December and January. The reindeer are not the point of it, but you are at a reindeer farm.
Would a private tour cost more?
Almost certainly, but nobody publishes how much. The herder's family and the farm price per person with minimums of their own, so a private departure means paying for places that would otherwise be sold. Give your group size and dates when you write, and ask for a total rather than a price per person.
We are staying in Saariselkä. Does that change anything?
Only the transport. The herder's family includes pickup from Ivalo in its morning price and charges 45 euros in each direction from Saariselkä or Inari, which adds up for a family and is worth folding into any private quote you ask for. The snowmobile company collects from Saariselkä for an extra charge too.