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Private reindeer tour in Ranua: what can be had

A dark reindeer in profile with large velvet-covered antlers, a stony track and green hillside behind it

Illustration photo: a reindeer in summer coat in northern Norway, not in Ranua.

Lapland Handbook Staff How we research this

The short answer

For up to three people who want to be close to reindeer with nobody else around, book the wildlife park's keeper hour, and ask first whether its price is per person or per party. For a party of six to eight who want a sleigh ride to themselves, book every place on the farm's forest safari or its dusk ride with dinner, since both take eight at most. A couple wanting a sleigh to themselves should ask the farm directly.

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.

Wildlife park: keeper's hourVaara: forest safari, all seatsVaara: dusk ride and dinner, all seats
Price as listed €490, basis not stated €75 per person €160 per adult
Largest party 3 8 8
Eight adults pay Not possible €600 €1,280
Youngest 8 years All ages All ages
With the reindeer Inside the enclosure with a keeper 30–35 min in the sleigh About 30 min in the sleigh, then dinner

Nothing is marked: an hour inside an enclosure and a sleigh ride for eight are not the same purchase, whatever each costs.

Where these figures come from
  • Wildlife park: keeper's hour: An hour behind the scenes with a keeper, preparing a treat and offering it to the park's reindeer inside the enclosure. Park admission included.
  • Vaara: forest safari, all seats: The family farm's half-hour sleigh ride through the forest, sold per person and capped at eight, so a party of eight has it to itself.
  • Vaara: dusk ride and dinner, all seats: A half-hour ride at dusk and a reindeer dinner in the farm's hut, also capped at eight and priced per person, with a child fare.

Nothing in Ranua is sold as a private reindeer tour. What exists is either very small by design or small enough to fill.

An hour with a keeper

The wildlife park sells a behind-the-scenes hour in which at most three guests gear up, help a keeper prepare a treat, and go into the reindeer enclosure to offer it.1 It is the closest anyone gets to the animals in Ranua, and the only outing that is private by its own terms. The listing prints a single price without saying whether it is per person or per party, so ask before you book.

Filling the farm’s sleigh

The family farm sells its forest safari by the head, for two to eight people.2 A party of eight that books every place has the sleigh, the herder and the campfire to itself, and the dusk ride with dinner works the same way. A smaller party shares unless the farm agrees to close the date, which its shop does not offer as a product.

The outings open to everyone are compared on the best reindeer tour in Ranua.

Tours you can book

Priced per person

Price not stated

Questions people ask

Can the keeper's hour be booked for a date we choose?

Only by asking. It is booked by email to the resort reception, the park says the encounters cannot be arranged every day and will suggest another date if needed, and the reindeer session is fitted around the animals' own routine rather than a timetable. Send your dates early and give two or three alternatives, so the reception can match one to the animals' day.

Will a party of four have the farm's sleigh to itself?

Not necessarily. The farm sells its forest safari and its dusk ride by the head, with a minimum of two and a maximum of eight, so another party can book the remaining four places on your date. The farm's shop lists an email address and a phone number; ask whether it will close the date for you, and at what price, before you pay.

Is there a private reindeer visit for a family in the wildlife park itself?

The keeper's hour is the only one, and it takes three people at most, so a family of four cannot all go in. Participants must be eight or older, anyone under eighteen needs a guardian with them, and at least one adult must take part. A larger family can book the park's guided tour instead, which is shared, and watch a keeper feed a chosen animal at the fence.

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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