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Reindeer farm in Sodankylä: which visit to book

Two reindeer with large antlers and harness collars standing close to the camera in a snowy forest

Illustration photo: reindeer in a snowy forest, not from one of the visits compared here.

Lapland Handbook Staff How we research this

The short answer

Decide first whether you want to ride behind a reindeer. If not, the basic Arctic Wonders farm visit gives you the feeding, the stories and coffee in a kota, with winter clothing lent. If you do, 1 km is a taste and 3 km a proper ride, with coffee or a soup lunch. For more time among a large herd, with a lasso to try and a forest walk, book Arctic SISU's half day, and bring your own warm layers.

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.

Arctic Wonders: farm visitArctic Wonders: 1 km rideArctic Wonders: 3 km and lunchArctic SISU: herding half day
Price €113 – the lowest price per person €143 €214 €240
Ride None 1 km behind a reindeer 3 km behind a reindeer Snowmobile sleigh
Food Coffee and pastries Not stated Soup lunch Finnish snacks
Duration 2 h 2 h 3 h 4 h
Winter clothing Included Included Included Not included

Highlighted figures are the best in that row: the lowest price per person. All four price per person, include transport from the village and can be cancelled free up to 24 hours before. Only the price is marked: each step adds something different.

Where these figures come from
  • Arctic Wonders: farm visit: Feeding, the farm's stories and coffee with pastries in a kota, with winter clothing and the transfer from the village included. No ride.
  • Arctic Wonders: 1 km ride: The same visit with a one-kilometre ride behind a reindeer. The listing does not mention coffee, so ask if it matters.
  • Arctic Wonders: 3 km and lunch: A three-kilometre reindeer sleigh ride followed by soup, home-made bread, hot berry juice and sweet buns. The fullest version of the farm.
  • Arctic SISU: herding half day: A snowmobile sleigh out to a herd of hundreds, feeding, a lasso to try and a forest walk with the reindeer. No clothing lent.

Reindeer in Sodankylä are sold by two companies. One offers the same farm in several sizes; the other takes you to a large herd for half a day.

One farm, four sizes

Arctic Wonders drives you from its village office to a reindeer farm, lends overalls, boots and gloves, and has you help with the feeding while the hosts tell the farm’s story. The basic visit ends with coffee and pastries in a kota. From there each step adds a ride behind a reindeer: one kilometre, or three with either coffee for 176 euros or a soup lunch for 214.

A herd of hundreds

Arctic SISU Experience collects you, takes you by snowmobile sleigh to a herd of several hundred reindeer, and spends four hours on feeding, the herders’ work, a lasso to try and a walk through the forest with the animals. Thermal clothing is not lent.

What a reindeer farm visit usually includes elsewhere is in the Rovaniemi reindeer farm guide. The rest of the village is on the Sodankylä destination page.

What each step from a feeding visit to a three-kilometre ride with lunch costs, and what a family pays, is worked out in reindeer safari prices in Sodankylä.

Tours you can book

Questions people ask

Is the 3 km ride with coffee the same as the one with lunch?

The ride is: both listings give a three-kilometre reindeer sleigh ride, feeding and the same winter clothing. The 176-euro one ends with coffee or tea and pastries in a kota; the 214-euro one adds a soup lunch with home-made bread, hot berry juice and sweet buns, and lasts half an hour longer.

Who pulls the sleigh on the half-day herding visit?

A snowmobile. Arctic SISU's listing opens with a snowmobile sleigh ride to the reindeer area, then time with the herd, a lasso lesson and a forest walk among the reindeer. It is the one to choose for time with a large herd rather than a ride behind a reindeer.

Do we need a car?

No. Arctic Wonders includes the transfer from its office in the village to the farm, and Arctic SISU collects guests from addresses within an area marked on its listing. Check that your accommodation falls inside it when you book, especially if you are staying out of the village.

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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