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Reindeer farm in Ylitornio: which herd to visit

Several harnessed reindeer with sleds standing on packed snow at the edge of a forest, with drivers beside them

Illustration photo: reindeer sled teams in winter, not at the farms in Ylitornio.

Lapland Handbook Staff How we research this

The short answer

For a sleigh ride with the herding explained, book the longer programme in Aavasaksa: about an hour and a half with a ride, feeding and a hot drink, and child and infant fares printed. For the most time with the animals and a herder, arrange a visit at the farm in Raanujärvi. If the reindeer are one part of a Christmas day for small children, the Santa station includes feeding them in its ticket.

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.

Team Rudolf: Full Rudolf ExperienceTeam Rudolf: sleigh rideVuolo Reindeer Farm
Adult €135.82 €68.44 Not stated
Child €94.76 (4–14) €48.43 (4–14) €90 (2–12)
Length 75–90 min 30 min 1 h online; 1.5–2 h on the farm's page
Sleigh ride Yes Yes About 800 m
Feeding the reindeer Yes – the programme includes feeding the herd Not stated Yes – the programme includes feeding the herd
Winter clothing Rent for €18 Not included Not stated

Highlighted figures are the best in that row: the programme includes feeding the herd. Team Rudolf's prices include booking fees and are per person, with infants up to two free. The Raanujärvi farm's online shop showed only a child's price, so its adult fare is not stated here.

Where these figures come from
  • Team Rudolf: Full Rudolf Experience: An hour and a quarter to an hour and a half in Aavasaksa: a sleigh ride two adults to a sleigh, feeding the herd and an introduction to herding.
  • Team Rudolf: sleigh ride: Half an hour in a reindeer-drawn sleigh on a forest trail, for anyone who only wants the ride.
  • Vuolo Reindeer Farm: A herder's farm by Lake Raanujärvi, open by appointment: feeding with the herder, a short sleigh ride and hot drinks by a fire.

Ylitornio has more reindeer to visit than the booking platforms show. The Tornio valley’s own tourist organisation lists two farms in the municipality that sell visits of their own, besides the herd at the Santa station.1

Aavasaksa: a programme with the prices printed

Team Rudolf runs its rides with a local activity company in Aavasaksa, and its booking page prints a fare for each age: adults from fifteen, children from four to fourteen, and nothing for infants up to two.2 The longer programme adds feeding and the herding story to the ride; the half-hour option is the ride alone.

Raanujärvi: a herder’s farm by appointment

Vuolo Reindeer Farm names its reindeer and gives them days off, and its safari is built around time with the herd and the herder rather than distance in the sleigh.3 Its online shop sells a one-hour visit that cannot be refunded, while its own page describes a longer safari, so ask which you are booking.

Choosing

Aavasaksa for a clear, priced programme with a proper sleigh ride, Raanujärvi for the quietest time with the animals, and the Santa station if the reindeer are a side of a Christmas day, as Santa Station in Ylitornio sets out. The rest of the valley is on the Ylitornio destination page.

Tours you can book

Priced per person

Price not stated

Questions people ask

Where exactly are the two farms?

Team Rudolf's address is Kopanmäentie 583 in Ylitornio, and it describes its rides as taking place in Aavasaksa; the short sleigh ride gives its meeting point as Lentotie in Ylitornio. Vuolo Reindeer Farm is at Kyläniementie 152 in Raanujärvi, a village in the same municipality by Lake Raanujärvi. Neither page offers a pick-up, so plan on driving yourselves.

Which fare does a three-year-old pay?

At the Aavasaksa farm the booking page leaves a gap: infants are free up to two and the child fare starts at four, so a three-year-old fits neither band and you should ask before booking. The Raanujärvi farm's online shop counts children from two to twelve and infants below two, so a three-year-old there is a child. The Santa station lets children up to three in free.

Can we see the northern lights on a reindeer visit?

None of these programmes is sold as an aurora evening, and none promises one. The Raanujärvi farm serves hot drinks by an open fire and the Aavasaksa programme ends with berry juice by the fire, but the start times the Aavasaksa booking page showed were at nine in the morning and at noon. For an evening built around the sky, look at the aurora tours sold in the Tornio valley instead.

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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