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Reindeer in Inari: the sellers and what they offer

A pale reindeer pushing its nose between the rails of a wooden fence towards the camera, in a snowy forest

Illustration photo: a reindeer at a fence, not from one of the outings compared here.

Lapland Handbook Staff How we research this

The short answer

Look beyond the booking platforms. For a ride in a reindeer sleigh, or a morning with a herd in the forest, book with the village safari company on its own site: it has four reindeer outings and collects you from your hotel in the village. The hotel in the village sells a sleigh ride and a feeding visit too. On the platforms you will find the short ranch feeding beside the village and the half-day workshop with a Sámi herding family.

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.

Visit InariWilderness Hotel InariGalddoaivi SafarisFINNTATION
Where it sells Own site and receptions Own site and email Own site and a booking platform A booking platform
Reindeer sleigh ride Yes, day and evening Yes No No
Getting there Pick-up from village hotels Transport from the hotel From a meeting point Return from Inari village
Season December to early April Winter, autumn and summer outings Not stated All year

Nothing is marked: the table maps who sells what rather than ranking them. Individual outings are compared on the best reindeer tour page.

Where these figures come from
  • Visit Inari: The village safari company, with its office in the middle of Inari. Four reindeer outings in winter, sold on its own site and at its hotel receptions.
  • Wilderness Hotel Inari: The hotel in the village sells its own reindeer sleigh ride and a feeding visit with stories about herding, plus an autumn and a summer visit.
  • Galddoaivi Safaris: A local company that takes guests to feed reindeer at a ranch right beside the village centre, by snowmobile sleigh when there is snow.
  • FINNTATION: Sells a half day hosted by a member of a Sámi herding family, with a craft workshop, the reindeer enclosure and a home-made lunch.

Reindeer outings in Inari are sold by four companies, and the booking platforms show only two of them. The other two, both in the village, sell on their own sites, and they are the ones with the sleigh rides.

In the village, off the platforms

The village safari company sells four reindeer outings over the winter: a daytime sleigh ride, an evening one, a morning with a herd in the forest and an afternoon at a local family’s home by Lake Muddus. The hotel in the village has a sleigh ride at a farm and a feeding visit with stories about herding. Which outing suits what you want is on the best reindeer tour in Inari.

On the platforms

Galddoaivi Safaris takes guests to feed reindeer lichen from their hands at the ranch, a short outing that some reindeer meet at ease and others from a distance. FINNTATION’s half day starts with a souvenir made from reindeer leather, bone and antler, and ends with coffee and lunch at the family home, with stories about herding throughout.

What each costs a family, and the terms if plans change, is on reindeer safari prices in Inari. The rest of the village is on the Inari destination page.

Tours you can book

Questions people ask

What happens at the ranch if there is no snow or it is very cold?

The sleigh is replaced by a car. The platform listing says the group always goes by snowmobile sleigh when it can, but by car if there is no snow or it is extremely cold; either way it is about 2.4 kilometres from the meeting point. The feeding itself does not change, and nor does the price.

Can we meet reindeer in Inari outside winter?

Yes, though with fewer choices. The Sámi family's workshop on the booking platform runs all year round. The hotel in the village sells an autumn reindeer visit, and in summer the afternoon with a local family by Lake Muddus. The safari company's winter reindeer outings run from the first of December to early April.

Can we book the local companies' outings at a hotel reception?

The safari company says its activities can be booked at all of its receptions, which include Hotel Inari and Holiday Village Inari, as well as online. The hotel in the village sells its own outings through its site and its sales team by email. Reception is useful for a last-minute place, though in winter the safari company takes the whole price when you book.

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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