Reindeer in Ivalo: which outing to book
Illustration photo: reindeer on a snowy shore, not from one of the outings compared here.
The short answer
Choose by how much of the outing is about the reindeer. For the herders' daily work, book the morning with Ivalo Experiences, which takes you to a free-ranging herd. For a short evening out, the reindeer and campfire evening is the cheapest and takes two hours. If you want to drive a snowmobile as well, Ivalo Safaris' safari feeds reindeer on the way to lunch, but takes nobody under twelve.
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.
| Ivalo Experiences: herders' morning | Ivalo Experiences: evening with reindeer | Ivalo Safaris: snowmobile and reindeer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | €199 | €120 – the lowest price per person | €179 |
| With the reindeer | Feed a free-ranging herd with herders | Meet them by the fire | Feed them on the way to lunch |
| Duration | About 4 h | About 2 h | 3 h 15 min |
| Starts | 8:00 | Evening | Not stated |
| Pickup | Ivalo included; €45 each way from Saariselkä | On request | Ivalo-area hotels |
| Youngest | Not stated | Not stated | 12 |
-
Ivalo Experiences: herders' morning
- Price
- €199
- With the reindeer
- Feed a free-ranging herd with herders
- Duration
- About 4 h
- Starts
- 8:00
- Pickup
- Ivalo included; €45 each way from Saariselkä
- Youngest
- Not stated
Four hours with local herders, feeding a herd that lives free in the forest all year, in a group of at most eight. Pickup in Ivalo included.
-
Ivalo Experiences: evening with reindeer
- Price
- €120 – the lowest price per person
- With the reindeer
- Meet them by the fire
- Duration
- About 2 h
- Starts
- Evening
- Pickup
- On request
- Youngest
- Not stated
Two hours in the evening with reindeer, sausages and a hot drink by the fire, under whatever the sky offers. The cheapest and the shortest.
-
Ivalo Safaris: snowmobile and reindeer
- Price
- €179
- With the reindeer
- Feed them on the way to lunch
- Duration
- 3 h 15 min
- Starts
- Not stated
- Pickup
- Ivalo-area hotels
- Youngest
- 12
A 25 to 30 km snowmobile safari along the Ivalo River to Lake Inari, feeding reindeer and lunch in a teepee. Thermal clothing included; nobody under twelve.
Highlighted figures are the best in that row: the lowest price per person. All three price per person and can be cancelled free up to 24 hours before. Only the price is marked: the outings are different in kind.
Where these figures come from
- Ivalo Experiences: herders' morning viator.com read Sep 22, 2026
- Ivalo Experiences: evening with reindeer viator.com read Sep 22, 2026
- Ivalo Safaris: snowmobile and reindeer getyourguide.com read Sep 22, 2026
- Ivalo Experiences: herders' morning: Four hours with local herders, feeding a herd that lives free in the forest all year, in a group of at most eight. Pickup in Ivalo included.
- Ivalo Experiences: evening with reindeer: Two hours in the evening with reindeer, sausages and a hot drink by the fire, under whatever the sky offers. The cheapest and the shortest.
- Ivalo Safaris: snowmobile and reindeer: A 25 to 30 km snowmobile safari along the Ivalo River to Lake Inari, feeding reindeer and lunch in a teepee. Thermal clothing included; nobody under twelve.
Reindeer outings from Ivalo come from two companies, and none is a sleigh ride behind the animals. What you get instead is time with them in three different settings.
With the herders
Ivalo Experiences’ morning takes a group of at most eight out at eight o’clock to local herders, who show their daily work and let you help feed a herd that lives free in the forest all year. It lasts about four hours and costs 199 euros per person, with pickup in Ivalo included.
An evening with reindeer
The same company’s evening outing is two hours with reindeer, sausages and a hot drink by the fire, looking up in case the aurora appears. At 120 euros it is the cheapest and shortest of the three.
With a snowmobile
Ivalo Safaris combines reindeer with a first snowmobile ride: 25 to 30 kilometres along the frozen Ivalo River to Lake Inari, feeding reindeer on the owners’ island and lunch in a teepee. Thermal clothing and a helmet are lent, two people share a machine, and nobody under twelve can come.
What a reindeer farm visit usually includes elsewhere, and what a sleigh ride adds, is in the Rovaniemi reindeer farm guide. The rest of the village is on the Ivalo destination page.
What each aurora evening costs per hour, and what the dinner evening puts in its extra thirty euros, is worked out in northern lights tour prices in Ivalo.
Tours you can book
An evening with reindeer under the night sky, sausages by the fire
Run by Ivalo Experiences
From €120per person
Length2 h
Book now on Viator(opens in a new tab)The same Lake Inari snowmobile and reindeer tour, on Viator
Run by Ivalo Safaris
From €175per person
Length3.5 h
Book now on Viator(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
We are staying in Saariselkä. Can we join from there?
For the herders' morning, yes, at extra cost: Ivalo Experiences includes pickup in Ivalo and charges 45 euros each way from Saariselkä or Inari. The snowmobile safari collects from hotels in the Ivalo area. Ask each operator before booking, and compare the transfer with the reindeer outings sold in Saariselkä itself.
Why does the snowmobile safari cost less on one platform?
Ivalo Safaris lists the same Lake Inari safari on GetYourGuide from 179 euros and on Viator from 175 euros when checked. Both listings describe the same route, lunch and reindeer. Prices can change by date, so compare both on your date before paying; the cancellation terms were the same on both.
Is warm clothing lent?
On the snowmobile safari, yes: thermal clothing, shoes and a helmet are included. The two Ivalo Experiences listings do not mention clothing, so ask, and dress for standing still in the forest in wool layers, a warm hat and boots with room for thick socks.