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Reindeer safari price in Sodankylä: the ladder, the hour and the family

A long line of reindeer running across a wind-blown snowfield in low winter sun, with rocky patches on the slope behind

Illustration photo: a reindeer herd in Norway, not in Sodankylä.

Lapland Handbook Staff How we research this

The short answer

At the farm, the basic visit is the cheapest hour with reindeer, and the short ride costs more per hour than the long one, so if you want a ride at all, the three-kilometre version is the better buy. For a family of four every visit is four full prices, since nobody charges children less. Before booking Arctic SISU's half day on a platform, ask whether its lower own-site price applies.

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.

Farm visitWith a 1 km rideWith 3 km and lunchArctic SISU: herding
Added to the farm visit Nothing €30 €101 Not the same farm
Per hour €56.50 – the lowest price per hour €71.50 €71.33 €60
Family of four €452 – the lowest family total €572 €856 €960

Highlighted figures are the best in that row: the lowest price per hour and the lowest family total. Per-hour figures divide the per-person price by the listed length. A family of four pays four full prices, since no listing prints a child fare. Own-site prices are left out because their basis is not stated.

Where these figures come from
  • Farm visit: The bottom of the ladder: feeding, the farm's stories and coffee in a kota, with clothing and transfer.
  • With a 1 km ride: The same visit with a one-kilometre ride behind a reindeer, the dearest step per metre of riding.
  • With 3 km and lunch: The top of the ladder: a three-kilometre ride and a soup lunch with bread, berry juice and buns.
  • Arctic SISU: herding: Half a day with a herd of hundreds from the other company, at its platform price.

One farm in Sodankylä prices its reindeer visit in steps, which shows exactly what each part of the day costs.

The ladder

Arctic Wonders’ farm visit is the base. A one-kilometre ride adds 30 euros, a three-kilometre ride with coffee adds 63, and swapping the coffee for a soup lunch adds 38 more.1 The first kilometre is the expensive one: the three-kilometre ride costs only 33 euros more than the one-kilometre ride and gives three times the distance.2

The other company

Arctic SISU’s half day with a herd costs more than any step of the ladder but less per hour than the rides, because it lasts twice as long as the farm visit.3

Tours you can book

Questions people ask

Is Arctic SISU's half day cheaper on its own site?

Its own booking page lists a four-hour visit to meet, feed and walk with reindeer at 200 euros, against 240 on GetYourGuide, and a five-hour day with a Lapland lunch at 360. It does not say whether those prices are per person or what its cancellation terms are, so ask both before booking there.

Is transport included?

Yes, in every price here. Arctic Wonders drives you from its office in the village to the farm and back, and Arctic SISU collects you from an address inside the area marked on its listing. From outside the village, check the pickup area, since a taxi to the office would add to the family total.

Can we cancel if the weather turns?

On the platforms, all of these can be cancelled free up to 24 hours before. The listings do not say what happens if the company itself cancels for weather, so ask whether you would get a refund or a new date, especially on the visits with a sleigh ride.

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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