Reindeer safari in Saariselkä: which sleigh ride to book
Illustration photo: a reindeer in open snow, not from one of the farms compared here.
The short answer
Choose by time of day and by how you want to arrive, since the prices barely differ. A morning ride with a transfer suits most families and takes any age. An evening ride suits anyone hoping for the aurora, as long as everyone is seven or older and you can get yourself to the village. If you would rather drive something than sit in a sleigh, go to the reindeer farm by snowmobile and accept a much shorter reindeer ride.
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.
| Lapland Safaris: morning | Easy Travel: herders' farm | Lapponia Tours: evening | Lapland Safaris: by snowmobile | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | €170 | €169 – the lowest price per person | €189 | €214 |
| In the sleigh | About 45 min | About 1 h | Not stated | About 600 m |
| Starts | Daily at 10:00 | 12:00 | Evening | Mon, Thu, Sat at 14:00 |
| Getting there | Transfer included | Hotel pickup included | Meet at the safari house in the village | By snowmobile, two per machine |
| Youngest allowed | All ages | Not stated | 7 | Over 2, in the guide's sled |
| Also on the ticket | Warm drink by the fire | Try driving the reindeer, hot drinks in a kota | Feeding the reindeer, campfire | Lasso throwing, coffee |
-
Lapland Safaris: morning
- Price
- €170
- In the sleigh
- About 45 min
- Starts
- Daily at 10:00
- Getting there
- Transfer included
- Youngest allowed
- All ages
- Also on the ticket
- Warm drink by the fire
The steady choice: every day at ten, a transfer from your accommodation, about 45 minutes in the sleigh and a warm drink by the fire. Any age can come, which makes it the one for mixed-age families.
-
Easy Travel: herders' farm
- Price
- €169 – the lowest price per person
- In the sleigh
- About 1 h
- Starts
- 12:00
- Getting there
- Hotel pickup included
- Youngest allowed
- Not stated
- Also on the ticket
- Try driving the reindeer, hot drinks in a kota
The longest time in the sleigh of the four, at about an hour, at a farm where the herders host you and you can try the reins yourself. The group is capped at fifteen.
-
Lapponia Tours: evening
- Price
- €189
- In the sleigh
- Not stated
- Starts
- Evening
- Getting there
- Meet at the safari house in the village
- Youngest allowed
- 7
- Also on the ticket
- Feeding the reindeer, campfire
The ride for the dark: a sleigh through the forest in the evening, reindeer to feed and a campfire, with the aurora possible but not promised. Nobody under seven, and you make your own way to the safari house in the village.
-
Lapland Safaris: by snowmobile
- Price
- €214
- In the sleigh
- About 600 m
- Starts
- Mon, Thu, Sat at 14:00
- Getting there
- By snowmobile, two per machine
- Youngest allowed
- Over 2, in the guide's sled
- Also on the ticket
- Lasso throwing, coffee
The farm visit for people who want to drive: you ride a snowmobile to the farm, throw a lasso and hear about herding. The reindeer ride itself is short, about 600 metres, so it is the wrong pick if the sleigh is the point.
Highlighted figures are the best in that row: the lowest price per person. All four price per person and lend winter clothing. Only price is marked: a longer ride is not better for every child, and the hour of the day is a preference rather than a ranking.
Where these figures come from
- Lapland Safaris: morning laplandsafaris.com read Sep 22, 2026
- Easy Travel: herders' farm viator.com read Sep 22, 2026
- Lapponia Tours: evening getyourguide.com read Sep 22, 2026
- Lapland Safaris: by snowmobile laplandsafaris.com read Sep 22, 2026
- Lapland Safaris: morning: The steady choice: every day at ten, a transfer from your accommodation, about 45 minutes in the sleigh and a warm drink by the fire. Any age can come, which makes it the one for mixed-age families.
- Easy Travel: herders' farm: The longest time in the sleigh of the four, at about an hour, at a farm where the herders host you and you can try the reins yourself. The group is capped at fifteen.
- Lapponia Tours: evening: The ride for the dark: a sleigh through the forest in the evening, reindeer to feed and a campfire, with the aurora possible but not promised. Nobody under seven, and you make your own way to the safari house in the village.
- Lapland Safaris: by snowmobile: The farm visit for people who want to drive: you ride a snowmobile to the farm, throw a lasso and hear about herding. The reindeer ride itself is short, about 600 metres, so it is the wrong pick if the sleigh is the point.
Three of the reindeer rides in the table cost between 169 and 189 euros and last two to two and a half hours. On price they are interchangeable, which is why the choice comes down to what surrounds the sleigh: the hour, the journey there and who is allowed to come.
A morning ride for the whole family
Lapland Safaris runs its ride every day at ten, collects you from your accommodation and takes children of any age. About 45 minutes in the sleigh and a warm drink by the fire fill a morning without exhausting anyone, and it leaves the afternoon free.
Easy Travel’s ride starts at noon and gives you the most time in the sleigh, about an hour, at a farm where the herders talk you through their work over a hot drink. The listing does not give a minimum age, so ask before booking with very small children.
An evening ride under the sky
Lapponia Tours takes the sleigh out in the evening, with reindeer to feed and a campfire, and the aurora if the night allows. Two limits come with it. Nobody under seven can go, and the transfer is not included from Kiilopää, Kakslauttanen, Muotka, Inari or Ivalo: the tour starts at the company’s safari house in the village, so guests staying outside it arrange their own way there.
By snowmobile to the farm
Lapland Safaris’ farm tour trades the long sleigh ride for a snowmobile journey, two adults to a machine, and a visit built around herding: the lasso, the farm and a coffee break. The reindeer ride is short, and the driver needs a licence valid in Finland. Children under the height limit ride in a sled pulled by the guide.
What a reindeer farm visit involves, and what a ride adds to it, is set out in the Rovaniemi reindeer farm guide, and the distinction holds up here too. The rest of the resort is on the Saariselkä destination page.
What a minute in the sleigh costs on each reindeer ride, and what children and babies pay, is worked out in reindeer safari prices in Saariselkä.
Tours you can book
An hour in a reindeer sleigh at a herding family's farm
Run by Easy Travel
From €169per person
Length2 h
Book now on Viator(opens in a new tab)A morning reindeer sleigh ride of about 45 minutes
Run by Lapland Safaris
From €170per person
Length2 h
See it on the operator’s site(opens in a new tab)An evening reindeer sleigh ride into the night forest
Run by Lapland Safaris
From €182per person
Length2 h
See it on the operator’s site(opens in a new tab)An evening reindeer sleigh ride, with reindeer to feed
Run by Lapponia Tours
From €189per person
Length2.5 h
Book now on GetYourGuide(opens in a new tab)To a reindeer farm by snowmobile, with lasso throwing
Run by Lapland Safaris
From €214per person
Length3 h
See it on the operator’s site(opens in a new tab)
Questions people ask
Can I drive the reindeer myself?
On one of these tours, with help. Easy Travel's listing invites you to try driving the reindeer with tips from the herder who guides you. On the Lapland Safaris and Lapponia Tours rides you sit in the sleigh while the reindeer are led. The Lapland Safaris farm visit hands out a reindeer driving licence, but that is a souvenir certificate rather than a turn at the reins.
Can I take photos with a flash?
Not on Lapponia Tours' evening ride. The listing prohibits flash photography and torches, because a sudden flash can startle the reindeer, and it says the guide may hold on to a camera or phone for the rest of the tour if the rule is ignored. Set your camera to no flash before you leave the safari house; in the dark the screen light is enough to fumble by.
What if we have to cancel?
It depends on where you book. Lapland Safaris sells from its own shop and charges a 25-euro fee if you cancel three days or more ahead, and the full price from 71 hours before the start. The Easy Travel and Lapponia Tours listings can be cancelled free until 24 hours before. If your dates might move, that difference is worth more than the few euros between the prices.