Book now

Snowmobile safari in Kemi: which ride to book

A snowmobile crossing a wide frozen lake at dusk with a dog running alongside and a dark treeline under a pink sky

Illustration photo: a snowmobile on the ice at dusk, not from one of the safaris compared here.

Lapland Handbook Staff How we research this

The short answer

Choose by the hour and the ground. For the frozen sea at its best light, the short sunrise ride is the classic Kemi outing. After dark, the night ride crosses forest and sea ice in two hours. For a longer outing, the forest ride goes across the ice to the wilderness for three hours, at twice the price. With small children, the family park is the cheapest and collects you, but its listing leaves out clothing and driving time.

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 Salmon LodgeSea Lapland: sunriseSea Lapland: nightSea Lapland: forest
Price €99 – the lowest price per person €130 €150 €260
Duration 4 h 1.5 h 2 h 3 h
Where you ride A snowmobile park The frozen Bothnian Bay Forest and sea ice Across the sea ice to a forest
Getting there Pickup from nearby towns From the safari house in Kemi From the safari house in Kemi From the safari house in Kemi
Winter clothing Not stated Included, with helmet Included, with helmet Included, with helmet
Children In a sled In a sleigh; over 12 and 140 cm behind the driver In a sleigh; over 12 and 140 cm behind the driver In a sleigh; over 12 and 140 cm behind the driver

Highlighted figures are the best in that row: the lowest price per person. All four price per person, with two to a machine on the Sea Lapland Safaris rides. Only the price is marked: the rides are different outings, and cancellation is free up to 24 hours before on all four.

Where these figures come from
  • Lapland Salmon Lodge: The cheapest and the longest: a family snowmobile park with a warm cabin and grilled sausages, pickup from nearby towns included. It does not say how long you drive or whether clothing is lent.
  • Sea Lapland: sunrise: An hour and a half on the frozen Bothnian Bay at first light, outfit and helmet included. The short, typical Kemi ride.
  • Sea Lapland: night: Two hours in the dark through forest and over the sea ice, with a hot drink and a snack, and a chance of the aurora on a clear night.
  • Sea Lapland: forest: Three hours across the ice to a wilderness forest, looking for animal tracks. Twice the price of the short rides, for twice the time.

Kemi’s snowmobile rides are sea rides. When the Bothnian Bay freezes, it becomes a flat white plain to the horizon, and three of the four rides compared here are timed to see it at its best: at sunrise, in the dark, or on the way across to a forest.

For the frozen sea

Sea Lapland Safaris runs all three from its safari house in Kemi, with a full outfit and helmet lent before you leave. The sunrise ride is an hour and a half on the ice. The night ride takes two hours through the forest and over the sea, with a snack and the chance of the aurora on a clear night. Two guests share a machine and take turns driving.

For a longer ride

The forest ride is the long one: three hours across the ice to a wilderness forest, where the guide looks for animal tracks with you. At 260 euros it costs twice as much as the short rides.

With small children

Lapland Salmon Lodge sells a family outing to its snowmobile park, collecting you from nearby towns, with children riding in a sled and grilled sausages in a warm cabin afterwards. At 99 euros for four hours it is the cheapest here, but the listing does not say how much of that time is on the machine, or whether winter clothing is lent, so ask before booking.

What happens on a snowmobile safari, from the briefing to the driving, is in the Rovaniemi snowmobile safari guide. The rest of the town is on the Kemi destination page.

What an hour costs on each ride, and what driving alone adds where a listing prints it, is worked out in snowmobile safari prices in Kemi.

Tours you can book

Questions people ask

Can I ride alone?

On Sea Lapland Safaris' rides, yes, for a solo supplement booked on request and subject to availability; the ice-fishing listing from the same seller prices it at 55 euros per driver. Two guests normally share a machine and take turns. The family park's listing does not mention solo riding, so ask.

Can an older child sit on the snowmobile?

On the Sea Lapland Safaris rides, children over 12 and taller than 140 centimetres can sit behind the driver; younger children ride in a sleigh. The family park says children ride in a sled and does not print an age, so ask if your child is in between.

Is there a sunset ride as well as a sunrise one?

Yes. Sea Lapland Safaris also lists a sunset ride of an hour and a half on the sea ice at the same 130 euros per person. It is listed below the table. Both start from the safari house with the same outfit and the same rules for drivers and children, so pick the one that fits your day.

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.

More about Lapland Handbook →