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Snowmobile safaris in Kilpisjärvi: which route to book

Two riders in helmets and hi-vis jackets standing by their snowmobiles in a wide snowy valley between bare white mountains

Illustration photo: snowmobiles in a mountain valley, not in Kilpisjärvi.

Lapland Handbook Staff How we research this

The short answer

If you have never driven a snowmobile, book the two-hour beginners' ride first; it is the cheapest and the trail is easy. If the reason you came is the point where three countries meet, the three-hour Three-Country Cairn tour gets you there for less than the longer tours. For open fell scenery rather than a landmark, take the tundra tour. Book the four-hour loop only if you want the most time on the machine.

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.

Kilpissafarit: beginners' 12 kmKilpissafarit: Three-Country CairnKilpissafarit: tundraKilpissafarit: 40–50 km loop
Price €120 – the lowest price per person €150 €180 €180
Length 2 h 3 h 3 h 4 h
Distance 12 km Not stated Not stated 40–50 km
Goes to the Three-Country Cairn Not in the listing Yes Not in the listing Yes
Photos by the guide Not in the listing Not in the listing Yes Yes

Highlighted figures are the best in that row: the lowest price per person. All four price per person and include a thermal outfit. Only price is marked: a longer route is not a better one for a first-time driver.

Where these figures come from
  • Kilpissafarit: beginners' 12 km: Two hours on an easy trail, with safety and driving instruction first. Built for people who have never driven.
  • Kilpissafarit: Three-Country Cairn: Three hours across frozen Lake Kilpisjärvi and a birch forest to the yellow cairn at Koltavuoma, with a hot drink and a pastry.
  • Kilpissafarit: tundra: Three hours into the tundra to Lake Termisjärvi below Termisvaara, with photographs taken by the guide.
  • Kilpissafarit: 40–50 km loop: Four hours taking in the cairn and, weather allowing, Saana, frozen lakes or a wilderness hut, with photos, a hot drink and a pastry.

Snowmobile day tours in Kilpisjärvi all come from Kilpissafarit, which meets you at its office in the village and lends the same thermal outfit on each. The four differ in where they take you.

The routes

The beginners’ ride covers twelve kilometres of easy trail in two hours, after safety and driving instructions. The Three-Country Cairn tour crosses frozen Lake Kilpisjärvi and a birch forest to Koltavuoma, where a yellow cairn marks the point at which Finland, Sweden and Norway meet. The tundra tour heads into the tundra to Lake Termisjärvi below Termisvaara, which the company describes as Finland’s southernmost summit over a thousand metres. The four-hour loop covers 40 to 50 kilometres, takes in the cairn and, weather allowing, Saana, frozen lakes or a wilderness hut.

Before you book

The rules are the same on all four. Drivers must be 18 and passengers on a snowmobile at least 140 centimetres tall; children from eight ride in a sleigh, and one adult is suggested to go with them. A tour runs only with at least two people on snowmobiles or four in the sleigh. If there is an accident, the driver is liable for up to 1,000 euros. A pick-up from anywhere within five kilometres of the office costs 5 euros per person.

Evenings under the aurora, including one by snowmobile, and the rest of what is sold in the village are on the Kilpisjärvi destination page. More snowmobile operators and longer days are compared in the best snowmobile tours in Rovaniemi.

The same company’s evening and afternoon outings are set out separately: northern lights in Kilpisjärvi and reindeer in Kilpisjärvi.

Tours you can book

Questions people ask

We are coming over from Norway. What time does the tour start?

The listings warn that the timetable is in Finnish time. Kilpisjärvi is an hour ahead of Norway and Sweden, so a tour shown at ten o'clock starts at nine by a Norwegian clock. The company asks you to be at its office five to fifteen minutes before the start, which leaves little slack if you have driven over from Tromsø and misread the hour.

Do I need a driving licence?

The listings contradict themselves. The beginners' ride says a driving licence is not necessary, yet lists a driver's licence under what to bring, and the tundra tour lists it among what the tour includes. Bring your licence whichever you book, and ask the company before booking if you do not have one, since the answer decides whether you drive or ride.

What happens if the weather turns?

The tours run only when the weather allows, and the listings promise a full refund if the company cancels because of the weather. Outside that, free cancellation runs until 24 hours before the start. If the forecast looks poor, ask the company the day before whether your route is likely to run, so you can cancel in time.

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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