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Snowmobile safari in Luosto: which ride to book

A helmeted rider on a red snowmobile coming along a snowy track between frosted spruces, seen from behind another machine

Illustration photo: a snowmobile on a forest track, not from one of the safaris compared here.

Lapland Handbook Staff How we research this

The short answer

Choose by destination. With children, the amethyst mine trip takes them from two, in a sled behind the guide, and it is the cheapest. For a quieter ride without children under fifteen, the electric snowmobile safari runs every morning. For the fells between Luosto and Pyhä, book the full day. For your own group only, the ranch near Pyhä sells a private ride, but it is priced per person and costs the most.

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: amethyst mineLapland Safaris: electricLapland Safaris: over the fellsLuckyRanch: private
Price €163 – the lowest price per person €208 €257 €285
Length 2 h 3 h 6 h 30 min 2.5 h
Where it goes Amethyst mine Forest to a kota About 100 km, Luosto to Pyhä Forest from the ranch
Engine Fuel, CO2-compensated Electric Fuel, CO2-compensated Four-stroke 600 cc
Youngest Over 2, in the guide's sled 15 15 Children in a sled
Solo riding +€50 +€50 +€85 Not stated
Cancelling €25 from 8 days, full price within 7 €25 from 8 days, full price within 7 €25 from 8 days, full price within 7 Free up to 24 h before

Highlighted figures are the best in that row: the lowest price per person. All four price per person, with two sharing a machine unless solo riding is paid for. Only price is marked: a longer day is not a better first ride.

Where these figures come from
  • Lapland Safaris: amethyst mine: The short trip with a destination: two hours to the amethyst mine, a guided tour and a stone of your own to dig out. The cheapest, and it takes children from two, in a sled behind the guide.
  • Lapland Safaris: electric: A quiet morning ride through the forest to coffee in a kota, every day of the week. No exhaust and little noise, but nobody under fifteen and a fair level of fitness expected.
  • Lapland Safaris: over the fells: The big day: about a hundred kilometres of track from Luosto to Pyhä fell, with lunch. For confident adults who want distance; twice a week, fifteen and over.
  • LuckyRanch: private: Your group alone on 600 cc machines from a ranch by Lake Pyhäjärvi, with a coffee break on the trail. Priced per person rather than per group, so it is the dearest seat here; the one with the easiest cancellation terms.

Three of the four safaris in the table are sold by Lapland Safaris from Luosto, and each is built around a destination rather than a number of hours. The fourth is a private ride from a ranch by Lake Pyhäjärvi, near Pyhä.

With children: the amethyst mine

The two-hour trip to the amethyst mine is the family choice. The ranch also seats children in a sled but gives no age. Children over two ride in a sled pulled by the guide’s snowmobile, the mine visit gives the ride a purpose, and everyone digs out a stone to take home. It is also the lowest price in the table.

Without children: electric or the whole day

The electric safari runs every morning to coffee by a fire in a kota, on machines Lapland Safaris describes as silent and emission-free. It takes nobody under fifteen.

The fell tour is the opposite end: about a hundred kilometres of track from Luosto to Pyhä fell with lunch on the way, twice a week. Nobody under fifteen, and good physical condition expected.

For your own group: the ranch

LuckyRanch sells a private ride on 600 cc machines through the forest from its ranch by Lake Pyhäjärvi, with a coffee break on the trail and overalls, helmets and boots lent. It is priced per person, so a larger group pays for every seat, and it has the gentlest cancellation terms of the four.

A word on cancelling

Lapland Safaris’ Luosto terms are strict: a 25-euro fee from eight days out and the full price from seven days before the start. If your dates could move, that matters as much as the price.

How a snowmobile safari works in general, from the briefing to the driver’s liability, is in the Rovaniemi snowmobile safari guide. The rest of the area is on the Pyhä-Luosto destination page.

Which trips take a child from two, what the child’s seat costs and why the electric trip charges a child no more is worked out in family snowmobile safari in Luosto.

Tours you can book

Questions people ask

What does an electric snowmobile change?

The noise and the exhaust. Lapland Safaris describes its electric machines as silent and free of emissions, and runs a separate safari on them every morning. On its mixed trips the guide still drives a four-stroke machine, because an electric snowmobile cannot pull the children's sled, and the electric safari itself takes nobody under fifteen.

Can I ride on my own?

Yes, for a supplement. Lapland Safaris charges 50 euros per person for solo riding on the amethyst mine and electric safaris and 85 euros on the full-day fell tour. The ranch's private safari is for your group only, but it is still priced per person and does not state a solo supplement, so ask when booking.

What is the driver liable for?

On the Lapland Safaris trips, up to 980 euros per accident under the traffic insurance, which a 20-euro waiver per driver reduces to 150 euros. The ranch listing does not print a figure. The driver must be 18 or over with a licence valid in Finland, and the ranch sets its alcohol tolerance at zero.

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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