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Snowmobile safari in Ranua: one hour or two

A rider in a yellow jacket on an orange snowmobile crossing a groomed snowfield, with snowbanks and marker poles behind

Illustration photo: a snowmobile on a snowfield in Japan, not in Ranua.

Lapland Handbook Staff How we research this

The short answer

For a first try, book a one-hour safari: enough to find out whether you like it. Lupland's is the one on the platforms, with outerwear lent and children in the guide's sled; Ranua Resort's family hour has a child fare. For more time in the forest, the two-hour rides cost 30 to 60 euros more. Either way the driver must be eighteen with a car licence.

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.

Lupland Adventures: 1 hLupland Adventures: 2 hRanua Resort: 1 hRanua Resort: 2 h
Price €125 – the lowest price per adult €185 €130 €160
Length 1 h 2 h 1 h 2 h
Children Under 15 in a sled behind the guide Under 15 in a sled behind the guide €85 for 3 to 14; over 140 cm behind an adult Adults only
Damage excess €980, or €150 with a €50 waiver €980, or €150 with a €50 waiver €500, waiver included €500, waiver included

Highlighted figures are the best in that row: the lowest price per adult. All price per adult. Only price is marked: a longer ride is not a better one for a first-timer, and the terms suit different parties.

Where these figures come from
  • Lupland Adventures: 1 h: The shorter platform safari, with winter outerwear, instruction and a hot drink. Enough time to learn the machine and find out whether you want more.
  • Lupland Adventures: 2 h: Twice as long for 60 euros more, with the same outerwear, instruction and hot drink. The one for anyone who already knows they like driving.
  • Ranua Resort: 1 h: The resort's family hour over a frozen lake and through the forest, with two guests sharing each machine and a child fare printed.
  • Ranua Resort: 2 h: Two hours with a stop in the quiet of the wilderness, for adults only. Two guests share each machine and take turns driving.

Snowmobile safaris in Ranua come from two companies. Lupland Adventures sells its rides on the booking platforms from its base at Arctic Guesthouse & Igloos; Ranua Resort, which runs the Wildlife Park, sells its own from its Safari House.

One hour or two

The one-hour safari is the way to find out whether you like driving a snowmobile: 125 euros at Lupland, 130 at Ranua Resort. A second hour costs 60 euros more at Lupland and 30 more at the resort, where the two-hour ride is for adults only. Lupland seats children under fifteen in a sled pulled by the guide; the resort prices children of three to fourteen separately on its family hour.

Before you set off

At both companies a driver must be at least 18 and carry a valid car driving licence. Where they part is the damage terms: Lupland sells its waiver separately before the safari, while the resort’s adult price already includes one.

Longer snowmobile days and more operators are compared in the best snowmobile tours in Rovaniemi, and a family view of the same outing is in family snowmobile safaris in Rovaniemi. The rest of the village is on the Ranua destination page.

These machines are also the closest to Posio, which sells none at all: snowmobile safari in Posio sets the hour of driving against the hour on a machine.

Tours you can book

Questions people ask

Where does the safari start?

Lupland's rides leave from Arctic Guesthouse & Igloos in the village, Pappilantie 1, and it asks you to arrive at least fifteen minutes before the start; its listings offer a pick-up from three places chosen at checkout. Ranua Resort's safaris leave from the resort's reception. Check which is nearer your accommodation before you plan to walk in the cold.

When do the rides leave?

Ranua Resort prints its times: the one-hour family ride daily at ten in the morning and three in the afternoon, and the two-hour ride at ten, two and half past four, from December to April. Lupland's listings open their start times only once you choose a date, so check the time you are given at booking against the short winter daylight.

What if there is not enough snow or ice?

Lupland says its departures and routes depend on snow cover and safe ice on the lake routes, and that the guide's decision stands; if it has to cancel and no alternative is accepted, its terms refund the activity. Ranua Resort sells its rides from December to April. Early in December or late in April, ask about conditions before you plan a day around a 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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