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Snowmobile safari in Ylitornio: which ride from Aavasaksa

Two snowmobiles with riders in helmets on a snowy hillside above a valley filled with low cloud, forested slopes behind

Illustration photo: snowmobiles in Canada, not at Aavasaksa.

Lapland Handbook Staff How we research this

The short answer

For a first ride, book the three-hour trip to the valley shelter from Aavasaksa; for the big day, the six-hour ride into Sweden that crosses the Arctic Circle and stops for a soup lunch. Bring your own warm clothes to both, because only the helmet, hood and gloves are lent. If you have young children or want a ride after dark, look at Aavasaksa Adventures, and ask for a price, since it prints none.

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.

KJ-Experience: valley shelterKJ-Experience: across the borderAavasaksa AdventuresNordic Safaris, Tornio
Two on a snowmobile €165 €290 Not stated €175 per person
One on a snowmobile €230 €385 Not stated €275
Length 3 h 6 h 2.5 h 2 h
Youngest 5, in the sleigh Not stated 4 Children 4 to 14 in a sledge
Clothing Helmet, hood, gloves Helmet, balaclava, gloves Not stated Overalls, boots, helmet, gloves
Starts Aavasaksa, 10:00 Aavasaksa, 10:00 Aavasaksa Tornio

The KJ-Experience shop names its tickets "2 persons/snowmobile" and "1 person/snowmobile" without saying whether the figure is per person or per machine; the Tornio price is per person. No row is ranked for that reason.

Where these figures come from
  • KJ-Experience: valley shelter: Three hours from Aavasaksa to a shelter above the Tornio valley, with a warm drink and a pastry at the top.
  • KJ-Experience: across the border: Six hours under the border bridge into Sweden and over the Arctic Circle, with a soup lunch on the way.
  • Aavasaksa Adventures: A two-and-a-half-hour ride open to children from four, sold through a dated calendar that shows the price only once a day is picked.
  • Nordic Safaris, Tornio: Two hours on the sea ice of the Bothnian Bay from Tornio, 49 minutes away, with overalls, boots, helmet and gloves lent.

Search the booking platforms for a snowmobile ride in Ylitornio and nothing comes up. The rides exist all the same, and they start on Aavasaksa hill.

Two rides from the same hill

KJ-Experience sells two, through the Tornio valley’s regional shop. The shorter climbs to a shelter above the valley with the Swedish side in view and is back in three hours.1 The longer runs under the border bridge into Sweden, on to Juoksenki or Svanstein according to the group’s pace, and crosses the Arctic Circle before turning for home.2 Drivers must be eighteen with a licence valid in Finland.

A second company without printed prices

Aavasaksa Adventures, on the same hill, sells a half-day ride, an evening ride by a fire and a full day. Its booking system gives ages and lengths but shows a price only after you choose a date.3 Its evening ride is for twelve and over, its half day from four.

What you bring

KJ-Experience lends the helmet and gloves and expects you to arrive in your own winter clothing; Aavasaksa Adventures’ listings say nothing about clothing. That is the practical difference with Tornio, 49 minutes down the valley, where the company lends overalls and boots as well; the Tornio rides are compared on snowmobile safari in Tornio, and the rest of Ylitornio is on the Ylitornio destination page.

Tours you can book

Priced per person

Price not stated

Questions people ask

Is there a price for a child in the sleigh?

Not on the shop page. The three-hour ride takes children from five, seats those aged five to eleven in a sleigh towed by the guide and lets twelve-year-olds choose the sleigh or the snowmobile, but the only tickets it prints are for one or two people on a snowmobile. Ask KJ-Experience what a child in the sleigh costs before you book for a family.

Do we cross the border on the six-hour ride?

Yes. The listing describes the route running under the Aavasaksa bridge into Sweden and on to Juoksenki or Svanstein, depending on how the group is driving, with the Arctic Circle crossed on the way. Carry an identity document: Finland and Sweden are both in the Schengen area, but you are leaving the country on a vehicle.

What happens if we damage the snowmobile?

The three-hour ride's listing includes motor insurance with a maximum deductible of 980 euros, which is the most a driver would pay towards damage under that cover. The six-hour listing mentions motor insurance without giving the deductible. Ask either operator to confirm the figure in writing before you set off, and ask whether it applies to the machine or to each driver.

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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