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Green northern lights above the frozen, snow-covered surface of Lake Inari on a November night

Sample journey · 6–8 days

Inari in winter: the Sámi north in the blue light

Inari, Lake Inari, Kiilopää & Saariselkä

Photo: Mayur Arvind / Unsplash

Illustrative journey ideas — not bookable packages. No prices, dates or accommodation are implied.

Most winter journeys to Lapland revolve around Rovaniemi, husky sledding and snowmobiles. This one travels further north and moves more slowly. Inari is a small village on the lake of the same name, yet it is home to Siida, the Sámi museum and nature centre, and to Sajos, the Sámi cultural and administrative centre. Three Sámi languages are spoken here, and reindeer herding is a way of life rather than an attraction. We meet it through a visit led by a Sámi family, on their terms and in the way they choose to share it.

Then come two nights at a secluded lodge on the shore of Lake Inari: snowshoes across frozen bays, the sauna, long blue afternoons and a dark sky with no town lights. To finish, the fells of Urho Kekkonen National Park around Kiilopää and Saariselkä, where trails climb through frosted pines to bare summits. The northern lights often appear here, but never to schedule, so the journey is shaped to be good without them: short distances, warm cabins and enough time for quiet.

The route

The journey

  1. Ivalo
  2. Inari & Siida
  3. Reindeer grounds
  4. Lodge on Lake Inari
  5. Kiilopää & Urho Kekkonen National Park
  6. Saariselkä
  7. Ivalo
  1. The suspension bridge over the Jäniskoski rapids among snow-covered pines on the Juutua river, Inari

    01Days 1–2 · Inari

    The heart of the Sámi homeland

    A flight via Helsinki to Ivalo and about an hour's drive north through snow-laden forest. The first three nights are in or near Inari, by the Juutua river, which in places stays open even in the hardest frost and steams between white banks. Day two belongs to Siida: a museum that tells of the Sámi languages, crafts and the reindeer year, and of how people have lived in this land for thousands of years, with old storehouses and traps in the open-air section under the snow. In the afternoon, the short Juutua nature trail to the suspension bridge over the Jäniskoski rapids, and Sajos, whose timber architecture is a story in itself. Winter days are short here, so the rhythm is calm: one meaningful experience a day and long evenings by the fire.

  2. A reindeer pulling a sleigh through snowy forest near Ivalo

    02Day 3 · The reindeer grounds

    A day with a reindeer-herding family

    On day three, a visit to a Sámi family who herd reindeer around Inari. It isn't a show: the hosts talk about the grazing lands, the earmarks by which each family knows its own animals, and how climate and land use are changing their work. If conditions and the hosts allow, you might feed the reindeer in the forest or take a quiet sleigh ride behind a reindeer across the snow. Then a hot drink and something to eat by the fire in a kota or cabin, when the conversation turns naturally to stories. We choose these visits with Sámi hosts, or people their community recommends, and travel on their terms: photographs only when asked, and no imitation of dress or traditions whose meaning we don't know. For those who'd like a longer walk, a morning on snowshoes to the old wooden church at Pielpajärvi in the forest: a trail of several kilometres each way, so it gets its own half-day.

  3. An aerial view of cabins on the shore of frozen Lake Inari at dusk

    03Days 4–5 · Lake Inari

    A lodge on the frozen lake

    A short transfer to a secluded lodge on the shore of Lake Inari, and two nights that need no plan at all. Lake Inari is one of Finland's largest, with thousands of islands, and in winter its bays become a white plain to cross on snowshoes or skis, or by sleigh with a guide. Daylight at this time of year is blue and pink, so even a short walk feels like a journey into another world. You might try ice fishing through a hole in the ice with a local guide, and in the evening there's the sauna and, for the brave, a plunge through the ice. Lodges like this often have glass roofs or large windows, so the sky can be watched without stepping into the cold. We would choose a place where what matters most is peace, good cooking from local produce and hosts who know the lake.

  4. The old Suomunruoktu log cabin in snowy forest in Urho Kekkonen National Park

    04Days 6–7 · Kiilopää & Urho Kekkonen National Park

    On snowshoes through the pines to the fells

    About an hour and a half south lies Kiilopää, at the foot of the fells of Urho Kekkonen National Park, and the last two nights. Some of Lapland's loveliest winter trails begin here: through pines bowed under snow and rime to bare summits looking out over endless white forest. With a guide, half a day on snowshoes, many travellers' favourite day of the journey, or first steps on cross-country skis along prepared tracks. Inquisitive Siberian jays often appear along the way, and old log cabins stand in the forest, remnants of the days of gold prospecting and reindeer herding. In the evening, a traditional smoke sauna if it's heated that day, and a night walk with a guide away from the lights when the forecast promises clear skies.

  5. Sunset over the snowy summit of Kaunispää fell near Saariselkä

    05Days 7–8 · Saariselkä & Ivalo

    Sunset on Kaunispää

    On the last afternoon, a short drive or trail up Kaunispää fell above Saariselkä, where in winter the low sun turns the snow-heavy trees pink and gold. If you'd like more movement, a longer cross-country ski loop or a fat bike on the snow trails; if not, one more sauna and a slow dinner of local produce: reindeer, Arctic char, cloudberries and lingonberries. The final night is a last chance to watch the sky. On day eight, it's barely half an hour to Ivalo airport and the flight home via Helsinki. If you'd like to extend the trip, a day or two in Helsinki works well: after the quiet of the north, the city feels different.

Experience highlights

  1. 01

    Siida and Sajos

    Two places where Sámi culture is told in Sámi voices: the museum and nature centre, and the cultural and administrative centre.

  2. 02

    A reindeer-herding family

    A conversation by the fire about grazing lands, earmarks and a changing northern life, on the hosts' terms.

  3. 03

    The silence of Lake Inari

    Two nights at a secluded lodge, snowshoes across frozen bays and a sauna with a hole in the ice nearby.

  4. 04

    The fells on snowshoes

    Rime-covered pine forest, bare summits and blue winter light in Urho Kekkonen National Park.

First, we listen. Then, we explore what's possible.

Make it your own

  • Even slower

    A third night on Lake Inari leaves one day just for the sauna, a book and short walks, and raises the odds of a clear night.

  • For a honeymoon

    A cabin with a glass roof or private sauna, dinner for two and a night outing with a guide to the darkest spot by the lake.

  • In another season

    In March the days are long and bright and the snow usually deepest; in September comes ruska and the first dark nights, and in summer the midnight sun and boats to Lake Inari's islands.

  • With Norway

    From Inari the road runs north to Norway's Finnmark and the Barents Sea coast; a few days by the fjords rounds off a northern journey.

Practical considerations

  • The winter season around Inari usually runs roughly from December to the end of March. From roughly early December into January the sun barely clears the horizon (the polar night), while February and March bring longer, brighter days. Snow depth varies from year to year.
  • The cold can be deep here: temperatures are often below −15 °C and sometimes fall to −30 °C or lower. What matters most is several warm layers, wool socks and good boots; many lodges and guides lend thermal overalls and footwear.
  • The northern lights are often seen in this region, but they depend on solar activity and cloud cover, so we never guarantee them. Several nights in different places improve the chances.
  • We choose Sámi cultural visits together with the local community and the hosts it recommends, and we check current arrangements and travel advice before you go.

General guidance only. Seasons, weather and wildlife are never guaranteed, and travel requirements are always worth checking before you go.

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