DAY 1  | Arrival in Rovaniemi – Meet the Santa! (D)

Welcome to Rovaniemi – the capital of Finnish Lapland! Guide will meet you at airport and afterwards guided tour to the Arctic Circle, where the village of Santa Claus is arranged. You will be able to visit Santa Claus in his office, chat with him and entrust your wishes to him. You will stop at the famous post office where letters with wishes from all over the world are stored. Free time to write Christmas cards, buy souvenirs, etc. After visiting Santa Claus village guided private transfer to the hotel. Hotel will be named later. Check-in and 3-course welcome dinner at the hotel.

DAY 2 | Snowmobile safari, ice fishing with outdoor lunch (B+L+D)

Breakfast at the hotel. We will get warmly dressed in Safartica office and get ready for the safari. Our guide will give us a briefing and driving instructions. We take the snowmobile, and we will drive on the frozen river. Our guide will choose a nice spot; after drilling a hole on the ice we will try the ice fishing! Patience is the key to success. We will have a lunch break by the campfire and hot drinks to keep ourselves warm! Time to enjoy the silence of the nature and breath the fresh air of Lapland. After this nice experience, we will return to the city by snowmobile! If the customers catch a fish our guide will be happy to cook it for them.

Includes: Winter clothing, snowmobile instructions and safari 2 persons/snowmobile, driving time approx. 3 hours, ice fishing equipment, soup lunch by campfire, hot drinks and biscuits, and guiding in English. Duration: 5-6 hours.

Afternoon free. Evening dinner at the Lappish Kota. Experience a traditional Kota dinner by the open fire! Forget about the hustle and bustle and relax by enjoying traditional Finnish delicacies in a genuine Lappish hut. Your evening starts with slowly cooked salmon, followed by Lappish traditional reindeer stew with mashed potatoes. After the main course, delicious pancakes will be prepared by the open fire. You may even fry your own pancake! A limited selection of wines, beers and beverages are available for purchase on the spot. Max capasity 100 pax.

DAY 3 | Arctic animals – Husky and reindeer farms (B+L+D)

Breakfast at the hotel. Do you know that the ideal temperature for huskies is -20 degrees? And that the reindeer loses their antlers every year? Come and get acquainted with the life of those Nordic animals. Welcome to the local reindeer farm Raitola where the herder is welcoming us to visit his farm and his reindeer. We will get a lot of information about the reindeer herding in Lapland and also have a short ride with reindeer sleigh for the fun! Warm up with a hot juice. Our adventure continues to the husky farm where the musher is waiting for us. The dogs are ready to take us to the forest for a speedy 2 km ride! We will learn more about the huskies sharing a hot juice at the end with the musher. Duration: 3 h in total (dressing, transfers, 1h visit at the reindeer farm, 1 h visit at the husky farm) Includes: Winter overalls, bus transfers, visit of the reindeer farm and short sleigh ride 500 m, visit of husky farm with 2 km ride (self-drive) 2 persons/sleigh, hot drinks and explanations about the animals, guiding in English. Lunch included. Afternoon free. Dinner in magical Snowland igloo restaurant, 3-course, private return transfer included, also thermal outfits.

In the late evening : Aurora with marshmallow grilling. We take you by car to the nearby wilderness where we will have the best view on the sky. During the evening you will learn about the arctic nature and enjoy stories about the culture and history of the local people. You will have a chance to try snowshoes around the fireplace. We will also have a break to enjoy some hot beverages, and we get to grill some marshmallow on the campfire. At the end of our excursion, we return to the city by bus – hopefully with rested and relaxed minds. Even if we can’t guarantee the Northern Lights, this program is excellent for people who wish to enjoy the great outdoor polar night. Includes:​ Private return transfers, guiding, winter overalls, hot drink with marshmallow grilling around fire, few pairs of snowshoes for customers to try.​ Departure appr. 20:30.

DAY 4 | Helsinki (B)

Breakfast at the hotel. Check-out from the hotel and transfer to Rovaniemi airport. Flight to Helsinki (ours or own air arrangements). Meet your guide at the Helsinki airport and continue to the guided city tour. A comprehensive tour taking in the most important and interesting parts of Helsinki. An insight into the history and architecture of Helsinki. The tour includes a wide range of the main sights of Helsinki’s imperial center such as the beautiful white Helsinki Cathedral, the buildings of Helsinki University and the library, Council of States, the Bank of Finland, the House of Estates, the State Archives, the House of Nobilities, the Main Guard Building, and the Presidential Palace​. After city tour, check-in to the hotel and free time for shopping. Dinner at the local/hotel restaurant.

Tip: Christmas market “Tuomaan Markkinat” are open yearly in December in Helsinki city center, near to Cathedral. All the main shopping streets are also within walking distance.

DAY 5 | Porvoo day tour (B)

Breakfast at the hotel. Today’s tour ahead to Porvoo, only 50 km from Helsinki to east. Porvoo city center is old wooden city with nice Christmas decorations and shops. At first we visit in Finland’s oldest home museum, the authentic atmosphere of the 1860s bourgeois home as guests of the Finnish national poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg (1804-1877) and his wife Fredrika (1807-1879).​ In their house museum the works of art, Runeberg’s hunting weapons in the ’fox skin room’, and the porcelain in the cupboards all serve as reminders of both everyday and social life of the family.​ On Christmas time, the museum is also decorated with Christmas tree and flowers. Afterwards group can enjoy route through art in Porvoo street view. Visit to Porvoo Cathedral and its surroundings. Start by exploring the cathedral itself. It’s a beautiful red-brick medieval church with a history dating back to the 13th century.​ After visiting the cathedral, wander around the charming, cobbled streets of Porvoo’s Old Town. You’ll find colorful wooden houses, boutique shops, art galleries, and cozy cafes and restaurants to stop by for own cost lunch or snack. Duration 5 h.

Porvoo tour could be half day or full day with dinner. Dinner suggestion:
Live like a Lord: Historic manor tour with winetasting and gourmet dinner. With a 5-course classic Nordic gourmet lunch or dinner and tasting of 12 wines​. With a 5-course classic Nordic gourmet lunch or dinner and tasting of 12 wines, this programme is for wine and food lovers, as well as those wanting to learn more about combining good food and different wines. ​Starting with some aperitif wines and canapés to match, followed by a tour of Bosgård’s 220-year old main manor. ​Learn about the 700-year history of Bosgård, it’s owners (including pirates!), and old Nordic architecture in harmony with nature. ​Guests then enjoy four more courses with matching wines in beautiful historic surroundings. All foods and wines are introduced and explained.​ Dinner not included package price.

DAY 6 | Ice experience & sauna (B+L)

Breakfast at the hotel. Try an unforgettable experience in a Hovercraft! Over breaking ice or snow, we leave from the east side of Helsinki into the empty archipelago deep frozen. ​Wearing a Survival suit you can experience how it feels floating among ice rafts staying warm and dry.​ Running on floating ice rafts is great fun too! Barbecue lunch on open fire is a perfect end to a perfect day. Departure point may vary due to weather conditions.​ Duration 3 hours.

After exotic swimming on ice, it’s time to test the most Finnish way to keep warm – sauna. Löyly is a public sauna and restaurant complex in Hernesaari district on the southern tip of Helsinki. The complex includes a traditional Finnish smoke sauna and two other wood-heated saunas, a year-round terrace and a restaurant. The saunas offer direct access to the outdoor seating area and the sea, where it is possible to enjoy a refreshing swim, all year round.

Dinner suggestion: King Feast dinner at the Harald Viking restaurant. Almost 40 delicious flavors as starter, main and dessert​. The food is impressively placed on top of Viking battle shields. Dinner not included package price.

DAY 7 | Farewell Finland (B)

After breakfast, transfer to the Helsinki airport.

**END OF TOUR**

ESTIMATED GROUP TOUR PRICE / PERSON / IN DBL ROOM:  

Group size 15 people: 2815 €/pp/in double room
Group size 20 people: 2630 €/pp/in double room
Group size 30 people: 2575 €/pp/in double room  

Oy Kon-Tiki Tours Ltd reserves the right to change the routing and duration of all excursions if necessary, according to the prevailing weather- and snow conditions or if deemed advisable for the sake of safety and the comfort of the participants. We reserve the right to change the prices. All rights reserved.